Religious and Intellectual Freedom
Islam restored the lost freedom of man. It brought him out of the maze of changing ideologies and uncertain results. It abolished religious superstitions and the self-imposed monopoly of religious monopolists. It rejected these false intermediaries between God and his servants, it endowed humanity with a clear and bright knowledge and certainty, and it clearly announced this fact: God is close to his servants, he hears the calls of those who call upon him, accepts the repentance of his servants, and forgives their mistakes. No intermediary is needed for repentance from sins and acceptance of worship.
This belief and certainty protected the honor and dignity of man and saved him from servitude and helplessness before other than Allah, elevated and enlightened his intellect and thought, and established a solid foundation of knowledge and certainty for action. The doors of hope and aspirations were opened for his future.
Islam has taught that the foundations of right action are established only on faith in the ultimate and true reality and its correct knowledge and certainty, and on correct action depends the greatness and dignity of man, the success of his life and the well-being of his future. This faith or correct knowledge is not the product of the laboratories of reason and consciousness, its source is the divine teaching of the Creator of the universe who has made the universe a treasure trove of infinite secrets.
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The long journey of experiments and observations of reason that man has made with time and the unstable results of these experiments, deprived of the light of certainty, are the most clear evidence of the failure of reason and thought. The Quran says: “By time! Man has been in loss, except for those who have accepted faith and done righteous deeds (in accordance with the requirements of faith).” (Surah Al-Asr) These beliefs of Islam regarding faith and action did not only affect Muslims, but the entire human mind and thought were affected by them. People of other religions also gained freedom from many of their religious superstitions, the grip of religious monopolists, and the slavery of monks, priests, and avatars. Thus, new and broad paths were opened for the development of human thought and action in the light of knowledge and firm conviction.
The orbit and centrality of action
The study of the psychology of human individuals and groups shows that the orbit of human actions is based on willpower and will is largely subject to reason. When reason accepts something and becomes certain of it, the human will is attracted towards that thing. Thus, this certainty is actually the impetus for action due to which action comes into being and keeps something existing or remaining.
For action to be useful and fruitful,
it is necessary that there is centrality in belief and, as a result, uniformity in actions. In the case of decentralization of belief and chaos in actions, organization does not arise in life at all, neither are lasting and effective results of actions established, nor can the full benefit be taken from the comforts of life.
Since nature and its requirements keep changing with time, place and circumstances, natural requirements can neither create centrality and uniformity in individual actions nor can they create organization in collective actions. To create this centrality in the actions of individuals and groups, Islam has given man the belief in monotheism. Monotheism creates centrality in faith and certainty, and this centrality is the cause of organization, oneness and uniformity in his actions.
Monotheism
Although the belief in monotheism was a common belief of the heavenly religions, in the minds of those who followed these religions, this belief had taken strange and contradictory forms. While interpreting and explaining monotheism, sometimes that one being was described as devoid of all attributes, devoid of all attributes and suspended, and sometimes its attributes or the manifestation of those attributes were made into permanent deities (gods).
Sometimes this one essence was divided into many parts and components and sometimes by combining many parts and components a composite essence was created which was sometimes declared as Father, Mother and Son and sometimes Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Islam brought by the Last of the Prophets (peace be upon him) completely purified the “belief of monotheism” from these disturbing interpretations of monotheism and removed from the human mind all the superstitions that the spiritual scholars and religious leaders of the people of the religions had created. The Quran declared that:
“The essence of Allah, the comprehensive essence of attributes, is one (and alone), the essence of Allah is independent of everything, neither was He begotten nor was He begotten, nor has He any partner.” (Surah Ikhlas)
This ‘pure monotheism’ can actually become the basis of human actions and this is the goal of his life and death. The Holy Quran says:
“Proclaim that my prayer and my worship, my living and my dying are only for Allah, the Lord and Sustainer of the worlds, He has no partner, to Him I have been commanded, and I am the first of those who submit, that is, a Muslim.”
And the Holy Quran declares on behalf of Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him):
“I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists.”
The meaning of the Islamic belief in monotheism is not only that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah, but the purpose of this belief is also that no one has the power to benefit or harm except Allah. The owner of honor and greatness, wealth and power, life and death, and benefit and harm is also the same.
