veiled4allah: random thoughts

John said:

Total comments: 2

asalamu alaykum,
your comment about the rain reminded me of the hadith I read yesterday:
Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) said, "Keys of the unseen knowledge are five which nobody knows but Allah . . . nobody knows what will happen tomorrow; nobody knows what is in the womb; nobody knows what he will gain tomorrow; nobody knows at what place he will die; and nobody knows when it will rain." Sahih Bukhari:Volume 2, Book 17, Number 149

I read it at www.themodernreligion.com, the "Death" link, and then the "Fear of Death" Article by shariffa Carlo.

asalamu alaykum

darulharb said:

Total comments: 61

What's a Muslim libertarian, you say? He argues that an emphasis on private ownership of property, low taxes, and limited government are characteristics of the true Islamic state.

Modern understanding of libertarianism also places a great emphasis on individual (including, but not limited to, sexual) freedom. What would be the true Islamic state views on these? Jess curious.

Al-Munaqabah said:

Total comments: 996

Fair question. Unfortunately, many Muslims do think that the state should be used to enforce every aspect of Islamic law, even veiling or prayer. I don't believe that this is correct.

First, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "Actions are judged by their intentions". If I pray because I want to serve God, then I get the reward of serving God. If I pray because somebody told me to, then I don't get the reward of serving God. So forcing people to pray or complete other religious acts doesn't benefit them any in the Hereafter. Some people might say "well, at least they're praying and they'll benefit from it" but that's not true. More likely, they'll come to resent it and definitely not do it when they don't have to. That whole argument is completely void as far as I'm concerned.

Second, the Quran says "There is no compulsion in religion" (Surah al-Baqarat verse 256). In other places, it says that the Prophet's only duty was to convey the message, not to compel people to believe or to be in control over their actions (see for example Surah Yunus verse 99, Surah al-Kahf verse 29, and Surah az-Zumar verse 41). The hadiths also show that the Prophet (pbuh) followed these rules. He didn't force people to pray or wear hijab or do other things, he merely told them what was best for them to do and if they chose not to do it, that was on them.

I discussed the issue a bit here in specific reference to hijab. I believe the law should only be used to compel people if the aim is to prevent harm (to use an obvious example, it's right that there are laws against killing people).

The libertarian article touches on this briefly. The author, Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, writes (quoting ibn Khaldun) :

The purpose of the law is the preservation of civilization, that is "(1) of the religion, (2) the soul (life), (3) the intellect, (4) progeny, and (5) property"

That is, each person has a right to his or her religion, life, intellect, progeny, and property and the law's purpose is to protect these rights from being violated by others.

Acts that harm others or violate their rights should be punished by the law. Acts that harm only the self are God's exclusive preserve and people should leave it to Him.

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