PART THREE
Islam and How It Dealt with the Security Situation at the Time
But how did Islam deal with that horrifying security situation? What are the foundations and starting points enacted as a law in Islam to rectify that destructive human situation?
What indeed draws attention in the way Islam dealt with the security situation it confronted – inherited from previous communities, nations, and cultures – is that learning and the combating of illiteracy and ignorance was its first concern. As it is well known, the first pronouncement revealed by God, the Most Sublime, to the Prophet of Islam, our Master and Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon him, was: “Read!”
Read in the name of your Lord, Who created (Al-'Alaq XCVI: 1).
What also draws attention is that God ordered Gabriel to ask His chosen Prophet to pronounce and repeat the verses at once, a thing which was not done in the case of other verses of the Glorious Qur'an that were revealed later.
This process of immediate application implies, as I understand it, a special distinction, stressing the importance of learning and its basic role in corrective movements and processes of building, on sound bases, the lives of individuals and communities.
The emphasis on the importance of learning and judicious knowledge acquires later a greater and loftier distinction, when God, blessed be His Names, uses the pen and its output in an oath with which He affirms or denies what He will:
Noon! By the pen and what they write (Al-Qalam LXVIII: 1).
· Through learning, true knowledge of God is gained.
Know then that there is no deity but God (Muhammad XLVII: 19).
Those endowed with knowledge can see that what has been revealed to you from your Lord is the truth (Sabaa XXXIV: 7).
· Through learning, a human being fears his Lord as He should be feared.
From among God’s servants, the ones who fear him are knowledgeable people (Faatir XXXV: 28).
· Through learning, a human being gets to know himself and his role in life.
He created man from a clinging mass (Al-'Alaq XCVI: 4).
Rather, man will be a witness against himself (Al-Qiyaamah LXXV: 14).
· Through learning, a man finds out the mysteries of the universe around him.
We will show them Our signs in the horizons and in themselves, until the truth is evident to them (Fussilat XLI: 53).
· Through learning, research is conducted, and development and creativity are achieved.
Say, ‘Behold what the heavens and the earth contain’ (Yunus X: 101).
Such are the comparisons We draw for people, but none will grasp their meaning except knowledgeable people (Al-'Ankaboot XXIX: 43).
· Through learning, the hidden places of the earth are discovered and its treasures are invested.
Walk around its regions, eat of His provision, and to Him is the resurrection (Al-Mulk LXVII: 15).
· Through learning, people communicate and get to know each other.
We have … borne them over land and sea (Al-Israa XVII: 70).
It is a sign for them that We carried their forefathers in the laden ark, ◘ and We created for them from the like of it what they can ride (Yaseen XXXVI: 41-42).
· On the basis of this important role of learning in the lives of people, Islam accords it, as well as the learned, a lofty position.
God will raise in position those of you who believe and are given knowledge. God knows what you do (Al-Mujaadilah LVIII: 11).
· In order to emphasize the veneration and importance of learning in Islam, God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, ordained that learning, being the correct way that leads to righteousness and success, is an obligation for Muslims.
The pursuit of learning is an obligation for every Muslim.[1]
The second top priority of Islam, next to learning, in dealing with the security situation prevailing at its advent, is the question of security. I have pointed out at the beginning of this study that the world today suffers a severe crisis, which is the decline of its security and stability; I have talked about some features of the general situation at the current stage of human history; and I have concluded that, in general, the world community today is in a state of adversity. It is a recurrent state, and it prevailed in the security situation before Islam. As it is known, one meaning of adversity is hardship, but it is a term of a broad denotation. It covers everything that is harmful to a man in his faith and his life. Some of its indications in life are the lack of
1. religious security,
2. individual security,
3. Intellectual security,
4. Cultural security,
5. Ethical security,
6. Family security,
7. Social security,
8. Health security,
9. Food security,
10. Economic security,
11. Environmental security, and
12. Human security.
A person who contemplates the urgent security needs of the human community finds that they are covered by the general purposes of the mission of Islam and its eternal, divine Law. These general purposes are known for everybody; they are the safeguarding and protection of
1. religion,
2. reason,
3. the soul,
4. family honor, and
5. property.
