The shari'ah and the rule of law – Islamic governance for the 21st century

Wakil Abu Mujahid

The year 2011 ended with an irreversibly changed Middle East where the hegemony of several dictators collapsed at the hands of their oppressed populations. The Syrian and Yemeni peoples' immense sacrifice and desire for change continue into 2012. There is little doubt that the world will further witness the collapse of other dictatorial regimes in the region.

Whilst the Muslims of the Middle East continue to sacrifice their sweat and blood for liberation from the shackles of dictatorship, the debate about the aftermath continues. In Egypt, for example, although the Ancien Régime remains largely intact, parliamentary elections were conducted at the end of November 2011 and the presidential election is expected to be held in July 2012. Nevertheless, the question of the form and character of the system of governance is far from settled. Although the role of Islam in the state will be inevitable, its extent of influence remains far from clear.

The Anglo-French-American triple alliance has added to the mist of confusion, as they painstakingly attempt to hijack the spirit of the protesters in order to install a new generation of rulers who would ensure the security and furtherance of Western interests in the region.

In such cataclysmic circumstances, the subject of whether Islam can deliver the rule of law under the shari'ah is in the minds of millions of Muslims. After all, nobody wants to return to the repressive days of Mubarak, Ben Ali and Gaddafi. People want an accountable, transparent, fair and just authority.

This article explores how the Islamic shari'ah can realise the hopes and aspirations of the millions of protesters in the Arab spring by ensuring that the rule of law is established. This article surveys the illustrious Islamic history and highlights how Islamic rule guaranteed the rule of law many centuries before the Europeans even dreamt of such standards. It is argued that the rule of law in the Muslim world can only be instituted under Islamic rule.

Definition of the "rule of law"

Prior to launching into defining the rule of law, it is important that certain misconceptions are dispelled. One such fallacy is the argument by many Western politicians that the rule of law is the monopoly of Western secular democracy. [1] For example, Thomas Bingham, the former lord chief justice of the English courts said, "There has been much debate whether the rule of law can exist without democracy. Some have argued that it can". [2] Bingham's assumption is premised on an erroneous notion that good governance can only be the result of democracy.

The West has hitherto paraded democracy as the only system available to mankind but failed to convince the Muslim world that democracy is the panacea for all its ills. As Mark Welton quite aptly recognises, "Democracy... is a high-value term loaded with positive connotations for Americans and Europeans. But the same term, used so indiscriminately by Western politicians, is also widely perceived in the Arab Middle East as a codeword, a "guise for Western efforts to re-conquer Arab territories and plunder their natural resources". [3]

The Islamic legal and historical sources strongly rebut the suggestion that the rule of law is the sole possession of the West. As Welton elucidates, "...the concept embodied in the term "rule of law" is in fact a legal and political value shared by both the West and Islam, and if properly refined, can provide a useful framework for more effective discourse and understanding between these two traditions".

So what do we commonly understand by the principle of the rule of law? Let us look at Bingham's definition. Bingham asserts that under the rule of law "all persons and authorities within the state, whether public or private, should be bound by and entitled to the benefit of laws publicly and prospectively promulgated and publicly administered in the courts". [4] Islam in principle has no objection to this definition insofar as this definition can manifest within the Islamic legal and political framework. [5]

The rule of law necessitates that law is accessible and clear so that citizens of a state are aware of the boundaries of the law, which they must obey. The rule of law also applies to government and guarantees certain basic rights such as presumption of innocence until proven guilty, not to be arbitrarily detained without due process and right to fair trial in an independent court. All the executive and judicial organs of a state must uphold the rule of law because nobody is above the law. [6]

Brief analysis of the system of governance in Islam

It is well known that the system of governance in Islam is the Khilafah (caliphate). This system is well rooted both in the Islamic shari'ah and the history of Islam. It is a system that is quite unlike the Western democratic paradigm. The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The Prophets ruled over the children of Israel; whenever a prophet died, another prophet succeeded him, but there will be no more prophet after me. There will soon be khulafah and they will number many. Fulfil the bayah [i.e. pledge of allegiance] to them one after another and give them their dues for Allah will verily account them about what He سبحانه وتعالى entrusted them with". [7]

The Khalifah is the guardian of the people and his task is to ensure that the shari'ah is implemented so that justice prevails. Allah says,

وَإِنْ حَكَمْتَ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِالْقِسْطِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ

"And if you judge, judge with justice between them. Verily, Allah loves those who act justly". [8]

Under the Khilafah, there is no separate legislature because the power of legislation lay not in man but in the Creator of man. Allah says,

فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ

"So judge between them by what Allah has revealed..." [9]

Allah also says,

إِنِ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ

"The command (or the judgement) is for none but Allah". [10]

Sovereignty belongs to the laws of Allah, the shari'ah, not the people. It is the Khalifah who implements the shari'ah in the lands of Islam. As imam Abu'l Hasan al-Mawardi (died 450 AH) states, "Imamate is prescribed to succeed prophethood as a means of protecting the deen [Islam] and of managing the affairs of this world". [11]

The rule of law is therefore established on the basis of the shari'ah. As Welton states, "The Islamic world, too, has a devotion to the rule of law that has prevailed through much of its history and, while severely impaired in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by Western colonialism and its aftermath, has resurfaced as a desired virtue, fully compatible with Islamic law and tradition". [12]

How the shari'ah guarantees the rule of law

This section of the article seeks to illustrate what role the people, the Khalifah and the judiciary play in establishing the rule of law under shari'ah.

a) The people

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ ۖ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ

"O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger (Muhammad), and those of you (Muslims) who are in authority. (And) if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger". [13]

Allah has thus obliged Muslims to obey the ruler who rules by the shari'ah.

Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "A Muslim is obliged to hear and obey whether he likes it or not, except when he is required to do something that is sinful, in which case, there is no obligation to hear or to obey". [14] Unlike democracies where obedience to the law of the land requires coercion by the state, Muslims historically lived by and obeyed the laws of Islam by and large without the need for coercion. This is because respect for and obedience to the laws of Islam is a matter of doctrinal and creedal obligation upon Muslims, which was the reason behind the success of the Khilafah. Thus, when Allah ordains upon Muslims to obey their rightful ruler, there is no option but to observe this command. This principle is well established in Islam from numerous ayat and ahadith.

b) The Khalifah

It is beyond the scope of this paper to elucidate the process of electing the Khalifah; however, it suffices to say that the majority of the classical scholars of Islam are unified on the view that the Khalifah assumes authority by approval and authority of the people. As imam al-Mawardi asserts, "...it is necessary for the electors to agree to his Imamate and that once agreed, it comes into effect because Imamate is a contractual agreement and it is not brought into being except by the contracting partner". [15] The post-colonial despotic rulers of the Muslim world are therefore an anomaly in the history of Muslims.

The first Khalifah of Islam, Abu Bakr (RA), in his inaugural address said, "O People, I have been appointed over you, though I am not the best among you. If I do well, then help me. And if I act wrongly, then correct me... If I disobey Allah and His Messenger, then I have no right to your obedience".

The second Khalifah of Islam, 'Umar bin al-Khattab (RA) enunciated the attributes required of a Khalifah, "By Allah, O Ibn 'Abbas, only the strong person without violence, the one who is gentle without being weak, the one who is economical but without being miserly, and the one who is generous without being wasteful is worthy of this affair". [16]

The above abundantly illustrate that the Khalifah (and thus his executive subordinates) is required to be mindful of his obligations to the people and the shari'ah. He cannot be above the law but rather is subject to the law like everyone else.

The Khalifah fulfils, amongst the myriad of other obligations, the following as part of his responsibilities. The Khalifah must:

1. guard and protect Islam and its way of life against external influences and ensure that innovations do not creep into the pure message of Islam;

2. establish justice where disputes arise between litigants so that the strong does not oppress the weak;

3. implement the Islamic hadd punishment (i.e. criminal laws) so that the prohibitions of Islam are not violated;

4. possess the appropriate defence capabilities in order to defend the territories of the Islamic state and its citizens against external attacks;

5. manage the fiscal affairs of the state and collect the taxes prescribed by the shari'ah e.g. kharaj, zakah, jizya and ushur etc;

6. manage the funds of the treasury (Bait-ul-Mal), invest in public projects he considers necessary without being wasteful and pay the public sector employees' salaries from the treasury; and

7. assume personal responsibility over the affairs of the people and execute the policies of the ummah without overreliance on delegation of authority.

Provided that the Khalifah conducts himself in accordance with the shari'ah as abovementioned, he would be deemed to have discharged his obligation to Allah and the people.

c) The judges

The Khilafah also has a strong judiciary which implements the laws of Islam, dispenses justice and keeps the executive accountable. Everybody under the shari'ah is equal before the law and judgment is pronounced without fear or favour. Principally, there are three types of judges in Islam: [17]

1. the Qadi settles disputes between people in private law matters and implements the penal codes;

2. the Muhtasib is responsible for dealing with communitywide issues that affect the public and wider society, e.g. unscrupulous traders who harm the wider public; and

3. the Mazaalim is responsible for investigating and settling the disputes between the ruler and the ruled. Essentially, this judge keeps the executive accountable and in checks.

When the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was the head of the Islamic state in Medina, he was petitioned to intercede for a noble lady who had committed theft, but the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The nations before [us] were destroyed because if a noble person committed theft, they used to leave him, but if a weak person amongst them committed theft, they used to inflict the legal punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, committed theft, Muhammad would cut off her hand!" [18]

This hadith illustrates that even if the Prophet's daughter had committed a crime, notwithstanding his position as the head of the Islamic state, he would have implemented the same criminal punishment upon his daughter without favour. Such approach is inimical to the rulers that litter the Muslim world today whereby the rulers, their families and their entourage enjoy unbridled favour and effectively operate above the law. This is a direct result of the absence of the shari'ah in the Muslim world.

There are detailed rules in Islam pertaining to the appointment of judges, the discussion of which is beyond the scope of this paper. However, let us again invoke the words of the second Khalifah of Islam, 'Umar bin al-Khattab (RA) when he outlined the attributes a judge requires in an Islamic court. He said, "The task of the judiciary is an undisputed obligation and a sunnah to be followed. Seek to comprehend when people have recourse to you, for it is no use to speak of a right if it is not put into effect. See that your face, your justice and your sitting are the same between people, such that the lord does not hope for your partiality, nor the weak despair of your justice..." [19]

These words of wisdom essentially outline the justice one can expect to see under Islam. The Khalifah or the judiciary have no room to depart from this boundary and will be accounted by the people if any departure from the rule of law is apparent to the citizens. The Umayyad Khalifah 'Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) once said "Rulers usually appoint people to watch over their subjects. I appoint you as a watcher over me and my behaviour. If you find me at fault in word or action guide me and stop me from doing it".

The judiciary is principally responsible for accounting state officials, including the Khalifah and his governors, in cases of wrongdoings. [20] The remit of such judges is wide enough to serve the purpose. Imam al-Mawardi maintains that such persons have the authority to investigate abuse of power by rulers against the ruled, and to hold them to account for the injustice they may have inflicted. Such powers may be invoked by the judges irrespective of whether or not the citizens complain against the official concerned. [21]

During the early Umayyad era, there were some incidence of official misconduct whereby the citizens were deprived of the rights they were entitled to. However, these were not tolerable in Islam and thus Khalifah 'Umar bin Abdul Aziz (RA) instituted formal procedures to investigate wrongdoings by officials, to the extent that he returned the goods that were seized by members of his tribe to their rightful owners. In the sight of 'Umar members of his tribe were no different from the citizens of the Islamic state whose rights were violated. As imam al-Mawardi recorded in his treatise, "he would reject all such wrong doing and would maintain respect for just and fair practices or re-establish such practices if necessary". [22] This practice of accounting state officials for abuse of power was carried out, in varying degrees, during the Abbasid era, for example, under al-Mahdi, al-Hadi, ar-Rashid, al-Ma'mun and al-Muhtadi.

