An-nuur Na. 165

AN-NUUR Na.165 Jamadul Awwal 1419, Septembe 4 - 10, 1998

Somo: Fiqh Form III

Haki mbali mbali katika Uislamu

Kwa muda wa karne tano kabla ya kuzaliwa Yesu (a.s), Wanafalsafa wa kale walikuwa katika mdahalo mzito kuhusu maana ya Haki. Historia inafahamisha kuwa Wanafalsafa hao walielewa kwamba Haki ni wajibu kwa kila mwanaadamu, lakini nini maana ya haki, ipi na kwa msingi upi iwe Haki, ukabakia mjadala na ukinzani baina yao kwa karne kadhaa.

Kwa hakika Haki ni jambo la awali na muhimu sana katika maisha ya mwanaadamu. Ndio maana mahali popote iliposimama haki maisha ya mwanaadamu yamekuwa ya amani, utu, furaha, ustawi na maendeleo. Na pale ilipokosekana haki, historia nzima ya mwanaadamu imeshuhudia sera na mifumo kandamizi ya watawala, ufisadi, vurugu na hatimaye mapambano. Kwa sababu hiyo, kibinafsi, kumekuwa na mitazamo mbali mbali katika kuieleza na kuielewa haki, hata hivyo kila aliye jaribu kuliendea suala hilo amefanya hivyo kwa kuzingatia ama mazingira au matashi yake.

Kijamii hali kadhalika ipo mitazamo mingi kuhusiana na mada hiyo ya haki na yote hutokana na msukumo wa itikadi na uoni wa jamii husika. Pamoja na hivyo kumekuwa na malalamiko na mijadala mirefu, ambayo yote ama imepotea au imekosa muelekeo, hali ambayo imepelekea mitandao na vikao vyote juu ya haki kwa mtazamo wa kibinadamu kushindwa kufikia hitimisho muafaka.

Hivyo kadiri Ulimwengu unavyoliendea suala la haki kwa mtazamo wa kibinadamu ndivyo Mwanadamu anavyozidi kutokomea kwenye dhulma. Kwa hiyo pamoja na majina ya kila aina yatakayopamba jitihada za mwanadamu, suala la haki litaendelea kuwa kitendawili kisicho na jawabu la kudumu katika ulimwengu huu iwapo akili (reason) ya mwanadamu itafanywa ndio kifaa katika maabara ya kupima zuri na baya. Hii ni kwa sababu udhaifu wa akili ya mwanaadamu katika kupima zuri na baya ni wa kimaumbile, hivyo jitihada zote zitakazofanywa, pamoja na nia nzuri itakayo kuwepo hazitaepukana na udhaifu huo wa kimaumbile.

Kwa hiyo, haki iwe ya kijiografia, kijinsia, kiuchumi au kisiasa haiwezi kupatikana katika mazingira ya ukanushaji wa ukweli wa kimaumbile, kuwa ulimwengu huu una muumba mmoja anayeumiliki na kuuendesha. Na kwamba hakuna mwanadamu aliyebora kimaumbile zaidi ya mwingine na nafasi yake si zaidi ya ile ya kuishi katika ulimwengu huu kwa kufuata maelekezo ya Muumba wake. Mwenyezi Mungu anatufahamisha katika Qur’ani:

"Enyi watu! Kwa hakika tumekuumbeni (nyote) kwa (yule) mwanamume (mmoja; Adamu) na (yule yule) mwanamke (mmoja; Hawwa). Na tumekufanyeni mataifa na makabila (mbali mbali) ili mjuane (tu basi; siyo mkejeleane). Hakika aliyembora miongoni mwenu mbele ya Mwenyezi ni yule amchae zaidi Mwenyezi Mungu." (49:13)

Hivyo ni Muumba pekee ndiye mwenye uwezo wa kutoa tafsiri na mgawanyo sahihi wa haki ambayo ni hitajio la wanadamu wa zama zote.

Maana ya haki

Katika kuangalia mgawanyo wa haki kama ulivyowekwa na yule aliyemuumba mwanadamu na mazingira yake, hatuna budi kwanza kuangalia ainisho la haki.

Katika Uislamu, Haki ni muungano wa, au mfumo wa sheria na maadili ambao lengo na madhumuni yake ni kuiweka jamii katika murua ili kupatikane amani, furaha na mahusiano mema katika maisha ya waanadamu. Sheria hapa inajaribu kuoanisha maslahi ya mtu binafsi na yale ya jamii aishiyo.

