COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS
AND PEOPLE
Political
institutions;
Members in a Muslim community;
The
Mosque
For natural and stable growth, each community
needs to have not only the values which we have briefly described above, but
also the appropriate institutions, resources and skills.
Each community needs to agree on the best ways of
choosing leaders and appointing responsible persons for running its affairs.
Institutions and structures for this may vary from place to place. They must be
developed in such a way as to ensure that the best and most capable persons are
appointed to positions of responsibility instead of those who actively seek
influence and power for their own ends.
Institutions must work on the principles of shuura and justice, unity and brotherhood. Cliques,
factions and parties that promote division in the community are to be
discouraged. However, the existence of groups in communities looking after
special interests and needs – such as education, housing, sport, emergency
relief, medical research, animal welfare – may not be divisive but work towards
the overall good of society.
In forming rules and procedures for community
organizations and institutions, from the smallest committee to the most complex
organs of state, there need to be checked and balances that control the
arbitrary use of power, that ensure respect for the rule of law, and a free
flow of information except in defined cases where security is at risk. There
need to be provisions are discharged.
Leadership in a Muslim community
In any properly organized group or community, leadership
is important and necessary. The noble Prophet has advised that even if there
are as few as three persons going to a journey, they should appoint one as the
leader. A Muslim leader should be:
·
God conscious (muttaqi) and having a respect for and commitment to
uphold the moral and legal code of Islam, the Shari’ah;
·
knowledge in the Shari’ah, especially its main concerns, its values and
principles to be able to deal with issues as they arise on the basis of sound
knowledge. In addition he should have competent and specialist advisers also
rooted in knowledge of the Shari’ah;
·
having appropriate mental and physical ability
such as courage, sagacity and strength in addition to personal qualities that
would inspire trust and confidence in people;
·
responsive to the needs of people.
Umar, the Khalifah
had been reported by his wife, was crying; when been asked, he said, ‘I have
been appointed to look after the affairs of this Ummah.
I have been thinking about the poor an the hungry, the sick and the lost, the
hardworking one without any clothes, the despairing orphan, the lonely widow,
the one who has been wronged, the stranger and the captive, the old and those
with families and little money, and such people throughout the land and in the
far corners of the state. I knew that on the day of
Judgment my Lord will question me about them …..’
Muslims have faced many
problems as a result of the political leadership of their societies. Often
these had their roots in alien, hereditary or nepotistic practices which have
no sanction in Islam. Often, political leadership has been at odds with the
learned scholars of the community. This led to injustice and oppression. The
ideal situation is for leaders to be scholars and for scholars to be leaders
and actively involved in political processes. (top)
Human resources are
arguably the most valuable in any community and society. Any community needs to
be concerned to protect these resources, ensure their health, strength, dignity
and general well-being, obligations and rights.
Any Muslim community
should seek to ensure that the physical and intellectual capability of all its
members should flourish to the best of their ability. Capability should be
built up in depth. These should equal opportunities for growth. Elitism is not
a feature of Muslim communities for intellectual leadership or a selected few
are given the responsibility for political or military management.
In the time of the
Prophet, every able-bodied man was expected to be fit and ready to defend the
interests of the community. There were no expensive standing armies as such. At
the approach of any danger, the noble Prophet could call upon individuals with
the required skills or mobilize the whole community to face threats of a more
dire nature. Because defense now requires a wide range of scientific, technical
and other skills, strong Muslim communities would need to have a continuous
program of defense training and alertness.
There was also knowledge
in depth such that everyone strove to understand and more importantly put into
practice what he or she had learnt. People did not leave knowledge to a
priestly class or a group of professional ‘ulamaa’.
The ethic of work and
striving was also firmly embedded in this society but it was also a caring and
compassionate society in which the needy, widows and orphans were well looked
after.
It was a society where
people were free to do anything that was lawful without any restrictions. There
was no crippling bureaucracy, no stifling legal restrictions. There was freedom
to speak the truth, freedom of access to the head of the community, freedom to
roam the earth I search of knowledge or livelihood. People were not kept under
surveillance, they were not faced with the anxiety of carrying an identity card
wherever they went, their lives were not pried into, they
were not suspected and hounded. They could meet and associate freely for mutual
self-help and for peaceful purposes.
There are some of the
ideals and practices that should be upheld and cherished in any Muslim
community so that people are able to grow and develop naturally and support one
another foe the greater good. (top)
The Mosque – of pivotal importance
The mosque is a symbol of
the aims and purpose of Muslims’ collective life. On of the main functions of
any Muslim community is to ‘establish Salaat’. The
mosque which is primarily a place of congregational Prayer proclaims man’s
abiding relationship with God. It is also a symbol of feeling of brotherhood,
equality and compassion that must exist among believers in God.
One of the first acts of
the noble Prophet on reaching Madinah was to build a masjid or mosque. Apart from congregational Prayer, this
mosque served as school, reception center for visitors, travelers and the
needy, mobilization point for armies, treasury for the collection and
distribution of Zakaat, a court of law for the
settling of disputes and the passing of sentences, and even an arena for the
display of skills and martial arts. This masjid was
the dynamic, throbbing heart and nerve-center of the community.
The mosque brings people
together for the best purposes. It works against individualism and selfishness.
While, for example, it is permissible to perform the daily Salaat
individually, it is more meritorious to perform it in congregation. Any two or
more worshippers constitute a group for Salaat
purposes. When Salaat is being offered in
congregation, one cannot opt out and perform it individually.
One Salaat
a week – the mid-day Salaat of Friday Juma’ah Salaat) – has to be
performed in congregation. The khutbah or sermon is an essential part of the Salaat, and is for the purpose of reminding Muslims of
their duties, discussing problems and issues that affect the community,
facilitating the flow of information and encouraging united action. The khutbah is normally divided into four parts: praising God;
asking His blessings on the noble Prophet; admonition, advice and directives to
the community; and supplications to God.
Where the khutbah has become formalized and ritualized and totally in
a language many people cannot understand, it is important and necessary that it
should be enlivened and made relevant to the needs of the particular Muslim
community. It should be an effective means of communication and serve to
mobilize Muslim human and other resources. This also applies to the khutbahs of the Eid Salaats which must also be performed in congregation. The
manner of celebrating these Eids also emphasizes the
ethical and humanitarian concerns of Islam.
Every congregational Salaat must be led by an Imaam
(leader) whose movements the congregation follows without exception. The group
must stand behind the imam in straight rows, foot to foot and shoulder to
shoulder without discrimination between the worshippers. The mosque, through
congregational Salaat, is thus constant reminder to
Muslims to uphold unity, equality, brotherhood and concern for others. The
content of the Salaat, the ideas presented to the
mind through the required recitations, strengthen the self in its determination
to will and do the good, to avoid evil, to fill the world with value.
The community has a duty
to uphold and establish Salaat. Salaat
is a vital pillar of the Islamic system. Who ever upholds it, upholds the
system. Whoever abandons it, destroy the system.
It is therefore important
that mosque should once more become the living hearts of communities. They
should be places not only of Prayer, but of guidance, education, support and
solidarity. The notion that mosques should be schools and even universities has
served to sanctify the pursuit and goals of knowledge in Muslim societies. In
many places now, there are clinics, day centers for children, dormitories and
facilities for youth training which are an integral part of mosque complexes.
Such trends may serve to reduce the growing secularization of societies. They
should be encouraged so that mosques may once again be springboards for
community action and involvement. It is important that the design and the
equipment of mosques should reflect and be suited to this multi-functional use
instead of being merely much admired and lofty samples of monumental
architecture. (top)