Article: Islam and Freedom

Islam and Freedom:
A Jumuah Khutbah

Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq

This is adapted from a Friday sermon (Khutbah) delivered in 1994
at the Islamic Center of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The traditional invocations at the beginning and end of the Khutbah
have been omitted for brevity.

I do call to witness this City;-
And thou are a FREE PERSON (Hillun) of this City;-
And (the mystic ties of) parent and child;-
Verily We have created man into toil and struggle. [90/al-Balad/1-4]

The theme that I want to articulate today based on these verses is of great significance. The context in which these verses were revealed relates to an unique aspect of what should be the understanding of a believing personality. You must recall that the Prophet, being appointed as a messenger of God, was to lead people from zulm (darkness) to nur (light) – not in an abstract sense, but in practice through persuading humanity to submit wholeheartedly to God. In his effort as he presented the divine message to the society around him, a great majority of the people initially not only rejected his message, but also were opposed to his message and wanted to take away his freedom to deliver the message.

Notably, the Prophet was born in that society. He was also raised in that society. He has been seen and observed by the society around him. He was among the dearest in the society in general, as they spontaneously conferred the title, al-Amin (the trustworthy), on him. Yet, once he proclaimed the divine message and began to invite others to it, there were those who were not willing the least to accommodate him in this society in which he was born and raised. They started conspiring and mobilizing public opinion against him. The powerful elites of the Makkan Quraish would not allow him to live in that society. Maybe his life would be taken away. In this context, Muslims with the Prophet had to struggle for their very freedom to practice as well as to deliver their message to others. Initially, the tools of the Quraish were ridiculing and ignoring. Then, they attempted to tempt the prophet.

He was asked: What do you want? Do you want to be rich? We will make you among the richest persons among us. Do you want beautiful women? We will offer the best we have. Do you want leadership? We have always loved you as a person and will welcome and embrace you as our leader and make you our king. Just give up this message that you claim to carry a divine message and we will offer whatever you desire.

What was the response of the Prophet? He said in no unclear terms: Even if you bring and deliver the moon in my one hand and the sun in the other, my message and mission of La Ilaha Ill Allah are not negotiable.

We need to recognize that even the Prophet had to struggle to claim and secure this freedom so that he could deliver the divine message and carry on his mission to make the truth "manifest and triumphant".

As this verse asserts, the Prophet Muhammad as well as all other prophets before him were sent so that the truth about this Deen (way of life) become manifest over all other way of life. This path is not easy or full of roses. It is a path of toil and struggle. When the freedom of the prophet and his handful adherents was at jeopardy, God reaffirmed this fundamental human right, not directing to the people, but to the Prophet himself to make it more emphatic and dramatic, saying: "No, I witness by this City that YOU ARE A FREE PERSON (HILLUN) of this city." It is not that some one else has or can truly give or grant you this freedom on a silver platter. It is not something that exists because some constitution or charter guarantees it. It is not something that people have concocted. This is an inalienable blessing from none other than God himself. You are FREE because God has made you and everyone else - yes, everyone else too - free in this world.

Therefore, God proclaims: O Muhammad! you – first and foremost – must not ever abandon your claim to this freedom. You must not be barred or hindered in performance of your duty or delivering the message you carry. You, O Muhammad, must not accept any such encroachment on your right.

Now, tie this context of the inalienable right or freedom to this special city that occupies a special place in the human history. The entire legacy of the struggle between Tauhid (monotheism) and Shirk (polytheism), between Islam and disbelief, or between good and evil, as epitomized in the struggle of Hadrat Ibrahim (Abraham) and his family as well as his righteous progeny, is tied to this auspicious city, Makkah. The Prophet was not born and raised just anywhere, rather than in this heartland of Tauhid, the center of the struggle against shirk and disbelief of all time. [Note: Islam's struggle or opposition is not against shirk and disbelief at the private level or even any institution that is non-hostile to Muslims. This is because individuals or groups have the right to choose their way of life based on their preference. Rather, it is against institutionalized or systemic oppression and injustice that may be emanating from systems based on shirk and disbelief.]

In this context, we see that the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) had to struggle as well to claim and secure his freedom to propagate the message of truth. He was a Hanif – free from all the baggage people carry based on human bondage and tyranny. He submitted to God and challenged the contemporary status quo. But he also had to struggle for his freedom.

The story is same in case of the Prophet Musa (Moses)). He was raised right in the home of the Pharaoh, an icon of tyranny and oppression, who later turned out to be the nemesis of Musa’s (a) cause and mission. But when he was ready by the guidance of God, he had to claim the freedom not just for him, but also for the entire Bani Israil (children of Israil). There were no two ways about it. At the command of God, he asserted himself before the Pharaoh and asked him to let Bani Israil go free.

