Islam, Freedom, Literary and Artistic Innovation
by Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
When
Islam dawned, it enunciated the principle of freedom. Commander of the Faithful,
Umar Ibn Al-Khattab declared his famous saying: “When, on earth, have you
enslaved people while their mothers delivered them free human beings!” The
fourth caliph, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, advised some people: “Never be somebody
else, since Allah has created you as a free man from the beginning.”
The
original principle is that all people are free, in accordance with the fact that
Allah creates them in freedom and that they are born free. They are entitled to
be free and not be slaves. When Islam proclaimed freedom as a principle, it was
during an epoch when most people were virtually enslaved intellectually,
politically, socially, religiously, and economically, etc.
Running
counter to all those forms of human bondage, Islam came to announce all possible
forms of freedom: freedom of belief, freedom of thought, freedom of speech and
freedom of criticism. Those categories have always been the foremost kind of
freedom usually sought by people.
Freedom
of belief
Despite Islam being a religion itself,
Islam has set forth religious freedom. It has never allowed coercion in
converting to Islam or any specific religion. Many texts can be cited here.
Verses in the Quran from the Makkan period show
Allah, the Almighty, as saying: “And had your Lord willed, those on
earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Mohammed) then
compel mankind, until they become believers?” (Surat Yunus: verse 99).
During
the period in Madina, we have this Quranic revelation: “ There is no
compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the
wrong path.” (Surat Al-Baqarah: verse 256). The significance in this
revelation, in particular, shows how far Islam has gone to sanctify freedom and
how it holds it in high esteem.
It
had been an observed custom among the tribes of Aws and Khazraj during the
pre-Islamic epoch of ignorance and misguidedness that whenever a woman failed to
conceive she made a sacred vow that if ever she had a baby, she will make him a
Jew. That explains why, throughout time, there was a presence of Jews in those
two “Arab” tribes in the Arabian Peninsula.
When
Islam appeared and some of the Aws and Khazraj tribes embraced it with utmost
conviction and satisfaction as Allah’s gift to them, some parents wanted to
restore their children, already given to Judaism due to their vows, to their own
religion, Islam. They were keen on ridding them of that alien religion, Judaism.
What was Islam’s position? Despite the abnormal circumstances in which the
people’s children were made Jews, and despite the state of war between Muslims
and Jews at that time, Islam did not allow anyone to compel another to leave his
religion and convert to another one, even if it was Islam.
This
was at a time when the Byzantine Empire used to say: “Either become Christian
or be killed.” Islam announced
its magnificent principle: “No compulsion in religion”. Such a glorious
declaration by Islam also coincided with a strange situation in Persia where
reformers of religion were being accused of the most heinous charges.
It should be noted that Islam’s principle of freedom has not appeared
as an upshot of a social evolution or following a revolution that clamoured for
it. Nor has it emerged on account of society reaching a certain degree of
maturity. Rather, it has been something far more elevated than any existing
society at that time: something descending from Heaven to raise and upgrade
people on Earth.
Islam
means to promote, advance and refine mankind by means of such tenet: freedom of
belief and religion. But with all that kept in mind, we must notice that this
principle, which is adopted and encouraged by Islam, is not without conditions
or constraints.
The
main condition is that religion should not be a toy in the hands of people like
the Jews who said: “Believe in the morning in that which is revealed to the
believers (Muslims), and reject it at the end of the day, so that they may turn
back..” (Surat Al-Imran: verse 72) They used to say, “Believe in the
morning, and say in the evening we abandoned Muhammad’s religion because we
found in it such and such”. They encouraged one another to pretend to believe
in Islam for a day or a week, and then speak about it in a slanderous manner.
That
is why Allah, Exalted be He, has willed Islam never to become a plaything, so
that whoever embraces it upon free conviction and complete awareness must adhere
to it, or else they will make themselves prone to punishment for apostasy. So
the first freedom then is that of religion and belief.