The Messenger for human guidance, the one with the divine, universal message for all humanity, our Master and our joy and delight, the guide and herald of good omens, the chosen one, Muhammad, son of Abdullah, blessings and peace be upon him, sums up all this by saying,
For any person who rises in the morning, safe within his flock and sound in his body, having provisions for his day – the world, with all its facets, is endorsed to him.[2]
This tradition explicitly states that the basis of human security has three pivots:
1. general social security,
2. general health security, and
3. general food security.
The Glorious Qur'an expresses all this with an inclusive, exclusive statement that has far-reaching and sublime connotations. God, blessed be His Names, says:
We have honored the children of Adam, borne them over land and sea, provided for them sustenance out of the good things of life, and favored them far above many of Our creatures (Al-Israa XVII: 70).
It might be asked: Why is it that the children of Adam are thus honored and favored?
But why should the question be asked and what is strange about this?
Has God, the Most Glorious and Sublime, not formed the human being with His own Hands?
Has He not breathed part of His Soul into him?
Has He not created him in the best form?
Has He not adorned him with reason?
Has He not given him a free will?
Has He not made him bear the trust of vicegerency on earth?
Has He not commanded angels to prostrate themselves for him?
Has He not subjected for his benefit the universe and all its content?
Has He not done for him a myriad of other things.
The approach to the question of security should be conceived within the framework of this great honor bestowed on the human race and based on it. Security, in Islam, is a major concern and a lofty goal, being an eternal divine calling. All values and principles serve security and work to provide it for the human being, so that he may perform his exalted mission in life. On basis of this appreciation of the importance of security in human life, the Islamic approach places it at the top of its reform priorities. The Glorious Qur'an addresses Quraish and reminds it of the blessing of security bestowed on it, by the Grace of God and munificence through the message of Islam. God, the Most Glorious, says:
Let them worship the Lord of this House, ◘ Who fed them against hunger and provided them with security against fear (Quraish CVI: 3-4).
In general, the Glorious Qur'an addresses believers and makes the great promise of the blessing of security. God, the Most Sublime, says:
God has promised those of you who believe and do good that they will be masters on earth, the same as their predecessors were; will strengthen the religion He has chosen for them; and will replace the fear they had with a feeling of security. They will worship Me and nothing else beside Me (Al-Noor XXIV: 55).
Hunger and fear are two serious and corruptive afflictions that threaten most human communities today, undermining their security and stability, turning the lives of people into unbearable hell, abruptly ending a person’s health and freedom, restricting his capabilities and skills, and detaining him, humiliated and defeated. That is why God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, used to seek refuge with God from:
Infidelity and poverty.
He also sought refuge from :
Anxiety and sorrow, helplessness and laziness, cowardice and stinginess, and the triumph of indebtedness and the defeat of men.
When contemplated, all these are found to be afflictions branching out from hunger and fear.
In order to uproot these two major afflictions, Islam made the fight against them a practice of worship:
Yet he would not scale the Ascent. ◘ Would that you knew what the Ascent is. ◘ It is the emancipation of a slave, ◘ or the feeding, on a day of famine, ◘ of an orphan near of kin, ◘ or a needy person in distress (Al-Balad XC: 11-16).
A believer is not to kill another believer unless by mistake. When he kills a believer by mistake, then he has to liberate a believing slave and pay blood-money to his people, unless they forego it by way of charity. If he belongs to a group that is an enemy of yours, then it has to be the liberation of a believing slave. If he belongs to a group with whom you have a treaty, then it has to be blood-money paid to his people and the liberation of a believing slave. When one cannot afford that, he has to fast for two consecutive months as a penance ordained by God. God is All-Knowing and All-Wise. (Al-Nisaa IV: 92).
In fact, God generally deprecates unjustified killing. He ranks it as the worst of cardinal sins. He, the Most Glorious and Sublime, says:
Whoever kills a believer intentionally will be punished in hellfire where he will stay for eternity. He will incur the wrath of God, Who will curse him and have a terrible penalty in store for him (IV: 93).
Moreover, God exalts the life of a human being in general. He regards the value of an individual life equal to that of the lives of all people. He says:
… if a person kills a soul, unless in punishment for murder or corruption on earth, it is as if he has killed all people, and if he saves a life, it is as if he has saved the lives of all people (Al-Maidah V: 32).