Kwa hakika Haki ni kiungo kinachoiunganisha jamii ili kuiweka katika hali ya udugu, ambapo kila mwanajamii anakuwa mlinzi wa wengine na anawajibika kikamilifu katika ustawi wa jamii inayohusika. Kwa ufupi Haki katika Uislamu inatafsirika kama ni kule kukiweka kitu mahali au katika njia ya sawa na kutimiza majukumu binafsi na ya kijamii pasi na chuki wala upendeleo na yote hayo yafanywe kwa kuzingatia maelekezo ya Muumba (s.w). Kwa nadharia ya Kiislamu haki ni wajibu ambao unapokosa kutekelezwa au kuwekwa pasipostahiki kwa namna yoyote ile ni dhambi yenye athari (khasara) pande mbili; upande mmoja kwa maisha ya sasa na upande wa pili kwa maisha yajayo. Hivyo, kuna mfungamano baina ya haki na mwenendo mwema unaolenga kumuepusha mja na khasara katika maisha yake haya:

"Naapa kwa zama. Kuwa binadamu yuko katika khasara. Isipokuwa wale walioamini na wakafanya vitendo vizuri, na wakausiana (kufuata) haki na wakausiana (kushikamana) na subra." (103:1-3).

Maudhui ya sura hii yanafahamisha kwamba ili mja aweze kufikia lengo la maisha yake hapa ulimwenguni ambalo limejikita katika kumcha Mwenyezi Mungu, hana budi kuwa na mwenendo mwema; kufuata, kupigania na kusimamia Haki katika jamii aishiyo.

"Enyi mliomini! Kuweni wasimamizi (wa kupitisha haki) kwa ajili ya Mwenyezi Mungu, muwe mmkitoa shahada kwa uadilifu. Wala kuchukiana na watu kusikupelekeeni kutowafanyia insafu (uadilifu). Fanyeni uadilifu; huko ndiko kunakomkurubisha mtu na ucha-Mungu.

Tawhiid Form V

Religion:
A comprehensive definition

IT is evidently from the previous definitions, religion as a concept, has been misconceptualized. To many people (as we have seen) religion is something to do with belief in the existence of God the creator. However to hold religion as belief pertaining to"spiritual affairs" between man and God is misconception as far as Islam is concerned.

Actually, religion as a concept in Islam is understood as any way of life or system of life in the sense that it function in the society as a philosophical stance that determines the fibres of that society. If this system derived from a divine ideological ideal, then the society is adhering to divine Religion. If is instituted by the ruler or Royal family or dominant class (that is if it derived from a human doctrine, concept, or philosophy) then this society would be practicing a ruler’s religion or Royal family’s religion.

However, the Qur’anic term "din", in a comprehensive sense, is not merely synonym for religion. Din is a broader and deeper concept than religion, as it commonly understood.

Religion usually means a set of dogmas, an elaborate ritual and a host of trivial practices as we have seen to the some of the few representative definitions.

Din, as presented in the Qur’an, is not a matter of ritual or ceremonial. It is concerned with the broad aim of life and the program of action by which that aim can be attained. It is meant for a free and intelligent person, a person who has the courage to think, judge and act for himself Din offers broad principles, which enable him to attain the goal of self-realisation and social welfare.

These principles, however, are not meant to be followed blindly. They are to be applied with intelligence and forethought. Din is there to call upon us to fight against injustice and oppression and to actively promote the cause of justice.

Let us make a survey of the verses of the Qur’an in which Din implies a way of life which nation, party or community adheres in its day to day life:

"And unto Allah leads straight. The Way, but there are ways That turn aside" ( 16:9)

"Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy grace, Those whose (portion) Is not wrath, And who go not astray" (1:6-7). see also surat (109:1-6).

Further reading:

- Ideology of the Future, Dr Rafiuddin.
- Reconstruction of Religious Thoughts in Islam, Dr Iqbal - An Historian’s Approach to Religion, Arnold Toynbee
- Philosophy of Religion, Fulton J. Sheen

Questions

1. With the help of the Islamic Concept of God, criticise the allegation that the idea of God arose from "primitive conception of man" and conclude that denying the existence of God is an attitude of minds.

2. critically evaluate the theory of eternity of matter as concocted by Marxist philosophers.

3. In 1859, Charles Darwin published his Origin of species to show that man was, in fact, an evolved animal who had attained his present form after passing through various stages including those of the amoeba on the lowest and of the ape on the other end in the long process of life’s evolution.

(a)Does Darwin’s theory of evolution allow us to explain how the Flora and Fauna of the earth have attained their present forms? 5."Marxism, like any other wrong ideal, contains the germs of its own dissolution, must break up sooner or letter". (Rafiuddin, Ideology of the future 1946).

Discuss the causes of apparent collapse of communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe in 1991 .