Equality
Along with creating a unity of belief and centrality among mankind, Islam also established the foundation of group organization and unity by declaring equality and equality of rights among them, so that harmony could be created in the individual and collective life of man. Religious leaders and rulers who were the owners of material power and authority had divided mankind into different classes and groups. They had divided their rights on the basis of color, race and blood.
One group of them considered itself the owner of power and government from God because of color and race, while the others were the inheritors of the blessed legacy of slavery and subjugation. Religious leaders were considered the owners of religious injunctions, they would make whatever they wanted lawful and whatever they wanted unlawful, and they would distribute the wrath and pleasure of God at their own will. Islam put an end to this intellectual and practical polytheism. It declared equality among mankind and instructed:
“O mankind! We created you from male and female and made you into tribes and nations only that you may know one another. The most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.’ (Quran)
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) declared:
“O people! Your Lord is One and your (first) father is One. You are all from Adam’s offspring, and Adam was created from clay. No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, except in piety.”
On another occasion, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Human beings are all equal, like the teeth of a comb.”
This equality of human rights, which was the result of the belief in being the creation of “one Lord” and the offspring of “one Father,” established the bond and relationship between humans on a more solid and equal basis and established a firm unity, centrality and organization among them by creating uniformity in their duties and obligations.
Consequences of Equal Rights
The belief in monotheism and the definition and equality of duties and rights paved the way for reaching human greatness and elevation. By erasing racial and class divisions, it made spiritual and practical values the standard of honor and dignity, and without any discrimination, it created in the heart of every individual the motivation and determination to achieve that human perfection which is the true goal of human life and its struggle. This belief declared by Islam: “There is no command except God, He has commanded that you worship none but Him.” On the one hand,
it limited the irresponsible authority of humans over the government and law, and on the other hand, it took away the authority of religious scholars over what is lawful and unlawful and made them mere preachers and interpreters of the commands of Allah and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The result of this was that the first Caliph of Islam, after assuming the power of government, declared:
“I have been made your guardian, but I am not the best of you. If I do good, help me, and if I do evil, guide me to the right path.’ And the result of this was that those who interpreted the rulings from the Book of Allah and the sayings of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never claimed any personal authority in the interpretation and explanation of religious rulings.
Despite their knowledge of the Book and Sunnah and the extraction of rulings and ijtihad, they believed that error in the explanation and explanation of rulings was not impossible. As far as their knowledge and struggle are concerned, they try to reach correct conclusions, but these ijtihad and interpretative issues do not have the same certainty as the explicit rulings of the Book and Sunnah.
This was the clear path of Islamic monotheism and equality that freed not only Muslims but also the people of the world from the narrow circle that the oppressive forces of religion and government had established around them. By following this path, not only did Muslims establish a new and progressive organization of the world, but they also opened the way to perfection and progress for all the nations of the world and future generations. Is this unity of belief and the centrality of practical equality not a beacon of light for humanity even today? Can there be any better and more lasting foundation for the mutual cooperation and coexistence of nations?
Human Freedom and Its Limits
Freedom and Independence, that is, human freedom and its permanence, are discussed from two perspectives: One is the freedom of a person’s will and action, meaning that a person is created free and independent in terms of his original nature, or he is deprived of his will and actions under a higher power and its power. In the terminology of sciences and arts, this discussion is called the discussion of the issue of “predestination” or “compulsion and choice” and is considered one of the most difficult discussions in the science of beliefs and speech.
The point of view of Islam on this issue is very clear. It has been clearly declared in the Holy Quran and the Prophetic Hadiths: Allah Almighty is capable of everything and has absolute choice, human will and actions are also subject to His power and are subject to His will. Nothing can move without the will of Allah, but this does not mean that man is also powerless and simply compelled like plants, inanimate objects and other inanimate things, but generally there is no interference with the “authority” that has been given to him within a limited scope and in the use of the powers that have been given to him.
When he chooses one of the two paths of good and evil and obedience and disobedience – be it good or evil – according to his own will, his power is given to him and the means are made in accordance with his will and actions are performed by him accordingly and on this authority the worldly and otherworldly reward and punishment depend.
In other words, all his responsibilities are dependent on this limited freedom of man and the authority given to him. In this scope he is tested, responsibilities are imposed on him, he is made obligated and demands are made of him. Because of this limited will and authority, religion, Sharia, books, and prophets have been sent to guide and direct it.