The history of Islam contains abundant examples where abuse of power by state officials were investigated and remedied by judges. Such a judge may, amongst other matters, deal with:

1. abuse by tax officials, e.g., if they miscalculate the tax due from individuals and overtax. In such cases, the judge would order the return of the amount due back to the individual who overpaid;

2. allegations of deficiency, delay or negligence towards the payment of salaries of state employees who receive their salaries from the treasury. In such circumstances, the judge concerned would investigate and rectify any errors and ensure that their salaries are paid in a timely manner;

3. the restitution of private property seized unlawfully by state officials, even if he was a governor. The judge is obliged to investigate such allegations of seizure of property and effect restitution after conducting his investigation; and

4. unlawful seizure of property by one powerful individual from another due to his weakness. Upon investigating such complaints, restitution will be effected in accordance with the judge's findings.

The rule of law deficit in the West

The West has over the past few decades lectured countries around the world to institutionalise democracy, the rule of law, justice and equality. However, the USA and the UK have been exposed in recent years for not practising what they preach. For example, both the USA and the UK have been systematically involved in practices such as "extraordinary rendition", torture of terror suspects, indefinite detention without charge, unjust treatment of foreign nationals and intrusive spying on Muslims. As one American academic commented,

"Virtually every significant government security initiative implicating civil liberties – including penalizing speech, ethnic profiling, guilt by association, the use of administrative measures to avoid the safeguards of the criminal process, and preventive detention – has originated in a measure targeted at noncitizens". [23]

Yet, this deficit of the rule of law is not just limited to the above. In June 2007, it emerged that Tony Blair had pulled the plug off a major fraud investigation by the Serious Fraud Office against the British arms manufacturer BAE Systems. It was reported that BAE secretly paid £1 billion to Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia as "secret commission", thus effectively bribing the Saudis to place the largest defence contract worth £43 billion, known as the al-Yamamah deal. [24] It was allegedly in Britain's "national interest" to terminate this SFO investigation, thus sacrificing the rule of law under the pretext of Britain's oft-quoted "national interest".

Similarly, on the eve of Bill Clinton's departure from office, he pardoned 140 convicted criminals/fugitives. Those pardoned included US billionaire Marc Rich, who was at living abroad to avoid prosecution by US authorities. It was alleged that Marc Rich made handsome donations to the Democrats to secure the pardon. [25] This "cash for pardon deal" scandal raised many doubts over America's hollow claims that the US upholds rule of law. Needless to say, examples of abuse of power are quite common in the 21st century Wild West.

Conclusion

The above discourse evidently illustrates that the shari'ah has put in place all the ingredients necessary for establishing the rule of law, which is much needed in today's turbulent Muslim world. History is testament to the fact that Islam had established an enviable civilisation under its rule. There is no reason why this cannot return. On the other hand, the tired and baseless suggestion that only democracy is the way forward for Muslims is hardly foolproof. Western politicians must wake up to the slogan in Tahrir Square, ash-shab yurid isqat an-nizam (the people want to bring down the regime).

References

[1] Lord Goldsmith QC, "Government and the Rule of Law in the Modern Age", lecture given on 22 February 2006 (former British Attorney-General)
[2] Thomas Bingham, the Sixth Sir David Williams Lecture (lecture given in 2006), p-35
[3] Mark David Welton, Islam, the West, and the Rule of Law, 19 Pace Int'l L. Rev. 169 (2007), p-172
[4] Bingham, p-5
[5] By deploying a common definition in this discourse vis-à-vis the rule of law, this paper is not intended to be an appeasement to the critics of Islam. To the contrary, Muslims advocating the shari'ah believe that Islam is inherently superior to any man-made systems because Islam originated from the Creator and not from the minds of weak men.
[6] This article excludes any discussion of a legislature because such a body is incompatible with the Islamic political and legal philosophy.
[7] Imam al-Nawawi, Riyad us Salihin (National Hijra Council, 1992), hadith no-657
[8] Qur'an: 5-42
[9] Qur'an: 5-48
[10] Qur'an: 12-40
[11] Abu'l Hasan al Mawardi, Al-Ahkam As-Sultaniyyah (Ta-Ha Publications, London, 2005 reprint), p-10
[12] Welton, p-173
[13] Qur'an: 4-59
[14] Imam al-Nawawi, hadith no-664 (reported in Bukhari and Muslim)
[15] al-Mawardi, p-15-16
[16] ibid, p-21-22
[17] Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, the Ruling System in Islam (Nidham ul Hukm fil Islam) (Khilafah Publications, London), p-205
[18] Narrated in Bukhari and Muslim
[19] al-Mawardi, p-108
[20] This is comparable to the public law remedies that Western citizens often invoke against public authorities.
[21] al-Mawardi, p-121
[22] ibid, p-118
[23] Bingham, p-15
[24] The Guardian, 7 Jun 2007
[25] BBC News, 22 Feb 2001

Source: www.khilafah.com

Hanya Khilafah yang Dapat Melindungi Kesucian Qur’an, Darah, Negeri dan Sumber Daya Umat

Syabab.Com - Pada tanggal 20 Februari 2012, tentara salib kolonialis membakar Qur’an Yang Mulia bersama dengan beberapa buku Islam lainnya. Dua orang Muslim mengucapkan shahadat ketika mencoba untuk mencegah tindakan jahat dan memalukan ini. Setelah muncul reaksi yang sangat keras dari umat Islam, para penjajah kolonial tampaknya meminta maaf dan memerintahkan penyelidikan atas masalah ini untuk menenangkan massa.

Wahai Mujahid Muslims Afghanistan!

Ini bukan sesuatu hal yang baru. Kita telah menyaksikan pembuatan kartun Nabi SAW, penodaan Al-Qur’an di Teluk Guantanamo dan pembuatan film “Fitna” oleh anggota parlemen Belanda. Kita semua tahu apa yang terjadi atas para tahanan di Teluk Guantanamo dan Bagram, yang hingga kini masih terjadi. Semua kejahatan ini tidak manusiawi ini jauh lebih sedikit yang terungkap daripada yang belum terkuak sama sekali. Bukti-bukti ini cukup untuk mengetahui seberapa besar kebencian Amerika dan sekutunya terhadap umat Islam. Selain itu, Anda pasti telah melihat kekejaman yang besar yang dilakukan oleh AS dan para sekutunya tentara salib di Abu Ghraib, Fallujah, Qandahar, Helmand, Kunar, Wardak, Nuristan dan Waziristan.

