An Overview Of Freedom Which Is A Core Islamic Principle And A Prerequisite For Human Dignity - Part – 1
By Kaniz Fatma, New Age
Islam
22 May 2023
Can Religion And Freedom Coexist?
Main Points
1. Religion is seen as an
obstacle to freedom, as society has had to fight against religious leaders and
institutions to achieve it.
2. Rashid Ghannooshi argues
that religion and freedom can coexist, as freedom is essential for Sharia's
system of divine commands and deeds.
3. Islam was created to
grant people freedom, which is the spirit of monotheism.
4. Islamic teachings
emphasize the importance of freedom and the ability to enjoy the fruits of
one's chosen paths for the creation of the universe.
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When we examine the
definition of freedom, the question of whether freedom and religion can be
compatible with each other comes up. Can freedom and religion coexist, in other
words? The majority of contemporary Western philosophers believe that religion
is an obstacle to freedom. The obvious explanation for this is that society has
had to endure a protracted battle against the rigid restraints of religious
leaders and institutions, especially the Church, in order to achieve freedom
and rights in the Western world.
Prior to the modern era,
Europe was so constrained by religious institutions that man was powerless and
reliant on them in all spheres of existence. At every level, whether in terms
of family and personal problems or in terms of academic and intellectual
challenges or political, social, or economic ones, there was exclusivity and
possession of the same religious class. The genesis of this notion was not
improbable given this backdrop.
However, it is crucial to
consider if Islam and freedom are compatible when examining their relationship.
In this respect, Westerners do not distinguish between different religions,
although a sizable portion of Muslims themselves believe that Islam and freedom
are incompatible.
The founder of the
Islamic Tendency Movement and a well-known Islamic scholar, Rashid Ghannooshi,
poses the question, "Can religion and freedom coexist when religion only
means slavery and subjection?" He himself replies: Many Muslims, including
Hizb ut Tahrir, hold the misconception that these two ideologies cannot
coexist, yet this notion is untrue in every aspect. A person's complete freedom
is a fundamental necessity of the Sharia since without it; the entire system of
divine commands and deeds would be worthless.
Imam Farahi and Allama
Taha Jabir Alwani have also explained this point while discussing the human
caliphate that the essential requirement for giving the responsibility of the
caliphate to a human being is that he must possess complete freedom. Allama Ibn
Ashur considers freedom as one of the objectives of the Islamic Shariat. Dr. Inayatullah
Subhani, while talking about La Ikraha Fiddin [there is no compulsion in
the Religion], describes freedom as one of the fundamental Islamic teachings
and principles.
In actuality, freedom is
the best way to summarise all of Islam's teachings and the most complete and
beautiful way to describe the Prophet's mission. According to Dr. Hakim
al-Mutairi, Islam was created to grant people total freedom, and freedom is
actually the spirit of monotheism. (Refer to Dr. Hakim Mutairi's Tahrirul
Insan).
It is also implied from
the mention of the ancient prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, that the most
important mission for each prophet was to lead people to freedom. The biggest
and clearest example in this regard is the story of the Children of Israel and
Pharaoh, which has been described many times in the Holy Quran. But every
country swiftly rejected this lesson, enslaving its people and enforcing
oppression. The religion of each following nation served as the excuse for this
behaviour. The fact that Western philosophers saw religion, or this particular
kind of religion, as a barrier to freedom and believed that separation from
religion was also necessary for freedom was therefore not surprising.
However, one must be
perplexed as to why Islamic history was unable to give the theoretical and
practical model of freedom that was a necessary prerequisite of the Qur'an and
Sunnah despite the numerous, unmistakable teachings and instructions of freedom
in Islam. Even Muslim intellectuals must recognise that history does not
provide a realistic portrait of the Qur'an and the Sunnah when discussing
freedom.
(see al-Azamah
al-Dusturiya fi al-Hazaarah al-Islamiyyah, by Dr. Muhammad al-Mukhtar
al-Shinqiti/ al-Hurriyyah wa al-Tufan by Dr. Hakim Mutairi).
Islam in particular seems
to have a very solid foundation of freedom that is more enduring and resilient
than the foundations that are promoted in the West. The reason is that Western
thinkers see freedom as a prerequisite for human honour, while according to
Islamic teachings, everyone's freedom and the ability to enjoy the fruits of
their chosen paths on the basis of that freedom are the fundamental conditions
for the creation of the universe, for which each person will be held
accountable before the divine court for their good or bad deeds.
(Continued)
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Kaniz Fatma is a classic
Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/freedom-islamic-principle-human-dignity-part-2/d/129823
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