Going forward with Quran and Sunnah

by Dr Jamil Rahman

We are living in times where the Islamic world is in an abyss of decline, intellectually, socially, economically and politically. This contrasts starkly with the so-called progressive 'First world', which sets the direction for the progress of civilisation throughout the world. 

Indeed, the Islamic countries have become dependent on the West
for guidance in all areas of life, often looking Westward before
considering Islam as the source for dealing with the problems and
issues of life in the 'modern world.' Instead, many in the Islamic world
have come to perceive of Islam as being suitable only for the age in
which it was revealed, and now is outdated, and unable to keep pace
with the changing times. This is a fallacy, borne out of a decline in
the understanding of Islam.

It is true, that the world is in a constant state of change. This change
has many dimensions. For example, technology progresses - new
materials, machinery, tools, and theories arise constantly. Also, from
a socio-political perspective things change; systems of government -
feudalism to capitalism for example; systems of economy -
command economy to free market and the establishment of the
banking system; the development of the nation state and international
organisations, such as the UN, NATO, ASEAN etc. These are just a
few examples of how things differ radically from the days of the early
Islamic state some 1400 years ago. And no doubt, things will
continue to change.

Much of the change in the latter ages has been taking place in the
Western world. Thus, it sets the pace for the rest of the world, and
the Islamic world, since the decline of the Islamic State, has been no
exception. Accordingly, Islamic countries have adopted many of
these differing systems and strategies, regardless of the fact that
many of them explicitly contradict the Islamic guidance. Examples
include: Riba (usury) based banking systems, membership of United
Nations, where the Kuffar (disbelievers), or people of other faiths, or of no particular faith, direct the foreign policy of Islamic nations, and even lead Muslims to fight each other.

In reality, of course, one of the miracles of Islam is that it is
applicable for all times and places, and provides detailed guidance in
all areas of life. However, if there is only a limited body of Islamic
source texts, i.e. the Qur'an and Hadith of the Prophet , and what
is associated to them by way of Ijma as-Sahaba (consensus of the
companions), and Qiyas, one may ask, how is this possible?

"A detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a mercy"
[Yusuf:111]

"He who does any act which is not in agreement with our
matter (Deen) will have it rejected" (Bukhari and Muslim)

The first point of note is that Islam is a Deen, a way of life which acknowledges that the basic nature of human beings is unchanging. All humans, regardless of their generation are driven by instincts and organic
needs, which cause them to eat, sleep, feed themselves, marry and
have offspring, trade, and interact with others etc. These functions
proceed as time progresses, but what changes is the materialistic
context in which they occur; i.e. fighting takes place, but now spears
and swords have been replaced by tanks and bombs; communication
still occurs, but word of mouth is replaced by the internet and mobile
phones, etc. By addressing the principles of human conduct, Islam is
neutral in relation to the material progress, and is still able to
organise the actions that people carry out. Thus, the guidance of
Islam in relation to prohibition of burying offspring alive, which was a
practice in the Jahil [ignorant] Makkan society, applies to all forms of abortion
and infanticide; referring to unjust killing applies regardless of the
implements used; riba (usury) is prohibited, whether carried out
hand-to-hand, or by national and international banking institutions. In
this way, all innovations that occur in society are addressed by the
Islamic Shari'ah, because Islam looks primarily to the principles of
conduct, i.e. the rule is governed according to what is used, and the
way in which things are used, and not just the thing itself.

Secondly, is that the structure of the Islamic guidance not only gives
rules for specific matters, but also lays down general principles,
which encompass all affairs of life. These principles may be explicit,
or implicit, in which case need to be extracted by Mujtahideen
(scholars). This aspect endows to Islam the capacity to expand and
encompass new situations; i.e. the general principles may be applied
to multiple realities. Thus for example, the prohibition of 'Khamr'
(intoxicants) and gambling:

"O you who believe! Intoxicants, gambling, and Al-Azlam (arrows for
seeking luck) are an abomination of Shaitan's handiwork, so shun it
therefore you maybe successful" [Al Maidah:90]

The verse is a prohibition not just of alcohol, but of all intoxicants,
including cannabis, cocaine, or any 'designer drug', that is developed
or discovered in the future; and all forms of gambling, whether racing,
lottery, etc. The prohibition of 'Gharar' (doubt or uncertainty in trading
commodities) is a prohibition of all speculative transactions, whether
future markets, derivatives or such like, which abound today.
Likewise, the permission to travel,

"Say: Travel in the land ..." [An-Am:11]

is a general permission to travel by any means and to any
destination, within the bounds of the Shari'ah.

Islam has principles addressing all aspects of life, without exception.
In this way Islam provides legislation for all types of action that are
conceivable for human beings - those which contradict the Islamic
principles of human interaction are rejected, and those which Islam
approves are accepted.

Indeed, the body of Islamic source texts becomes unlimitedly
expansive in relation to the guidance that can be extracted from
them. When the text is not explicit in relation to a particular ruling,
the process of Ijtihad (exertion) may extract a rule for it, which is the
act undertaken by the Mujtahid (scholar). This is the process of
deeply studying the reality of a new situation, which is referred to the
Islamic texts, from where the appropriate principles of Islamic ruling
may be extracted. It is by this mechanism that all new matters may
be weighed and judged upon by the Islamic Shari'ah, such as military
technology, gene cloning, etc.

Sadly, the skill of Ijtihad, which is one of the foundation principles of
Islamic jurisprudence, has been neglected. This leaves Muslims with
the misconception that Islam is not applicable to the new situations
which arise in life, leading them instead to refer to foreign ideologies
to solve their problems, which is in reality nothing less than resorting
to the arbitration and rule of kufr, or disbelief.

Islam demands that minds are applied to solving problems in the
most efficient way, and to the issues of understanding how the
universe works. With the above discussion, we can understand how
Islam not only accommodates progress without compromising its
principles, it also forms the motivation and direction for progress - as
was the case with the Khilafah in the past, where the western world
looked up to it in awe. This progress proceeds in a way that is within
the boundaries of Islamic principles - e.g, not in matters of kufr[disbelief] or
haram [forbidden], such as the western model, which can generate the likes of
tools for abortion, institutions of usury/insurance, and methods of exploitation of people, etc.

It was simply because the pure approach to understanding Islam and
the Shari'ah was alive in the early generations of Muslims, that the
Khilafah could reach such heights in the past. In reality, Islám, if
understood properly, forms a sound foundation for progress in all
areas of life, and can certainly be applied in all times, present and
future. However, because of the decline in the understanding of
foundational concepts, such as universal applicability, and awareness
of the principles of the correct application of Islam through ijtihad, this
progress is absent in the Ummah today.

When this intellectual decline is coupled with the absence of the
Islamic State, which will nurture such progress and help to implement
its practical manifestation, the result on the situation of the Muslims
is disastrous, and it has bred the climate of despair that exists in the
Islamic world today. Now more than ever, Muslims should realise the
fundamental importance of studying and practically realising the
Islamic concepts, which will form the basis for our revival.

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