ISLAM
Islam’s inspiring contribution to human civilisation
(Excerpt from a speech entitled “Technology, Business and our way of
life: What's Next?” by Carly Fiorina in Minneapolis, Minnesota on
September 26, 2001)
There was once a civilization that was the greatest in the world.
It was able to create a continental super-state that stretched from
ocean to ocean and from northern climes to tropics and deserts. Within
its dominion lived hundreds of millions of people, of different creeds
and ethnic origins. One of its languages became the universal language
of much of the world, the bridge between the peoples of a hundred lands.
Its armies were made up of people of many nationalities and its
military protection allowed a degree of peace and prosperity that had
never been known.
The reach of this civilization's commerce extended from Latin America
to China, and everywhere in between.
And this civilization was driven more than anything, by invention.
Its architects designed buildings that defied gravity. Its
mathematicians created the algebra and algorithms that would enable the
building of computers, and the creation of encryption. Its doctors
examined the human body and found new cures for disease. Its astronomers
looked into the heavens, named the stars and paved the way for space
travel and exploration.
Its writers created thousands of stories. Stories of courage, romance
and magic.
Its poets wrote of love, when others before them were too steeped in
fear to think of such things. When other nations were afraid of ideas,
this civilization thrived on them and kept them alive.
When censors threatened to wipe out knowledge from past
civilizations, this civilization kept the knowledge alive and passed it
on to others.
While modern Western civilization shares many of these traits, the
civilization I'm talking about was the Islamic world from the year 800
to 1600, which included the Ottoman Empire and the courts of Baghdad,
Damascus and Cairo, and enlightened rulers like Suleiman the
Magnificent.
Although we are often unaware of our indebtedness to this other
civilization, its gifts are very much a part of our heritage. The
technology industry would not exist without the contributions of Arab
mathematicians. Sufi poet-philosophers like Rumi challenged our notions
of self and truth. Leaders like Suleiman contributed to our notions of
tolerance and civic leadership.
And perhaps we can learn a lesson from his example: It was leadership
based on meritocracy, not inheritance. It was leadership that harnessed
the full capabilities of a very diverse population-that included
Christianity, Islamic, and Jewish traditions.
This kind of enlightened leadership - leadership that nurtured
culture, sustainability, diversity and courage - led to 800 years of
invention and prosperity.
In dark and serious times like this, we must affirm our commitment to
building societies and institutions that aspire to this kind of
greatness.
More than ever, we must focus on the importance of leadership- bold
acts of leadership and decidedly personal acts of leadership. With that,
I'd like to open up the conversation and see what we, collectively,
believe about the role of leadership.
Women’s rights in Islam
The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and
distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to
misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the
teachings of Islam.
We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that is that standard
according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such, my basis and
source is the Quran-the words of Allah, and the sayings of the Prophet,
his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws are derived from these
sources. To facilitate our discussion we can discuss the position of
women from a spiritual, economic, social, and political standpoint.
From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:
According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is no
superiority in the spiritual sense between men and women. (Noble Quran
4:1, 7:189, 42:11)
 The Quran makes it clear that all human beings (and the phraseology
doesn't apply to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might
call a human; He “breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God
created him” (or her in this sense). (Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9)
Trustee and Representative
Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnation sense, but the
pure, innate spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with. The
Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of human is
that God created the human, and it means both sexes, as His trustee and
representative on earth. There are many references in the Quran that
reaffirm this.
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming
Eve for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree.
Nowhere, even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the
forbidden tree, but in a totally different spirit. The story is narrated
in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing this, both of them
are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered the
consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and
both of them are forgiven. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to
be blamed for the fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about
the suffering of women during the period of pregnancy and childbirth,
nowhere does it connect it with the concept of original sin, because
there is no concept of original sin in Islam.
The suffering is presented not as a reason to remind woman of the
fall of man, but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In
the Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has
commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and mentions,
“His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering.Ó (Noble
Quran 31:14, 46:15).
The Quran makes it clear again to remove any notion of superiority
and there is no question of gender being involved.
In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the
requirements of men and women are the same, except in some cases
when women have certain concessions because of their feminine nature, or
their health or the health of their babies. The Quran explicitly, in
more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified that whoever does good
deeds, and is a believer and then specifies “male or female” God will
give them an abundant reward.
Married women Property Act
In the area of economic rights, we have to remember that in Europe
until the 19th century, women did not have the right to own their own
property. When they were married, either it would transfer to the
husband or she would not be able to dispense of it without permission of
her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women some
property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known as “Married Women
Property Act.Ó More than 1300 years earlier, that right was clearly
established in Islamic law.
“Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women
earn, they have a share in that.Ó (Noble Quran 4:32)
There is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman cannot work
or have a profession, that her only place is in the home.
In fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be
women physicians, women nurses, women teachers, because it's preferable
also to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high school
education.