The Holy Quran says: “Indeed, We created man from a drop of sperm that We might try him, and made him hearing and seeing. Indeed, we guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful.” And He said: “Did We not make for him hearing and seeing, and We guided him to the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful?” Eyes and a tongue and two lips, and We have guided him to the right path.’’
‘‘Did we not make for him two eyes and a tongue and two lips? And we made known to him the two paths (good and evil).’’
In another place it is said:
‘‘And by the soul and by the perfecting of it! Then we made known to it its wickedness and piety.’’
‘‘By the human soul and by the perfecting of it! Then we made known to it its wickedness and piety.’’
‘‘In other words, the responsibility of religion, Sharia and law, and the reward and punishment, revolve around this limited freedom and choice of man in terms of his natural powers. The entire structure of his willful and optional life is based on the foundations of “this freedom” and “independence.” Another meaning of freedom and independence is that what are the limits of an individual’s civil or collective freedom? To what extent does the collective have authority over individuals? And to what extent are individuals free and autonomous in their actions? In this sense, the question becomes a scientific and practical problem of sociology and political science, and it has a profound impact on all the controversial issues of the new era.
Protection of Limits and Rights
Under this theory, the problem of demarcation between individuals and the government or group should have been eliminated, but this experiment also failed to find a solution to this problem. Since the interests of the institutions exercising power and the people under power are always in conflict, the problem of individual freedom and rights arises again.
In addition, the question of the ruling majority and the minority also arises. There is a need for protection not only against the practical excesses of the majority, but also against its mental and intellectual tyranny, as this need is being felt very strongly in many parts of the world today. Even today, the question remains as to how to reconcile individual freedom and the powers of the group? And where should their limits be set? And how can the weak be protected from the political and intellectual tyranny of the powerful?
To solve these problems, the “new thinkers” emphasize that it is necessary to impose restrictions on the actions of people through certain rules and regulations. These rules and regulations should be made under the law and by public opinion.
In other words, to direct the thoughts and actions of individuals in a certain direction by means of some prophetic principles and to impose restrictions on them by means of law or public opinion is the basic need of society and order and this is the guiding principle for establishing the limits between the freedom of individuals and the powers of the group or government.
How should these basic principles be formulated? What should be their nature? How should personal and class opinions, emotions and desires, likes and dislikes and, rising above these local customs and traditions (which become the second nature of the people), just human profit and fair interests be taken into account in these principles? Who should formulate them? And what force should implement them before the formation of a “ruling institution”? No safe and satisfactory solution to these questions has yet been discovered.
Islamic Solution
Islam has solved this problem of human society in a very wise way. It did not recognize the right of individuals to set the basic principles for their own intellectual and practical guidance of their own free will, or to establish their own government as they wish, and to establish the boundaries of the relationship between the individual and the group wherever they wish, because man cannot be separated from his own nature. He cannot be free from the influences of his own choice, his own personality, and his surroundings.
In view of the diversity of his original nature and the differences and contradictions of personal desires and interests, he is not only not suitable for formulating such principles that are equally beneficial to the whole of human unity, but it is also not possible for him, because he can never be separated from his own personality.
Islam has set some basic principles for the human community, as stated in the “Malik-ul-Mulk” and “Ahkam-ul-Hakimin”, which are free from all these defects and are superior. It has set the directions of the thoughts and actions of individuals with the guidance of the Creator of the universe. The power of faith and certainty has been made the guardian of these principles and restrictions.
It defined the rights of individuals and the relationship between the individual and the community, and then declared: “Whoever transgresses these limits set by Allah is a wrongdoer.” After acknowledging this one supremacy of the “fundamental principle,” Islam did not give any prophet the right to bind people to his will and will, other than Allah, nor did it give any ruling power.
He clearly declared this freedom of individuals: “No creature can be obeyed in order to disobey Allah.” To protect the weak from the intellectual and practical coercion of the government and the community, he guaranteed: “There is no compulsion in religion.” He warned the community: “Do not let the enmity of a nation make you guilty of injustice.” This is a wonderful example of individual freedom granted by Islam, which has not only set a milestone in the relationship between the government and the individual or the community and the individual, but also serves as a landmark for the democratic and public concept of life.
While deciding in favor of a subjugated and weak Copt against a Muslim “governor” of Egypt, Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) declared: “When did you enslave the servants of Allah? And did their mothers give birth to them as free men?” “Since when have you considered the servants of Allah as your slaves?” Their mothers had given birth to them free.”