Islam insists on safeguarding human dignity, health, and safety. The rulings it gives are congruent with his interests, security, and safety. Thus, what is forbidden is allowed, and what is permissible is forbidden when it is certainly established that it is harmful and incompatible with human interests, security, and safety.
Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, the flesh of swine; that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked; the animal that has been strangled, beaten to death, killed by a fall, gored to death, or savaged by a beast of prey (except that which you may have slaughtered when it is still alive); animals that have been slaughtered on idolatrous altars; and the division [of meat] by raffling with arrows – for all this is sinful. Today, the unbelievers have lost all hope of your religion. Have no fear of them, then, but fear Me alone. This day I have perfected your religion for you, bestowed on you the full measure of My blessings, and chosen for you Islam as a religion. For him who is forced by hunger [to eat of such a thing], with no inclination to commit sin, God is All-Forgiving and Merciful (Al-Maidah V: 3).
He has forbidden you carrion, blood, the flesh of swine; that over which any name other than God’s has been invoked. Whoever is compelled without craving or transgressing bears no sin (Al-Baqarah II: 173).
Eat, drink, but do not be extravagant. God does not like the extravagant (Al-A'raaf VII: 31)
The chosen guiding Messenger, our beloved master Muhammad, son of Abdullah, sets down the ratios of food security for a human being. He says:
… one third for your food, one third for your drink, and one third for your breath (A tradition of the Prophet’s).
Thus human interest and security are looked after by Islamic Law. In fact, the stipulations and values of that Law revolve around and adjust to man’s interest and dignity. A famous rule of Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) says, “God’s Law is to be found wherever interest lies.” Another is the rule of necessity which stipulates that “Taboos are made permissible by exigencies.”
To emphasize the importance of food security and the evils connected with it, God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, asserts that fighting for that security is an integral part of belief and of Islam, when he, peace and blessings be upon him, makes an oath, saying:
By God he is not a believer, by God he is not a believer, by God he is not a believer: the person who is full when he sleeps, while his neighbor next to him is hungry and he knows that (A tradition of the Prophet’s)
The reference to a neighbor here is general, whatever his faith, race, color, or gender is, for every neighbor has general and special rights, but all share the right of being full and having their needs met.
A human soul is honored in Islam for its own self, and this honoring entails rights and obligations in Islamic Law. One day a funeral passed by God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, and he stood up in respect and to honor the dead person. He was told it was the funeral of a Jew, and he said,
Isn’t that a soul? (Ibn Hisham’s biography).
Even in battle fields, Islam stresses the inviolability of peaceful souls and of the environment. Islam’s instructions declares to soldiers and commands them:
… not to kill an old man, a woman, a child, or a person devoted to worship in his hermitage; not to cut down a fruitful tree unless they need to; not to sink any water supply; not to end the life of any wounded person; not to deform any corpse; and not to chase any person running away from the battlefield (Ibn Hisham's biography).
In fact, Muslims have to respect the dead of their enemy in the battlefield and bury them in honor and respect for the human soul.
Islam asserts that the responsibility of security is a collective one. The guiding Messenger, our Mater Muhammad, son of Abdullah, blessings and peace be upon him, says:
Each of you is positioned at one of Islam’s front stations. Oh God, if Islam were to be attacked from his side. (Ibn Hisham's biography).
Islam sets down the control and mechanisms of security performance in society. God says:
If something related to security or fear comes to their knowledge, they make it known to all and sundry; whereas, if they would only refer it to the Messenger and to those from among them entrusted with authority, those of them who are engaged in obtaining intelligence would know it. Were it not for God’s bounty to you and His grace, all but a few of you would have followed the Devil (Al-Nisaa IV: 83).
It may be asked: what is the connection between this discussion of security and non-Muslims? The values and principles cited in this study so far are, as a whole, only security instructions and responsibilities that concern Muslims and their communities, and have nothing to do with the other and his security except in a general sense. The study says that Islam responds to human security aspirations, so where, in what has been offered so far, does the response to the other’s security occur?
