An Overview Of Freedom Which Is A Core Islamic Principle And A Prerequisite For Human Dignity - Part – 2

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 22 May 2023 Can Religion And Freedom Coexist? Main Points 1. Religion is seen as an obstacle to freedom, as society has had to fight against religious leaders and institutions to achieve it. 2. Rashid Ghannooshi argues that religion and freedom can coexist, as freedom is essential for Sharia's system of divine commands and deeds. 3. Islam was created to grant people freedom, which is the spirit of monotheism. 4. Islamic teachings emphasize the importance of freedom and the ability to enjoy the fruits of one's chosen paths for the creation of the universe. ------- When we examine the definition of freedom, the question of whether freedom and religion can be compatible with each other comes up. Can freedom and religion coexist, in other words? The majority of contemporary Western philosophers believe that religion is an obstacle to freedom. The obvious explanation for this is that society has had to endure a protracted battle against the rigid restraints of religious leaders and institutions, especially the Church, in order to achieve freedom and rights in the Western world. Prior to the modern era, Europe was so constrained by religious institutions that man was powerless and reliant on them in all spheres of existence. At every level, whether in terms of family and personal problems or in terms of academic and intellectual challenges or political, social, or economic ones, there was exclusivity and possession of the same religious class. The genesis of this notion was not improbable given this backdrop. However, it is crucial to consider if Islam and freedom are compatible when examining their relationship. In this respect, Westerners do not distinguish between different religions, although a sizable portion of Muslims themselves believe that Islam and freedom are incompatible. The founder of the Islamic Tendency Movement and a well-known Islamic scholar, Rashid Ghannooshi, poses the question, "Can religion and freedom coexist when religion only means slavery and subjection?" He himself replies: Many Muslims, including Hizb ut Tahrir, hold the misconception that these two ideologies cannot coexist, yet this notion is untrue in every aspect. A person's complete freedom is a fundamental necessity of the Sharia since without it; the entire system of divine commands and deeds would be worthless. Imam Farahi and Allama Taha Jabir Alwani have also explained this point while discussing the human caliphate that the essential requirement for giving the responsibility of the caliphate to a human being is that he must possess complete freedom. Allama Ibn Ashur considers freedom as one of the objectives of the Islamic Shariat. Dr. Inayatullah Subhani, while talking about La Ikraha Fiddin [there is no compulsion in the Religion], describes freedom as one of the fundamental Islamic teachings and principles. In actuality, freedom is the best way to summarise all of Islam's teachings and the most complete and beautiful way to describe the Prophet's mission. According to Dr. Hakim al-Mutairi, Islam was created to grant people total freedom, and freedom is actually the spirit of monotheism. (Refer to Dr. Hakim Mutairi's Tahrirul Insan). It is also implied from the mention of the ancient prophets mentioned in the Qur'an, that the most important mission for each prophet was to lead people to freedom. The biggest and clearest example in this regard is the story of the Children of Israel and Pharaoh, which has been described many times in the Holy Quran. But every country swiftly rejected this lesson, enslaving its people and enforcing oppression. The religion of each following nation served as the excuse for this behaviour. The fact that Western philosophers saw religion, or this particular kind of religion, as a barrier to freedom and believed that separation from religion was also necessary for freedom was therefore not surprising. However, one must be perplexed as to why Islamic history was unable to give the theoretical and practical model of freedom that was a necessary prerequisite of the Qur'an and Sunnah despite the numerous, unmistakable teachings and instructions of freedom in Islam. Even Muslim intellectuals must recognise that history does not provide a realistic portrait of the Qur'an and the Sunnah when discussing freedom. (see al-Azamah al-Dusturiya fi al-Hazaarah al-Islamiyyah, by Dr. Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Shinqiti/ al-Hurriyyah wa al-Tufan by Dr. Hakim Mutairi). Islam in particular seems to have a very solid foundation of freedom that is more enduring and resilient than the foundations that are promoted in the West. The reason is that Western thinkers see freedom as a prerequisite for human honour, while according to Islamic teachings, everyone's freedom and the ability to enjoy the fruits of their chosen paths on the basis of that freedom are the fundamental conditions for the creation of the universe, for which each person will be held accountable before the divine court for their good or bad deeds. (Continued) ------ Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/freedom-islamic-principle-human-dignity-part-2/d/129823 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism