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Name
Stephen
- Australia
Profession
Question
Hi,
We know that modern civilization at present has adopted the Judeo-Christian values, and rejected the primitive practices of Mohammedan religion. Why don’t you realize that the backwardness of the Moslem world is owing to its wrong values and preferences?
Answer
Salam Stephen,
Thank you for your question.
It is to a great extent true that the core of the Western civilization is the Judeo Christian values.
But, any resonable person can see that in reality there is a lot of common ground between the genuine Judeo-Christian values and the Islamic values. This is because Muhammad (peace be upon him) came in the same line of prophetic religion, as Moses and Jesus, and he taught the same morals, within the same framework of Semitic tradition:
Muslims worship the same--One and Only--Creator, as Jews and Christians do. If we adopt a more inclusive "Abrahamic" view, Islam can no more be considered outside the Abrahamic tradition that embraces both Judaism and Christianity.
Remember that once the former US President in one of his speeches grouped mosques with churches and synagogues; and he was right.
Indeed, Islam’s approval of individual rights, emphasis on social justice, acquisition and dissemination of knowledge aimed at the welfare of the whole of humanity - this is a more advanced position than the Judeo-Christian values as evinced by their self-professed advocates.
The Qur'an commands Muslims to decide their affairs by mutual discussion and consultation. Within Islam, each individual is accountable for himself or herself and all are equal before God.
And oppression is abhorrent to Islam. The backwardness of several Muslim countries is, as you said, owing to its wrong values and preferences: But know that these wrong-headed choices are not prompted by Islam or its Prophet.
Unfortunately today most Muslim peoples are passive towards their tyrannical rulers who are responsible for their present predicament. And in perpetuating this predicament the oppressors are aided and abetted by the so-called “civilized world” motivated by their Judeo-Christian values!
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Hasan Isa
- Malaysia
Profession
Question
Selam aleikum. What important human values to preserve, according to Muhammed, sallallah alaihiwa sallam?
Answer
Salam Hasan Isa,
Thank you for your question.
You know, whatever Prophet Muhammad, (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught was under Allah Almighty’s guidance. What we call Islam is the sum-total of the Word of Allah AND the Example of the Prophet.
We may say, the Prophet taught us Muslims to honor, after our faith, the values of Piety, Charity and Patience at the individual level. But we cannot say that these are the only values Islam taught. There are a number of values - which could be called social values apart from the personal values:
Among them are the five important human values we should take care to preserve especially as a society, according to the teachings of the Prophet:
1. Respect for life: By this we mean the rights of humans for food, clothes and shelter as well as other necessities for preserving one’s life.
2. Respect for Religion: Religion is considered a fundamental right of every individual according to Islam. So anyone is free to practice the religion of his/her choice. There should be no compulsion in matters concerning the choice and practice of religion. Islam grants people all rights to strive for their spiritual uplift and the fulfillment of the purpose of life as they view it.
3. Respect for intellectual pursuits: Allah has bestowed reason on humans and they have every right to use it to seek knowledge. Pursuit of scientific research, for instance, is not only permitted, but it is strongly encouraged.
4. Respect for family: At a time when family life which is at the heart of the security and strength of the whole society, is terribly corroded by decadent practices like swinging, partying and gay culture, Islam lays great stress on sound moral relationship between men and women, and would protect and guarantee anyone’s right to lead a healthy family life.
5. Respect for people's right to property: The right to work and earn money is a fundamental desire of all; and it is recognized in Islam as a human value. Today, wealth is accumulated in a few hands the great majority of humans are deprived of a chance to eat at least one square meal a day. This is the result of the reign of predatory capitalism.
And also Islam emphasizes values like fair-dealing, trust and honesty in financial matters, as well as perfect social justice in the distribution of wealth and other resources.
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Atef
-
Profession
Engineer
Question
Dear Scholar As salamu alaykum
Do you mean Human Values of Human Rights and what is the difference since one lead to the other
Shukrillah
Answer
Salam Atef,
Thank you for your question.
A value by definition is a belief, a philosophy or a concept that is accepted by people, and it give meaning and purpose to our actions.
Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual honors set of values that serve as the motivating force behind his actions.