This is the Islamic concept of freedom and independence that has guided the concept of freedom in the present era, and which even today has the status of an example and a goal in the path of human freedom.
Means of Protection
In order to establish and maintain a system between these limitations of human freedom and limits and rights, the material support of power, i.e. “government”, is generally considered sufficient, and the means and means of achieving this ruling power are adopted, and when this power is achieved, a system or principle is established and issued, whether the minds of the people are ready to accept this arrangement or not.
The end result of a system established with the help of this power is usually that its roots do not take root in the hearts of the nation, and as soon as the support of power weakens, the foundation of this system is shattered and the entire structure of life falls to the ground.
Islam did not use only the support of material power and ruling power to establish its system, but rather it developed a comprehensive and solid spiritual scheme to establish and maintain its comprehensive system.
He emphasized the organization of internal forces more than the external causes of power and gave secondary importance to material power. He first called for faith and certainty in a few truths. Through faith in these truths, he created a sense of “responsibility” for his actions in the conscience of man himself and, along with this sense of responsibility, he considered the “action” created by “faith and certainty” as the standard of human honor and servitude. On this “action” the foundation of those noble ethics was established which proves to be an important spiritual force for maintaining a system.
To establish centrality in belief and action, Islam gave the belief in monotheism which is an internal and mental force for establishing mental unity and unity among humans. Along with this, it presented the principle of “human equality” which, in addition to being a mental and belief force for maintaining practical centrality, is also an attractive practical movement for achieving common “action” and common “benefit” which is conducive to “collective action”.
After establishing the foundations of belief and action for life, the golden principles of monotheism and equality, and the ideological and practical movements, Islam has established another series of duties and responsibilities to organize collective struggle and cooperation, which, in terms of its results and effects, creates an external organization and force and is an important “effector” in establishing and maintaining a system.
Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil
Among these duties is an important duty.
The purpose of enjoining the good is to encourage those things that Allah has declared good and virtuous in human life. The meaning of forbidding the evil is to prevent those things that have been described as undesirable, harmful and “evil” for human life. The Quran commands:
“Allah commands people to establish justice and fairness, to be kind and to give to relatives their due, and forbids them from indecency and indecency.”
According to the teachings of the Quran, the purpose of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is to convey and implement the commands of Allah Almighty. The Quran says: “Those who follow the Messenger and the Prophet, the illiterate, whose coming is written with them in the Torah and the Gospel, who commands them to do what is right and forbids them from what is wrong. He makes the pure things lawful for them and the impure things unlawful for them. He removes from their heads the “burden” (and the shackles of oppression and tyranny) that the oppressors and oppressive powers had imposed on them.
Now those who believed in this Messenger and stood up for his support and support and followed the light of guidance, the Quran, which was sent with this Messenger, those are the ones who will truly be successful and successful.” Then this Amr bil Ma’ruf, the Divine Command and the purpose of the Messenger ship, that is, it is not only the work of Allah and His Messenger, but it is also a “general duty” of the believers who are the representatives of Allah and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them) in establishing the system of ethics and society of Islam and are accountable to them. The Quran, while guiding towards this general obligation, says:
“Those who, if we establish them in the land, establish prayer, give zakat, and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.”
“The Muslims are those who, if we establish them in the land, establish prayer, give zakat, and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.”
On another occasion, while describing the distinguishing characteristics of the believers, it says:
“The believing men and the believing women are companions of one another. They enjoin good and forbid evil, establish prayer, give zakat and obey His Messenger, these are the people on whom Allah will soon have mercy.
It is clear from these instructions of the Holy Quran that enjoining good and forbidding evil is an important and general duty of Muslims and is not specific to such a situation, while Muslims as a group have power and strength in some part of the world, but is a duty that is incumbent on every individual at all times and in all circumstances. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Every one of you is a guardian and a watchman and is responsible for those under his care.”
This duty is a requirement of the true spirit of Islam, brotherhood and equality, and is a direct result of the great mercy and blessing of the Islamic system that has been made public for the human and Islamic community. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Religion is the name of goodwill and compassion.”
