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Humanicide:

And then Islam turned its attention to the long and backbreaking list of religious and social taboos under which humanity had labored for so long and took much of the mystery out of them. It then reduced the list to a few clearly identified items, most of which made ready and intuitive sense to most people.

The lawful it simply called Halal. And the unlawful it called Haram. They are both as clear as they can be, said the Prophet, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam – if we would be careful about the gray area in between.

Thus murder was Haram. In fact, according to the Qur’an, taking of a single life without due process was tantamount to wiping out the entire human race from the face of the earth – from beginning to end. Murder in Islam was thus not just Haram, it was Humanicide: killing off humanity as a whole.

And there were some other things that were clearly labeled as Haram. Infanticide was Haram. Drinking alcoholic beverages was Haram. Willful cruelty to animals was Haram. Eating of pig was Haram. Disobedience of and rudeness to parents was Haram. Gambling was Haram.

Sex outside marriage was Haram. Backbiting was Haram. Causing undue social unrest and disorder, and running around making trouble and mischief in the world, was Haram. Gobbling up the wealth and property of orphans was Haram.

Social Empowerment:

Allahu Akbar!

What a revolution this was – in social, religious and political thought and practice! And how clear cut some of these things are that are declared to be Haram – by Allah and equally by Allah’s messenger, Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

Thus, in Islamic culture, Halal and Haram became means of empowering the Muslim community and the human race on the one hand and of saving them from things and activities that were inherently bad for them on the other hand. Things that the Qur’an called Khaba-ith – bad, impure, evil things.

The evil in some of these things was evident for all to see, even though the evil inherent in some of them was known only to Allah. But Allah the most wise, most knowing and the most caring and kind asked human beings to stay away from them all because of the evil and harmful qualities he knew they possessed.

Humanity owes Islam an enormous debt of gratitude for how Islam in one clear swoop knocked off the burden of taboos humanity had carried on its back for so long. And how Islam freed humanity from the chains and shackles of religious hardship and bondage that had held her captive everywhere!

It is of this glorious outflow of divine mercy and of this magnificent tradition of human liberation that Halal and Haram are truly a part and a harbinger. But from a purely technical point of view, they are just two expressions out of the pages of Islamic law and jurisprudence.

But no matter how you look at them, in reality, like everything else Islam touches or teaches, these are also some of the most amazing things that we can think of in relation to human life on earth.

Together, they reflect the two distinct positions the law takes in relation to the things human beings do or consume – not just the law made by humans but law revealed by God Almighty.

That means Haram is that which has been specifically designated to be unlawful and impermissible by God and his messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. And Halal is that which is permissible and lawful according to the law and culture of Islam – which means pretty much everything else.

That also means no one but God Almighty and his messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) have the right or authority to pronounce something Haram. And all that is not specifically designated by God and his messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, to be Haram, is most likely to be Halal.

Haram – Inherently Evil or Harmful:

Here is the key to the puzzle, and it is a most amazing indication of how Islam really looks at our worldly life – our stay here on this earth: Things in Islam are generally presumed to be Halal, unless they are specifically designated and pronounced to be otherwise by God Almighty and his messenger, Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

The Islamic law in this matter, like in so many other respects, is quite revolutionary. According to Islam, the essential nature of things is to tend toward Halal – that is, lawful and permissible.

Haram is a secondary attribute that things acquire based on direct ruling from God and his messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam! – which in turn is based on the inherent evil, negativity and harm in some of those things.

Haram, therefore, is that which God and his messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, have declared to be unlawful. The underlying rationale is that the Haram thing or practice is generally detrimental to humanity’s wellbeing on earth and to its future life in the hereafter.

That it is Khabith – bad; harmful; ugly; impure; fraught with negative consequences and implications.

That is what makes Haram in Islam such a revolutionary concept, because it makes the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the individual and the community its focal point. It is not an attempt to constrain or inconvenience the individual or the community by imposing on them the burden of unnecessary and irrational taboos and hardships, but a device to liberate and empower them and serve their best interests in this world as well as in the next world.

That means, Allah and his messenger, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, have made only those things or activities Haram that are somehow injurious to the body, mind and soul of the individual and carry negative consequences and implications for the wellbeing of the family, community, society, human species and the world.

Thus, by pronouncing certain things to be Haram, Islam enhances the physical and spiritual wellbeing of the entire human race – and the entire world. It is clear then that the expression Haram, therefore, should not be used lightly or irresponsibly.

It is not surprising therefore that God and his messenger have retained the right, power and authority to declare something Haram (unlawful and prohibited) or Halal (lawful and permissible).

Therefore, in the language and culture of Islam, Haram is that which Allah and his Rasul, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, have clearly, explicitly and specifically made unlawful and impermissible.

As a result, partaking in Haram is a serious violation of Islam and therefore a grave sin punishable by God. It is also illegal and unlawful activity from the point of view of the law of the land and therefore subject to sanctions and penalties in this world where an Islamic order may prevail.

Therefore, good Muslims would try their utmost to stay away from things that are Haram – just like decent, nice and civilized people of any faith and culture anywhere would do their utmost to stay away from breaking the law of the land such as shoplifting, murder, rape or running traffic lights.

Fatwa-Happy Few:

However, Islam is quite stringent when it comes to the criteria for declaring something Haram. As a result, the list of things Haram in Islam ought to be a very short one. And it is. It is amazing how emphatic and clear the Qur’an itself is on this subject. And the Hadith also is quite specific if not guarded on what does or does not constitute Haram.

There, however, is a catch. And it has the effect of radically changing the picture, making the list of Haram things among Muslims a fairly long and lively one. That is because some Muslims are quite happy to extrapolate freely from the Qur’an and the Hadith and use the expression Haram rather loosely and liberally.

They are trigger-happy when it comes to attaching the label Haram to things. As a result, they sometimes tend to shoot from the lip and stretch the list of Haram things and activities to breaking point.

It is one thing to call certain things and practices unacceptable or undesirable, Makruh for example as some scholars of the past used to do, but it is a different matter altogether to rush to attach the label of Haram to something with which we may not be entirely pleased.

The voting and election Fatwa struck me as falling into that unfortunate category. A lot of people may be unhappy about a lot of things that go on in a lot of places in the name of elections and voting. But to start calling them Haram, either just because they are so widely practiced in the West, or because they are often so glaringly flawed in practice, is rather naïve and irresponsible. It is a misuse of the expression Haram.

As Muslims – as guardians of peace and harmony on Allah’s earth which they hold in trust from God – we also need to worry about the extent to which such a rejectionist Fatwa as well as the deeper rejectionist attitude and mindset that give rise to such a Fatwa – would lead to alienation, anomie, frustration, hopelessness, extremism and nihilism among Muslim youth in the West.

This is an extremely relevant consideration as Islam teaches us to be continually mindful of the implications and consequences of our actions and pronouncements. Disturbing and challenging an established social order on whim is not the first line of action in Islamic thought or jurisprudence, even though Muslims are under orders by God to work diligently to make a more just, fair, compassionate and truthful social order prevail everywhere.

Therefore, there was clearly some shooting from the hip on the part of the Muftis – those issuing the election Fatwa – who, it appears to me, had resorted to it without much serious thought or analysis. The Fatwa seems to betray a lack of understanding or appreciation of the intricacies or even some of the basic and self-evident facts of the political process in the West – or anywhere else in the world.

The feet of the Muftis calling elections Haram, Allah bless and guide them and open their eyes to reality, clearly did not seem to be on the ground. On the other hand, the disconnect of these Muftis from reality, political or otherwise, was quite evident.