Without values or beliefs, we would be mechanical beings, driven here and there by the vicissitudes of life.
Without values, we would be animal-like, impulsive and moved to act solely by our urges and passions. When we live by values, we live a purposeful and dynamic life. In other words we become truly human.
So we may say that human values are those values that are recognized universally as capable of making us truly human.
Human rights are the basic rights derived from the human values and all humans are entitled to these rights.
For instance the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law.
Values and rights are different. For instance, a value like patriotism involves our DUTY to love our country, rather than any RIGHT.
But all rights are linked to some value or other at the same time.
Hope I have answered your question.
Name
Kishen Kumar
- India
Profession
Question
Hello Prof.
What on earth is the place of Mohamed’s primitive values in the postmodern world?
Answer
Salam Kishen Kumar,
Thank you for your question.
If you are an educated citizen of the ‘postmodern’ world prepared to use his reason to study and judge other cultures and their values, I request you to consider the following before tarnishing the values taught by Muhammad, peace be upon him, as “primitive”:
The Holy Qur’an, in the light of which the Prophet set about his task of enlightening the world around him, clearly teaches us all the values essential for the peaceful coexistence of communities as well as their welfare and progress on planet earth. These include: the virtues of courtesy, respect for human values, love, tolerance, honesty, brotherhood, and a readiness to sacrifice one's own comforts for the sake of one's fellow beings. Only a person deplorably blinded by prejudice can call these values “primitive”!
Moreover, the Qur'an urges the observation and investigation of the phenomena of nature with a view to learning how to live in communion with it and derive benefits from it while taking care not to make mischief and cause corruption in the world. The Qur'an promotes love of science and love of humanity, justice, and truth.
By the light disseminated by Islam, Muslims are obliged to work for the happiness of their fellow beings, if necessary by self-denial. That is the core of the Islamic way of salvation or felicity in an eternal world.
Islam as a religion is not only natural but is also rational in the sense that it bases its fundamental beliefs on principles furnished by reason. In fact, the elemental simplicity of its creeds points to its natural and rational basis.
It is no wonder, therefore, that its creeds, devoid of any theological complexity, are so easily accessible to the understanding of ordinary humans.
One can mention the egalitarianism of Islam as a great service to the cause of humanity.
Deriving inspiration from the Qur'an, Muslims have a duty not only to undertake the quest for knowledge with the intention of discovering the meaning of existence, but also to work for the welfare of all human beings, indeed of all creation. They have to combine faith in God with love for His creation. This is what we learn from the Qur'an as well as from the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Hope the foregoing answers your question.
Name
Augustine
-
Profession
Question
Does Islam allow individual freedom, for example the freedom to criticize authorities – whether religious or political?
Answer
Salam Augustine,
Thank you for your question.
I suppose your question was prompted by the realities in the Middle East.
In fact, the kind of oppression or denial of people’s rights as going on in certain ‘Muslim’ countries has nothing to do with Islam, though the rulers give the impression that their actions are justified in the light of Islamic teachings.
It is well worth remembering that during the Prophet’s life time, there was no king in his land. By the time he completed the preaching of Islam, he established in the Hijaz Region of Arabia a system of managing the social, economical and political affairs of the people – a system which was for all practical purposes, democratic.
The Prophet’s teachings categorically deny any ruler the so-called ‘divine right’ for governance, unless he adopts Divine Guidance as the constitution of his country. And Divine Guidance demands a ruler to be ‘a servant of the people’ in the words of the Prophet. From this point of view, the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs were models for all future rulers.
The life-example of the Prophet and his companions – four of whom became his successors or khulafa’ after him – clearly shows that Islam allows individual freedom – which includes the freedom to criticize and question all kinds of authorities.
And God knows best.
Name
Rawan
- Pakistan
Profession
Question
Salam, Sayedna Sheikh
I heard that Islam honored Muslim women by making them equal to men and that they HAVE SOULS. What does this mean? was she denied being with soul in other philosophies and religions?
Answer
Salam Rawan,
Thank you for your question.
In certain religious cultures woman was considered as not possessing a soul. And you may have read of it in one of the articles that describe the status of women in Islam.
And certainly, Islam honored women in many ways, especially in comparison with the position they had in other religions.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