FREEDOM
OF THOUGHT
The second one is freedom of thought
and meditation. Ever since its onset, Islam has called upon people to
contemplate the whole universe . The Quran says: “Say (to them O Muhammad):
‘I exhort you on one (thing) only: that you stand up for Allah’s sake in
pairs and singly, ...and reflect (within yourselves the life history of the
Prophet)...” (Surat Saba’: verse 46) “Say: ‘Behold all that is in the
heavens and the earth...” (Surat Yunus: verse
101)
“Have they not travelled through the land, and have they hearts
wherewith to understand and ears wherewith to hear? Verily, it is not the eyes
that grow blind, but it is the hearts which are in the breasts that grow
blind” (Surat Al-Hajj: verse 46)
Islam
censors those who follow suspicions and illusions, saying: “... and verily,
guess is no substitute for the truth.” (Surat Al-Najm: verse 28)
It
has also denounced those who pursue their own prejudices or blindly imitate
fathers and superiors. It has lambasted those who would say on the Day of
Resurrection: “Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they
misled us from the (Right) Way.” (Surat Al-Ahzab: verse 67)
Another
verse says: “Nay! They say: ‘we found our fathers following a certain way
and religion, and we guide ourselves by their footsteps!” (Surat Al-Zukhruf:
verse 22) Allah considers such people like cattle who are astray from the
Straight Path.
Another
significant position of Islam is its rejection of old liners and diehards. It
has called for free thinking, reasoning and contemplation at all times. It says
in the Quran: “ Say (O Muhammad) ‘Produce your proof if you are
truthful.”(Surat Al-Baqarah: verse 111)
Islam
has always relied on intellectual evidence to prove the Islamic belief, and that
is why Muslim scholars have stated: “ direct intellectual reasoning is the
grounds for authentic relation of religious tenets.” This applies to issues
like Allah’s existence and the prophethood of Muhammad, which are all proved
by means of intellect in the first place.
It
is reason that says he is a genuine messenger as all evidence corroborates his
truthfulness, besides the miracles that confirm his authentic messengership. In
the case of a false prophet, it is reason that tells us he is a liar and an
impostor since he has not produced evidence or any miracles to support his
claim. This indicates Islam’s essential respect of the mind and thought.
This
also explains how Islam encompassed scientific and scholastic freedom that
emerged as a result of intellectual freedom. We have found ‘ulama’ (Muslim
scholars) differ, oppose each other, and refute each other’s views, neither
feeling unease or guilt on account of that.
A
prominent example is of one book satisfying two divergent schools of thought,
called Al-Kashshaf by Imam Al-Zamakhshari. Even though the author was a
Mu’tazilite, the Sunnites considered making use of it and deemed it a very
reliable source. A typical response was that some Sunni ‘ulama’, such as Ibn
Al-Munir, wrote annotations on it by attempting to reply to some points or
expose some weaknesses. The same thing was done by a great Sunni Imam,
Ibn-Hajar, who wrote another treatise entitled “Al-Kafi Al-Shafi” in
which he traced the hadiths in Al-Zamakhshari’s book to check their degree of
authenticity.
Hence,
the Muslim ‘ ulama’ have seen no problem in having discussions and debates,
rebutting each other’s opinions, and benefiting from each other’s studies.
This is performed in a true atmosphere of freedom and mutual respect, with no
fanaticism or rancor. All that lends proof to freedom of thought and learning in
the Muslim world.
FREEDOM
OF EXPRESSION AND CRITICISM
When
it comes to freedom of expression and criticism, Islam not only adopts it among
its principles, but calls for more than just ‘freedom’, making it an
obligation to say, express, and criticize whatever relates to the interest of
the community, general morals and public ethics. Within Islam, it is a religious
duty to speak the truth, not fear anyone and act for the sake of Allah, and
enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. It is incumbent on you to call
for the good, to encourage the good people, and reproach the wrongdoers. This
turns a right into a duty on you when there is nobody else to do it, or when
your silence will lead to general damage. In such case, you ought to shoulder
your responsibility and speak the truth, heeding nothing in the way and fearing
no mishap that might befall you as a result.