And if she chooses to work she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal
work, but for work of equal worth.
When it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more tilted in
many respects towards women. These are seven examples: During the period
of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts.
At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the
bride's family to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a gift,
and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to spend
it on the household; she doesn't have to give it to her father or anyone
else.
If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she
retains that property after marriage. It remains under her control.
Also, in most Muslim countries, the woman keeps her own last name, and
her own identity.
If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of
investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to
spend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely hers.
The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire
responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he
is. She doesn't have to spend a penny.
At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the
waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support. If the widow or
divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic
laws pertaining to inheritance give men a higher share. In Surah 81, the
Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who used to
greet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a
girl.
The duty of education, as the Prophet said, is on every Muslim, male
and female. Once the Prophet (PBUH) was seated, a companion was sitting
with him. The companion's son came. He kissed his son and put him on his
lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat her by his side. The
Prophet told the man, ÓYou did not do Justice,Ó meaning he should have
treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his lap also.
Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of
everyone, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place
where he'd been sitting.
Marital standpoint
From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates that
marriage is not just an inevitable evil; marriage is not somebody
getting married to his master or slave, but rather to his partner.
“Among His Signs is this, that he created for you, mates from among
yourselves, those they maydwell in tranquility with them, and He has put
love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those
who reflect.Ó (Noble Quran 30:21)
There are numerous verses in the Quran to the same effect.
The approval and consent of the girl to marriage is a prerequisite
for the validity of marriage in Islam. She has the right to say yes or
no. Husbands’ and wives’ duties are mutual responsibilities. They might
not be identical duties, but the totality of rights and responsibilities
are balanced. The Quran says:
“Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are
expected in all decency from them, while men stand a step above them.Ó (Noble
Quran 2:228)
Provider, protector, maintainer, and leader
This only specifies the degree of responsibility, not privilege, in
man's role as provider, protector, maintainer, and leader of the family.
The same Surah speaks about divorce, about consultation between husband
and wife, even in the case of divorce. When there are family disputes,
first the Quran appeals to reason and the consideration of positive
aspects of one's spouse,
“Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you
might be hating someone in whom God has placed so much good.Ó (Noble
Quran 4:19)
If that appeal does not succeed, and problems between the husband and
wife continue, there are measures that can be applied. Some of these
measures are done privately between husband and wife. Some of them might
appear harsh, but there are qualifications to restrict excessive or
abusive use of these measures.
These measures are considered an attempt to save a marriage rather
than break a family apart. If the situation does not improve, even with
the limitation and prevention of excesses, the next step is a family
council. One arbiter from his family and one from her family should sit
together with the couple and try to resolve the problems.
If a divorce becomes necessary, there are many detailed procedures in
Islamic law that really knock down the common notion that divorce in
Islam is very easy and that it is the sole right of man.
Divorce battles
It is not the sole right of man alone and neither is it true that all
you have to say is: “I divorce you three times,” and that’s it. Islam
also has laws regarding custody of children. I was very surprised to see
newspapers making the false claim that in all cases custody goes to the
father. Custody involves the interest of the child, and laws often favor
the mother of young children.
Polygamy has become so mythical in the minds of many people that they
assume being Muslim means having four wives. This is a false notion, of
course.
A very renowned anthropologist, Edward Westermarck, in his two-volume
work, “History of Human Marriage,” notes that there has been polygamy in
virtually every culture and religion, including Judaism and
Christianity. But the point here is not to say, “Why blame Islam?”
Actually, Islam is the only religion even among Abrahamic faiths,
that specifically limited the practice of polygamy that existed before
Islam and established very strict conditions for guidance. The question,
“How could any man have two wives? That’s terrible!” reflects
ethnocentrism. We assume that because we’re living in the West and it
seems strange, and we assume it must apply to all cultures, all times,
under all circumstances.
This simply isn’t true. Let me give you one current-day example. In
the savage attack on Afghanistan, genocide was committed on the Afghani
people. It is estimated that 1-1.5 million people lost their lives, a
great majority of whom were men of a marriageable age. Now, with a great
shortage of men, what will happen to their widows, their orphans and
their daughters of marriageable age? Is it better to leave them in a
camp, with a handout? Or better a man is willing to take care of his
fallen comrade’s wife and children?
Limiting not instituting polygamy
It is obvious that monogamy is the norm for Muslims. If we assume
that having four wives is the norm, then we assume a population of 80%
female and 20% male, which is impossibility on the aggregate level.
The only verse in the Quran that speaks about polygamy, speaks about
limiting not instituting polygamy.
The verse was revealed after the Battle of Uhud in which many Muslims
were martyred, leaving behind wives and children in need of support.
This verse shows the spirit and reason of the revelation.