Why is this theme of freedom so important? Unfortunately, most of us who believe in La Ilaha Ill Allah, we ourselves don’t appreciate enough the freedom we must have, as individual human beings as well as at the collective/social level. We must also realize that the Prophet Musa had to face another impediment: a culture of slavery in which Bani Israil grew up. They were not willing to put up any fight or undertake any struggle to free themselves from the very tyranny to which they themselves have been subjected for generations. They had little aspiration to gain their own freedom. Little price were they willing to pay for their emancipation. Little sacrifice or hardship were they willing to suffer. At the critical moments, they would say: "O Musa! while they remain there, never shall we be able to enter, to the end of time. You and your Lord go and fight, while we sit here (and watch)." [5/al-Maida/24]. Freedom for such people does not come in a silver platter.

Vast majority of Muslims today live under conditions that are either tyrannical and unislamic. There are forty-plus countries that claim to be Muslim countries [note: these should rather be called Muslim-majority countries, in accordance with Islam's pluralistic and inclusive vision and principles], but there is hardly any practice of Islam as a complete way of life – the way it should be practiced in a holistic sense. In many other parts of the Muslim world, democracy and election as pseudo-systems are prevalent as a postcolonial legacy, denying these people from the true benefits of democracy as a representative, participatory and accountable form of governance. In Egypt, Tunisia or Algeria, for examples, elections are regular as long the outcome coincides with what is expected or desired by the ruling establishment. How many Muslims do we see as conscious and desirous of their freedom and right to practice Islam as a holistic code of life, the way it ought to be practiced, and also to do so with due respect to the rights of others?

Do we hear them say that we are NOT going to ride on the tails of this party or that party, this dynasty or that dynasty, this regime or that regime - rather, we want to rebuild on the foundation of the essential system of values, morals and guidance as exemplified in the life of the Prophet and his exemplary successors? Do we hear them articulate that we want to improve ourselves as human beings at the individual level and strive toward establishing a past-enriched, but forward-looking society that represents the virtue and goodness of this way of life for us and for the humanity?

What we see today is that the vast majority of Muslims are not into that systematic, positive, constructive struggle at all. When we see some sparks of such struggle here and there, we feel inspired. However, we generally fail to recognize that the very La Ilaha Ill Allah is tantamount to freedom from everything else, so that we embrace the broad principles underlying the divine guidance as the anchor of our lives. Anything in between that stands between us and God is contradicts the bedrock of Islam: Tauhid. If there are laws that prevent us from practicing Islam, if there are ideas and ideologies, societies and cultures, norms and principles, rules and laws that are inconsistent with what God has revealed for the benefit of us and the humanity, anyone who accepts such or are complacent about it, is it not adding partnership to God?

That is why, La Ilaha Ill Allah we say, but our lives do not have the dynamism. It does not have the vitality, functionality and effectiveness as exemplified in the life of the Prophet and his companions. That is why today we see how the freedom of Muslims to run their lives according to Islam, or at least to begin to move in that direction, is thwarted, for example, in Algeria by violence, tyranny or whatever means necessary. In the same way there are other places, for example in Turkey, where Muslims are being denied the right to live according to Islam. No one is going to deliver this freedom on a silver platter, particularly those who oppose Islam as a whole. It is their ideology that they can’t tolerate Islam, and thus, they must contain Islam. They do not appreciate the benefits of the revelation of God. Thus, they have to save themselves and others from this "evil" of Islam. The sad part of the history is that those who believe in their own Islam-opposing ideologies are giving their lives for their cause and putting up their effort more capably and utilizing their resources more effectively so that they would be free to live Fi Sabilish Shaitan (in the path of Satan), a path that makes humans their own deities. But we Muslims as communities do not come forward in unison to purify our live, thought and action so that we can live Fi Sabilillah (in the path of God) and serve the humanity.

To be effective, Islam needs to survive and prevail against other competing ideologies. This is not to be achieved by sword or coercion, but through setting examples and providing exemplary and persuasive models the way it showed in the life of the Prophet.

Thus, God admonished the Prophet that never, ever can he be slack about his claim to freedom – as it is inalienable for all human beings. No one can take the human freedom away as it is a violation of what God has sanctified for the humanity.

Even the Prophet was admonished that he must realize that this freedom is not going to be achieved or preserved so easily. That’s why the entire human existence is on the foundation of toil and struggle for a positive and constructive end. Just because he was a prophet does not mean that he was going to get it as a miracle. Where is our human spirit and struggle? Where is our commitment and aspiration to achieve, preserve and enhance our freedom as human beings and as believers so that we can live according to Islam?

