be careful when u say “Islam is the Answer for Every Problem”
Rethinking the Slogan: “Islam is the Answer for Every Problem”
Dr. Jâsim Sultân
The present Islamic revival, which has captured the hearts of a large segment of Muslims in our societies, introduced many slogans into the popular discourse. One of the most famous of these is “Islam is the answer for every problem”
This statement certainly has a nice ring to it, but its meaning and implications need to be examined carefully and they must be properly clarified. Are we to understand that Islam is like a manual that can be applied directly to solve our political, economic, and social problems? All that we have to do is follow this manual, and all of our goals be realized?
Or rather, does it mean that Islam provides us with the broad ethical principles that show us how to live a wholesome life in this world and attain salvation in the Hereafter? As for the specific issues of life, we must wrestle with those issues using our good sense and better judgment – and any one of us will be prone to make mistakes, just like anybody else?
What are the areas that Islam provides direct and readily applicable solutions for? What are those issues about which we must turn directly to the Qur’ân and Sunnah to get our answers?
What are the areas wherein human expertise must be sought? And where does this leave us with questions of administration, politics, economic policy and the like?
To answer these questions, we have to make a distinction between matters wherein Islam provides us with specific answers and where it does not. In some matters, Islam gives us specific, detailed, and elaborate injunctions. These include matters of worship, like how to perform our prayers. There are also some areas in civil law where Islam provides considerable detail, like the laws of inheritance.
Then there are other matters – and they are by far the more numerous – where Islam does not provide us with direct and specific answers, but rather leaves to the human intellect the freedom to come up with solutions. In general, this is the case for the matters of our daily lives. The story where the Prophet (peace be upon him) made recommendations about cross- pollinating the date palms and said “You know best about the affairs of your worldly lives” is not far off from what we are saying.
Even when we look at the broad principles that Islam gives us – like the principle of justice and the principle of consultation in governance – we find that serious mental effort is needed on our part if we are to translate those principles into a practical, living reality.
Consider, for example, at the principle of consultation in government. The scriptures address this principle in general terms. Allah describes the Muslims as people: “…who conduct their affairs by mutual Consultation.” [Sûrah al-Shûrâ: 38]
As for the practical application of this principle, the mechanisms of the consultative process, the ways and means of making this principle a reality in our political lives, these are things that Islam does not tell us about. These are matters that are subject to change, depending on the various circumstances of life in different times and places and the ever-changing needs of the people.
If we are to move from the experience of an “Islamic awakening” to one of full wakefulness, we are going to have to find real, practical solutions to the real-world problems that we are facing. And if these solutions are going to have to come from our own thinking and problem-solving abilities, we cannot then go and attribute those solution to “Islam” as if the solutions we have come up are decisively what Islam has to say about the problems of our day! Instead, those solutions are the solutions that, for better or for worse, Muslims have come up with do deal with the issues.
There is a major distinction between the two statements. If we have two experts, both of whom take the principles of Islam as their point of departure, and we present them with a particular problem to solve, we will not be surprised if each of them comes up with a very different answer. It will also come as no surprise if one of those answers turns out to be very much better than the other. When we weigh the merits of their solutions, we are not judging the Islam of the two experts – we are judging their intellectual abilities. It is not necessary that everyone whose perspective is grounded in the principles of Islam can arrive at a viable solution to the problems of our day.
When other people hear us saying “Islam is the answer…” they have the right to ask: “If Islam is the answer, then what is its answer to the failure of the organizations that were founded by ‘Islamists’. If Islam is the answer, then why do we see major efforts being made that are utterly incapable of providing a remedy to the difficult problems that we are going through? Doesn’t Islam provide an answer for those things?”
– Or is the problem rather that our human minds are as yet ill-equipped to rise up to the creative challenges that we are being faced with?
The have a right to ask: “If Islam is the answer, then why is there so much failure in Muslim societies where Muslims are making concerted efforts? Doesn’t Islam have an answer? Then what is that answer?”
Is it right for us to put the blame of our failure on Islam, then? Or should we rather blame the limitations of our own minds, our own lack of creativity and inventiveness? How do we expect to convince the Muslims that Islam will solve the problems in their countries and in the international arena, when what they see with their own eyes is that the Muslims have been unable to provide Islamic alternatives to the acute domestic problems that they are facing?
The answer to all of these questions is that the problem lies with our own mental efforts. Islam is innocent of our failures. Islam, as a religion, is not responsible for the consequences of the solutions that we adopt according to our human judgments after it has commanded us to think and work things out for ourselves.
Muslims need to wake up and realize that Islam, as a religion, must not be crammed forcibly into matters that it does not specifically address. This is a misuse of Islam, and an injustice to our faith.
We need to revise some of our slogans before we bring up another generation to think of Islam as a ready-made manual providing an instant solution for all of our ills.
http://islamtoday.com/showme2.cfm?ca...ub_cat_id=1120
Because people aren't following Islam properly“If Islam is the answer, then why is there so much failure in Muslim societies where Muslims are making concerted efforts? Doesn’t Islam have an answer? Then what is that answer?”
Islam isn't just a religion, it is a way of life
It teaches us how to be patient in times of hardship, grateful in times of ease and how to turn to Allah in every situation
It is a complete way of how to live on this earth and it is sufficient for us
Did you read the whole article...??
Please show me how Islam solves the issue of unclogging drains from excess hair?
If you don't know what I am talking about- please read the whole article.
unclogging drains from excess hair? i skimmed through it lol
The point he was trying to make is that there are a lot of areas in which Allah and his Messenger only gave us general details, and that we as humans need to us our own brains to fill in the gaps and come up with solutions to stuff.
