By L. Cochrane and W. Chellan

Poll results and mainstream media suggest that higher levels of poverty equate with higher levels of religious adherence. Broadly speaking, this generalization appears to hold true. ((See, for example: http://www.gallup.com/poll/116449/Religion-Provides-Emotional-Boost-World-Poor.aspx)) However, correlations of this nature do not occur in isolation. Wealth and poverty are also correlated with regional location, leading some to suggest that wealth and poverty are linked with geography. ((For example: Diamond, J. (1999) Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. W. W. Norton & Company: New York.)) Correlations can also be made between poverty and education, crime and a host of other social and economic factors. A critical analysis of the link between poverty and religious adherence is important because, based upon this claim, some suggest that religion is only “useful” as a means to address insecurity, instability, uncertainty and stress. Indeed, some turn to faith in times of need (e.g. Qur’an, 10:22). The claim that there is no inherent need or value of faith, for anyone at anytime, beyond a coping mechanism is what we suggest requires critical scrutiny.

Is it true?

These claimed linkages are limited to statistical correlations, not causations. In other words, the global polls describe a trend, but do not offer an explanation as to why that situation exists. The cause depends on how the data is interpreted and what other factors are sufficiently accounted for. The selection of data can influence the trends that are identified. However, does the statistical data confirm that these correlations exist? Our recent paper sought to clarify this and related questions. ((Cochrane, L. and Chellan, W. (2015) “We Were Extremely Poor But We Were Pious”: Exploring the Interrelationships between Religious Adherence and Economic Status in the Muslim World. Global Humanities 2: 112-128))

We first point out that it is quite easy to identify case studies to “prove” a point. Almost two-thirds of Senegalese live in extreme poverty, and the vast majority are religious. At the same time, Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world, wherein the majority are religious. To overcome the challenges of selectively using data, we utilized a Pew Research Center data set of more than 38,000 interviews conducted in 114 countries, and focus on Muslim majority countries (80% or greater). The findings suggest the picture is far more complex than the one presented in popular media and polls:

• The relationship between higher GDP per capita and a greater percentage of Muslims in the population is weak and insignificant. In other words: wealth or poverty in Muslim-majority countries is not correlated with greater or fewer identifying with the faith.
• There was no relationship between higher GDP per capita and the percentage of people that pray several times a day. In other words: the level of wealth did not impact on how frequently or regularly people pray.

Other findings also suggest that the “link” between poverty and religion is complex. For example, there are strong geographical trends with regard to religious practice, suggesting that poverty is not the primary factor affecting religious adherence. Also, higher GDP was correlated with declining support for Islamic Law; this suggests that politics (i.e. the political implementation of “Islamic Law”) play a significant role (recall that economic status was not correlated with the number of people who regularly pray, but support for “Islamic Law” was).

All of these statistics are “playing the same game” in that we are only able to describe trends, but not understand the causes of them. Nonetheless, we find that the statistical claims being made are incorrect (or, at best, only part of the story). We also explore lived experiences of Muslims in South Africa, a country where significant rises in GDP per capita have taken place. The diversity of experiences confirms that the relationship between poverty and religious adherence is complex, with some people becoming more religious and others not as wealth rose. The life stories align with our statistical data: there is no correlation with religious practice and wealth (or poverty) and certainly no evidence to suggest causation. Like the global data, the life histories indicate that local and regional history, politics, culture and society have a far greater influence on religious adherence than economic status.

Viewed from another perspective:

We also explore the theological perspective of poverty in Islam, all of which reinforce the complexity of the issue. For example: specific economic indicators are commonly used to measure poverty, but the theological conceptualization of material poverty includes diverse definitions, such as the poor (fuqarāʾ), the destitute (masākīn), chronic or temporary poverty (e.g.: ibn al-sabīl and ghārimīn). Furthermore, like the Noble Prize winner Amartya Sen, ((Sen, A. 2009. The Idea of Justice. Harvard University Press: Cambridge)) they suggest the need to distinguish between intentional asceticism (zuhd) and material poverty. Islam also conceptualizes a different form of poverty, separate from material and economic status: spiritual poverty. Popular media and the polls do not take any of these factors into account. In fact, we suggest, the theological tradition can enhance our understanding of poverty and its various manifestations.

The Prophetic tradition provides insight into the way poverty can be understood, as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be unto him) made the supplication: “I seek refuge with You [God] from poverty,” ((Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Nasāʾī. Sunan al-Nasāʾī: Kitāb al-ʾistiʿādhah, bāb al-ʾistiʿādhah min al-dhillah. Aleppo: Maktab al-Maṭbūʿāt al-ʾIslāmiyyah 1986)) which he encouraged others to do as well. ((Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal: Musnad al-ʾImām Aḥmad Ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad Abū Hurayrah, ḥadīth 10973. Beirut: Muʾassasah al-Risālah liʾl-Ṭabāʿāt waʾl-Nashr waʾl-Tawzīʿ 2001)) At the same time, there are warnings against wealth: “By God I do not fear poverty for you, but I fear that you will lead a life of luxury as the past nations did, whereupon you will compete for it as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it had destroyed them.” ((Muḥammad Ibn ʾIsmāʿīl al-Bukhārī: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, kitāb al-maghāzī, bāb shuhūd al-malāʾikah badrā, ḥadīth 4015. Beirut: Dār Ṭūq al-Najjāt 2001; Muslim Ibn al-Ḥajjāj: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, kitāb al-zuhd waʾl-raqāʾiq, ḥadīth 2961. Beirut: Dār ʾIḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī 1991; Abū ʿĪsā al-Tirmidhī: Sunan al-Tirmidhī, abwāb ṣiffah al-qiyāmah waʾl-raqāʾiq waʾl-warʿ, ḥadīth 2462. Cairo: Sharikah Maktabah wa Maṭbaʿah Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalbī 1975)) As well as: “Is it poverty that you fear? By the One in Whose Hand rests my soul, this world will come to you in plenty, and nothing will cause the heart of anyone of you to deviate except that.” ((Ibn Mājah al-Qazwīnī: Sunan Ibn Mājah, abwāb al-sunnah, bāb ʾittibāʿsunnah rasūl Allāh, ḥadīth 5. Damascus: Dār al-Risālah al-ʿĀlamiyyah 2009)) These narrations suggest, as does the entirety of the Qur’an and Prophetic traditions, that life ought to be lived in moderation, avoiding excessiveness to the best of one’s ability, and pointing to the inherent dangers of extremes.

Take-away messages:

• Claims of religiousness and poverty are, at best, correlations, not causations.
• Statistical data that demonstrates the connection between religious practice and wealth (or poverty) is, at best, weak.
• Lived experiences confirm the complexity of this relationship and the diversity of responses to wealth and poverty.
• Religious adherence is correlated with geographical location more than economic situation.
• Local politics, history, culture and society appear to have much greater influence on religious adherence than economic situations.
• Islam offers unique insight into how poverty and wealth can be understood, particularly in understanding the diverse manifestations of poverty.
• The Prophetic traditions warn against the problems of poverty and wealth, pointing towards moderation and moderate living.
• Islam postulates its adherents to have a mutual obligation to one other, and humanity at large, to alleviate poverty and the burdens of others, while at the same time supporting others to avoid the ills associated with extreme wealth.

By

Questions about your personal conversion experience may come in many forms: “So, what’s your story?”; “Why did you convert?”; and “…can I ask you a question?” These among many others provide a cue for you to share your own story of conversion.

