Contributing to the Change
By Dr. Abidullah Ghazi
Chicago, IL
Life is continual challenge and constant change. The great poet ‘Allamah Sir Muhammad Iqbal once wrote about life:
Let you not measure it with the measurements of today and tomorrow
Constant, continuous and every moment young, is life
The further back we look in time, the more we can gaze into the gigantic expanse of transformation and change. From the time of creation, the earth has chronicled change in eons and epochs. We can see evidence of this change in the nature that surrounds us. The dawn of record-keeping cultures some 7,000 years ago allowed mankind to mark changes measured by much shorter spans of time. Keeping histories (the use of narrative to examine and analyze change) gathered speed with the first Greek Civilization and it became a universal phenomenon by the time of the advent of Islam some fourteen hundred years ago.
It goes without saying that Islam gave humanity several unique principles which have remained constant in the face of a changing world, but they themselves became instrumental for radical change in human society. These Islamic universal principles are, in one form or the other, enshrined in many of the governmental, civic and social organizations and institutions. Ironically the world has little acknowledges of its indebtedness to Islam, nor are most Muslims aware of their own contributions to the evolution of modern civic society.
Islam presented the idea of One God who is Rabb ul-Alamin - Lord of all the worlds. Humanity is His creation. As a species, it emerged from a single soul (nafsin wahidah) and a single pair of parents, Adam and Eve. All of humanity is seen by Islam as being a single community and ideally there is to be no preference of one human being over another on the basis of accidents of birth.
The Qur’an teaches that variations of skin tone, language, tribe and nation are created by God and are signs of His endless power to create. He in unrestrained wisdom set out our difference to be marks of recognition, whereby we can know each other as individuals. True human excellence, God and our beloved Prophet teach us, comes from righteousness, and the true knowledge of that is not the domain of any priest or power but best left to the Divine. Islam accepts the diversity of human society and multiplicity of faith as something natural and designed or accepted by God Himself.
Islam is the first global religion to recognize and confirm that fundamental biological, theological and moral truths emerged from a single Divine source. Yet the specifics attached to these perpetually changed from age to age, as human needs transformed and people’s knowledge of the world around them evolved. All religions are, in a broad sense, one in essence, and their respective founders (seen as prophets and messengers by Islam) are a brotherhood inseparable and worthy of our respect. Muslims view the Prophet Muhammad – peace and blessings be upon him - as the final prophet and messenger, his life and teachings the best practical example of righteousness, and the Qur’an as the culmination of all previous Divine messages.
As much as religion is a social endeavor, Islam recognizes that it is something rooted in the individual conscience. Therefore, the Qur’an declares: “There is no compulsion in religion.” We are asked, as believers, to speak politely to people of other faiths, and to contend with them in a polite and gentle approach. The Qur’an commands us to repay good with equal good, and even to go further: to counteract any malice shown towards us with benevolence.
Long before the notion of “human rights” entered the consciousness of humanity, the Qur’an conferred on all human beings, be they Whites or Black, exalted or humble, rich or poor certain inalienable rights. The Qur’an prescribes rules for both a well-mannered society as well as means by which global political entities can interact. Islam is a religion of reconciliation and peace; nevertheless, it recognizes that warfare and transgression are also part of the human condition and need to be regulated by laws and principles. If the social or political order breaks down, Islam provides guidelines which have universal application. God, in short, gave us fundamentals that, in the past, inaugurated an era of universalism and globalism, tolerance and acceptance, communication and dialogue and continuity and change. These principles made Muslim Civilization a dominant force of the world for almost one thousand years.
Beyond the fundamental and perpetual universal values taught by Islam, change, both physical and moral, is desired, for as the Qur’an states: “Verily never will God Change the condition of a people unless they Change what is in themselves. ( 11:13)
True change here is inner, spiritual, moral and behavioral, and without such a transformation no change is real. Our world today, with all of its astounding technology, shifts almost daily with dizzying speed. Our world is now a global village; it is a supermarket of goods and ideas. Unfortunately, Islam is rarely seen as a product on its shelf. And it is even more unfortunate that Muslims around the world are seen as being impervious to change. Like the market of goods, the global supermarket of ideas has a system for marketing and sale. It possesses institutions which teach advertising and promotion. Even though they are convinced about the excellence of their product, Muslims lag far behind in learning from modern civic society the rules for production, sale and marketing of their Divinely-given moral vision. Regrettably, some have become convinced that the entire world is out to get them and that they can only change it by blowing others (and themselves) out of existence.
America’s Muslim citizens are not part of pessimistic and frustrated crowd that sees no light at the end of the tunnel. They are highly educated and are inspired by the life-giving message of Islam. They live in a land of opportunity and have been granted the gift of education, professional expertise and productiveness. However, we Muslim Americans, by and large, have stood aloof from the changes that our national social order is going through, and some of us are even fearful of this change. Such a reaction is natural for immigrants in general and Muslim immigrants are no exception.
