“…the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct…” [Qur’an, 49: 13]
By all standards, society is absolutely paramount. Its social and moral wellbeing is of the highest priority for sustaining a balanced and congenial progression of human civilization. For people of conscience and moral integrity, the civic engagement for reform is an integral part of their quest for restoring human dignity and social order. This campaign is indispensable for self-survival with sanity as well. Just as a person cannot remain clean in filthy surroundings, he cannot live a healthy life in a contaminated environment either. He must first participate in the sanitizing efforts of his environment for the sake of his own health. This distillation for the good of the society is, in effect, a life-line for the protection of personal wellness: “…Respond to Allah and His Messenger… to that which gives you life…” [Q, 8: 24] Partaking in the mission of the Prophet SAW is a command and an absolute necessity for sustaining a life of moral nobility.
.Historically, people have been migrating from place to place for a better life. It is normal for improving the quality of life. Quality has many sides, however. Often some of them remain dark, contributing to a twisted mentality. The increased affluence intensifies the craving for more resources, land, and control. Consequently, the stronger has always oppressed the weaker and deprived him of his possessions, land, and freedom. All major powers in the past have followed the same atrocious path of terror to quench their thirst. On one hand, they invaded the weak nations, robbed their resources, occupied their lands, and kept them oppressed and willfully backward in education, economics, and politics; on the other, they never made any efforts to develop the society they walked in, or become part of it by learning its language and culture or socially integrating with the native population. They simply remained aliens and invaders.
A reprehensible example of this mindset is the disgraceful European colonial period that lasted for about 500 years. This dark period followed the European renaissance – the so-called era of enlightenment. But that enlightenment did not go across their borders. Various European nations occupied most countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle-east. These countries were geopolitically strategic and rich in resources, but militarily defenseless and easy targets. The colonial powers used repressive tactics to keep the occupied territories backward in all areas critical to progress while stripping off their resources. As they never became part of the society, the need for building it up was not even felt. Sadly, it took WW II to loosen their grip; they were forced to pack up and leave. When they retreated, they left their former colonies in shambles to remain as third-world countries. In many cases, they created factions and appointed their proxies to continue their repressive policies and chaotic conditions, while having their interests insured.
The invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq during the first two decades of the 21st century is no exception. Under different pretexts, the hidden agenda was the same – advancing geopolitical and strategic interests and confiscation of native resources. The treatment of the occupied lands and their people was no different either. There was only death and destruction, but no effort to uplift society. Both countries are now free but remain underdeveloped.
The underlying reason for such a ferocious mentality toward own kind is man’s uncontrolled impulse toward superiority. No doubt, man is inherently superior to all other creations: “Indeed, We honored the children of Adam, and bore them across land and sea and provided them with good things for their sustenance, and exalted them above many of Our creatures.” [Q, 17: 70] However, often an unrestrained obsession with worldly possessions suppresses moral conscience. Intellectual superiority with suppressed conscience unleashes tendencies of bigotry and delusion of supremacy against those who may appear different and potential targets of transgression. The European renaissance followed by colonization of weak countries is a blatant example of such a decomposed conscience. This is when racial, ethnic, and other forms of decimations, unjust practices, and warfare begin to take hold to disparage humanity and decimate society. A distinction is in order here: While man is created superior to all other creations, his superiority within his own human family can be earned only through a noble conduct, to be judged externally: “…the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct…” [Q, 49: 13]
Man’s superiority over other creations, let it be understood, is due to his intellectual capability and his freedom to channel that capability in any direction he chooses. Enormous resources have been placed at his disposal to achieve his goals. This freedom is a trust to be used responsibly with a sense of accountability. By using these assets, man has made revolutionary changes in the physical world. People used to live in caves, walk on foot, and talk face-to-face. Now they live in villas, fly in space rockets, and speak with people in all corners of the world eye-to-eye in real-time. We also used to fight with hands, knives, and sticks. With the push of a button, we can now remotely drop rockets and bombs from thousands of miles, without being seen or seeing who is being killed. Human feelings play no role, in ruling out any chance of mercy, remorse or recourse.
While we can take pride in our accomplishments, it is disturbing to note that we have made stunning progress in just about every field of life except the one that matters the most – the human behavior, not even an iota. Human development – tangibly and perceptively, race relations, solidarity through diversity, and inter-connectivity within our unison are all functions of the nobility of human conduct. The collective happiness of the society is predicated on these virtues alone. Man, however, remains greedy, jealous, prejudiced, arrogant, barbaric, and viciously fixated on his worldly ends, not knowing his own. Gun violence, corruption, and disorder prevail everywhere. In the US alone, 692 incidents of mass shootings were reported in 2021. During the first half of 2022, the number is already near 300, including 20 in schools, with 20,500 dead. Even babies are not safe; no place is off-limits. Worse yet, nothing is being done to restore civility while the carnage continues to roar. The lawmakers’ pockets are filled with lobby money and lips zipped in favor of the status quo. These are hardly the signs of a civilized society.
In contrast to this portrayal, Islam’s global view is: “O My servants who believe, verily My earth is vast … [Q, 29: 56] The geographical reality is that the entire land belongs to Allah SWT. Live wherever it suits you. It is people who have created artificial boundaries and given names to different territories. Its social and demographic view is: “O mankind! We have created you from one man and one woman…” [Q, 49: 13] That is, you all are the offspring of a single pair of parents; the entire human race is one family. Apparent diversity in shapes and colors, and variations in talents, thoughts, and approaches are designed for bonding and moving forward jointly – not for any categorization or characterization. Nobody has everything, but everybody has something to contribute to the shared good. And, finally, the universal code of conduct by which everyone must live is: “… obey me alone [Q, 29: 56] As everything for our survival is provided by Allah SWT, we must reshape our lives in line with the code provided by Him. Justice, the dignity of life, and the protection of honor and property are essentials of this code.