As converts (aka, reverts), we are asked to tell and re-tell the story of our journey to Islam. Not only is this task often fatiguing, but it can also be difficult to pinpoint what factors were most significant in our decisions to convert. When I recount the story of my own conversion, I recognize that I relay different aspects of the same story depending on my audience and the time allotted (i.e., the short version or the long version). But what story do we tell when others are not around—what really matters?

My personal journey to shahadah (testimony of faith) was long and a bit complicated, with multiple factors contributing to my choice to convert. Following this complex experience, I find that connecting with my original motivations for converting helps me to remember the reasons I originally fell in love with Islam, restoring my faith if I ever feel overwhelmed by my life as a convert.

When listening to others who have embraced Islam recount their stories of conversion, I have observed many similarities as well as vast differences. My passion for scientific inquiry coupled with my desire to help others through my clinical psychology skills inspired me to further explore this topic. As a scientist, these differences fascinate me. As a clinician, I want to help people tell their stories in a way that can be therapeutic.

In order to gather more information more about this topic, I am further developing a conversion questionnaire that can potentially be used by mental health professionals (e.g., counselors, psychologists, social workers) who work with converts. I am hopeful that this questionnaire will be a tool for converts to gain insight into their own motivations for converting as well as help mental health professionals better understand the Muslim conversion experience. When used in a clinical setting, I believe that this questionnaire can assist a convert in understanding their reasons for converting while also serving as a clinical tool for his or her therapist so that this topic can be adequately addressed in therapy, if necessary.

As a part of this project, I would like to invite converts over the age of 18 from the United States to participate in this online study. The questionnaire will likely take approximately 15 minutes to complete. There are no known risks to participating in this research study. Participation will, however, likely add to the scientific understanding of why individuals convert to Islam and may benefit Muslim converts seeking psychotherapy. All data will be collected anonymously and answers cannot be linked to individuals, email addresses, or IP addresses. Participants will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $50 Amazon.com gift card at the end of the study when they will be asked to provide their email address through a separate link (solely so the winner may receive the gift card). More detailed information about the study will be provided through the study’s website (see link below).

Link to the Survey: https://xavier.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_0e4SVDpNAacqNP7

Video Description of Study:

This doctoral dissertation is being conducted under the supervision of Dr. John J. Barrett. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Holly Ait Taouit, M.A. or John J. Barrett, Ph.D. Questions about the rights of research participants should be directed to Xavier University’s Institutional Review Board.

Holly Ait Taouit is a psychologist-in-training and convert to Islam. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Sociology, a Master’s Degree in Psychology, and is currently a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology at Xavier University. She converted to Islam in September of 2011 during her graduate studies and has had a long-vested interest in religion and spirituality. Her clinical interests include geropsychology, health psychology, psychology in primary care, and the integration of spirituality and mental health. She is currently completing her clinical internship and intends to graduate with her Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree in May of 2016.

By Abid Mohammed

10 Steps to Ace Your Exams: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

This is the fourth and final article in a series of articles entitled “10 Steps to Ace Your Exams,” where I hope to extract gems from traditional Islamic sources that would be of benefit to students struggling to revise for their exams. 

8. Testing: 1, 2, 3…

`Umar (radi Allahu `anhu—may God be pleased with him) said, “Take yourself to account before you are taken to account, weigh your actions before they are weighed and beautify yourself for the ultimate presentation. On that day, not the slightest secret will be hidden.”

It is surprising to see that for many of us, our actual exams are the first time we are testing what we’ve learnt. This could be because we either did not intend to test ourselves beforehand, or because we were procrastinating assessing our knowledge until we had completed our entire revision. Whatever the reason, as `Umar (ra) eloquently pointed out, this approach is fundamentally flawed. Why wait until the ultimate presentation to be assessed, when it is too late to do anything about your shortcomings or weaknesses anyway?

As is clearly evident from the Islamic tradition, many of the companions, scholars and activists took themselves to account on a daily basis. If we are to reach the same lofty heights they did, in this life and more importantly in the hereafter, then we must adopt this mentality in every sphere of our lives – including our revision. Whether it’s using past papers, sitting practice exams under timed conditions or even focusing on our exam technique, it is important that we test ourselves from the get-go before it’s too late.

9. Body, mind and soul

“And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance, that you not transgress within the balance.” (Qur’an, 55:7-8)

The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) said, “Do not overburden yourselves, lest you perish. People before you overburdened themselves and perished. Their remains are found in hermitages and monasteries.” (The Musnad of Abu Ya’la, cited by Ibn Kathir in his tafsir)

Imam Al Muhasibi said, “Make your spare time a source of enrichment.”

Though we must never be moderate in our ambitions or our determination to realise our goals, we must strive to be balanced in all that we do, as God commands. The Lord of our revision and exams is also the Lord of our entire lives—it does not make sense to obey Him while revising but not with regards to everything else in life.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what tends to happens for most of us, and it is precisely why many of us find a severe barakah (blessing) deficiency in our revision. We retreat to our hermitages and our monasteries to focus solely on our revision and nothing else. Our physical health is damaged by eating fast food (because we don’t have time for good food), drinking Red Bull and not exercising or getting enough sleep. Our family lives are neglected because we simply do not have time to help our parents around the house, even for a few minutes. And overall, our general well-being plummets as our spare time is reduced to checking Facebook and surfing YouTube.

Cutting out distractions is a good thing, but our friends, family, physical health and spiritual well-being are not distractions—they are integral parts of our lives. By neglecting them, we not only neglect God’s commands, but yet again, we introduce procrastination into our revision. The mental dreariness of “all work and no play makes Hamzah a dull boy”  will only make us put off doing any work until we absolutely have to. By ensuring that all of our responsibilities are seen to—whether it’s our responsibility to our friends or to our own hearts—we ensure that God instills plenty of barakah in our revision. By being balanced, our body, mind and soul do not burn out; rather they are continuously alert and invigorated to perform any task that is laid out in front of them.

As Imam Zaid Shakir said, “Fill every moment with an action that will be the source of some lasting good. God reminds us, ‘…the enduring good deeds are better to your Lord for reward and better for [one’s] hope.’” (Qur’an, 18:46.)

10. Start now.

“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous (Qur’an, 3:133).”

“Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorailty, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. He gives wisdom to whom He wills…” (Qur’an, 2:268-269).

Imam Al Muhasibi said, “If you are motivated to do some good, hasten to it.”

Arabic adage: “Do not put off today’s work until tomorrow.”

Most of us delay starting on our revision because we feel that we are at 0% and we somehow have to hit 100% in the space of three weeks. But that simply is not true. Even if we feel that we have “done no work” the entire year, we cannot deny that we have picked up bits of information here and there. We have done the odd assignment. We have even attended a lecture or a tutorial here or there—if not many lectures and tutorials. And so in reality, we are actually at 30% or 45%, maybe even 60%! In which case, rather than trying to “start” our revision, we should just realise that we already started months ago—even if we were not necessarily in “revision mode”. Our task is now not to take that first step on what may seem like a never-ending journey, but to continue the forward momentum to reach even greater speeds and efficiency in our revision.

Of course there will be obstacles along the way. And while there will be times when we feel things are going a bit slow, we should never allow Satan’s fear-filled promises of “not enough time” or “too much information” to overwhelm us or cause us to fall into despair. Time and time again, he will threaten us with humiliation should we fail and cause us to question our own self-worth and our ability to succeed. But we must realise that these are empty threats and promises and that our mental energies are better served focusing on the words of Imam Ali (ra), who said, “Do not fear anything except your sins. Do not long for anything other than your Lord. Let none of you lacking knowledge be too shy to ask until he learns. Do not let one who is asked something he lacks knowledge of refrain from saying, ‘I do not know’”. Let us start now and hasten to our home in the hereafter.”

