Problems Confronting the Muslims World - Essay Example

? Problems confronting the Muslims World Problems confronting the Muslim World Inserts His/her Muslim world can de several meanings. In the context of religion, it indicates those people who follow the teachings of Islam i.e. Muslims and in the cultural sense, it can refer to Islamic Civilization regardless of non-Muslims living in that civilization. However in the contemporary geo-political sense, it can refer to Muslim-majority countries, districts, towns and states as a whole. When combined together; all these separate jurisdictional units constitute the Muslim world. Islam has laid strong emphasis on the unity and defense of its fellow members. However, the formulation of sects within the umbrella of Islam had led to many problems in the Muslim world. In this paper, we endeavor to define a problem, examine its various dynamics and then provide a solution of the problem. The major issue confronting the Muslim world can be segregated into three different problems, which as a whole constitutes the issue faced by the Muslim world. Firstly, there is the failure to differentiate between what God has laid in His Book and the Traditions of His Prophet (our own interpretations of it), the difficulties and the dilemmas faced by the womenfolk in the society and the distortion of the meaning of obedience to those who are at a higher position and assigning them unnecessary power and authority, despite the fact that they commit many wrongs and injustices. Let’s tackle each issue individually. The first of the problems is that we fail to differentiate between what has been laid down by God in His Book and the traditions of the Holy Prophet, which have been glorified and modified considerably. In condemning this failure, we do not fancy denying the importance of the values of the Fuqaha, nor do we wish to irk these respected men in any way. On the other hand, we are of the notion that work is a great asset of which we should be immensely proud. We are also of the belief that we should focus on the subtleties of their leaning and also derive maximum benefit from it. Simultaneously, we should also have a clear head about the following factors: 1) Firstly, the Quran and the Sunnah comprise of the Shariah of God, which is formed on the basis that they constitute the ideological and pragmatic way of life for the Muslims to follow. 2) There’s nothing perplexing about the fact there are discords, which exist among people in context to the analysis of different types of Quranic verses, or the genuineness of specific types of Prophet traditions, as long as people do not disregard these arguments based on the knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The opinions and views held by the Muslim Law should be obeyed to the extent that they are it is in compliance with the Quran and Shariah. We should also be careful in ensuring that our stance on controversial aspects of Islam does not deter Muslims from understanding or following the Shariah. Fundamentally, the Shariah is the primary criterion and knowledge center for all questions and each Muslim is required to abide by it and give it preference over other sources of knowledge. When we refrain from references to the Quran and instead place a lot of importance on the opinion of mundane schools of thoughts, we tend to adopt irrational beliefs, which contradicts the Fuqaha of our previous generations, who despite having discords amongst themselves did not own up to any infallibility for their opinions. Most of these differences are grounded on the text of the Shariah, which has been made available to them. It never struck our Fuqaha that it would become an impenetrable wall that hinders the importance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Also, it didn’t strike them that they would be grudging Muslims the privilege to apply their knowledge to the better understanding of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Shariah does not aim to ensnare men in any sort of worldly matters or business. Its only purpose is to provide a way of life and guidance for the people along with a specific set of injunctions (Ramadan, 2010). There is a difference between the Shariah, which is present in the Quran and the Sunnah and that is eternally binding and the details highlighted by the Fuqaha should have an healthy impact on present day Muslims in several ways. It examines Islamic ideology with ease and effortlessness, which delves deeply into the hearts of Muslims. It does several things. Firstly, it rejuvenates the message of Islam, it also adds to the message of Islam and the words of the God and His Prophet. Furthermore, it provides an erudite ground for Muslims, and disregards modern and manipulated schools of thought. Lastly, not only does it keep Islam intact in its full form, but it also provides a lot of scope and ease for the human mind. The question may arise whether we want to make the Qur’an and the Sunnah an instrument for any intruder or impostor who would manipulate the text according to their own convenience and desires when they have room for interpretation? We can be sure to know the answer i.e. “No.” When we emphasize on opinions in Islamic matters, we mean that we want opinions and not just one’s own whims, fancies and desires. We want piety and godliness to be fundamental and basic in context to the problems associated with Islam. In addition, there is nothing wrong in forming proper rules i.e. scientific as well as administrative, which could help to ascertain the specialization in studies relating to Shariah personified both in the Qur’an and the Sunnah that is implemented by legal systems all over the world. It is our responsibility to make sure that we save the Shari’ah from any corruption, and also from being the target of desires and whims by people who falsely interpret it. Simultaneously, we also have to ascertain that specializing in it does not lead to the formulation of priest hood in the Muslim society, and that there is free-flowing space for all opinions, views and sources, neglecting the sources they come from. Another major problem is the position of women in our society. We are living in an age of complete chaos, havoc, juxtaposition of different types of forces, the Islamic influence, traditions and customs that we have inherited over a period of time, because we