Undoubtedly, this is a legitimate question and ought to be asked. It is true the study has not yet started to clarify the essential question at the heart of its topic. What has been offered so far is a sort of a preface or introduction, a sort of discussion of the foundation for the security culture in the Islamic system approach in general, and a sort of discussion of the make up of the Muslim individual and Muslim society as relates to security education. For that is the fundamental starting point to clarify the question of human peace and security. It is also the central basis for clarifying the responsibilities of the nation of security and peace towards the other. In this connection, my attention has been drawn by the fact that in his famous speech on the Day of 'Arafat, known as the Farewell Speech, God’s Messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, quotes the words of God, the Most Sublime, that say:
The number of months, in God’s sight, is twelve as set in God’s Book on the day when He created the heavens and the earth. Of these, four are sacred … (Al-Tawbah IX: 36).
I have contemplated this great passage from the Qur'an – in fact, the whole Qur'an is glorious and great – as well as the point at which this quotation occurs in the inclusive and exclusive speech, which is truly the first international charter in the whole history of mankind. This great and glorious statement in the Qur'an that “Of these, four are sacred” establishes a permanent basis for the security culture in the religious, educational makeup of human beings. It also tells them what must be embedded in their conscience, and that is the command of their Lord that one third of human life should be a time of security and peace. In this, he sets the foundation for a practical school of field training to consolidate the security and peace culture in forming the souls and conscience of human generations: “Of these, four are sacred”. What strikes one is that the Messenger who brought guidance and mercy, blessings and peace be upon him, made this an intrinsic passage in his immortal, international charter, in which he established seven pillars for a common human cultural charter of security. These are:
1. People, your Lord is one.
2. People, your father is one.
3. People, to you, your blood and property are inviolable.
4. People, your Lord has forbidden injustice to Himself and made it forbidden among you, so do not be unjust.
5. People, God has resolved that no usury is allowed.
6. People, the number of months, in God’s sight, is twelve; of these four are sacred.
7. People, women have claims upon you, and you have claims upon them, so let every claimant get what is his right.
These seven pillars in this great international Islamic charter are indeed a conscientious, religious and cultural leap in the vocabulary of human cultural discourse at the time. Earlier, mankind had not heard any address that guides people to the fields of shared understanding, shared destiny, shared responsibilities, shared security, or responsibilities that were shared by man and woman in the fields of life, with an emphasis on the claims each of them had on the other. Before Islam, religions were national in their discourse, regional in their performance. They did not go beyond the geographical areas or the problems of the communities or peoples to which prophets were sent. That was the case until the last messenger, blessings and peace be upon him, came and brought the last message.
That message turned mankind:
· from the vocabulary of national religious and cultural discourse to the horizons of religious and cultural discourse addressing all mankind:
People, your Lord is one.
“O people, I am a God’s messenger to you all .…” (Al-A'raaf VII: 158).
· from the ties of clan and community to the breadth of human ties of brotherhood:
People, your father is one.
People, fear your Lord, Who created you from one soul … (Al-Nisaa IV: 1).
· from the responsibilities of regional concern to those of international and universal concerns:
People, to you, your blood and property are inviolable.
People, God has resolved that no usury is allowed.
People are partners in three things: water, pasture, and fire.
People, the number of months, in God’s sight, is twelve; of these four are sacred.
· from looking at women with contempt and canceling their role and responsibilities in the fields of life to an affirmation of the responsibilities they share with men and an affirmation of and respect for the claims each side has on the other:
People, be good to women.
People, women have claims upon you, and you have claims upon them, so let every claimant get what is his right.
Male and female believers are supporters of each other … (Al-Tawbah IX: 71).
· from taking care of individual security to concern over security of the human race and the environment:
… if a person kills a soul, unless in punishment for murder or corruption on earth, it is as if he has killed all people, and if he saves a life, it is as if he has saved the lives of all people (Al-Maidah V: 32).
Do not spread corruption on earth after it has been well ordered (Al-A'raaf VII: 56).
Undoubtedly this charter represents a major turning point in the progress of humanity and sets the ground for a qualitative and radical transformation in human culture. It is an outbreak from nationalism to humanitarianism, from regionalism to internationalism, from the privatization of values and interests to the globalization of their virtues and benefit and making them available to all people.