By Tasniya Sultana

Disclaimer: This is my vision and opinions about the current education system from my experiences and observations. I respect and admire all teachers and administrators who tirelessly work to provide the best form of education for their students. Having said that, I believe in a different approach to Islamic education and this article outlines my vision.

Recently, I read an article on virtualmosque.com entitled “A Second Look at Islamic Schools” by Lobna Mulla. A lot of her points and thoughts resonated with me as I read through the article. It is sad that many people have a negative perception when it comes to Islamic Schools and Islamic Education. I must admit that I am one of those people as well.

Growing up in a strict Islamic household and having many poor experiences as a student and teacher at Sunday and Islamic schools, I had lost my faith in Islamic schools and Islamic education at one point. I vented to my husband and friends that when I have kids, I would rather send them to a public school than an Islamic school.

But I took a step back and I realized that running away from Islamic education and schools is not the solution. Seeing such low attendance and participation in mosques and Islamic schools concerns me. It shows that more and more youth and Muslim families are choosing to stay away from Islamic education. Instead, they are choosing to go to public schools, which are not the best alternative either, having been there myself.

Therefore, we need to change our perception of Islamic education. As Sister Mulla stated in her article, Islamic schools have taken steps to make themselves more appealing and competitive. One of the steps she listed in her article is that many Islamic schools are run by principals and teachers who have proper education degrees and certifications. They also have extensive evaluation processes so that the schools are accredited by the respective states. This shows us that Islamic schools are trying to raise the bar and they are striving to get proper accreditation and standards for their schools.

While I agree that there has been a shift in Islamic schools to hire teachers and administrators who are qualified, it is simply not enough. There needs to be a change in the way we approach and teach Islamic education to our children. Traditional education systems offer workbooks, textbooks, and worksheets to teach various concepts like math, science, history, and language. There is very minimal hands-on experience for the child. From my personal experience, I have also observed that Islamic schools adapted this methodology of teaching Islamic studies to children through the use of books and worksheets.

Sadly, I cannot agree with this system. I believe that there should be a more hands-on approach to education. We should provide concrete materials and experiences for the children in the classroom so that they are excited and passionate about learning both secular subjects and Islamic subjects.  And that is where my dream comes into play. Insha’Allah (God willing), I want to change the landscape of Islamic education. I want people to have positive associations with Islamic schools and education in general. And for that, I truly believe that Montessori Education will be a good synergy with Islamic Education.

To give some background about Montessori Education, it is a system that was founded by Maria Montessori. Her vision was to provide an education system that is set according to the child’s pace. She observed children for many years in different countries and through her observations, she had many revelations about education.

For one, a Montessori classroom looks very different from a traditional classroom. There are no grades in a Montessori school. Rather, the students are grouped according to age levels: The toddler classroom has children from 0 to 3 years of age, the primary classrooms have student from ages 3 to 6, and the elementary classrooms have children from 6 to 12.

In addition, the teacher gives lessons in small groups or individually rather than giving the lessons to a large group in front of the classroom. The children are allowed to choose their own work everyday, and the teacher does not give a lesson to a child until he or she is ready to have that lesson. To learn more about Montessori education and how it is different from traditional education, please visit the YouTube link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcgN0lEh5IA&feature=youtu.be

Currently, I am doing my masters in Elementary Montessori Education at Washington Montessori Institute at Loyola University, Maryland. The more I learn about the Montessori theories and principles, the more I am convinced that Montessori education is compatible with Islamic studies. Lessons such as wudu (ritual washing), wearing a hijab, prayers, and hifdh (memorization) can be incorporated using the Montessori principles. Thus, my goal and vision is to create an Islamic Montessori school from the toddler program to the elementary program that will incorporate Islamic studies using the Montessori methods.

To give an example of how that will work, I will lay out some of my ideas below. For example, in many Islamic schools and Sunday schools, the topic of wudu is taught in a very intellectual manner. Often times, we go over a book on wudu and use flashcards to teach the children about the process. Once in a while we allow them to go to the bathroom to practice wudu but the sinks are not accustomed to accommodating wudu for the children. They struggle to do wudu because they can’t reach the tap or the sink or they can’t put their feet up on the sink in order to wash.

Therefore, one of my goals is to have wudu stations in the classroom for the child. We will use buckets, pitchers, and basin to do wudu in the classroom. The best thing about a primary Montessori classroom is that there is a huge emphasis on doing activities that are practical to a child’s life. For example, in Montessori education, the teachers give lessons on how to wash the table, wash their hands, brush their teeth, clean the dishes, mop the floor, and many more practical life activities! The children enjoy these activities because they see their parents doing these activities at home and they have a need to imitate them. But do not freak out because the Montessori classroom also does math, science, and reading as well!

But the most beautiful thing is that Montessori classroom allows for the child to experience and practice the practical aspects of their lives. And for a Muslim child, doing wudu and learning prayers is a practical part of life. So why not incorporate that into the classroom as a lesson and an activity that the child will enjoy?

This is one of the many ideas I have for my Islamic Montessori School. As Sister Mulla reiterated in her article, there is a huge shift to set the bar high for Islamic education in America. And I believe that my goal and vision for my Islamic Montessori School can add to raising Islamic schools from sub-standard education to highly sought-out education by the Muslim ummah (community) Insha’Allah.

10 Steps to Ace Your Exams: Part I | Part II | Part III

This is the third in a series of articles entitled “10 steps to Ace your Exams”, in which I hope to extract gems from traditional Islamic sources which are of benefit to students struggling to revise for their exams.

4. First things first

Allah said in a hadith qudsi (divine narration through the Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon him): “…My servant does not draw near to Me with anything more beloved to Me than the religious duties that I have made obligatory upon him; and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory work such that I love him…” (Sahih Bukhari)

There is a difference between acing our exams and becoming an expert in the subjects that we will be tested on. The former can be achieved in a relatively short time period and involves identifying what topics we are expected to know for our exams, to what degree we need to know them and which questions have come up in previous exams. As for the latter, we can spend the rest of our lives trying to become “experts” in our respective fields. Unfortunately, many students, in their quest to “aim high”, fail to distinguish between the two. They try to understand absolutely everything about, for example, neurology, when they are not even going to be tested on much neurology in their exams.

Putting first things first is a law that Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala – exalted is He) has instituted for those wishing to draw near to Him, and just as it is applicable to praying your obligatory prayers before performing any supererogatory works, it also applies to our revision. Let us therefore strive to pinpoint exactly what we need to know for our exams and not expose ourselves to the inevitable onslaught of despair and procrastination that comes from shouldering information that we do not need to bear.

5. Keep it simple, silly

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Islam is based on five principles: to testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger, to offer the prayers dutifully and perfectly, to pay zakat (obligatory charity), to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) and to observe the fast during the month of Ramadan.” (Sahih Bukhari)

It’s difficult to remember a thousand different facts with no apparent relation to one another, so let’s try to make life simple for ourselves. Are there any core messages that we can identify in our revision? If there are – and I guarantee there are – then it makes things easier for us. These core messages provide the foundation for further details to be added, just as the five pillars provide the foundation upon which our faith can be established. For example, as medical students, we are taught to simply list all the possible diagnoses for a particular patient using the “surgical sieve”: the cause can either be congenital or acquired; if it is acquired, it can either be vascular, infective, autoimmune, metabolic, inflammatory, neurological, neoplastic or degenerative in nature. Once we’ve started considering the relevant causes, only then can we start to explore specific diseases and their subtypes, eventually reaching a diagnosis. Of course, we could just jump to a diagnosis straight away, but for beginners at least, this is very difficult to do and it could potentially result in overlooking other possible causes.