Misalnya, orang Amerika telah mendobrak pintu-pintu rumah, telah memperbudak rakyat dan telah membunuh kaum perempuan, anak-anak dan orang-orang tua Afghanistan, setelah terlebih dulu menganiaya mereka. Contoh yang paling mencolok dari kekejaman AS adalah yang dilakukan atas seorang Muslimah Pakistan yaitu Dr. Afia Siddique, yang dipenjara selama 86 tahun, padahal dia menderita kanker dan hamil. Cerita yang serupa dari kejahatan ini seperti kekejaman yang terus terjadi di Somalia, Yaman dan Pakistan. Semua ini menunjukkan bahwa Amerika dan pasukan sekutunya telah kehilangan semua kualitas kemanusian dan telah mengadopsi sifat-sifat barbar.

Wahai Orang-orang Yang Jujur dan Berhati Tulus!

Ini adalah situasi yang Anda hadapi setelah runtuhnya Daulah Khilafah. Anda tahu bahwa Anda adalah umat terbaik, Anda adalah pewaris Nabi SAW, Khulufaur Rashidin dan para Penakluk, yang mengorbankan hidup mereka di jalan Tuhan mereka, Allah SWT. Anda adalah pewaris Mu’tasim yang mengirimkan bala tentara Islam yang besar bagi tentara Romawi untuk melindungi kehormatan seorang wanita muslim, ketika dia berteriak Ya, Mu’tasim! Anda adalah putra Harun Ar-Rashid yang mengirim surat kepada Kaisar Bizantium dengan mengatakan “Dari Harun Al Rashid, Khalifah orang-orang yang beriman atas Nicephorus, anjing Romawi: Saya telah membaca surat Anda, Anda tidak akan mendengar, Anda akan melihat jawaban saya. ” Khalifah kemudian mengirim tentara besar atas Kekaisaran Bizantium dan memaksa Kaisar Nicephorus untuk mematuhi perjanjian tersebut. Namun, para penguasa pengkhianat hari ini menandatangani pakta strategis dengan musuh-musuh yang sama dan sebagian Mujahidin juga bersedia untuk memiliki kesepakatan damai dengan tentara salib itu.

Hizbut Tahrir meminta negara Muslim dan Mujahidin Afghanistan untuk berusaha dan berjuang untuk mendirikan kembali Daulah Islam (Khilafah) untuk melindungi kesucian Al Qur’an, negeri dan sumber daya umat. Sebagaimana yang dikatakan Nabi Muhammad SAW: “Sesungguhnya Imam adalah perisai, di belakangnya lah umat berperang dan melindungi dirinya ” [Sahih Muslim]

Allah سبحانه وتعالى berfirman:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَتَّخِذُوا بِطَانَةً مِنْ دُونِكُمْ لَا يَأْلُونَكُمْ خَبَالًا وَدُّوا مَا عَنِتُّمْ قَدْ بَدَتِ الْبَغْضَاءُ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَمَا تُخْفِي صُدُورُهُمْ أَكْبَرُ ۚ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ الْآيَاتِ ۖ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ

“Hai orang-orang yang beriman, janganlah kamu ambil menjadi teman kepercayaanmu orang-orang yang, di luar kalanganmu (karena) mereka tidak henti-hentinya (menimbulkan) kemudharatan bagimu. Mereka menyukai apa yang menyusahkan kamu. Telah nyata kebencian dari mulut mereka, dan apa yang disembunyikan oleh hati mereka adalah lebih besar lagi. Sungguh telah Kami terangkan kepadamu ayat-ayat (Kami), jika kamu memahaminya.” [Al-Imran, 3:118]

Artikel di atas berdasarkan terjemahan dari selebaran yang dikeluarkan oleh Hizbut Tahrir, Wiliyah Afghanistan. Sumber :www.khilafah.com [htipress/syabab.com]

Sumber:shabab.com.

Perancis Melarang Drama Anti-Islam Tahun 1890 Setelah Ada Penentangan Dari Khilafah Utsmani

Posted By: ABDUL KAREEM


Syabab.Com - Henri de Bornier, seorang penyair dan dramawan Perancis menulis drama bernuansa anti-Islam yang berjudul “Mahomet (Muhammad)” pada tahun 1889. Perdana Menteri Prancis Charles de Freycinet melarang drama itu pada tahun 1890 setelah ada penentangan dari Khilafah Utsmani.

