Personal Freedom – The Foundational
Strength of Islam
M. Bakri Musa
(Based on a talk given at the
South Valley Islamic Community, Morgan Hill, California, on the occasion of
Mawlid Nabi, December 2, 2017)
(Second of Two Parts)
In his book Muhammad: Man and Prophet, Saudi writer M. A. Salahi
recalled his father’s advice. That is, love for Prophet Muhammad, s.a.w., could
only be demonstrated by following his teachings, not by singing his praises. Today
Mawlid is observed in many places with endless singing of his praises, and only
that. As for hadith and sunnah, they are far from being sources of
enlightenment but instead become contentious among the faithful. They divide
not only Muslims but also between Muslims and non-Muslims.
In this Mawlid I will depart from tradition and will refrain
from singing his praises or reciting his hadith. Instead I will highlight Muhammad’s
achievements. Those are beyond dispute and should inspire us. I will relate only
four, three before he received his prophethood, and one before.
First, he transformed the ancient Bedouins whose identity and
loyalty were tied to family, clan, and tribe to one that transcended all those
and be based only on the belief in the oneness and supremacy of Allah. Later, others
joined in. Today Muslims are the most ethnically and culturally diverse group. Islam
can rightly claim to be the first and continues to be the most powerful and successful
globalizing force.
Second, he led the Arabs’ through a seismic change in their attitude
towards women. Where once women were part of the inheritance, only slightly
above the camels and date trees in status, through Islam women were entitled to
a share of the inheritance. Not an equal one to be sure, but still a radical
change from the status quo and a universe ahead of what was then prevailing
elsewhere. With that cultural sea change, the associated dehumanizing of women
and such gruesome practices as female infanticide vanished.
Third, he altered the Arabs’ vengeful “an eye for an eye” sense
of justice to one that emphasized mercy, forgiveness, and restitution. He
steered them away from revenge, and with it the endless cycle of generational clan
disputes and tribal warfare. While he eschewed an eye for an eye, Mohammad,
s.a.w, (and Islam) was not for turning the other cheek. Instead he and Islam opted
for “soft vengeance.” That is, showing a better and more just way than endless
destructive revenge.
Those were monumental achievements and the ensuing changes transformational.
They all occurred within the memories of his companions.
There were those who viewed Mohammad, s.a.w., as but a mere Messenger,
a human fax machine as it were, through whom God sent down His revelations.
With that, miracles happened and Islam became a major force. As such we could
dispense with hadith and sunnah. Even a cursory reading of
history would disabuse one of that romantic and simplistic notion.
Those early Bedouins were tough customers. If Muslims today argue
over hadith and sunnah, those early Arabs questioned the very Koran and Mohammad’s
prophethood. This culture of questioning, learning, and the associated critical
thinking that it nurtured, endured long after Mohammad, s.a.w. Today we look
longingly to that long-ago “Golden Age of Islam,” forgetting what it was that
made our faith and community flourish. We have replaced the cherished,
productive, and pristine values of tajdid
(constant renewal and vigorous learning) with taqlid (unquestioning acceptance and blind obedience). We also limited
those who could partake in religious discourses. We opted for exclusivity over
inclusivity, which in turn breeds intolerance and closed mindedness. Both
inhibit learning and progress.
Koranic commands notwithstanding, emulating Muhammad,
s.a.w., or achieving even a tiny sliver of his success would be a daunting task.
That brings me to his fourth achievement, although by
chronology his first. Before Allah chose him to be His Last Rasul, Mohammad was
a trader working on a caravan owned by someone else. If he didn’t deliver, he
would earn nothing. He was such a diligent and productive worker that his
employer Khatijah found him to be indispensable. That resulted in her proposing
marriage to him. To use the language of modern business, she made him an equity
partner!
Marrying your boss, (or the son or daughter thereof) is a tried
and true path to advancement. Such opportunities are necessarily limited. What
is not is to emulate Muhammad’s work ethics, that is, be productive and make yourselves
indispensable, or as close to that as possible, to your employer. That is within everyone’s capacity.