6. Story time

“There was certainly in their stories a lesson for those of understanding…” (Qur’an 12:111)

How do you ensure that you are internalising what you revise? How do you turn your revision from a passive colouring-in-a-book activity to an interactive experience? How do you prevent your mind from forgetting everything you have revised in the actual exam itself, let alone months or years afterwards? Turn your list of facts or theories to remember into stories.

Stories are one of the best ways for us to understand, remember and, as a result, convey a message – for life. In fact, they are also an incredibly effective way to act upon what we have learnt, as they serve as verbal simulators – translating what may be abstract concepts into practical examples to be followed. For this, and many other reasons, stories are one of the communication media of choice in the Qur’an. Therein, Allah (swt) has perfected the art of storytelling, thereby providing us all with the best example to follow when dealing with messages, in any shape or form.

It doesn’t matter what topic we are revising, from anatomy to economics – if we do steps 4 and 5 properly, we can easily turn our revision into a boredom-free, procrastination-free, interactive story telling process and pass our exams with flying colours, inshaAllah (God willing)!

7. Sharing is caring:

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Convey from me, even if one ayah (verse), for it may be that the one being informed will comprehend better than the one listening (at present).” (Sahih Bukhari)

If we did step 6, then 7 is the next natural step. If stories are an awesome way to convey a message, then it doesn’t make sense to create a story and not share it. By sharing our stories, and our knowledge in general, with others, we are not only following the Prophet’s ﷺ command, but we are following in the footsteps of Allah (swt). Out of His Mercy, He “shared” knowledge with us (though in reality, all knowledge belongs to Him) – the Qur’an being a perfect example of this. Again, we find that by heeding Allah’s (swt) instructions, He takes care of us by instilling in us habits which enhance our learning.

As the hadith (narration of the Prophet ﷺ) above alludes to, sharing knowledge is not only the best way to test whether we have truly understand what we have learnt, but it also encourages others to share information with us. Thus, we are able to learn and gain new insights from others, even if they are just asking us questions. Those of us who fear that our own grades will suffer even by spending the slightest amount of time helping others should renew our intentions, and remind ourselves that “to Allah will be the outcome of [all] matters” (Qur’an 31:22). Results only come from Allah (swt), not from our own efforts. Let us therefore direct ourselves towards Him and follow His commandments, and start sharing what we have learnt with others, even if it is just one fact.

Originally published in January 2013.

Those familiar with the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him)  are versant with the story of a young man named Arqam. Arqam played an instrumental role in the unfolding of the history of the Arabian Peninsula. Despite his key role in history, he is noted in the books of Prophetic biography to be a discreet person in Meccan society. In contemporary Western terms Arqam functioned as a:

1. self-less philanthropist furthering the cause of a brotherly society
2. non-profit organization working for the betterment of society

Upon a close read of the biography of the Prophet ﷺ  we learn that Arqam’s role in history was more than non-profits and philanthropists. Arqam’s decision functioned as an institution devoid of bureaucracy in impact and its effect was so profound that it moved the direction of history. The educational space in Arqam’s home communicated a qualitative education so profound and thorough that it affected personal, intellectual and historical change. It was so transformative an experience that the whole of the Arabian Peninsula was reshaped. A disruption of the old psychological order was brought about by transforming the attitude, thinking, and practices of the students of the Qur’an.

One of the fundamental verses that promoted such a transformation based on a wholesome understanding of community life was revealed in Madina and is found in the Chapter of the Qur’an entitled Ma’ida. It reads as follows:

“And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.” (5:2)

Imam al-Qurtubi al-Maliki, commenting on this verse, said: “It is a command for all the creation to assist one another in (taqwa) righteousness and (birr) piety, which means they must help one another.” 

Imam al-Mawardi ash-Shafi said: “Allah (exalted is He) has called on people to help one another and married cooperation to righteousness and piety.” He further stated that“in righteousness there is Allah’s pleasure and in piety is the pleasure of the people and he who has gained Allah’s pleasure and that of people is happy and fully blessed.”

Imam Ibn Atiya al-Maliki said: “Piety is engaging that which is obligated and recommended of action whereas righteousness is restricted to performing obligations.”

The term piety in the sense found in the Qur’an, in this verse, transcends the basic command to righteousness or God-consciousness. This is so because piety enjoins doing more than what is commanded of goodness and staying away from what is ugly and prohibited (haram) – this is God-consciousness (taqwa). Rather, the commitment to piety is more than just personal spiritual development as it unfolds in doing what is obligated and staying away from the prohibited; it demands doing acts of goodness which are not obligated. Piety (birr) adds great value to society because it carries the human being to a standard of excellence that is not a matter of keeping to the do’s and don’ts of Islam. God-consciousness is a fundamental level of spiritual maturity, but piety is a call to grow beyond the basics of fearing for one’s well being and desiring what is best. For this reason the commitment to piety has a social component

The group studying at the home of Arqam did not secretly meet to plan a violent overthrow of the system, nor did they study a manifesto that would teach them a program to enshrine their newly founded party. The environment in this period of Islamic history was very hostile to women, the weak, the stranger, and the poor. The strong man governed and the sword was always near. It was far from the state of nature that honored the human being and far from the rule of law—rather, it was the law of barbarism and ignorance celebrated through poetry and occasional hospitality. Despite this social fact and environmental challenge the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ  did not falter. It was in the abode of Arqam that the early Muslims found a safe house to imbibe the teachings of the Qur’an and the character necessary to transform society from the core. If it was power they were after, they had a chance to march into Mecca and conquer it after they achieved independence in Madina. If it was wealth they aimed at, they had the ability to plunder to their delight. What they were after was a life worth living.

Rather what they learned at Arqam’s home was an institution of education that taught that the poor, the rich, the stranger, the woman and the non-Muslim all had inherent rights that are God-given and that faith and reason are not to fall prey to superstition. The Arqam effect was so profound in impact that individuals who graduated from the institution were later key individuals who served to construct the society of Madina. Madina, as many of us know, was the first State in the world to be founded on a constitution. They became corner stones to society and its major benefactors. The lesson of the Qur’an they imbibed was that to build society is an obligation and to uphold justice and law is crucial to society’s survival. The education they received was a Qur’anic education and, further, a human education.

Fetullah Gulen states: “A system of education without a clearly defined target and purpose will only serve to confuse future generations. We have to be careful that our youth is taught the proper material in an effective manner to ensure that they are actually learning rather than simply becoming conduits of data.” ((http://en.fgulen.com/recent-articles/4296-what-generations-expect-from-education))  Arqam, as a youth, learned more than just the fundamentals for a successful career. He learned how to be a functional part of society, how to care for society, and how to build society.

Lessons on citizenship are not enough to bring about a just social life. An understanding of Islam bent on attaining power to wield it like a sword will not bring about a just social order. A life devoted to spiritual practices and neglect of the material world is not enough to bring about a change in the madness of the world. A booming economic upturn is also not enough.