“Bornier sendiri merupakan korban dari prasangka buta dan tidak beralasan kaum Muslim berkaitan dengan dramanya yang berjudul Muhammad itu. Mereka sedang berlatih drama pada tahun 1889 ketika sebuah surat kabar Turki memberitakan dari sumber berita jurnal Prancis tentang adanya rencana pergelaran drama itu. Kementrian Luar Negeri Perancis meyakinkan duta besar Turki di Paris, Es’at Pasha, bahwa drama itu bukan merupakan serangan terhadap Nabi Muhammad dan menghargai keyakinan kaum muslim. Bornier menunjukkan bahwa drama ta’ziya Persia atau drama yang berisi kesengsaraan yang menggambarkan wafatnya Nabi Muhammad maupun juga kematian para mujahid Syi’ah secara rutin telah dipertunjukkan, dan dia menawarkan pelarangan atas karyanya yang sedang dimainkan di Aljazair dan Tunisia. Namun, argumen itu masih belum berhasil untuk memuaskan otoritas Turki, dan pada tahun 1890 Kepala Pemerintahan Perancis, Freycinet, melarang pertunjukkan drama berjudul “Muhammad” di Perancis, larangan yang, seperti dilaporkan, menyenangkan Sultan Abdul Hamid II. Memang harus diakui bahwa tidak dapat disangkan umat Islam akan menganggap drama itu sebagai penghinaan di mana Nabi Muhammad digambarkan melakukan bunuh diri karena seorang wanita dan karena perasaan rendah diri atas agama Kristen, tetapi tidak ada bukti bahwa baik Duta Besar Turki atau Sultan telah menyaksikan drama itu, apalagi membacanya, ketika mereka pertama kali mengajukan keberatan atas hal itu. Menyerahnya Pemerintah Perancis atas tekanan Turki ini adalah hal yang masuk akal disebabkan oleh Martino hingga situasi politik kontemporer masa itu, karena pada tahun 1889 Kaisar Jerman William II memulai perjalanannya ke Istanbul dan Timur Dekat, dan Prancis takun untuk melakukan apapun yang mungkin mendorong Turki jatuh kedalam pangkuan Jerman, sedangkan kepekaan atas banyaknya warga Prancis Muslim di Afrika Utara juga harus telah menjadi pertimbangan. Baru pada tahun 1896, kutipan atas drama Muhammad ditmapilkan kepada publik dalam suatu gubahan yang khusus dibuat untuk deklamasi teater. Sejak zaman Bornier itu, tidak ada dramawan besar Eropa yang tampaknya telah memainkan drama tentang kehidupan Nabi. “



Sumber: C.E. Bosworth, ‘Sebuah Dramatisasi atas Kehidupan Nabi Muhammad: Drama ‘Mahomet’ karya Henri de Bornier, Numen, Vol. 17, Fasc. 2 (Agustus, 1970), hal 116

Sumber:syabab.com.

Monday, September Angela Collins: Why I decided to submit?

I accept that I cannot control the events that occur in my life or in the lives of others.

Islam is the only religion that communicates total submission to our Creator, the Creator of all people and of all things. As a Muslim I know that everything I do first begins with an intention and then I must transform that intention into an effort in order to carry out what has already been decreed. This wisdom defines my path to be a better person to myself, my family, my community and to all of my brothers and sisters here on earth.

In essence Allah (the one God) opened my heart, Islam gave me the direction, and now I live to serve out the guidance lent by my Creator for happiness here on earth and if Allah wills, in the hereafter.

While religion is a resource to help guide ourselves to good behavior through our spirituality, there is no prerequisite that it should be far fetched in mental comprehension.

I am a recent convert. Catholicism is the religion followed by my forefathers. At the age of 14, I refused the trinity concept and narrowed what I saw as a complicated tale of 'three in one' down to 'two in one' and started attending a Baptist church.

Throughout my life, I have searched for understanding, but when it came to my faith I truly was confused about why God would come as a human being and would allow himself to die for the sins of only those privileged enough to believe in his (or his son's) crucifixion. I found this explanation extravagant and shared my doubts with pastors and scholars who gave every effort to communicate the Christian belief to my understanding. I asked myself: "Why would my religion need to be so complex?" When I reached adulthood, I decided to make it very simple. There was just one, our Creator and that was it. No other explanation could rationally make sense.

I see Islam as a religion that came to clarify the errors of human beings who changed the original word of God to fit their interests. Islam is simple: God is God. God created us and we worship God and God alone. God sent Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed (PBUH) to deliver his message to guide all people. In Islam, Jesus is the only prophet who never died which is why he is the only messenger who will come back before the Day of Judgment to lead the people of the books: [the Torah, the Injeel (Bible) the book of Psalms and the Quran]. The Quran is the final book that has never been altered to fit the changing interest of people throughout history.

Islam confirms that you are not awarded passage into heaven just because you say you are Muslim. And you may not go straight to heaven just because you believe that God is monotheistic. You go to heaven based on your intentions and actions following the message taught to us by the messengers themselves and confirmed by the original books of God. Heaven is not an exclusive club for those who merely follow what their fathers taught them. Instead it is your responsibility, especially as a Muslim, to constantly search for truth, understanding and to read and think. After reading every chapter in the Quran twice and taking detailed notes, I believe that this masterpiece could only have come from my Creator. Without a doubt the author of this book knows more about me than I know about myself.

It is no secret that Islam is seriously misunderstood and disliked by many here in my homeland, the United States. My conversion to this "controversial" religion has my family and friends puzzled. It is my sincere belief that Allah led me to Islam by enhancing my passion in exploring unfamiliar perspectives through foreign travel. I have a genuine interest in building bridges with all people everywhere rather than promoting my own ideology as the only system that can work for all people.

While culture shock is a mild term to express the drastically different life styles of Muslims in the Middle East, I saw great beauty in the generosity of people, the cohesiveness of families and the immediate acceptance of a girl so foreign in her ways. Even so, in the present I face a culture shock within my own predominantly Middle Eastern Muslim community. I do understand the challenges a Muslim born into their religion faces to dissect their own culture within it. After finding myself in Islam, I am able to adhere to the teachings supported by the Quran and Hadiths while also managing to bypass the cultural manifestations taught by Muslims born into their religion. Islam is multi-cultural and is a system that can be adopted in any environment at any point in time.

I can confidently say that if Allah had not breathed Islam into my soul, I would have never found Angela. Well, today, here I am: Angela, a Muslim American: the soul who persistently searched for her Creator and has found the Creator of all that is in the universe and beyond, in Islam.

Angela Collins
Posted by HB-TFS
Source: http://www.islamicity.com/articles/Article

Why we need a Caliphate to restore stability to the Muslim world

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011 | Posted by Noor

It is now routine to talk of a Muslim world in crisis. But an end to the misery appears no closer. Despite experimenting with numerous models and indeed being the subject of recent experiments with liberalism, the autocracy, dictatorships, growing dissent and instability appear no closer resolved. Problems are deep rooted; some even talk of a Middle Eastern ‘exceptionalism’ to describe the region’s apparent inability to move forward. Fresh ideas and approaches are needed if we are to overcome the status quo.