The election campaign of Barack Obama electrified the nation and his victory gave the Americans a new sense of purpose and a revitalized faith in their destiny. The Muslim community solidly placed itself behind Obama with over ninety percent voting for him. By the very nature of their commitment the Muslim community of the United States must be present in the change this society is going through. Furthermore, they have a threefold responsibility that must be carried out: to America, to the Muslim World, and to humanity as a whole. There is no incongruity in this diversity of commitment. It is part of being American.
As Americans, we all are fortunate to have witnessed the opening of a new chapter in our nation’s history with the election of Barrack Hussein Obama. The world saw a black man, son of a Kenyan father and a White American mother, not cast in the mould of those who sit proudly on Mt. Rushmore, decide to run for the presidency of the United States. Truly the audacity of hope!
The Obama administration is both resolute and hopeful. He, more than anyone else, has felt the pulse of the country. America’s long march from the Declaration of Independence to the Emancipation Proclamation and that event to the boldness of the Obama campaign has us all reaching a well-deserved destination.
Since his inaugural, President Obama has been trying to fulfill the promises made during the campaign and to address the direction that this country and world at large needs. We appreciate his various initiatives involving the Muslim World, notably his plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, his mention of America’s Muslim community in his inaugural address, sending representatives to various areas of the Muslim World, his first interview on Arab TV, and his address to a Muslim country. We admire his vision and courage and prompt fulfillment of his campaign promises and have a moral responsibility to support him.
Those Muslims who have endured profiling, social ostracism and marginalization over the last eight years must find in Obama’s initiative undertakings that we must welcome and intentions that we support. In our democratic society, support means a positive reception of what we like and criticism of what we find objectionable and there is a mature method for both. This unique freedom that we enjoy in this land is a trust that we must treasure and use competently and honestly.
This seminar was held in the blessed month of Rabi’ ul-Awwal, the month of the birth of our Prophet (peace be with him), a time when Muslims across the world endeavor to call to mind the moments of his birth, youth, adult life, revelation and mission in both prose and poetry. This seminar was, in a way, a modern celebration of the life of the Blessed Prophet, in that it seeks to implement the true spirit of the message of his noble life.
When the companion Sa’d ibn Waqqas was leaving for Yemen to be its governor, the Prophet (S) asked him, “And how will you work out your affairs?”
Sa’d responded, “Through the teachings of the Qur’an.”
“And if it is not clear in the Qur’an?” asked the Prophet (S)
“Then by your Sunnah,” Sa’d replied.
“What if my Sunnah does not cover the issues you face?”
“In that case I will use my own wisdom.”
This answer delighted Rasulullah (S), and he thanked Allah for blessing Sa’d with such insight.
Our situation in America is unique and unparalleled in Islamic history and it needs a response from the light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. However, like Sa’d ibn Waqqas we must pool together our own collective wisdom. This seminar is being held in that spirit, in order that we find resolution of the issues that the Muslims face in America and around the world. As Muslim Americans, we are by and large an enlightened and educated people. We live in an open society at a time of great change. We possess opportunities offered to us that no Muslim living in a Muslim country has.
Furthermore, we are, on this day, inaugurating the United States’ chapter of the World Council for Muslim Interfaith Relations (WCMIR). Established in South Africa by a group of Muslim scholars under the guidance of Dr. Irfan Ahmad Khan this organization has chapters in many parts of the world. In August 2008, a seminar on the subject of interfaith relations was organized in Las Vegas, during which the participants, as a body, approached me to take on the responsibility to establish a WCMIR chapter in North America. I accepted the challenge with great reluctance, but with inner assurance, as I knew the sincerity and integrity of these individuals.
With that said, in the spirit of Sa’d ibn Waqqas, we gathered last month to reflect on the meaning of living as a minority in a democratic and secular society where the duties of citizenship is a revered trust and participation is an civic obligation. We have to ask ourselves:
- What can we do for this nation to return its ihsan (goodness) with Ihsan (goodness)?
- What should we expect from our society for us as Muslims and as citizens?
- How we can participate in the social, political economic process of America and fulfill our obligations as citizen?
- How can we use our nation’s infrastructure, its facilities and its resources to the benefit of its citizens?
- How we can strengthen our society so that it remains productive, creative and peaceful at home and abroad?
- What role should we play to help the new administration overcome the huge challenges that we as Americans now face?
As we are reflecting on these questions, and then commenting, suggesting planning today, I hope the WCMIR will take initiatives that are based upon thought-provoking research, reflection, resolution, and pro-action and, not, as so often happens with the Muslims of today, reaction. We have for too long been a community of reaction. Let us get out into the public square, be not spectators but players, not sit and criticize but be part of the many solutions.
This country is like an open book. Others have made it here, and we have more than a better chance to make it because of what our Creator demands from us: faith, sincerity, integrity, education and expertise. Let America see the true face of Islam in us and through us.
Wa ‘alaikum as-Salam!
(Speech delivered at a seminar sponsored by the World Council of Muslim Inter-Religious Relations)
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