What is needed is a transformation of perspective, a cultivation of will, a suppression of ego, and a deep commitment to the teachings of the Qur’an. The students of the school of Arqam eventually moved on to graduate. When they graduated, they renewed society, for it was through the patient suffering in Mecca and the studious effort to understand the Qur’an. While the world was in chaos, they eventually developed the qualities necessary to build Madinan society and then return to build Mecca. Study of the Qur’an must be accompanied by a spirit searching for solutions for humanity’s spiritual and intellectual ailments as well as its social ills. Change is not only personal, but it is in light of social transformation. What do we need to change in ourselves to make society better? That question is the question we must ask when we read the Qur’an.

Photo: Alby Headrick

By Macksood A. Aftab

The conflict between science and religion has posed a serious threat to religious authority in the contemporary era. Many advocates of scientism have used the tremendous success of science in modern times to question the usefulness of religion as a means of seeking the truth. For example, Stephen Hawking recently stated in a Huffington Post article, “Before we understood science, it was natural to believe that God created the universe, but now science offers a more convincing explanation.” More recently the harsh critique of religion based upon various forms of scientism by writers such as Richard Dawkins have escalated the conflict.

Their view assumes that both religion and science have the same purpose, namely of explaining the existence of the universe. Furthermore, the scientific method is considered a more reliable way to achieve this goal. This is primarily so because science deals with physical processes, which can be quantified and measured, whereas religion often resorts to metaphysical references, which cannot be “proven.” Professor Naquib Al-Attas, the celebrated Malaysian Muslim philosopher, summarizes the essential problem. He writes, “A gist of their [those who espouse science as the source for truth] basic assumptions is that science is the sole authentic knowledge; that this [scientific] knowledge pertains only to phenomena.” Excluded from science is anything that does not have a “physical” existence, anything that cannot be empirically studied. Therefore, implicit in a worldview that holds science as the highest authority of knowledge is a denial of God.

As the Nobel laureate Werner Arber, president of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, writes, “The natural sciences are in a steady search for truth, and so is theology.” This naturally creates two apparently competing methodologies of seeking and determining the truth, which inevitably leads to conflict between theology and science. Although the Catholic Church did generally support science, when the conclusions of scientists came in conflict with church dogma, problems arose. This can be seen in the experiences of Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin.

Islamic history, however, took a different course. Despite the existence of a sustained robust scientific enterprise in the Islamic world, an overt conflict between science and religion did not arise. Professor Walbridge of Indiana University points out that “the Islamic world produced no martyrs for science like Bruno and Galileo.” One of the achievements of Islamic civilization was the creation of a worldview in which both theology and science could be accepted in a comprehensive rational framework.

The Islamic tradition of scholastic theology is known as kalam. The two primary schools of kalam are the Ash`ari and its close cousin the Maturidi schools. Both are based upon a rational understanding of God and the Universe, which also seek to rigorously preserve salient features of the Islamic concept of God. This tradition, along with its larger place in the Islamic worldview, can best be understood through the works of one of its main proponents Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (d. 1111 CE). Richard Frank, a scholar of Islamic theology, describes Ghazali as, “The most important Sunni theologian at a crucial turning point in the history of orthodox Muslim theology.” During his time Islam was emerging from a period of intellectual schism. Ghazali contributed to the development of a consensus on this issue, which was to largely become the dominant Sunni doctrine. Thus the Ghazali scholar and translator Walter Skellie writes, “With him [Ghazali] the religious philosophy and experience of Islam reaches its zenith.”

Demonstrative Proof (Burhan)

The triumph of Ghazali’s epistemology lies in its successful reconciliation of reason with revelation. One key element of this was the allowance of figurative interpretations of scripture, particularly when it relates to assertions that may conflict with what is known via reason. Ghazali sets the bar very high for a scientific proof to over-ride scripture, something he calls burhan. Burhan is demonstrative knowledge or definitive logical proof. According to Ghazali, it held an even higher epistemic status than even scholastic theology (kalam).

Professor Al-Akiti of Oxford writes, “For al-Ghazali, burhan [definitive logical proof], and not kalam, is what he considered to be scientific knowledge, the ‘gold-standard’ in the art of reasoning – a judgment expounded in his Mi’yar al-’Ilm.” The late professor Marmura, a Ghazali scholar, summarizes Ghazali’s attitude towards definitive logical proof as follows:

“A science whose conclusions are not demonstrably true and which are in conflict with the literal assertions of scripture must be rejected. On the other hand, if what is demonstrably true contradicts the literal sense of scriptural language, then the latter must be interpreted metaphorically.”

Having firmly grounded his worldview in rationality, Ghazali proceeds to point out that physical science does not meet the standards of definitive logical proof unless God is added to the equation. This is because science is based upon a flawed assumption, namely that of natural causation. Causation, Ghazali argues, can only guaranteed if God is there to secure it. And importantly, according to Ghazali, God is there to secure it. Belief in God then becomes a prerequisite to the successful pursuit of science.

Causation, God & Science

Ghazali was able to reconcile the most important principle of science (namely causation) with Islamic theological doctrines (as articulated by the dominant Ash`ari school). Ash`ari theology developed in response to certain heterodox formulations of Islamic doctrine (such as those adopted by the Mutazalites and the Philosophers) which had the effect of diminishing key Divine attributes. Some of these formulations share a belief in necessary causation with modern secular scientists. Therefore Ghazali’s critique of their view is particularly instructive in tackling similar issues in the contemporary era.

Some of the main articles of faith in Ash`ari theology are that God is all powerful, He is all knowing and all events occur due to His express will. The Ash`aris therefore believed that all events are directly caused only by God, and not by anything else. God is not merely the first cause but also the immediate cause of every subsequent minor and major event that occurs in the universe. This appears to run contrary to our contemporary understanding of secular science, which rests on the principle of natural causation. Namely, that things (or events) cause other things (or events). For example, we think fire causes cotton to burn when they are brought near each other.

Ghazali questions the principle of necessary causation adopted by certain philosophers. According to Ghazali, this relationship between cause and effect is not necessary. To use his terminology, there is no definitive logical proof (burhan) that it is the cause that is responsible for the effect. He argues that all we observe is a quick succession of events, cotton being brought close to fire and the cotton burning. But a relationship based simply on proximity in time or space does not imply necessary causation. Ghazali famously states, “The connection between what is habitually believed to be a cause and what is habitually believed to be an effect is not necessary.”

David Hume in the Western tradition made a similar argument against causation. He asked, “Where is the causal glue” holding together the cause and the effect? Unlike Hume who was led to skepticism, however, Ghazali has an answer to this conundrum. For Ghazali, the causal glue is God. It is God who ensures that the relationship between cause and effect always holds. In doing so, Ghazali has made room for orthodox Islamic theology in which God is the direct cause of everything.

On its surface this line of thinking can be misunderstood to in fact undermine science, as several historians and scientists have thought. For example, the historian Tamim Ansary writes, “Take it however you will, the argument against causality undermines the whole scientific enterprise. If nothing actually causes anything else, why bother to observe the natural world in search of meaningful patterns?” Pervez Hoodbhoy, a preeminent Pakistani scientist, expresses a similar concern with the Ash`ari position, stating that in such a world, “even a speeding arrow might not reach its destination.” In other words, if the cause and effect relationship is not necessary then there would be no sure way to rely on our observations, predict natural phenomena or to do scientific experiments.

