FREEDOM IN FIVE PILLARS

It is reported - but Allah knows best - that the Prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him - taught that Allah Almighty said, "My servants! I have made oppression unlawful for Me and unlawful for you, so do not commit oppression to one another."

A useful approach to the question 'What constitutes the freedom of Muslims to be Muslims?' is to define Islam by the five pillars of the faith, and to extend this to all that is implicit in these pillars. If the 'Abode of Peace' is any land where Muslims are free to practice the Islamic religion, what constitutes "the practice of Islamic religion"? Traditionally, this has been defined by the five pillars legislated in the Noble Koran and enumerated in the Hadith Literature. These constitute the basis of Islamic life. They are called "pillars" because they support the entire superstructure of Islamic life; without them Islamic life collapses and the religion cannot be maintained in any viable form. In the Abode of Peace, therefore, all of these pillars are intact, along with whatever is implicit in these same pillars. The right to build mosques and to congregate as a worshipful community is implicit in the pillar of prayer, for example. It would be an utterly unreasonable violation of Muslim life if Muslims were forbidden from building mosques and congregating for prayer - this would make life for Muslims intolerable. Any jurisdiction that imposed such restrictions could not be regarded as an 'Abode of Peace'.

The First Pillar - The Confession of Faith

In the Abode of Peace Muslims can openly profess their faith and creed without fear of persecution or ridicule. This includes the Shahadah and the Six Articles which define orthodox belief. Implicit in this pillar is the right to die and be buried in Islam. Also the right to have a distinctive identity - defined by the creed of Islam - which Muslims are free to impart to their children as well as the right to preach the faith and to make converts to Islam.

The Second Pillar - Prayer

In the Abode of Peace Muslims can practise distictive forms of Muslim worship in freedom, both publicly and privately. They have the right to build mosques for worship, the right to congregate for salat at the appointed times, including for the communal prayer on Friday, on the two Eid feasts and on other occasions.

The Third Pillar - The Fast

In the Abode of Peace Muslims are free to practise the fast of Ramadan. Implicit in this is the freedom to observe their own calendar and festivals and to have their own food laws.

The Fourth Pillar - The Poor-due

In the Abode of Peace Muslims are free to practise the zakat. Implicit in this is the freedom to function as a community. They are free to conduct their own social services and to look after their own. They are free to have their own financial life and control of their own property along with the free disposal of wealth.

The Fifth Pillar - Pilgrimage

In the Abode of Peace Muslims have freedom to go on pilgrimage to Mecca. Implicit in this is the freedom to meet and converse with other Muslims as a global community. This means that one cannot deny a Muslim the right to be part of, and feel themselves to be part of, the Muslim Ummah - the right to associate with the wider Muslim Ummah. A government cannot cut off and isolate the Muslims under its control from the wider Ummah.

These rights are additional to and overlap with the general human rights that are the universal claim of all individuals of whatever creed. Furthermore, implicit in all of these rights is the right of every Muslim to practise their faith according to their own conscience and their own understanding and not to be persecuted for deviating from a government-imposed orthodoxy.

Below is a list of some essential questions that can be applied to any jurisdiction to determine whether or not Muslims ought to regard it as 'Abode of Peace':

 

The First Pillar - The Confession of Faith

1. Are Muslims free to openly profess their faith?

2. Do Muslims have the right to die and be buried as Muslims?

3. Are Muslims free to have a distinct identity?

4. Are Muslims free to bare the distinctive marks of their faith such as the circumcision of boys or the veiling of women?

5. Are Muslims free to raise and educate their children as Muslims?

6. Are Muslims free to propogate and preach their faith to non-Muslims?

7. Are Muslims free to convert non-Muslims to Islam?

 

The Second Pillar - Prayer

8. Are Muslims free to practise the distinctive forms of worship of Islam?

9. Are Muslims free to congregate for salat prayer at the appointed times?

10. Are Muslims free to build, own and operate mosques?

11. Are Muslims free to congregate as a community at the Friday prayer?

 

The Third Pillar - The Fast

12. Are Muslims free to observe the fast of Ramadan?

13. Are Muslims free to observe their own calendar?

14. Are Muslims free to celebrate the Eid festivals?

15. Are Muslims free to observe their own food laws?

16. Are Muslims free to slaughter their own animals according to the methods of Islam?

 

The Fourth Pillar - The Poor-due

17. Are Muslims free to collect and distribute the poor-due?

18. Are Muslims free to organise and associate as a community?

19. Are Muslims free to conduct their own social services in their community?

20. Are Muslims free to own and control their own property?

21. Do Muslims have the right to free disposal of their wealth?

 

The Fifth Pillar - The Pilgrimage

22. Are Muslims free to go on and return from pilgrimage (hajj)?

23. Are Muslims free to meet and converse with other Muslims as part of the global community (Ummah)?

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The 'Abode of War' (or Abode of Strife) is any jurisdiction where these basic rights are denied or curtailed such that Muslims are not free to be Muslims. In such circumstances, Muslims have two options:

(a) struggle (jihad) until they are free to practise Islam and have secured their basic freedoms. This may entail violent struggle, but only as a last resort, or

(b) emigration to a land where these freedoms are secure.

Abandoning Islam to make life easier for oneself is not a legitimate option.

Furthermore, emigrants who have found a land where they are free to be Muslims cannot just turn their back on Muslims who are struggling for Islam in other lands. Emigrants have an obligation to use their freedom and prosperity to support Muslims everywhere.

Where some of these rights are denied or infringed Muslims have an obligation to struggle for Islam until their full rights are secured. This is not some special or peculiar claim of Muslims. All people long for freedom and will struggle for it until it is won.

Again, it must be stressed that these rights are within the embrace of general human rights and especially the right to freedom of conscience and conviction. When we ask 'Are Muslims free to build, own and operate mosques?' for example, we mean any group of Muslims and not merely some sanctioned or government-approved group of Muslims. Are all Muslims free to build, own and operate mosques? The question is whether all Muslims are free to practice Islam according to their conscience and convictions. These rights are violated where one group of Muslims denies such rights to other groups. In the Abode of Peace all Muslims are free to practice Islam as they understand it, free of government and clerical oppression. One of the most important considerations in redefining the concept of 'Abode of Peace' is the modern realisation that even ostensibly "Muslim" states may not provide their Muslim citizens with an 'Abode of Peace' where they are free to pursue peace with God. Indeed, this is a salient lesson of modern times. All too often Muslims need refuge from so-called "Muslim" states.

It is reported - but Allah knows best - that the Prophet Muhammad - may peace be upon him - said, "Beware of tyranny, for Allah has ordained that He will support those who are oppressed."