Muslims are still not coming to grip with the fact that the world we currently live in is run, governed and dictated by a global system that exploits and oppresses the rest of the world, in the very name or cover of some lofty modern labels. It’s a global phenomenon. It is high time to realize the true message of La Ilaha Ill Allah and confront the so-called new world order. Are we going to submit to this dominance of the false gods or are we going to rise up with the affirmation that we do not have any Ilah – no Ilah – except God. We do not submit to any dynasty, any autocratic or hereditary rule, any pseudo-democracy, any lackey of the foreign powers, any super power, any world order - however much powerful it is.

Muslims do not recognize anyone else in the world as supreme authority that dictates values and laws, which most often are unfair and prejudicial. But La Ilaha creates a vacuum that must be filled with Illallah. Unfortunately, similar to the first part, the second part is lacking too in Muslim consciousness. We as an Ummah or community at any level hardly have an ADEQUATE or relevant agenda for our functional and dynamic existence. We as individuals and communities have become individualistic. Where is our ummatic connection? Where is our humanity-oriented spirit and vision? It is important to recognize that what was known and understood as Ummah during the time of the Prophet as well as the Khulafa-I-Rashidoon simply does not exist any longer. And, I am talking about merely the institutional structure, which may not be practical or relevant to our contemporary time. Rather, I am talking about that unifying spirit and framework that bring not just the believers together, but also the humanity in general.

Hadrat Umar said: La islama illa bil jamaah (There is no Islam except on an organized foundation). Of course, he was not talking about a particular community, organization, party or movement. He was talking about the Ummah as jamaah, which must have four components. Leadership is one of those components. Do you see a school running without a principal, a business without a manager, an army without a command, a team without a leader? Does this Ummah have any structure and leadership? It is only when it comes to Islam, our thought seems to lose functionality.

If we are to chart our future course of history, as individuals we have to purify and educate ourselves, we also need to work as communities as well as at the level of the Ummah to reestablish ourselves based on the post-Prophet legacy of representative, participatory and accountable form of governance. It is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

Let me give you an example. Today Muslim countries are divided amongst themselves. The division came both from within as well as induced and imposed from outside. We also see that within the Muslim world exists the vast majority of poor people, divorced from those few islands or deserts of wealth that are being treasured and guarded by the dominant anti-Islamic forces of the world. Each single, tiny country spends billions of dollars to arm to defend themselves against their fellow Muslim countries. Just imagine how much resources can be saved if we did not have to defend such multiple borders amongst and against ourselves. In an unified framework, can you imagine anybody would dare to venture into Afghanistan, trample the rights of people in Kashmir or Palestine or Bosnia or Chechnya or Algeria?

And, with appropriate focus and necessary ground work, we won’t have to come to this part of the world to receive education. We won’t have to depend on others' aid. This message of freedom that instills the spirit of self-respect and dignity from the individual to the collective level must be taken up as a basic agenda. We must evolve as a galvanizing force and reassert ourselves to bring about the desired changes.

We must be at the forefront of those who cherish human freedom. Toward that end, we must revitalize our life at all levels - personal, family, community, and ummatic. Then, a viable and far-reaching change is possible.

Toward the conclusion, if I may remind a verse from the Qur'an that God will test us so that we do demonstrate our spirit of independence, which emanate only from a genuine spirit of freedom. "Or think ye that ye shall be abandoned, as though Allah did not know those among you who strive with might and main, and take none for patrons and protectors (AWLIYA) except Allah, His Messenger, and the (community of) Believers? But Allah is well-acquainted with (all) that ye do." [9/at-Tauba/16]

Haven't we simply failed that test? The dominant powers of the world are vigilant about their dependence on others, as for examples, U.S. dependence on oil from the Middle East. But we are thoroughly dependent on others, and we care little about it. To be independent, we must learn to appreciate the importance of freedom for us AND FOR THE ENTIRE HUMANITY.

Also, as a footnote, I must add that if we value freedom, it can't be just for us. We have to value freedom for others too, even though sometime we may find certain ideology, religion or philosophy utterly disagreeable. At the very first sign of someone criticizing or vilifying Islam, we can't demand their head or try to drive him or her out of our neighborhood or of this planet.

Muslims need to recognize the importance of freedom, and struggle for it at all levels. They also need to recognize the challenge of conceiving a model of a society where it is not merely the freedom of Muslims become an exclusive concern, but also the freedom of others. That should be the meaning of this Ummah being "evolved for the humanity." [3/ale Imran/110]