Conflict Averted, Science Flourished

This criticism, however, implies a dogmatic belief in science which sidesteps the very real problem of causation. Ghazali does not need to (nor does he) deny causation. He is merely denying necessary causation—namely, that there is no conclusive proof that things can influence other things by themselves. For Ghazali, God is required to ensure that the relationship between cause and effect always hold true. As Frank Griffel, a Ghazali scholar at Yale, writes:

“Trust in God (tawakkul) is a major condition for investigating the natural sciences. Such trust requires the certainty to know that God will not change books into horses or disconnect our knowledge from reality. Given that God habitually creates our knowledge to accord with reality, we can rely on our sense and our judgment and confidently pursue the natural sciences.”

According to this view God could suspend the laws of causation, but He never does and never will. So fire will always burn cotton but this is only true because in every instance of its occurrence God ensures that it is so. In effect, Ghazali has created a framework in which science can operate and the principles of Islamic theology (Divine power, knowledge and will) are also preserved.

Furthermore, Ghazali even located miracles – which he calls strange and wondrous phenomena – within the empirical world. Even miracles were then not Divine acts of suspension of the normal workings of the universe; rather they were unusual phenomena of nature due to causes not immediately clear to us at the moment. The possibility of additional causal chains other than those currently physically observed encouraged further exploration of the natural world. Ahmad Dallal, a historian of Islamic science at Georgetown University writes,

“The aspect that had the most influence on the development of science was the concept of multiple possibilities (tajwiz), the notion that specific natural philosophical explanations (or planetary models) are possible but not certain, and that there may exist alternative explanations for the natural phenomena… this idea was grounded in an epistemological criticism of Aristotelian metaphysics.”

After Ghazali, science in the Muslim world experienced a prolonged renaissance as documented by Yale historian George Saliba. His understanding had the effect of legitimizing science. Science was a discipline ensured by God. It also had the effect of effectively separating theology from physical science. Divine attributes are known through revelation, and science plays no significant role in informing us about these metaphysical matters. On the other hand revelation does not interfere with the workings of science; it is left as an independent discipline within the larger Islamic framework. Dallal explains,

“After Al-Ghazali, the need to invoke religion to vindicate science considerably decreased, not because science was not accepted but because it did not need vindication. Excluding final-cause explorations from science did not compromise the providence of God, which was simply assumed without questioning (bila kayf).”

This worldview rests on the premise that God exists and sustains the Universe. God is not the end goal of science, but rather the starting point. This created an organic and interdependent relationship between science and religion, which essentially eliminated the potential of conflict between the two disciplines. In fact, as professor Muzaffar Iqbal, a philosopher of Islamic science, writes:

“No one thought of them [science and religion] as two independent entities which needed to be related via an external mechanism… This relationship emerged naturally and because the scientific tradition was thoroughly rooted in the worldview created by Islam.”

This worldview was rational. It recognized the primacy of reason and in fact accorded burhan the highest epistemic status. Within this framework secular science is critiqued based upon logical fallacies assumed by its proponents. Science is then presented not as a competing force with religion, but rather as a viable enterprise, as part of a comprehensive worldview that encompasses God. In fact, it is grounded in the assumption of God. This delicate balance, which secured both science and theology, is one of the greatest achievements of medieval Muslim theologians.

—

Dr. Macksood Aftab is a neuroradiologist, and clinical assistant professor at both Michigan State University and Central Michigan University. He holds a Master degree in History of Science, and is an editor for the Journal of Islamic Philosophy. The author can be reached at: mackaftab@post.harvard.edu.

To some Muslims, the words “Islamic school” immediately conjure negative connotations: backwards mentality, lower standards of education, strict supervision, unprofessional attitude, and so on. In fact, even supporters of Islamic schools for younger children would shun the idea of sending a middle-schooler or even a high-schooler to an Islamic school, saying, “I want to expose my child to the real world.” This article is written in response to the aforementioned points.

Offering “Real World” Experience in an Islamic Environment

There is a misconception that sending your child to an Islamic school completely alienates them from the rest of society. In reality, Islamic schools function just as public schools do, but offer the safety and comfort to children that is much-needed during their formative years. What part of sending our children to an Islamic school takes them out of the “real world?” Could it be our own subconscious feelings of inferiority that cause us to feel this way?

Shedding the “Mom and Pop” Image

Many critics of Islamic schools are locked in a time warp when most schools were run as family businesses.  Today, not only are many schools run by credentialed principals and administrators, but they also only hire credentialed teachers. In addition, many schools undergo a grueling evaluation process to become nationally accredited, eliminating the potential for sub-standard educational practices. The bar has been raised years ago to meet the community’s expectations and demands for quality education as well as a healthy, spiritual environment.

Developing a Positive Identity

In a book titled, “The Worried Child,” author Paul Foxman, PhD, addresses the issue of a lack of a religious/ethnic identity as a source of anxiety in children (p 94). The author also mentions that children who belong to a religious minority can feel “out of place, misunderstood, or even ostracized by their peers” when there are few or no other children of their religion in the same school. While some public schools have a sizable Muslim population, students may still feel the overwhelming effects of being in the minority. Foxman’s statement points to a positive aspect of sending our children to Islamic schools. There is a clear contribution to the positive development of a child when they have a strong sense of belonging. In addition, another study on identity and mental health states that belonging to and understanding one’s identity promotes an overall sense of well-being (see Erikson, 1968; Marcia, 1966).

Although understanding and feeling comfortable with one’s identity can be accomplished outside of an Islamic school, sending one’s child to an Islamic school can establish these feelings as part of a holistic approach. While children learn about Qur’an, its language, and the history of Islam, children also get to partake in Muslim celebrations and understand special events en masse, as part of a larger group. In this way, the child who attends an Islamic school will tend to develop positive self-esteem in a natural setting–one that does not seem forced or artificial.

Providing a Healthier Environment

Oftentimes, parents feel that by fifth or sixth grade, their children have received enough education in a Muslim environment, and so they want to send them to a public school, specifically to adapt to the “real world.” While Islamic schools do not shield children from the negative aspects of popular culture, there is a clear difference in the overall environment one’s child remains in for eight hours of school every day.

Those of us who attended public middle and high schools growing up can attest to the strong culture of dating, peer pressure to drink, to try drugs, to attend Homecoming and Prom, and so on. Despite being one of two Muslims in the entire school, I had an overall positive school experience. Nevertheless, the choice to constantly reject all the above was, at times, overwhelming.

To prepare our children for college and the workforce, we feel the need to ensure that our children interact with the “outside world” for experience. However, the years from middle school to high school feature the greatest hormonal changes. Being surrounded by scantily-clad students and couples of all types in extremely intimate situations is a very common, everyday occurrence in public high schools.

Increasing Pressures in a Sexualized World

Here’s something to consider: why knowingly provide an environment where a teenager is inundated with such temptations, if a viable Islamic school is a feasible option? With the popularity of Facebook and the ease of creating an online alter-ego, and the increasing pressure to have sex, to question one’s sexual identity, coupled with a teenager’s increasing hormonal changes, why not alleviate this pressure by sending your child to an institution that encourages and teaches the complete opposite?

While some may say, “well, get used to it,” let us instead realize that the middle and high school years are as intense as no other period in a student’s life. College campuses do have similar issues, but not to the same extent as in high school.  In addition, peer pressure is more avoidable in college, as students have a wealth of peers to choose from and class schedules are varied and staggered. Furthermore, in terms of their development, many students are more mature in college than in their earlier teenage years.