I advised my children when they had their first job to
remember one thing. If they were being paid one dollar, then they should give at
least three dollars’ worth of service in return. The first to cover the pay, the
second for overhead–with such soft costs as social security and unemployment insurance
as well as hard ones as with providing an office. The third is the employer’s
profit. A worker who gives less has not earned his pay. That deficit is haram.
Few of us would be privileged, talented, or courageous enough
to venture out to be entrepreneurs like Khadijah and Mohammad. An honest,
trustworthy businessman (or woman) will be in the company of prophets, the
truthful, and martyrs, goes a familiar hadith. In Islam, the paycheck giver is held in much higher esteem than
the paycheck receiver. The biblical
wisdom (it is better to give than to receive) is never more apt in Islam than
with respect to paychecks. Such an ethos makes sense; it benefits the economy
and society–no entrepreneur, no paychecks; no business, no workers. That is the
foundational wisdom of that hadith.
Islam’s high regard for entrepreneurs and business owners is
not misplaced for another reason. When you have an enterprise to run, you view
the world and others differently. They are no longer whites or blacks, natives
or pendatangs (foreigners), Muslims
or non-Muslims rather your potential clients, customers, and partners. Such a mindset
leads to greater harmony. To an ice cream peddler it does not matter whether
his dollar comes from a thirsty congressman or an illegal immigrant.
Remaining faithful to the sunnah and seerah is a
challenge. Many are thus satisfied with simplistic aping rather than emulating,
as with having long beards and acquiring multiple wives.
What is within the capacity of all of us is to emulate
Muhammad the trader before he was
chosen prophet. That is, be honest, productive, and dependable so as to bring added
value to your employer. In Islam, they and other paycheck givers are the blessed
ones; they are truly following in the
path and are thus worthy emulators of our holy prophet.
More important than for us as individuals to emulate the
prophet is for us collectively as a community to aspire for the achievements of
those early Muslims. If they could transcend their clan and tribal identities,
we too should our race, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual
preferences, and other labels we paste onto ourselves and others. We should give
full meaning to our core belief that we are all
children of Adam.
If those ancient Muslims succeeded in elevating women from
being part of the inheritance to acquiring a share of it, we too should aspire
to a similar scale of achievement. We should strive to make women have full parity
not only in inheritance but also all other spheres. The prophet’s achievements
should be our inspiration, not define the limits. How can a father look at his
daughter and say that she is worth only half that of her brothers? My sons
would never let their sister be thus treated.
We should go beyond and support the emancipation of not only
women but also others now oppressed.
Islamic thinking distinguishes between the obligations of the
individual (Fardu Ayn) and that of the
community (Fardu Kifayyah). That is false
dichotomy. If we as individuals are dependable, productive, and treat others
with respect, then our community would follow suit. If our society already has excellent
social services and efficient garbage collection for example, that does not
free us from our obligation to take care of those less fortunate and to clean
the environment when we see it being despoiled.
I am proud of our South Valley Islamic Community in this
regard. Women are very much full participants in our organization. They are
well represented on our governing board, and we have had three women Presidents
in our short history. I am also heartened that our Friday prayers are well attended
by women.
Our organization through the dynamic leadership of Imam
Ilyas is an active participant in the Interfaith Council, as well as working
with other faith groups as with St. Joseph’s Lord’s Table in feeding the poor
and homeless, and with Cecelia’s Closet in providing warm clothing for the
homeless during these cold months. We have a children’s toy drive for the
holiday season. Thank you to those who have generously donated.
Those achievements of the early Muslims should inspire us as
individuals as well as a community. While it would be presumptuous to think that
we as individuals could emulate Allah’s Chosen One, it is within all of us to model
ourselves after Mohammad the trader before he was chosen as prophet. That is, by
being dependable, trustworthy, and productive; striving to be paycheck givers instead of receivers. If we are the latter, we should work hard to give our
employers extra in our work. It is also within our community’s capability to
emulate those exemplary early Muslim communities.
That is what Mawlid Nabi means to me as an individual and as
a member of the community.