have blindly copied the West. This has led to countless problems in the society and the one which deserves vital attention is the problem of womenfolk. This is not just due to the fact that women comprise of half the community. It is a deep-rooted problem because it affects the social life and has a deep and innate relationship, which contributes to the cohesion in our society. It is quite perplexing that Muslims should neglect the importance of women in our society. The Shariah has attached so much of importance to it. The principal example of women’s nobility and virtue is our Prophet Muhammad’s very own wife Hazrat Khadijah who stood faithfully besides him in his mission of Mecca. The several verses of the Quran, the numerous traditions of the Prophet all speak greatly of women’s rights and duties, which greatly determine our attitude towards womanhood. The Holy Quran also certifies the importance of women, as that of being equal to men’s with the following saying: "I shall not let the work of worker, male or female, be lost. You issue from one another" (Altwaijri, 2011). It also mentions the rights and duties of women as being similar to those of men before it explains the administrative leadership in the family. And on other occasion, it mentions the rights and duties of women as similar to those of men before mentioning man's administrative leadership of the family.  "And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men), according to what is equitable, and men are a degree above them" (Altwaijri, 2011). Islam also repeatedly places emphasis on good behavior and the gentle treatment and just attitude towards women. The Prophet is quoted as saying in his last address: "I advise you to be good to women"(Altwaijri, 2011). In the context of political system, this can be especially observed in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. In Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, women folk are not given the same importance as men. They are essentially considered as the weaker sex. It is a forgotten fact that she is also a human being and has the same amount of nobility as any other human specie. This means that those whose behavior reflects the notion that women are in a subordinate position as compared to men, and that she is merely an object for indulgence, need to have a cleansing of their radical beliefs and mindset. Countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which cling to this notion, are ruining the possibilities of ever achieving equilibrium in society. One thing should also be clear that the unbridled self-will of women in societies should not be forced into extremism: i.e. forcing them into something that has not been enforced upon by God. It should not be forgotten that women in the Western part of world have been steered in the wrong direction, which were specifically related to social injustices and this had led to their sub-ordination, ultimately resulting in zero identity. They eventually rebelled against those injustices, their revolt being a completely genuine one. They also began to move in the wrong direction and became obstinate and willful. This type of injustice also prevails in our society though perhaps in more primitive and brutal forms. There are men who tend to beat their wives, if they are not compliant with their views and opinions (Altwaijri, 2011). One would not think that this view has anything to do with Islam because Islam essentially promotes equality between both the genders. There was a time in history when women had absolutely no status, they were held in ultimate disdain. It was during that time when Prophet Muhammad sought to stand up for the status and rights of women and declared that “women are but the sisters of men.” This also crashed the Islamic era of injustice and darkness. It was basically a revolutionary era for women in the society because it re-established their position and gave them a new identity altogether. All these problems in turn lead to other serious problem, and as a result there is a lot of fanaticism, sectarian conflict, poor cultural awareness and not to forget the regional powers which are causing uproar in the Muslim world. By looking at the problems outlined above, it can undoubtedly be said that urgent reform is required. The inception of this reform can come with fighting administrative, political and financial problems, which can later alleviate the bigger problems faced by the Muslim world. This has led to moral and social decay, and is also the main reason for political disorder. Once this problem has been alleviated, it will erase the bigger problems that the society is confronted with. Most of these problems occur when people deviate from the teachings of Islam as explained in detail above and form their own interpretations of what they believe Islam is. We can assuage the problem that the Muslim world is faced with i.e. failure to differentiate between what God has laid in His Book and the Traditions of His Prophet (our own interpretations of it) and the difficulties and the dilemmas faced by the womenfolk in the society by promoting peace and cooperation, guaranteeing human rights, freedom, good governance and the sovereignty of law. If we focus on these principles, there is a chance that the problems which are looming in front of us and threaten to blossom into serious crises undermining the political stability and integrity of Muslim countries can be done away with. Another way to solve these problems is to revamp the educational system and allow more scientific and technological progress. Attending to the youth, augmenting their knowledge of human and civil rights, and promoting women’s rights for them to best serve the interests of their societies will also erase the problems faced by the Muslim world at large (Siddiqi, 2011).   References Ramadan, Said, Problems confronting the Muslim World, Published on September 17, 2010, http://www.witnesspioneer.org/vil/Articles/shariah/problem_confronting_the_muslim_world.htm, Accessed 10th August, 2011 Altwaijri, Othman, Abdulaziz, “Muslim World: Problems and Solutions,” Published on 26th July, 2011, http://www.rohama.org/en/pages/?cid=5359, Accessed 10th August, 2011  Siddiqi, Samana, What's Wrong With Muslim Societies, Published in 2011, http://www.soundvision.com/Info/women/muslimsociety.asp, Accessed 10th August, 2011  Read More