The Caliphate – the Islamic order that governed the Muslim world for centuries – is increasingly presented by Muslims and Islamic movements as key to shaping the future and overcoming the lack of progress and stability that plagues the Muslim world. Some in the West suggest the Caliphate is a pre-modern system unable to deal with current political challenges. But it is our contention that the Caliphate will be a stabilising force for the Muslim world.

These are some of our reasons:

Firstly, the Caliphate system is consistent with – not alien to – the values of the people in the Muslim world. This provides it deep roots and a better chance at working in partnership with its populations because it engages them on a common point of reference and for common goals. But it also means the Caliphate acts as a guarantor for those values considered by Muslims most under threat since its demise. Secular, autocratic regimes that emerged in the Caliphate’s wake significantly curtailed Islamic practice and engineered new readings of Islamic values and history, often imposing views that broke with orthodoxy to demand loyalty to divisive and failed ideologies from Arabism to communism. The import of foreign value systems too is often associated with the threat of eroding deeply Islamic values – ‘western’ values for example are associated with moral and sexual decadence. A political system that credibly protects Islamic values is key to securing public confidence and partnership – and providing the much-needed glue that cements a contract between citizens and their rulers.

Secondly, the Caliphate is an accountable political system whose head is legitimised only through popular consent. That immediately separates it from the current regimes that currently litter the Muslim world, which are unrepresentative, unaccountable and inherently fragile and unstable as a result. With no means of recourse and no channels to express dissent or criticism, peoples’ concerns have become threatening political undercurrents, even threats of rebellion and overthrow. The Caliphate, in striking contrast, engages voices of dissent through the political system by providing extensive channels for accounting all parts of the states’ apparatus as well as a consultative assembly made-up of elected representatives with significant powers.

Thirdly, the loss of the Caliphate brought with it an unprecedented loss of authority and leadership on Islamic issues. The resulting vacuum allowed individuals to unanimously declare themselves spokespersons for Islam, and to become figureheads for merely speaking the rhetoric of anti-colonialism and standing-up to aggressors. This crisis in leadership after the Caliphate dangerously allowed its functions to be dismembered and claimed by virtually anyone who was willing to take them on, from tax collection, to defending Muslim territory (and deciding when and how) to defining the relationship between Islam and other peoples. The Caliphate was the only institution able to provide credible leadership on Islamic issues and the only legitimate Islamic system charged with the responsibility of administering Islamic temporal law and international diplomacy.

Fourth, many of the problems facing the Muslim world are caused or compounded by division. Artificial borders created after ‘independence’ from colonial rule have led to disputes over land, waterways and resources, and been the cause of bloodshed and strife. Furthermore, the deficiencies in resources in these small nation states has prompted Muslim countries to become dependent upon external powers, and not develop the self-reliance that is required for any state to stand on its own feet.

The emergence of the nation state and nationalism has created strangers out of regional neighbours and has also led to the slow disintegration of states that hold multiple ethnicities, or communities, who have continued the demand for independence and thus undermined the overall integrity of the nations they live in. The examples of this across the Muslim world are numerous and is a constant source of unrest and instability. The Caliphate does not consider its population through the prism of ethnicity but rather enshrines the concept of citizenship. It also has an unrivalled history in dealing with different ethnic and religious minorities, much of which has been shattered through the emergence of artificial nation states that have subsequently competed and fought each other over boundaries that lack any historical or Islamic precedent.

The goal of replacing unrepresentative unaccountable rulers with a political system that is neither and which draws on strong ideological commonalities with its people can only be a stabilising force. The Caliphate represents an alternative political vision for the Muslim world and a political system that draws on a strong historical record.

