Mohamed Ousman
There needs to be a public morality that sustains public laws, which in turn makes it possible for the “less fortunate” in society to feel they “belong.”
The distinguishing feature of an Islamic society is the strength of its moral nexus and ethical glue, which socializes personal concern and sympathy into an institution of protective care that shields orphans, widows, the handicapped, “minorities,” and the “lower classes of society” from selling their bodies to survive, to make a living or to bring bread home to the kids.
From the way the Islamic program took root in Makkah, it appears that the merciful approach of Islam and the Qur’an did not pay much attention to eradicating the social vices in the initial stages of Islam there. Since these social vices were entrenched in concepts or ideas that are decadent, it becomes a waste of time, effort and commitment to deal with the symptoms rather than with the core issue.
The reactive tendency tries to deal with the most troublesome symptom to show that something is being done, despite the untreated cause metastasizing into a more complex animal. Allah’s systematic program cuts through the artificial and contrived layers to treat the root cause, after which all the deleterious effects will be mitigated.
The first thing people should consider when trying to eliminate social vices are the convictions and concepts that lead to problematic, dysfunctional and destructive social behavior. In this case the conception and popular opinion about jahiliyah itself has to be eradicated and that social void filled by the Islamic conception and popular opinion.
People have to see for themselves how unsound and invalid their old belief system was and how vulnerable and destructive their erstwhile norms were. Simultaneously, they have to understand how perfectly consistent, suitable and valid Allah’s system is. Once people bind to Allah they will willingly do everything He tells them. When they become familiar with Allah, their hearts will be attuned to what He is saying, such that His counsel will stimulate them to overcome the bad habits they were drawn to by virtue of their lower instincts.
Laws from heaven will not frame a moral social pattern (sunnah) unless people’s hearts are attached to Allah. The Islamic laws delineated in the Qur’an are the best laws humanity will ever have but they will not help if human beings do not have hearts that love Allah to the point of favoring His laws above those composed by His rivals. The key to unraveling the social vices is at the level of human disposition, potential, and nature, and so long as these are locked away from Allah, no measure of law is going to be able to set human society aright.
The Muslims in Makkah, throughout 13 difficult years, strengthened their relationship of binding with Allah while unbinding with a materialistic and carnal way of life. During this period, these maturing Muslims were disciplined by Allah. They may have been drinking, gambling, conducting riba transactions and engaging in other vices, but something in them was being subdued and then replaced by Allah.
Their hearts and the loci of their feelings and intuitions were subsumed and contained by Allah. Their center, core and composition became fertile with this relationship with Allah. Once they reached this relationship of intimacy with Allah they were willing to do whatever had to be done to obey Him.
They knew that whatever He chose for them was for their benefit. Amidst this transformation, they had to purge themselves of all jahili behavioral traits, psychological attributes, ethical conventions, social customs and economic ways. Near the end of the Makkan period of the Muhammadi prophetic mission, the time was right for Allah to give them laws that they were ready to obey.
In the world of traditional and ritual Islam today, Muslims and potential Muslims are advised to take a look at the 13 years of ideological struggle in Makkah, and consider why it was devoted to the ideological, doctrinal, and “philosophical” integrity of the Islamic way, commitment to Allah and independence from other lifestyles and strategies. During this period, there were no formal laws. The laws come at the end of this period.
In their rush to “legalism”, Mullahs in the footsteps of the Pharisees have not grasped basic Qur’anic terminology. Tuqsitu is used to refer to a social condition of equity toward orphans. In other words orphans need an institution of equity that will provide them with the emotional and physical security.
Ta‘dilu, however, is used to refer to a condition of balance between husband and wife that will make them as compatible as possible with each other. This cannot be done through a social or governmental policy as it is strictly a matter of the psychological rapport between them. Their feelings run so deep that no formal or legal setup will, as a matter of procedure, untangle their emotional ups and downs.
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