February 26, 2005
Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 3
Section: WRITINGS | 76 reads
Living Culture:
One of our problems as Muslims is that we Muslims while inviting the world to Islam, usually fail to build a living culture and social environment around us that is representative of what we say are the true teachings of Islam. For example, most of us may see no contradiction in holding a public lecture on the Islamic teachings of Taharah and Nazaafah - cleanliness – in a mosque or building that may not be very clean.
That is because things for us are mostly a promise of the wonderful world that would all of a sudden come into being, when and if Islam came into its own, and rarely ever a full and comprehensive package of real life based on the Qur’an, delivered right here and now for everyone to see, appreciate and practice.
That is, Islam provided to people as a workable and as a generally superior model of everyday life that would force attention from others and make them want to emulate and embrace it.
That is because for most of us there is a gap that separates Da’wah to Islam from demonstration of the social effectiveness and viability of Islam in practical life.
Attitude Change:
Attitudes however change. And one of the best predictors of attitude change in such matters is the honesty, integrity and sincerity of the protagonists. As a result, as years rolled by, the Jama’at changed its attitude on this issue and softened its stand on political participation. May Allah bless them for doing so!
The Jama’at now is a force to be reckoned with on the Indian political scene, even though they do not seem to want to vulgarize their lofty mission of inviting people to Allah by engaging in direct politics in the pursuit of electoral office.
A Throwback to Khairul Quroon:
But regardless of where they were positioned on this issue of voting and elections – whether they were for or against them – the people in the Jama’at in India then were some of the most wonderful people in the world.
May Allah give Jannat to those who have gone to meet him; and may he fill with blessings the lives of those still surviving in this world.
Anyone who knew these people could tell they were good slaves and Khalifahs of Allah on earth. They were good Muslims, good neighbors and good citizens. Their lives were a reflection of the lives of our Aslaaf in Khairul Quroon – Sahabah, Tabi’een and others after them.
Rejectionism and Islam Don’t Really Mix:
Islam and Muslim interests, as well as the lives and interests of non-Muslims, were safe in the hands of the Jama’at – to the extent they could be safe in any human hands.
What a boon to their own land and society – and to this earth – they were! And what wonderful role models in general to those who cared to live a truly useful, virtuous and God-fearing life on earth!
Notwithstanding all this, the Jama’at was wrong in its judgment and analysis when it came to participation in elections – not only based on logic, evidence and argument, but also based on Qur’an and Hadith. May Allah forgive me for saying this!
The Jama’at did not fully grasp the fact that elections were one of God Almighty’s greatest gifts to humanity, and not a British or American legacy or invention.
Not that the Jama’at people ever said or believed so. To them it was more a question of sovereignty as well as a matter of the conditions and the environment being right.
Impacting the Environment:
Nor did I fully understand that fact myself at the time. To me what was self-evident, however, was that rejectionism and isolationism did not make intuitive sense in the context of life in the real world. They simply did not look right.
To me that was no way to live – for anyone, anywhere! Cut off from everyone and everything around you, your own life subject to everyone else’s decisions and influence, but you yourself unable to influence anything or anyone in any significant way including your own life!
That to me was not how life worked or ought to work. To me the essence of life was to be active and to be able to impact your environment.
Take that ability away from life forms and you reduce them to an inorganic state. Deny that right and opportunity to people and you kill them psychologically and spiritually and turn them into vegetables.
5. Muslim Rejectionism in the West
Even here in the West I have from time to time run into rejectionist and isolationist issues and attitudes. I was forced to deal with one such issue, personal and close, in the early 1990s, as I got a resolution approved from the floor of a national Islamic gathering at Philadelphia condemning the burning of black churches in southern United States.
One of the speakers on the panel I was chairing at the time tried to stop the process in its tracks. He proclaimed it Free Masonry for Muslim conventioneers to say “Aye” in support of the resolution and make appreciative references to Philadelphia’s role in the growth of liberty in America.
To me it was self-evident that burning of a church – any church anywhere – was an evil act, directly in contravention to the teachings of the Qur’an. Burning of black churches in the United States to me was a particularly heinous and evil act, not the least so for being in the South.
Stopping Evil:
And it was crystal clear to me that all decent people everywhere should try to stop and discourage such evil however best they could – with their hands if they could; otherwise with their tongues, pens and other means of communication; or at least kindle a little flame of resentment in their own hearts and minds against such acts of unmitigated evil and wickedness.
I saw it clearly as part of Muslims’ duty of Amr bil Ma’ruf and Nahy ‘Anil Munkar to do so – as part of Muslims’ divine mission of getting people to do the good and right things and getting them to stop doing the bad and evil things.
As a result, it was clear to me that passing of a resolution condemning the burning of black churches in the southern United States was the least Muslims could do to express their horror and revulsion at these despicable acts.
Evidently, this is not how some others saw it. They apparently had rejectionism on their mind.
Next Article: Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 4
Previous Article: Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 2
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- [Chapter 33] Are Elections Haram?
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 1
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 2
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 4
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 5
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 6
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 7
- Are Elections Haram? Says Who? And Based on What? Part 8
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