The Prophetic Example

Finally, let us look at the example of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) on this last point.  Amina, Prophet Muhammad’s mother, made the effort to send her son to be raised in the desert, where the environment was more pure. Times have changed, but the idea of sending our children to a successful Islamic school to protect them should still be seen as positive and not negative.

Once during the Prophet’s youth, he had wanted to attend a wedding in Mecca with some other boys to see what such a festivity would be like. Just outside the place, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ could hear music and dancing. Before he entered, he suddenly felt tired and decided to sit. He fell asleep and did not wake up until the next morning. If there were any person who should keep up-to-date with what is going on in society, so that he may know how to give da`wah (to invite others to the path of Allah) or so that he could understand his people, it would be Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Yet, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exhalted is He) chose to prevent him from attending this event for his own protection.

Conclusion

After all is said, it is time to shed our old views on Islamic schools and take a fresh look at what they have to offer. As a mother of four children who went to four different Islamic schools since 2005 (the change of schools being due to moving), it is my experience that these schools provide quality education within a safe, moral environment. Are Islamic schools perfect? No, but do the benefits far outweigh the negatives, contributing to an overall positive, spiritual and educational experience? Yes.

Photo: Marji Beach

By Shabaana Kidy

With the developments of the 21^st century, we have come to expect variety, ease and speed in the way we buy and sell. However, most of us might not realize how the intense demands of the consumer culture we find ourselves in have put immense strain on all areas of production. We hear frequent horror stories of laborers in Cambodia and China who work long shifts under terrible working conditions to satisfy demands for clothing and electrical items. We see chemicals and pesticides used to grow bigger, juicier fruits and vegetables that are just the right shape and size. And we see a serious and worrying decline in the levels of animal welfare to respond to heavy demands for meat and poultry.

Laying hens, for example, are often reared in cages in which each hen has an area barely the size of an A4 sheet of paper. These hens never experience the outdoors or feel the warmth of the summer sunshine. Their entire lives are spent in a small cage, around the same size of an average microwave, which is traditionally shared by 6 to 8 hens (see this infographic). The regular movement and behavior that a chicken would normally engage in, such as flapping its wings, perching, foraging and dust-bathing, is prevented due to the lack of space. When farmers are asked about these conditions, they respond that allowing birds a larger space would massively affect the egg yield and they would not be able to respond to the demand. Over 300 million chickens in the US live in these cramped cages and in the UK, 50% of all eggs come from caged hens.

Similarly, chickens that are reared for consumption are forced to grow in extremely cramped conditions, with little or no access to sunlight. These chickens are bred to grow much faster than normal and as such are more likely to get heart and leg problems which cause great suffering to the animal. Larger animals such as cows and sheep also face cramped indoor conditions and a lack of attention when animals fall ill due to the need for farmers to have larger herds to keep up with demand.

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has commanded justice towards all of creation and the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) was known for his unending kindness and compassion towards people and animals. In several stories narrated from his lifetime, we see the level of concern the Prophet ﷺ had for everyone and everything around him. The story of the woman who gave water to a thirsty dog and was rewarded with paradise ((Narrated by Abu Huraira, Muslim)) , despite spending much of her life in sin, and similarly the woman who treated her cat unjustly and was punished for doing so, ((Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar, Bukhari)) are examples of the clear evidence in the Islamic tradition for looking after Allah’s creation.

Allah (swt) states in the Qur’an that He has created animals for us:

 “He created man from a sperm-drop; then at once, he is a clear adversary. And the grazing livestock He has created for you; in them is warmth and [numerous] benefits, and from them you eat. And for you in them is [the enjoyment of] beauty when you bring them in [for the evening] and when you send them out [to pasture]. And they carry your loads to a land you could not have reached except with difficulty to yourselves. Indeed, your Lord is Kind and Merciful.” (Qur’an 16:4-7)

Humans have been given a degree of authority over animals; the relationship between humans and the animal kingdom is a delicate balance. Whilst Allah (swt) has granted us the permission to take the life of an animal for the sake of eating and clothing, it’s important that we realize that this is a permission granted by Allah (swt) and in turn we carry two principle obligations:

1. That we treat the animal with dignity, respect and kindness during its lifetime.

2. That the life of the animal is taken in Allah’s name and fulfilling all the necessary conditions of the sacrifice.

As a community, we tend to focus heavily on the latter and ignore the former, without realizing that we are involved in a system which abuses and mistreats the creation of Allah (swt).

Imagine this: Your best friend gives you a precious gift – something that she or he has shaped, moulded and made just for you; maybe a jewellery box or a painting that she or he spent hours on. Imagine that you then left it to one side. In fact, you damaged it, knowingly. The example of Allah (swt) is far greater. The permission granted by Allah (swt) for us to eat meat is a gift from the Most Beneficent. To neglect—in fact to mistreat and abuse—that gift makes us undeserving of that privilege.

To abuse the gift is to be ungrateful to the One who bestowed it upon you.  

There is a deep disconnect that has emerged between us and the animal kingdom. I remember growing up constantly surrounded by animals, from the pet cat, to weekend trips to the safari park, and visits from the animal man in primary school (although the ethics of that might be debatable). Most children today however, have little or no interaction with animals and many children fear them. We see animals as unclean and inferior. It is no surprise then that we can go to the supermarket or butcher, pick up a chicken or cut of lamb or beef, and take it home without for a moment considering the animal that has given its life for our sake. By eating such meat without looking at the conditions that the animal was reared in, we indirectly support the continual exploitation and abuse of animals, and show deep ingratitude towards Allah (swt).

How do we respond?

There are a number of things we can do:

1)     Currently there are a small number of farms and outlets which offer halal, ethical meat and poultry. Do some research in your local area and see what is available. If you can access them, go for it!

2)     Buy free-range eggs. Most grocery stores have free-range eggs available and have to mark those eggs that come from caged hens. You know the conditions that caged hens live in—so choose free-range.

3)     Reduce your meat intake. As a community, we consume huge amounts of meat and chicken, and this places enormous strain on farmers to meet the demand.

But it’s too expensive!

A major concern for Muslim families is the difference in price between the mechanised, mass-produced meat/chicken/eggs compared with free-range. This is a real problem for families, especially due to the current financial situation that faces us all. Each family knows their situation best and how much free-range produce they can afford. You do not need to switch your entire weekly shop to a free-range one if that is not financially possible—but try to buy free-range once in a while, with the aim of switching over when you can afford to do so. The most important thing is that we all make some sacrifice and move towards free-range.

“Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah ] from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.” (Qur’an 3:92)

On an individual level, we each need to do what we can and identify where we are able to make sacrifices. However on a community level, a shift in thinking is massively needed. During Prophetic times, meat was a luxury. In fact this was the case throughout history in different communities and cultures (think of Sunday Roast, or weekend family meals like meatloaf). It is only recently that we have become so accustomed to such huge amounts of meat, often making it a daily feature of the menu! Maybe we need a little more self-evaluation and introspection—are our demands for meat and poultry sustainable? Is the cost to animal welfare worthwhile? Is the cost to our relationship with Allah (swt) worth it?

Ultimately, can we make do with less?

To do so would seem to be taking a step back—why eat meat once a month when you can have it every day, right? However, growing in a way that is sustainable means not detracting from the ability of future generation to cater for their own needs, or exploiting others (whether that is people—think cheap labour in developing countries—or animals and the environment).

It takes a strong heart to make the conscious decision to reduce consumption, but it’s something inherent in our tradition. Every year in Ramadan, we make the conscious decision to do just that—to display self-restraint perfectly, to place Allah (swt) above our bodily desires, to make do with less.  You can reduce your meat intake—we all can, but the question is one of will.