source : www.newcivilisation.com

Hukum Sambutan Tahun Baru Cina

Isnin, 23 Januari 2012 15:05 15 tahun-baru-cinaTerdapat sebahagian daripada masyarakat Muslim yang mengatakan bahawa menyambut Tahun Baru Cina itu hanyalah suatu adat tradisi semata-mata dan ia tidak termasuk sebahagian daripada mana-mana ajaran agama tertentu. Dengan hujah tersebut, umat Islam khususnya yang beretnik Tionghua dianggap boleh untuk meraikan Tahun Baru Cina. Persoalannya, benarkah Tahun Baru Cina hanya merupakan adat tradisi semata-mat dan adakah umat Islam dibolehkan untuk meraikannya? Penulisan ini bertujuan untuk merungkai persoalan ini agar kita mendapat gambaran yang jelas tentang latar belakang sambutan Tahun Baru Cina serta pandangan hukum syarak ke atas perkara tersebut. Ajaran Agama Konfusianisme, Bukan Sekadar Adat Tradisi Tionghua Kita sering mendengar daripada kalangan kaum Tionghua termasuk tokoh-tokoh yang telah memeluk Islam bahawa sambutan Tahun Baru Cina ini adalah sekadar adat tradisi semata-mata dan ia tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan ajaran sesuatu agama. Oleh itu, umat Islam dianggap boleh untuk turut serta dalam merayakannya. Jika kita benar-benar mendalami ajaran agama Konfusianisme, khususnya tentang sambutan perayaan-perayaan mereka, maka akan terbukti bahawa kenyataan tersebut adalah tidak benar. Ini adalah kerana sambutan Tahun Baru Cina adalah merupakan sebahagian daripada ajaran agama Konfusianisme yang tidak dapat dipisahkan dan ia bukannya adat tradisi semata-mata. Dalam sebuah buku karangan penganut Konfusianisme, Dr. Hendrik Agus Winarso yang berjudul 'Mengenal Hari Raya Konfusian' (Semarang : Effhar & Dahara Prize, 2003) hal. vi-vii, ia menyatakan bahawa kebanyakan masyarakat kurang memahami Hari Raya Konfusianisme. Beliau memberi contoh, “Misalnya Tahun Baru Cina yang dianggap sebagai tradisi orang Tionghua.” Oleh yang demikian, pandangan yang mengatakan bahawa sambutan Tahun Baru Cina adalah sekadar adat tradisi dan tidak ada hubung kait dengan agama adalah suatu kesalahfahaman, menurut penulis berkenaan (Ibid., hal. v). Dalam buku tersebut, Dr. Hendrik telah membuktikan dengan meyakinkan bahawa sambutan Tahun Baru Cina adalah sebahagian daripada ajaran Konfusianisme. Dr. Hendrik menerangkan, Tahun Baru Cina atau dikenali juga sebagai Sin Cia, merupakan suatu momentum untuk memperbaharui diri. Momentum ini dinyatakan dalam salah sebuah kitab suci Konfusianisme iaitu kitab Lee Ki, bahagian Gwat Ling, yang berbunyi : “Hari permulaan tahun (Liep Chun) jadikanlah sebagai Hari Agung untuk bersembahyang besar ke hadrat Thian, kerana Maha Besar Kebajikan Thian. Dilihat tiada nampak, didengar tiada dengar, namun tiap yang wujud tiada yang tanpa Dia… (Tiong Yong XV : 1-5). (Lihat Hendrik Agus Winarso, Mengenal Hari Raya Konfusian, [Semarang : Effhar & Dahara Prize, 2003], hal. 60-61). Penulis tersebut telah membuat membuat kesimpulan bahawa sambutan Tahun Baru Cina adalah merupakan sebahagian daripada ajaran Konfusianisme. Beliau mengatakan bahawa: “Dengan demikian, menyambut Tahun Baru bagi umat Konfusianisme Indonesia mempunyai erti ketakwaan dan keimanan.” (ibid., hal. 61). Maka oleh itu adalah tidak benar pendapat-pendapat yang menyatakan bahawa sambutan Tahun Baru Cina adalah hanya sekadar adat tradisi orang Tionghua semata-mata dan ia bukan perayaan agama. Sedangkan hakikatnya, ia adalah sebahagian daripada ajaran agama Konfusianisme. Selain itu, sebagai seorang Muslim, kayu ukur untuk melihat sama ada boleh atau pun tidak untuk melakukan sesuatu perkara bukanlah dilihat dari segi agama atau tradisi. Sebahagian umat beranggapan, jika ia berasal daripada adat tradisi, adalah tidak mengapa dan boleh untuk diamalkan. Tetapi jika ia berasal daripada agama lain, maka ia tidak boleh. Sesungguhnya kayu ukur sebegini adalah batil dan tidak boleh diguna pakai dalam Islam. Dalam Islam, satu-satunya kayu ukur yang benar adalah Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah semata-mata. Firman Allah SWT: “Ikutilah apa yang diturunkan kepadamu daripada Tuhanmu dan janganlah kamu mengikuti pemimpin-pemimpin selain daripadaNya.” [TMQ Al-A’raaf (7) : 3] Kalimat “maa unzila ilaikum min rabbikum” (apa yang diturunkan kepadamu daripada Tuhanmu), adalah merujuk kepada Al-Qur`an dan As-Sunnah. (Tafsir Al-Baidhawi, [Beirut : Dar Shaadir], Juz III/2). Maka, kayu ukur sesuatu perbuatan sama ada boleh ataupun tidak boleh untuk dilakukan adalah Al-Qur`an dan As-Sunnah. Apa sahaja yang benar menurut Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah, bererti ia boleh dilakukan. Sebaliknya, apa sahaja yang batil menurut Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah, bererti ia tidak boleh untuk dilakukan. Oleh yang demikian, jika kita hendak menilai perbuatan kaum Muslimin yang turut serta dalam merayakan Tahun Baru Cina menurut Islam, maka tolok ukurnya haruslah benar. Kita perlu melihat adakah perbuatan tersebut boleh atau pun tidak menurut Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah, dan bukannya melihat sama ada aadakah ia daripada tradisi ataupun daripada ajaran agama. Jika kita menggunakan kayu ukur tradisi atau agama dalam membuat penilaian, maka kita akan tersesat. Bukan semua tradisi adalah benar. Ada yang bertentangan dengan Islam dan ada bersesuaian dengan Islam. Sebagai contoh, amalan seks bebas atau seks di luar nikah adalah tradisi masyarakat Kristian Barat, sedangkan perbuatan jijik tersebut bukan sebahagian daripada ajaran agama Kristian/Katholik. Malah agama Kristian pun turut mengharamkan zina. Jadi, adakah disebabkan seks bebas atau seks di luar nikah itu merupakan suatu tradisi dan bukan daripada ajaran agama, maka umat Islam pun boleh turut serta melakukannya? Tentu sekali tidak boleh. Marilah kita kembali menggunakan kayu ukur yang benar untuk menilai sesuatu perbuatan. Kayu ukurnya bukan dilihat dari segi asal usulnya sama ada sesuatu perbuatan itu datangnya daripada tradisi ataupun agama. Sebaliknya melihat dari segi sama