It isn't always as easy as opening the Quran or hadith books and finding a direct answer to every problem...
yes but the decisions are not those type of decisions that everyone makes, that's why we have scholars, who know Qur'an and Hadith, and based on points, they come up with a conclusion about something.The point he was trying to make is that there are a lot of areas in which Allah and his Messenger only gave us general details, and that we as humans need to us our own brains to fill in the gaps and come up with solutions to stuff.
It isn't always as easy as opening the Quran or hadith books and finding a direct answer to every problem...
yes, but not as we wish, not whatever we think, but we fill the gaps between some limits.and that we as humans need to us our own brains to fill in the gaps and come up with solutions to stuff.
if we come to the question "is smoking allowed", well we use our brains, but we used based on Qur;an and Sunnah, for example on verses "do not spend money without need, or do not harm yourselves...." , so our thinking is within an area, not a "non-islamic" way of thinking where everybody follows his own wishes.
and I don 't fully agree with what is said on article. there are some incorrect points made there.
Oh by the way about the excess hair thing Islam teaches you not to leave your rubbish around
thanx for the share, Jazakallah Khair!
format_quote Originally Posted by vpb
Could you elaborate please? I thought it was reasonable. Which points did you not agree with?
Could you elaborate please? I thought it was reasonable. Which points did you not agree with?Islam is rich enough to address every single political , economic, social issue. and I don't like his statement, bc we have enough hadiths, which can be used to come to conclusion for any issue that falls on the above categories.This statement certainly has a nice ring to it, but its meaning and implications need to be examined carefully and they must be properly clarified. Are we to understand that Islam is like a manual that can be applied directly to solve our political, economic, and social problems? All that we have to do is follow this manual, and all of our goals be realized?
Or rather, does it mean that Islam provides us with the broad ethical principles that show us how to live a wholesome life in this world and attain salvation in the Hereafter? As for the specific issues of life, we must wrestle with those issues using our good sense and better judgment – and any one of us will be prone to make mistakes, just like anybody else?
of course you're not gonna get like "open the book and find the answer ready", but you have information on Qur;'an and Sunnah so you can come to the conclusion about the solution that you have. Everyone knows that the Qur'an and the Sunnah doesn't address thing directly, bc then we would have 224241412412412421414 to the power of 1000000 books, each book talking about issue. and what does he mean only prayers, some areas of civil law??? there are thousands of hadiths about social, economic, political issues.What are the areas that Islam provides direct and readily applicable solutions for? What are those issues about which we must turn directly to the Qur’ân and Sunnah to get our answers?
What are the areas wherein human expertise must be sought? And where does this leave us with questions of administration, politics, economic policy and the like?
To answer these questions, we have to make a distinction between matters wherein Islam provides us with specific answers and where it does not. In some matters, Islam gives us specific, detailed, and elaborate injunctions. These include matters of worship, like how to perform our prayers. There are also some areas in civil law where Islam provides considerable detail, like the laws of inheritance.
Then there are other matters – and they are by far the more numerous – where Islam does not provide us with direct and specific answers, but rather leaves to the human intellect the freedom to come up with solutions. In general, this is the case for the matters of our daily lives. The story where the Prophet (peace be upon him) made recommendations about cross- pollinating the date palms and said “You know best about the affairs of your worldly lives” is not far off from what we are saying.
Islam addresses everything, but not necesserialy directly, bc it cannot as I mentioned above. Cuz we have solution fo every problem that are experiencing today, but the problem is that we aren't practicing Islam properly and in Islam you either follow properly something or you don't, you don't get the profit from following something not completely.Muslims need to wake up and realize that Islam, as a religion, must not be crammed forcibly into matters that it does not specifically address. This is a misuse of Islam, and an injustice to our faith.
there is sumthing which is called dua, a powerful weapon of a believer, and when we believe in Almighty Allah then certainly we believe in His ayah "wahuwa alaa kulli shay in Qadeer". Allah is Able to do all things.
moreover, islam is certainly a solution for all the problems of human being, whether we are able to understand its solution or not, we actually have never applied its teaching or learn Imaan(faith) in Allah.
No patient will ever recover if he keeps ignoring his doctor treatment, similarly, the human are Allah's creation will never recover from all worldly problems until and unless they follow the guidance of their creator, the creator of all the worlds.
may Allah give us all strong faith in Him.
I'm sure you would agree though, that there is a difference between saying Islam has the solution to everything, and Allah swt has the solutions to everything?
no i dunno, wat is the difference which you come to know irrespective of Islam?
I see the point being made in the article but I think things are very complex. I mean I can't look in the Qur'an or hadeeth to find a ruling on whether or not I should drive while talking on my cell phone. However, there are rulings on not endangering people's lives, the Qur'an tells use not to engage in idle talk, etc. So, no the Qur'an and Sunnah don't have specific rulings on things that I might encounter that are specifically 21st century. However, Islam gives a broad ethical, legal, and moral compass from which to direct our lives. We have to think though and we can't just expect answers to problems to just magically pop out of the Qur'an and hadeeth. I think that's the point that author is trying to make.
well i hav;nt read the whole article from word to word but i just want to say that people (not practising muslims) turn to islam only when they are in a real problem, when they in sorrow ; when all their problems are over they totally forget about it. How can u expect Allah to shower his mercy and blessings to such ungrateful two faced people who only open the book or bow down to him when they feel the need to do so.
Allah is not in need of u, rather are in need of Allah
^^ i meant to say Allah is not in need of u, rather u are in need of Allah
^ i meant to say "Allah is not in need of u, rather u r in need of Allah"
format_quote Originally Posted by ScoobyGurl
Mashaallah! Thanks a lot sis, finally, someone gets the point!
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