If we as a community reduced our meat intake, the demand on the meat industry would start to drop, thereby allowing farmers to invest more into ensuring better welfare for their animals. Reducing meat and poultry intake would mean we have the finances to pay for one wholesome, well-treated chicken once a week, rather than three ill-treated chickens in the same time period. It’s a decrease in the physical sense but an increase in the spiritual one.

Centrally, the discussion on animal welfare is symptomatic of a wider problem we are faced with—one of confidence in our faith. Do we scuttle down the corridors of history fearing the challenges of widespread mass-production and globalization? Or do we hold firm to our principles of justice and fairness, having the confidence that our faith is a holistic one and can adequately respond to challenges given the chance? The only disservice currently, is the lack of confidence amongst Muslims about who they are. We’ve reached a point where we are hanging onto our faith by the skin of our teeth—sticking rigidly to the letter, whilst forgetting the spirit of our beautiful deen (way of life). ((Ramadan, T. (2009), “Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation”, Oxford University Press.))  We’re obsessed with ensuring that our meat is halal in the sense of dying a ‘correct Islamic death’, but have little concern over how the animal was treated during its lifetime. If we are to lose the spirit of Islam, which promotes justice as one of its central tenets, we risk losing the beauty of our faith.

Photo: Paul Chapman

By Giovanni Galluzzo

The Stage is Set

Humanity has collectively submitted to the idea that the highest aims are material wealth and technological advancement.

This philosophy of economic materialism is what shapes the infrastructure and technology of our societies and such infrastructure and technology set the boundaries within which we must operate.

Furthermore, the means or methodology for developing technology has been firmly established as competitive and adversarial.

With the undercurrent of economic materialism guiding the activity of humanity, the results are imbalance and chaos between people and the environment as well as between people themselves. The consequences can be easily seen through the increasing number of warnings the natural world is revealing to us.

As Muslims, we must confront the fact that many of us are participating in this mindless pursuit with little resistance.

We attempt to drown out the glaring contradiction with our oft-repeated rhetoric of advocating a pure wholesome way of life, but our actual lifestyles easily betray the sad truth.

We Muslims clearly know that economic materialism is not the proper philosophy to guide human activity as we constantly denounce it quite vocally. The problem is that despite our knowledge and our vocal opposition, we are nonetheless conducting our daily lives using the technical solutions developed by the very same philosophy we denounce!

We do not need to devise a new philosophy as we already have it in Islam, but rather we need to use a methodology of developing technology and improving material life in our daily lives that is not based on a destructive philosophy. Of course, we can always improve our collective and individual dedication to Islam and that is also a vitally important undertaking, although that discussion is just not within the scope of this article. And regardless of how high our iman (faith) can reach, if the system upon which our lives depend is corrupted, it makes it that much harder to fulfill our duties as Muslims. Thus, it is incumbent on us to become independent of such systems as much as possible.

Enter Permaculture Design

The term ‘permaculture’ in its broadest sense describes what may be divided into three distinct components:

1. An ethical component
2. A methodological component
3. A technical component – the resultant body of accumulated solutions and knowledge derived from the other two components

The ethical component is simple and often referred to by the three-part phrase of “earth care,” “people care,” and “fair share.” The permaculture design methodology component is the robust set of design concepts and techniques which are derived from observing nature. Traditional and modern methods are used together in a comprehensive and holistic way. The technical solutions that have emerged from the adherence to ethical component and the methodology of design are vast and growing exponentially.

The conventional technology and life systems that dominate the world currently may also be divided along a similar framework.

The chart below summarizes a comparison of different potential ways of organizing technical advance:

By using a set of methodologies that have their roots in the philosophy of economic materialism which are clearly contradictory to the foundational principles of Islam, the infrastructure for a society that excels at worshiping Allah will never be realized beyond a superficial depth.

Because the permaculture methodology is rooted in an ethic that is not essentially in conflict with the principles of Islam, it can be used to create technical solutions that truly work for Muslims. We simply need to supplement the existing ethical component of permaculture or just swap it out with the Islamic framework of ethics and then use the permaculture design methodology to create solutions tailored for Muslims. We can also take of the existing body of solutions and knowledge since they were derived from the ethical framework and simply adopt them completely or alter them as necessary. The claim being made is not that all modern technology derived from economic materialism and its associated methodologies is intrinsically evil, but rather that the overall impact of these technologies and especially the way in which they are produced and used is clearly detrimental at a macro-level. The simple suggestion of this article is not self-righteous zealotry demanding a return to the pre-industrial era but rather should be taken as sincere advice for us to begin making a transition in a reasonable and wise manner.

The Balance

“And the heaven He raised and imposed the balance / That you not transgress within the balance […]” (Qur’an, 55:7-8)

Imam Dawood Yasin of Zaytuna College describes permaculture as a balanced methodology:

“Islam and permaculture are about restoring and maintaining balance, both inwardly and outwardly. The elements in the natural world were created in balance, which represent outward harmony and unison. Similarly, in the Islamic tradition we find the concept that the inherent state of humans is that of balance and unison. Unfortunately, we are constantly witnessing detrimental practices when the human spirit is devoid of harmony and unison. Therefore, the relationship between Islam and permaculture is symbiotic. Our conscious decision as Muslims is to heal and repair our souls, which represents the required foundation upon which Permaculture and earth repair work will flourish.”

Muslims using Permaculture Design

It is not surprising that Muslims are attracted to permaculture design. The methodology and resulting solutions are superior to the materialist approach and obviously in line with Islam. A number of Muslims are already involved in Islam and we can only expect this to increase.

Some Notable Muslims Utilizing Permaculture Design Include:

• Geoff Lawton
• Mustafa Fatih Bakir
• Rhamis Kent
• AbdurRahman McCausland
• H.S. Wong
• Pak Iskandar

Summary & Action Plan

The design methodology of permaculture should be adopted by Muslims at a theoretical and practical level as opposed to the prevailing methodologies based on economic materialism.

The design methodology of permaculture can be easily adapted to provide technical solutions as the three core ethics it was based on already exist within Islam.

The design methodology of permaculture enables the development of technology and processes that allow Muslims to live a lifestyle in accordance with the ethics and justice demanded in Islam.

We don’t tolerate desecration of the Qur’an or insults to the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him), as we shouldn’t, but yet we not only tolerate, but we are actively participating in the desecration, pollution and corruption of the natural world that Allah has created for our benefit. A robust methodology exists that we can make use of to remove ourselves from the participation in this project of madness and so there is no excuse to continue following methods that lead to lifestyles that conflict with core Islamic values.

A suggested strategy that we should join is two-pronged:

1. The existence of permaculture design and its compatibility with Islam must be communicated to Muslims so that more and more of us are aware that such a methodology exists.
2. Muslims must adopt technical solutions developed through permaculture design and using the methodology also innovate new solutions especially where solutions specifically tailored for Muslim communities can be developed.

While it may be unrealistic to expect all of humanity or even all Muslims to adopt the technical solutions derived from permaculture design in their daily lives, it is very feasible and expedient to join with like-minded individuals and form resilient local communities that are independent but not isolated.

These communities can share the knowledge and demonstrate the solutions to the greater population of Muslims and other fellow human beings thus embodying the full portrait of those who do good deeds on the Earth.

Giovanni Galluzzo of Murujan Permaculture Design