Islam emerged while human communities were suffering from cultural blockage, from closed civilization, isolating themselves, living behind forts and walls. Their only contact with the other was with the spear and sword. The capitals of the world at that time were situated behind closely-protected citadels and forts and shielded by walls and closed gates. Life stopped in them with sunset and returned with sunrise. It is healthy to sleep early and wake up early, but that was not the case at that time. It was rather a state of darkness dictated and determined by the fear and horror that filled the lives of people. Communities were always in a state of war, and the normal thing in the lives of people was militancy and fighting. They were always in a state of emergency and constant anxiety. They had no fire lit and no lights shining in their lives. Out of apprehension and fear of being attacked, and to guard against oppression and tyranny, they sought protection in the darkness and silence of the night; they could only breathe and see things when dawn began to breathe and day allowed things to be seen.
The remnants of that security situation are still in existence in our present day. We can see them in the ruins of citadels, forts, and gates in Athens, Rome, Damascus, Istanbul, Tokyo, and Beijing; in the Great Wall of China; and in other historical capitals and metropolises of the world. Indeed they were closed and isolated civilizations and cultures: no communication, no mutual acquaintance, and no co-existence. Indeed Islam had to face a cultural heritage of bickering, conflict, and retreat from others. It was undoubtedly a heritage burdened by pain, wounds, and animosities, and filled with fear, horror, and terror. The message of Islam came as a wholesome remedy for this human epidemic and chronic disease.
It converted the educational and cultural structure of human generations from the low state and degradation of the human mind, manifested in the worship of stones and idols, and of sultans and tyrants, to the worship of the Lord of people, freeing them all from any servitude or slavery to anyone other than God, the Most Sublime. This is what Rabea Ibn 'Aamer spoke about when he was asked by the Persian leader, Rustum, “What is it that have brought you here, Rabea?” He said:
We are here to get people out of the worship of human beings to the worship of the Lord of human beings, from the injustice of religions to the justice of Islam, and from the narrowness of this world to the extensiveness of this world and the Hereafter.
Liberating the human race is an essential goal in the great Islamic approach. Human freedom and dignity are prerequisites for his sound and positive conduct on earth, and a fundamental, rational foundation for life and for building the edifices of peace and justice.
The message of Islam also moved the vocabulary of human cultural discourse from the foulness of national and racial prejudice to the links of human brotherhood, from cultural blockage to the horizons of international openness, from the monopoly of interests to the globalization of good and benefit, from the tendency of civilization isolation to the spacious fields of integration and competition among cultures, and from the darkness of cultural blockage and condescension to the field of enlightenment and mutual acquaintance among cultures.
The message of Islam introduced, as part of this new orientation in human life, seven starting points to serve as a foundation for a strategy of mutual stimulation and cooperation to rectify the hazardous course which human civilization was following at that time. These starting points are within the framework of Islam’s international charter, described above, for the realization of secure human coexistence. The starting points are:
1. Mutual Acquaintance:
People, We have created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes in order to know each other. The noblest among you in God’s consideration are those who fear Him the most (Al-Hujuraat XLIX: 13).
2. Mutual Defense, which is joint defense against aggression, transgression, and corruption.
Were it not that God repels some people by means of others, monasteries, churches, synagogues and mosques – in all of which God’s name is abundantly extolled – would surely have been destroyed. (Al-Haj XXII: 40).
And had it not been for God using people to check each other, the Earth would have been corrupted. God is limitless in His bounty to all the worlds (Al-Baqarah II: 251).
3. Cooperation:
Cooperate in charity and piety and not in sin and aggression, and fear God; God is severe in His punishment (Al-Maidah V: 2).
It is He Who made the Earth submissive to you. So, walk around its regions, eat of His provision, and to him is the resurrection (Al-Mulk LXVII: 14).
4. Co-service, which means benefiting from and serving each other.
Do they divide the mercy of your Lord. It is We Who have divided between them their livelihood in their life on earth, and promoted some of them in ranks, so that they would use each other in service. The mercy of your Lord is better than they make out (Al-Zukhruf XLIII: 32).