The global vision of Islam for a peaceful co-existence is also reinforced by the Prophet SAW, who considers the human race as a family of Allah SWT: “All creatures are like a family of Allah, and He loves those who are generous to His family.” [Bukhari] This inclusive outlook implies that after believing in Allah SWT, the best conduct is to be good to His people across all race-religion spectrums. Serving others righteously is an objective of high priority emphasized by the Prophet SAW: “The best of men is the most beneficent of them to others.” [Tabarani] Human rights, freedom of religion and expression, and social justice are all elements of this conduct.
Reflecting on such conduct and its natural progression, the Prophet SAW adds: “The way you live is the way you will die; the way you die is the way you will rise.” [Muslim] Working it backward, if a person wishes to rise as a righteous person, he must live as such every single day. This requires extensive discipline. Part of that discipline is civic engagement. Righteous conduct, by definition, has to be in a social setting that must be minded wisely. It is a condition for faith and a state of faith, as the Prophet SAW makes it so clear: He who does not care about Muslims is not one of them.” [Tabarani] participation in society’s affairs is not an option; at whatever level possible, it is mandatory. Islam’s orbit of social reforms is not limited to Muslims either.
Pursuant to this frame of mind, when Prophet SAW was forced out of his city of birth, he migrated to Medina and became fully lodged in that community. His first major act was to build a Masjid as the community center. He reconstructed that society socially, morally, and intellectually by using the capital of his character. He transformed that society to become the moral leader of the world in a matter of just ten years. Even though he had re-captured Mecca, he remained a resident of Medina. Also, Muslims spread out to different parts of the world only with the treasure of their character. Wherever they went, they made those societies their homes and fully participated in the progress of the land, with a particular focus on its moral direction. With the charm of their character, they set in a moral transformation of the society and the local population joined them under the banner of Islam. The momentum vibrated across the globe.
Muslims never abandoned their new homes unlike the imperial powers or their predecessors. Today in 2022, nearly 2.8 Billion Muslims in 195 countries across the globe account for over 28% of the world population. They have an absolute majority in 50 countries. People in each country are mostly the natives; they simply embraced Islam as a choice way of life. The point to be noted is: Whether in majority or minority, wherever Muslims move, they do not become eccentric or inwardly oriented. They become fully vested in the community and contribute to its wellbeing while preserving their identity as Muslims. They are trained to be generous and to reciprocate in kind: “Could the return of generosity be anything but generosity?” [Q, 55: 60]
Migration to America and Europe is the most recent Muslim experience. In particular, the new wave of Muslims hitting the American shores began after WW II. Muslims from various parts of the world came here primarily for education. Most of them decided to stay back making this land their home. Until 1960s, there was no community, no Masjid, and no sense of haram or halal. As the number grew, they became conscious of their identity and a sense of belonging. Small groups started forming for social events. The next step was to start the Friday prayer in someone’s basement. That set in momentum for a Majid as the community center and everything else that comes with the territory. At the same time, they started integrating at every level of society.
Today in 2022, about 3.5 million Muslims in the US are in their 4th generation. Close to 3,000 Islamic centers are operating to cater to the religious needs of their communities, and 300 schools are engaged in educating their children with a focus on the Islamic principles of life. Dozens of social and relief organizations across the US are active; other organizations provide platforms for advocacy and a collective Muslim voice on national issues. Education has a premium in Islam. Muslims are well educated in just about every discipline. They are active in business and industry and are highly career-oriented. Mostly they are in high-end professions; particularly in academia, IT, law, and medicine. They are also making their way up in politics. Many hold elective positions at every level of government. Many are serving in the judicial system, and several are in the US Congress as Representatives. Collectively, the US Muslims are part of the American landscape, as they see the future of their children tied to the peace and prosperity of the land they consider their home. The story is similar wherever Muslims live in Europe as well.
Two diametrically opposed depictions described above are driven by two very different visions. The former is based on a behavior triggered by the inherent intellectual superiority of man. If not transformed, the untamed superiority brings all vices and monstrous tendencies of supremacy in the forefront for illicit pursuits – an abuse of freedom and betrayal of trust. The latter is a willingly acquired transformation of intellectual superiority into moral superiority by preserving the trust of freedom and exercising it sensibly with fear of accountability. This brand subjects all desires to a code of scrutiny, under which the society is paramount overriding all other interests.
Moral superiority simply means establishing the Sovereignty of Allah SWT in every function of life and, collectively, in society. An essential part of that perspective is participation in community affairs for its betterment, including, but not limited to, equity, social justice, peace, and balance within and across all branches of life and sections of the society. If we have made a concerted effort, we have lived the purpose of our existence. When we live the purpose of our existence, we carry out Allah’s decision behind the creation of man: “…I am going to appoint a vicegerent on the Earth…” [Q, 2: 60] The mission of the vicegerent (representative) is simply to implement Allah’s rule on earth for humanity to rise infinitely to the heights of its altruism.
Whether it be a monarch’s rule or a show of democracy
Statecraft divorced from Faith is reduced to but the reign of terror
Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal
Islamic Point of View 