ada boleh ataupun tidak perbuatan tersebut menurut Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah. Inilah satu-satunya pandangan yang haq dan tidak ada lagi yang lain. Haram Bagi Muslim Turut Serta Meraikan Tahun Baru Cina Jika dikaji berdasarkan dalil-dalil Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah, maka adalah haram hukumnya bagi seseorang Muslim untuk turut serta dalam merayakan hari raya agama lain, termasuklah Tahun Baru Cina, tidak kira sama ada dengan mengikuti ritual agamanya ataupun tidak, termasuk juga memberi ucapan Gong Xi Fatt Chai. Kesemuanya adalah haram. Imam Suyuthi berkata, “Juga termasuk perbuatan mungkar, iaitu turut serta merayakan hari raya orang Yahudi, hari raya orang-orang kafir, hari raya selain orang Arab [yang tidak Islami], ataupun hari raya orang-orang Arab yang tersesat. Orang Muslim tidak boleh melakukan perbuatan tersebut kerana perkara itu akan membawa mereka ke jurang kemungkaran…” (Imam Suyuthi, Al-Amru bi Al-Ittiba’ wa An-Nahyu ‘An Al-Ibtida` (terj.), hal. 91). Khusus tentang memberi ucapan “selamat” terhadap sambutan agama lain, Imam Ibnu Qayyim Al-Jauziyyah berkata, “Adapun memberi ucapan selamat yang berkaitan syiar-syiar kekufuran yang menjadi ciri khas kaum kafir, hukumnya adalah haram menurut kesepakatan ulama', misalnya memberi ucapan selamat atas hari raya atau puasa mereka...” (Ahkam Ahli Adz-Dzimmah, [Beirut : Darul Kutub Al-'Ilmiyah], 1995, Juz I/162). Dalil Al-Quran yang mengharamkan perbuatan kaum Muslimin untuk merayakan hari raya agama kafir adalah melalui firman Allah SWT : “Dan (hamba-hamba Tuhan Yang Maha Penyayang itu adalah) orang-orang yang tidak menghadiri kebohongan…” [TMQ Al-Furqan (25) : 72]. Menurut Imam Ibnu Taimiyah, makna yang tepat bagi kalimat “laa yashhaduuna az-zuur” dalam ayat tersebut adalah tidak menghadiri kebohongan (az-zuur), dan bukannya memberi kesaksian palsu. Dalam bahasa Arab, memberi kesaksian palsu diungkapkan dengan kalimat yashhaduuna bi az-zuur, yakni terdapat tambahan huruf jar yang dibaca bi. Maka ayat di atas yang berbunyi “laa yashhaduuna az-zuur” yang lebih tepat adalah bermaksud “tidak menghadiri kebohongan”, dan bukannya “memberi kesaksian palsu.” (M. Bin Ali Adh-Dhabi’i, Mukhtarat min Kitab Iqtidha` Shirathal Mustaqim Mukhalafati Ash-habil Jahim (terj.), hal. 59-60) Manakala kata “az-zuur” (kebohongan) itu sendiri, menurut sebahagian tabi’in seperti Mujahid, adh-Dhahak, Rabi’ bin Anas dan Ikrimah adalah hari-hari kebesaran kaum Musyrik atau kaum jahiliyah sebelum Islam (Imam Suyuthi, Al-Amru bi Al-Ittiba’ wa An-Nahyu ‘An Al-Ibtida` (terj.), hal. 91-95). Maka ayat di atas adalah dalil kepada haramnya bagi seseorang Muslim untuk merayakan hari raya agama lain seperti hari Natal, Wesak, Deepavali, Tahun Baru Cina dan sebagainya. Imam Suyuthi juga berdalil dengan dua ayat lain sebagai dasar pengharaman bagi Muslim untuk turut serta merayakan hari raya agama lain (Lihat Imam Suyuthi, ibid., hal. 92). Salah satu daripadanya adalah ayat : “Dan sesungguhnya jika kamu mengikuti keinginan mereka setelah datangnya ilmu (kebenaran) kepadamu, sesungguhnya jika demikian kamu termasuk golongan orang-orang yang zalim.” [TMQ Al-Baqarah (2) : 145]. Menurut Imam Suyuthi, larangan pada ayat di atas bukan hanya khusus kepada Nabi SAW, tetapi juga merangkumi umat Islam secara umum. Larangan tersebut adalah larangan untuk melakukan perbuatan sebagaimana yang dilakukan oleh orang-orang bodoh atau orang kafir (seperti merayakan hari raya mereka). Walhal yang mereka lakukan itu bukanlah perbuatan yang diredhai oleh Allah dan RasulNya (Lihat Imam Suyuthi, ibid., hal. 92). Adapun dalil daripada As-Sunnah, hadis daripada Rasulullah SAW, “Barangsiapa yang menyerupai sesuatu kaum, maka ia termasuk dalam golongan mereka.” (HR Abu Dawud). Dalam hadis ini, Islam telah mengharamkan kaum Muslimin untuk menyerupakan atau menyamakan diri mereka dengan kaum kafir dalam perkara-perkara yang menjadi ciri khas bagi kekafiran mereka, seperti perayaan hari raya mereka. Oleh itu, adalah haram hukumnya seseorang Muslim untuk turut serta merayakan hari raya agama lain (Lihat Syeikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz, Penjelasan Tuntas Hukum Seputar Perayaan, [Solo : Pustaka Al-Ummat], 2006, hal. 76). Berdasarkan kajian fakta dan dalil-dalil Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah yang telah dinyatakan di atas, adalah jelas bahawa haram hukumnya bagi seseorang Muslim untuk merayakan Tahun Baru Cina dalam segala bentuk dan juga manifestasinya. Haram bagi kaum Muslimin untuk terikut-ikut dalam mengucapkan Gong Xi Fatt Chai kepada kaum Tionghua, begitu juga haram bagi Muslim untuk menghiasi rumah atau biliknya dengan tanglung khas Cina atau hiasan naga dan pelbagai aksesori lain yang serba merah, kerana itu semua mempunyai kepercayaan tertentu dalam agama tersebut. Haram juga untuk mengadakan pelbagai jenis pertunjukan untuk meraikan Tahun Baru Cina seperti live band, karaoke mandarin dan lain-lain. Semua bentuk perbuatan tersebut haram dilakukan oleh Muslim kerana ia termasuk dalam perbuatan merayakan hari raya agama kafir yang telah diharamkan oleh Al-Quran dan As-Sunnah. Seruan Kepada Muslim Etnik Tionghua Akhir sekali, kami ingin menyeru saudara-saudara kami dari kalangan etnik Tionghua, hendaklah kalian masuk ke dalam agama Islam secara keseluruhannya (kaffah). Janganlah kalian (semoga Allah melimpahkan rahmatNya kepada kalian semua) mengikuti jejak langkah syaitan, yakni masuk ke dalam agama Islam namun pada masa yang sama masih lagi mempertahankan sebahagian daripada ajaran lama yang dahulunya pernah kalian anuti dan amalkan, seperti perayaan Tahun Baru Cina. Renungilah firman Allah SWT : “Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, masuklah kamu ke dalam Islam secara kaffah (keseluruhannya), dan janganlah kamu menurut jejak langkah syaitan. Sesungguhnya syaitan itu adalah musuh yang nyata bagi kamu.” [TMQ Al-Baqarah (2) : 208] Wallahua’lam bissawab. Sumber: Mykhilafah.com