5. Mutual Mercy
We have sent you only as an act of mercy for all creatures” (Al-Anbiya XXI: 107).
Merciful People will receive the mercy of the Merciful.[3]
A person who shows no mercy receives no mercy.[4]
Ibn Battal says, “The import of this tradition includes believers, non-believers, and all other creatures.
A person who shows no mercy to people receives no mercy from God.[5]
6. Competition
For each of you We have prescribed a law and a course. Had God so willed, He would have made you all one nation, but His Will is to test you by means of that which He has bestowed on you. Vie, then, with one another in doing good works. To God you shall all return. He will explain to you that about which differ (Al-Maidah V: 48).
6. Mutual Advice and Striving to Be Better
Speak kindly to people (Al-Baqarah II: 83).
A good deed is not equivalent to a bad one. Contend with what is best, and then the one you have been at enmity with behaves as a close supporter (Fussilat XLI: 34).
Tell My servants that they should always say that which is best. The Devil tries to sow discord between them. The Devil is man’s open foe (Al-Israa XVII: 53).
Reason with them in a graceful manner. Your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and He knows best who are rightly guided (XVI: 125).
In order to control the methodology mechanisms of joint human action, based on the above-listed starting points, the message of Islam sets down a number of starting points for a common charter of human interests, as follows.
1. People are partners in the task of vicegerency earth:
I am appointing a vicegerent on earth (Al-Baqarah II: 30)
2. The settlement of the earth and the administration of justice are two major ends for the task of vicegerency earth.
He it is Who brought you into being out of the earth and settled you therein (Hood XI: 61).
God commands you to deliver trusts where they are due and, if you judge between people, to judge justly. God sees all and hears all (Al-Nisaa IV: 58).
3. People are partners in the treasures of the universe on the basis of respect for the right of ownership and maintaining the legitimacy of mutual benefiting.
And He has subjected to you what is in the heavens and what is on earth from Him (Al-Jaathiyah XLV: 18).
4. Human life and dignity are sacred and should never be violated without a justification.
… if a person kills a soul, unless in punishment for murder or corruption on earth, it is as if he has killed all people, and if he saves a life, it is as if he has saved the lives of all people (Al-Maidah V: 32).
We have honored the children of Adam … (Al-Israa XVII: 70).
5. Man and woman are partners who complement each other in their responsibility to settle the earth and administer justice:
Male and female believers are supporters of each other; they enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong … (Al-Tawbah IX: 71).
6. The earth and the environment are the dwelling of mankind; they should be kept safe and never corrupted:
Do not spread corruption on earth after it has been well ordered… (Al-A'raaf VII: 56).
7. Rights and obligations are complementary and balanced things that control the relationship between production responsibilities and consumption responsibilities and ethics:
Say, “Work, for God will witness your work, and so will His messenger and the believers” (Al-Tawbah IX: 105).
Eat and drink, but do not be extravagant. God does not like the extravagant (Al-A'raaf VII: 31).
On the basis of the above-mentioned values and starting points, and principles and ethics, Islam coped with the frightful international security situation that prevailed in human communities before its advent, as well as with the frightful security situation which it faced in Arabia and with its inhabitants, who were, one way or another, a natural extension of the security situation at the time. Through this great divine approach and its equitable starting points and charters, security and prosperity prevailed everywhere, and mutual mercy and brotherhood dominated. A Bedouin was able to wander across deserts and wastelands fearing nothing other than God and the risk of his sheep being attacked by a wolf. People had sufficient food and adequate security. Things got to the point that the Caliph ruling Muslims would send out zakat and charity to be given to the needy, but it was brought back to him because there were no people that needed it. The funds of zakat became a surplus in the treasury of the state and sent to be stored in the state’s fund house, which at that time was the equivalent of a central bank. The Muslim state thus enjoyed the highest level of sovereignty and security, so that its ruler addressed a cloud in the sky, saying, “Rain wherever you wish; I will get a tax out of you.”
From His Book (Partners ... not Guardians) Part Three
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To the Nation’s leaders - To the Nation’s scholars and intellectuals - To leaders of the world |
All Rights Reserved For The Author Prof. Dr. Hamid Al-Rifaie