Islam's response to contemporary world problems (26)
Eradicating Evil: A Collective Responsibility
The responsibility to educate people is not entrusted to governments, but to the people themselves, collectively, to do good and refrain from evil
In more developed societies, garbage collectors have the obligation to collect unwanted waste from households and streets and dispose of it. In poorer countries, housewives simply throw rubbish and rubbish into the streets until the streets become littered and no longer serve as a transit point. Of course householders have the right to clean their houses, but there must be some system to keep the streets and roads clean as well.
It is tragic to note that while we have understood the importance of the social responsibility to clean places frequented by the public, we have yet to recognise the need to take responsibility for purging society of the moral degradation that daily spills from homes into the streets and public places.
Islam addresses this issue extensively. It holds the elders of the family first and foremost responsible for minimising social waste and contributing more good than harm to society.
Secondly, Islam holds society accountable to wage, individually and collectively, a "holy war" against evil, not with the help of the sword or restrictive legislation, but through constant admonition, advice and wise suggestion. Admonition and persuasion with patience is the best instrument, according to The Quran, to cleanse society of social evils:
وَلۡتَکُنۡ مِّنۡکُمۡ اُمَّۃٌ یَّدۡعُوۡنَ اِلَی الۡخَیۡرِ وَیَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَیَنۡہَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡکَرِ ؕ وَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡمُفۡلِحُوۡنَ
"And let there arise from among you a group of men devoted to persuading people to do good, and who invite to goodness, impose justice and dissuade people from evil. They will be the blessed ones. (That is, such societies will survive. The word "Muflihun" can be translated here as those who are fit for survival) (Q. 3: Al-Imran: 105).
It should not be inferred from the above verse that the Islamic approach to the issue of maintaining public health and welfare is entirely non-governmental and that the state has no part in it. Of course, the legislative aspects and their implementation are the prerogative of the State. What we have tried to emphasise is simply the fact that, according to Islam, the machinery of the state alone is insufficient to suppress, deter or minimise crime. Once criminal tendencies are allowed to develop and flourish in households and society at large, the most a government can do is to liquidate the symptoms from time to time. The root cause of the evil is too deep for the arm of the law to reach. It is the primary task of families, religious leaders and public opinion leaders in all societies to eradicate evil.
Bearing in mind this and similar verses, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, once declared that the people before them ended tragically because of their disobedience to authority and because they gave free rein to transgression, not deterring one another from committing the iniquity they perpetrated. He went on to say:
"Verily, by Al'lah, you should commend good and forbid evil; grasp the hand of the wicked and persuade him to act rightly; establish him firmly in righteousness; if you do not act thus, Al'lah will commit the hearts of some of you with the hearts of those and curse you as He cursed them." (Abu Daud and Tirmidhi: Riadhus Salehin 198 p.50)
According to the Holy Prophet (lpbD), one of the most serious signs of decadence of a people manifests itself when they lose the courage to show their displeasure at the public display of indecency and misconduct. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him, compared this type of society to passengers on a ship in the following tradition:
Nu'man relates that the Holy Prophet sa said, "The case of those who respect the boundaries set by Al'lah and those who have no care for them, is similar to that of passengers in a ship who cast lots to determine who is to occupy the deck and who the lower part and are placed according to the result. Those who occupy the deck do not have direct access to the water and, in order to get it, they have to repeatedly descend, disturbing the occupants of the lower deck. At one point, they suggest to those on the lower deck that, if they have no objection, they could cut a hole in the bottom of the ship to gain direct access to the water. If the occupants of the lower deck were to let the others carry out their purpose, they would all perish together, but if they avoided it, they would all remain safe. (Bukhari: Riadhus Salehin 189 p. 48)
We fear that this parable would be applicable to a large part of the contemporary societies of the world.
Duties and prohibitions
Some verses of the Holy Quran on other social responsibilities that promote peace are:
وَعِبَادُ الرَّحۡمٰنِ الَّذِیۡنَ یَمۡشُوۡنَ عَلَی الۡاَرۡضِ ہَوۡنًا وَّاِذَا خَاطَبَہُمُ الۡجٰہِلُوۡنَ قَالُوۡا سَلٰمًا
"The servants of a gracious God are those who walk on earth in humility, and when they are addressed by the ignorant, they reply: "Peace!" (Q. 25: Al-Furqan: 64).
وَاِذَا حُیِّیۡتُمۡ بِتَحِیَّۃٍ فَحَیُّوۡا بِاَحۡسَنَ مِنۡہَاۤ اَوۡ رُدُّوۡہَا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ کَانَ عَلٰی کُلِّ شَیۡءٍ حَسِیۡبًا
"If ye receive an expression of friendship, return it in the same measure, or even greater. Verily Al'lah is mindful of all things". (Ch. 4: Al-Nisa: 87)
وَلَا تُصَعِّرۡ خَدَّکَ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَمۡشِ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ مَرَحًا ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ لَا یُحِبُّ کُلَّ مُخۡتَالٍ فَخُوۡرٍ ﴿ۚ۱۹﴾ وَاقۡصِدۡ فِیۡ مَشۡیِکَ وَاغۡضُضۡ مِنۡ صَوۡتِکَ ؕ اِنَّ اَنۡکَرَ الۡاَصۡوَاتِ لَصَوۡتُ الۡحَمِیۡرِ
"Do not puff out your cheeks with pride, nor walk the earth with insolence; verily Al'lah loves not him who behaves with arrogance and boastfulness. And walk with a moderate step and lower thy voice; verily, the most unpleasant voice of all is the braying of the ass". (Q. 31: Luqman: 19-20)
The character that Islam wishes to inculcate among Muslims, in itself, prevents the development of crime and irresponsible behaviour. Islam creates a healthy soil that discourages the growth of parasites and weeds.
This objective is achieved through extensive and thorough teachings on duties and prohibitions numbering several hundred. The central core of this teaching is common to almost all religions.
Islam invites the leaders of all religions to join hands in the effort to promote and inculcate good and to admonish against the commission of evil deeds.
If this were done, the world would be a much better place in this respect.
(lpbD) - God's peace and blessings be upon him.
(To be continued in installment 27)