The Quran placed obedience to parents immediately after worship of
God. “We commanded mankind to be kind to his parents” (Noble Quran
31:14)
And then speaks of the mother. In a very succinct statement, Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) said, “Paradise is at the feet of mothers.” Once a man
came to him and asked, “O, Messenger, who among mankind is worthy of my
kindness and love?” The Prophet answered, “Your mother.” “Who next?”
“Your mother?” “Who next?” “Your mother?” Only after the third time he
said, “And your father.”
As a sister in faith, in blood, we find the Quran speaks about men
and women that they should cooperate and collaborate in goodness. Surah
9:71 speaks about men and women as supporters and helpers of each other,
ordaining the good and forbidding the evil, establishing prayers and
doing charity. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) echoed what the Quran said, “I
command you to be kind to women.”
In one of his last commands in his farewell pilgrimage before his
death, he kept repeating, “I command you to be kind and considerate to
women.” In another hadith, he said, “It is only the generous in
character who is good to women, and only the evil one who insults them.”
On the question of attire, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet
did not say women must adopt a particular dress of a particular country.
To be continued
An Islamic perspective on Muslim - Buddhist Dialogue
The following stanza from the Dhammapada emphasis to keep the mind
free from hatred:
“He abused me, he struck me, he robbed me – and in those who harbour
such thought
Hatred will never cease
He abused me, he struck me, he robbed me- in those who does not
harbour such thought Hatred will cease” The Dhammapada – 04
Hatreds never cease through hatred in this world: through love alone
they cease. This is an eternal law. The Dhammapada – 05
Al Quran invites the believers to respond to an evil act with
something better and enmity with love.
“Nor can goodness and evil be equal
Repeal evil with what is better
And then will he between whom
And thee was hatred
Become as it were
Thy friend and intimate!”
“And no one will be
Granted such goodness
Except those who exercise
Patience and self- restraint,-
None but persons of
The greatest good fortune. “- Quran 41:34
“Those who spend (freely),
Whether in prosperity,
Or in adversity;
Who restrain anger,
And pardon (all) men:-
For Allah loves those
Who do good:- Quran- 3:134
This Quranic Statement of responding to an evil act with something
better is also emphasis by Buddha as follows: Conquer anger by love,
evil by good; Conquer the miser with liberality, and the liar with
truth. The Dhammapada – 223
Anger according to the Quran is the satanic impulse which must be
controlled and overcome with the spirit of forgiveness.
Compassion, patience and spirit of forgiveness emphasized by Islam
and Buddhism and for that matter Hinduism and other religions could
contribute to great extent to ease tensions, to reduce conflict and
create a healthy atmosphere for the peace and harmony.
Islam is religion of peace, and Salam is one of the attribute of God.
The Islamic form of salutation is an embodiment of peace and paradise is
known by the name Darus salam – abode of peace. Life of prophet Mohamed
– peace be upon him- presents to us number of Instances in which he
exerted all his effort to bring reconciliation and peace among those who
are in conflict. When prophet migrated to Yathrib the whole city was on
the verge of major conflict between two tribes Aws and Khazrej and
prophet brought reconciliation between two factions and avoided a major
crisis. Quran refers to this incident in the following verses:
And remember with gratitude
Allah’s favour on you;
For you were enemies
And He joined your hearts
In love, so that by His Grace
You become brethren;
And you were on the brink
Of the Pit of Fire,
And He saved you from it.
Thus doth Allah make
His Signs clear to you
That you may be guided”
Quran 3: 103
Buddhis Sutta – Nipatika contain the following beautiful wish of the
Buddha for the Universal peace.
“May all be blessed with peace always
All creations, weak and strong
All creatures great or small
Creatures seen or unseen
Dwelling afar or near
Born or awaiting death
May all be pleased with peace
As a mother with her own life from shields
From hearting her own son his own child
Let all embracing thought for all the lives be thine
And all embracing love for the entire Universe.”
Tolerance, mutual understanding, seeking unity in diversity by
drawing inspiration from the teachings of religions on the basis of
shared values and commonalities among them is the only way to ensure a
peaceful and harmonious social order. Only through dialogue and
inter-action between the religions that we could achieve this objective
of building bridges of understanding between religions and create a
healthy and conducive atmosphere for peace, harmony and co – existence.
Declaration of Principle on Tolerance Proclaimed and signed by the
Member States of UNESCO on November 16 1995 provides a very broad
definition of tolerance as follows: “Tolerance is respect, acceptance
and appreciation of the rich diversity of our world’s culture, our forms
of experience and ways of being human. It is fostered by knowledge,
openness, communication, and freedom of thought, conscience and belief.
Tolerance is harmony in difference. It is not only a moral duty; it is
also a political and legal requirement. Tolerance, the virtue that makes
peace possible, contributes to the replacement of the culture of war by
a culture of peace.”
Dr. M A M Shukri - Director Jamiah Naleemiah-Beruwala
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