5. "Religion is the vision of something which stands beyond, behind, and within, the passing flux of immediate things; something which is real, and yet waiting to be realised; something which is a remote possibility, and yet the greatest of present facts; something that gives meaning to all that passes, and yet eludes apprehension; something whose possession is the final good, and yet is beyond all reach; something which is the ultimate ideal and the hopeless quest (Science and the Modern World).

With the help of the Qur’anic concept of religion review the misconception in conceptulization of religion.

Thinking critically

- identify or define problem (issue)
- formulate hypothesis and possible solutions or answers
- search for evidence and facts
- argue and reach logical conclussion from these facts
- verify your conclussion

Islamic Knowledge for "A" Level

Tawhiid Form V

Concept of Education

SINCE Education is a process involving the individual, the society and the content of reality both material and spiritual, which plays a dominate role in determining the nature and destiny of man and his society, a clear concept of education can follow only a clear concept of the nature of man. According to the view of human nature maintained in the Qur’an, no theory of education will be correct unless it takes into cognizance the following facts:

A person is forced by the internal necessity of his nature to have some ideal of life always. Every ideal has a law of its own which the person is bound to follow on account of an inner pressure. All his actions, impulses and desires are controlled, guided and directed by the ideal that he has come to choose for the time being weather rightly or wrongly.

Every system, program or plan of education represents some ideal on which it is based. The curriculum, the textbooks, the mentality of the teacher, his attitude towards life generally, the views of the managing and governing authorities, the environment and the atmosphere of the school, in so far as they uphold system, programme or plan of education reflect the ideal. Education is a servant of ideals whether wrong or right, and can be adapted serve every one of them equally. All wrong ideals are due to a wrong education in large sense of the word. Education is a tool, which can be used with equal efficiency for a better or for worse. Education is a weapon, which can be used to build or destroy the society.

Of all ideals there must be only one ideal that correct (Islam). If we do not discover that correct ideal and adapt our scheme or curriculum of education to it, we shall be only moulding it, whether consciously or unconsciously to suit one of the innumerable wrong ideals, and a wrong ideal will include anything but wrong actions in the learner.

The right ideal is the ideal of the self. It alone is capable of giving a permanent satisfaction to the individual and of including a genuine moral behaviour in him. It accords with the innermost desire of our nature and opens a vista of unlimited progress of self-consciousness. It is the ideal of the universe itself. A wrong ideal bound to leave it behind and move forward to another ideal after sometime. Moral behaviour, in accordance with absolute and universal principles of morality, if impossible without a strong love of the right. Ideal which it should be the object of education to create.

Aim of Education

IT is impossible to state aim of education without defining the ideal of life. Some of the aims of education are as follows: To form character, to prepare for complete living, to produce a sound mind, etc. But all these statements are vague so long as we can not define what is a formed character, or complete living, a sound mind, or what is it that constitutes "the best in man".

An eminent educationist of England Sir T.P. Nun has point out the ambiguity of such statements and endeavours to raise himself above them by defining the aim of education as the free growth of individuality. But this definition is equally vague, since he does not tell us what the growth of individuality means or how the individuality can grow. We may inquire whether the individuality of an educated Englishman, an educated American or an educated arrogant or fool one!

Sir Percy Nun realises that we can not define the aim of education without defining the ideal of life. The aim of education, according to him, must be the aim of life itself. One could, therefore, expect that he would suggest an ideal of life guiding the educator and point out the direction in which alone the individuality could grow freely. But he do nothing!

However, according to Islam the aim of education is (a) to uplift spiritual and material development and fulfilling the purpose of creation. (b) To turn the recipient to become God conscious (mutaq) in his/her daily transactions.

Source of knowledge

Reason and revelation

Reason is the ordinary thinking faculty or power of the human mind which is supposed to be the source of knowledge. But it differs from man to man. For instance, see the philosophers how they contradict each other. There is perhaps not a single point on which all of them agree. They differ even about observable phenomena. Some say that substance is composed of forms, others like Democritus that it is compounded of ifinitesmal particles. According to schopenhauer, reason has no value of its own, but that nature has produced it for the service of individual will (Durant, outlines of philosophy, P. 275). To Hume reason is merely a slave of passions (Sabin, A History of Political theory, P. 600). Reason, according to Kant, has its own limitation, while others have no faith in it. No one", says Betrand Russel, has succeeded in developing a theory of knowledge which is both credible and consistecy (Kerr, Islamic Reform, P. 10).

This leads us positively to the conclusion that neither senses nor reason can be the basis of sure knowledge. Revelation alone is the source of real knowledge and can guide us to the ultimate reality. God alone possess the perfect knowledge of all things. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe. He is not only omnipotent but also omnipresent and omniscient.