Because of this importance of education and propagation, Islam has given special emphasis in its teachings on acquiring knowledge and conveying this knowledge to others. The Quran, in its first address, directed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) towards knowledge and first expressed this great blessing of Allah to man:
“(O Prophet!) Recite (the Word of God) in the name of your Lord who created (the entire universe). (Especially) Who created man from a lump of flesh. Recite (His Word)! And your Lord is the Most Great, Who taught by the pen (to read and write) and taught man that which he did not know.”
Then it was not only the duty of the Messenger to strive to spread the inspired knowledge of truth and honesty that was given to him and which was made the purpose of his mission to spread, but it has also been made obligatory for those who believe in the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to acquire knowledge and convey this knowledge to others. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim, so seek it even if it is in China. Whoever goes out in search of knowledge is a fighter in the path of Allah.”
Similarly, in many other hadiths, he has encouraged Muslims to acquire the “inheritance of the Prophets” i.e. knowledge by describing the virtues of knowledge and scholars. And after acquiring knowledge, he has instructed them to transfer it to others. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said:
“Convey from me (the verses and hadiths you have heard) to others, even if it is only one verse (or hadith).”
He has especially prayed for those who convey the knowledge of the Prophet to others. He (peace be upon him) said:
“May God bless the one who conveyed what he heard from us to others in the same way he heard it.”
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) drew attention to his and his Ummah’s duty of “teaching and preaching”, and in the last sermon of the Farewell Pilgrimage, he made the Ummah witness to his duty of teaching and preaching and urged them to fulfill this duty:
“Those who are present should convey (the religion of Allah) to those who are not present (i.e., each generation should continue to convey the religion of Allah to the next generation and the previous generations until the Day of Judgment).”
Islamic Sciences
The sciences that Islam has emphasized on acquiring and imparting to others include the Quran and Hadith and their supporting sciences, as well as all those sciences that have been invited to acquire and reflect on in the Quran and Hadith. Some scholars have compiled a long list of such sciences whose source is the Quranic verses themselves, and some researchers believe that no knowledge in the world is outside this vast scope of knowledge of the Quran.
Some of these sciences are essential and some are superfluous. Regarding the essential sciences, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Knowledge is three: Ayat-ul-Mukham, that is, the sciences related to the wise Quran. Sunnah-ul-Qa’ima, that is, the sciences related to the authentic Hadiths, and Faridah-ul-Adila, that is, the sciences related to the correct duties of life, with the help of which the right path for human life can be determined.
This last category includes all the explanatory sciences. Apart from these three categories of knowledge, all knowledge has been declared by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) as “superfluous” or “superfluous” and these include all those arts that make a person forgetful of his purpose in life.
The importance that Islam gave to “education and propagation” in its principles of invitation was the result of which Muslims as a nation became the bearers of education and propagation among all the nations of the world. This was the intention of the Holy Quran, which says:
“You are the best nation, raised up for mankind (i.e. the guidance of the nations of the world). Your duty (in the sight of Allah the Messenger) is to enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.”
Muslims not only disseminated religious knowledge, but also attached great importance to “rational” knowledge along with these “traditional” knowledge. They invented new and useful sciences for humanity and benefited the world with the light of these sciences. Humanity was wandering, hiding its limited capital of knowledge and experience in a heap of misleading desires.
Muslims took this capital of humanity out of the monopoly of nations and groups and made it common to all humanity. The knowledge that had become the heritage of classes and groups and which was confined in the prisons of race and position, now became common to all humans and Islamic schools began to provide the nations of the world with the common path of acquiring knowledge and arts. It was Muslims who became the founders of this global scientific movement, which gave the present world a taste for knowledge, research, invention and invention and guided it towards scientific progress. Alas! Today, knowledge is again being confined within geographical boundaries.
Experiments and inventions are being hidden, so that they become the safe and exclusive heritage of certain races and certain nations, the only reason for this is that today, instead of determining the direct path of life for mankind, knowledge has been made a means of establishing racial and national superiority, and therefore, instead of creating light and peace and security, it has become a cause of darkness and fear and terror for the general world and a source of global unrest and cold and hot wars.
In this world of fear and terror, will Muslims once again light the lamp of knowledge and understanding through their educational and missionary struggle? And will they provide the wealth of peace and security to mankind?
May God remember their forgotten lesson and abandoned duty and gird themselves to fulfill it!! “The end of this nation will not be improved except by what it has improved before.” The only things and measures that will improve the end of this nation will be those that have improved its beginning.