“Enjoin
(people) for Al-Ma’ruf – (Islamic Monotheism and all that is good), and
forbid (people) from Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief in the Oneness of Allah,
polytheism of all kinds and all that is evil and bad), and bear with patience
whatever befalls you. Verily! These are some of the important commandments
ordered by Allah with no exemption.” (Surat Luqman:
verse 17).
This
is the extent of Islam, since Islam rejects muzzling people so that they may
only speak on permission and believe on command. One sees this in
the story of Pharaoh when he asked his magicians indignantly: ‘Believe
you in him (Moses) before I give you permission?’” (Surat Taha: verse 71)
Such behavior and mentality is outrageous as he prevented people from holding a
particular belief except on his agreement, and gagged everyone unless they had
permission from high authorities!
Contrary to this, Islam has come to allow people to think
freely, and even ‘orders’ them to do so. It permits people to believe in
what they think is right. It makes it incumbent on them not to hold any belief
they do not think is the right one. It obliges everyone believing in a certain
creed to protect his or her creed, even with
arms. It orders Muslims to defend the freedom of belief, and avert the outbreak
of fitnah ( internal strife) so that all and every kind of worship is for Allah
alone. So, if such a situation arises, resorting to the use of arms will only be
to protect freedom and preclude persecution so that there will be no coercion by
anyone, as far as religion or creed is concerned.
The
first Quranic verse on the lawfulness of fighting and Jihad in Islam, Allah,
Glorified and Exalted be He, says: “Permission to fight is given to those
(i.e. believers against disbelievers), who are fighting them, (and) because they
(believers) have been wronged...” (Surat Al-Hajj: verse 39). In the verse that
follows Allah says: “... For had it not been that Allah checks one set of
people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques,
wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled
down...” (Surat Al-Hajj: verse 40)
If
it had not been for Allah giving humanity those believing Muslims who defended
religious freedom and all other public freedoms - even with their swords - then
no one would have been able to worship Allah on earth. No church, synagogue,
mosque or any other kind of temple where the Name of Allah is mentioned would
have remained.
This
is Islam that has brought forth those liberties. But it must be known that Islam
distinguishes between freedom of rights and freedom of disbelief, sinfulness and
moral depravity. By no means does it refer to the kind of freedom that some
people claim today, calling it “personal or private freedom”.
This
is in fact a misrepresentation of things when they describe it in this manner.
What they mean is that you are free to commit fornication or adultery, drink
alcohol, and indulge in all possible crimes and sins, but when it comes to other
things relating to the real interests of society, freedom is categorically
denied. Their freedom means you are not allowed to express your beliefs on
opinions freely; you cannot criticize; you cannot state the obvious.
On
the other hand, you have “personal” freedom, which means that you are free
to corrupt yourself, your morals, your ethics, your conscience, your worship,
and your family. If this is what they mean by “freedom”, then of course
Islam does not approve of it at all, because it is a freedom of sinning and not
of exercising lawful rights.
The
freedom Islam adopts is the freedom of thought, science and learning, opinion,
criticism and free expression, as well as freedom of belief and religion. It is
those kinds of freedom that represent the foundation for life. Equally important
for people’s daily activities is the freedom of having a contract; dealing in
money and taking appropriate action provided it doesn’t
harm anyone; and owning anything under lawful conditions and restrictions
without any kind of illegality.
There
is a golden rule in Islam: there should neither be harm to the self, nor harm to
others. So, any kind of freedom that leads to harm ought to be prevented and
restricted, as your own freedom ends where others’ freedom begins. For
instance, you are free to pass or drive in the street, but on the condition that
you adhere to traffic laws. It will then be preposterous for you to run over
passersby, crash into other cars or break traffic rules, under the pretext of
freedom. Such restrictions such as stopping at a red light or driving on the
correct side of the road are purely in the
interest of the public.
By the same token, every religion and every system must involve such checks and controls; Islam is no exception. But what Islam has brought, however, has never reached any other civilization. It is the best way of life for humanity
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