Tag: Minorities

Entrevista: Mujahid Fletcher (Islam in Spanish)

Nacido y criado en Colombia hasta la edad de 8 años, Mujahid Fletcher emigró con su familia a Houston, TX. Sin embargo, tras una adolescencia llena de violencia pandillera y serios problemas, sus padres lo mandaron de vuelta a su país de origen donde, Fletcher dice, su vida dio un giro positivo. Permaneció en Colombia dos años y regresó nuevamente a Houston. Poco tiempo después, un amigo le hablo acerca del Islam. Después de estudiar la religión por un año, decidió abrazar el Islam, y luego fundó IslamInSpanish (IslamEnEspañol), una organización sin fines de lucro que ofrece productos y servicios audiovisuales islámicos en español. IslamInSpanish recientemente celebró su décimo aniversario con un banquete y recaudación de fondos en Dallas, TX.

P ¿Cuáles han sido algunas de las dificultades que has encontrado como un nuevo musulmán?

R Algunos meses después de que me convertí en musulmán, ocurrieron los atentados del 11 de septiembre, y me di cuenta durante ese tiempo que no había ninguna materia en español para darle a mi padre ni a cualquier otra persona que quería saber del Islam. La Sociedad Islámica de Greater Houston me pidió que hablara con la prensa hispanohablante para informar al público sobre el Islam, y después de explicarle más a mi papá acerca de la religión, él se convirtió tres meses después de mí. Luego me dijo que si no existía ningún material audiovisual para educar a la gente latina acerca del Islam, entonces debería ser mi responsabilidad producirlo. Este reto me llevo a mí y a mi esposa a matricularnos en el Instituto de Arte de Houston para obtener licenciaturas en Multimedia y Diseño Gráfico. Lo que nos motivo fue el hecho de que los musulmanes parecían muy débiles o no suficientemente preparados para presentar al Islam en los medios de comunicación de una manera efectiva, de tal manera que hicimos esto nuestro objetivo en la vida, y nos graduamos con honores siendo una pareja joven de nuevos musulmanes latinos de 22 y 24 años.

P ¿Qué has contribuido para el dawah a los hispanohablantes y en general (incluyendo a tu familia)?

R Una de mis humildes contribuciones al dawah en el idioma español es la fundación de IslamInSpanish, que por más de diez años ha producido el material islámico audiovisual en español tan necesario para educar a los latinos sobre el Islam a nivel mundial. Yo soy el fundador, y como tal, un productor de cine y televisión. Mi padre ha sido el narrador y mi esposa es la diseñadora gráfica para la compañía. Mi madre, mi suegra y su hermana, y muchos otros en nuestra familia han abrazado el Islam, al igual que miles de otros a nivel mundial por medio de nuestra página web www.IslamInSpanish.org y otros medios sociales como www.Facebook/IslamEnSpanish, nuestro canal en YouTube IslamInSpanishTV que tiene miles de visitantes, y a través de canales locales de televisión y también internacionales desde Madrid, España.

P ¿Qué otro tipo de servicios ofrece IslamInSpanish?

R También se nos invita a lugares públicos como universidades, Iglesias, sinagogas, Sam’s Club, convenciones, y otras avenidas, para hablar en inglés y en español acerca de lo que es el Islam y el punto de vista latino dentro del Islam. Yo, personalmente, he tenido la oportunidad de hablar en la Universidad de Harvard, la Universidad Rutgers, iglesias Unitarias, estaciones de radio católicas, Sam’s Club para entrenamiento de sensibilidad cultural durante el mes de Ramadán, y estaré hablando en una clase de confirmación en una sinagoga el próximo mes. Los propietarios de negocios musulmanes incluso piden que visitemos a sus empleados que están interesados en aprender del Islam.

P ¿Cuáles son algunos de los obstáculos que ha tenido que superar en sus proyectos educativos?

R Un problema que tenemos es que la producción de multimedia es costosa por el hecho de que requiere personal con entrenamiento técnico y requiere mucho tiempo. A pesar de las limitaciones presupuestarias y el desafío de encontrar las personas con las habilidades para llevar a cabo nuestros proyectos de producción ambiciosos, IslamInSpanish ha producido el primer set de 26 CDs de una traducción española del Corán, así como la producción de audios en español de otras obras clásicas como Los 40 Hadices de Al Nawawi, El Néctar Sellado (Biografía del Profeta Muhammad), y CDs muy informativos como Conozca a Jesús y María en el Islam, Conozca el Corán, y Conozca al Profeta del Islam.

P En tu opinion, ¿Cuáles son algunos de los más grandes logros de?

R Hoy somos la primera fuente auténtica de multimedia islámico en español para educar a los latinos sobre el Islam, y ahora después de diez años estamos a punto de viajar a zonas donde las personas quizás no sepan de nosotros o donde no se han celebrado eventos en vivo, con el fin de aumentar nuestro alcance y la conciencia. En los últimos cinco años hemos recaudado e invertido 200.000 dólares en nuestro estudio de producción llamado “Centro de Artes de Medios de Andalucía (www.AndaluciaCenter.org).” Hemos producido en los últimos diez años, más de 500 títulos de audiolibros y 200 programas de televisión hasta la fecha.

Llevamos a cabo una firma de puertas abiertas para los latinos no musulmanes en los EE.UU. titulado “Raíces islámico en la cultura latina” – “Raíces Islámicas en la Cultura Latina” – donde cientos de personas han abrazado el Islam. Otros talleres de eventos en vivo se les da a los no musulmanes. Dos clases de español semanales se llevan a cabo en Houston y dos sermones españoles se entregan mensualmente, que es una actividad pionera que esperamos, en el futuro, que tendrá lugar durante todo los EE.UU.

P ¿Cuál es la mejor manera de presentar el Islam a los latinos aquí [en nuestros países]?

R En primer lugar, hemos aprendido que la clave es conectarse con la gente basada en la situación que se encuentran. En general, todos queremos el bien para nosotros mismos y para nuestras familias. Si hay una oportunidad para ayudar a alguien, mucha gente lo haría. La manera que nos dirigimos a las personas cuando hablamos con ellos es de la misma manera que nosotros quisiéramos que ellos nos hablen. Nunca se trata de debatir o discutir, porque esto abre la puerta de la negatividad. Esto es una regla mayor que se encuentra en el Islam y es una regla universal.

En segundo lugar, nos acercamos a la gente para levantar los puentes de comprensión entre nosotros a nivel humano para poder conocernos bien. Si no nos conocemos, eso es cuando los problemas ocurren; no importa la raza, cultura, o afiliación religiosa. Y hemos sido creados para conocernos, basado en un verso en el Corán, en la Surah (Capítulo) al-Huyurat 49:13 –

“¡Oh, humanos! Os hemos creado a partir de un hombre [Adán] y una mujer [Eva], y [de su descendencia] os congregamos en pueblos y tribus para que os conozcáis unos a otros. En verdad, el más honrado de vosotros ante Alá es el más piadoso. Ciertamente Alá es Omnisciente y está bien informado de lo que hacéis”.

En tercer lugar, el idioma juega un papel enorme en la comunicación, por eso escogimos el nombre IslamInSpanish. Hablamos el idioma de nuestra gente, porque esta es la manera de comunicar el mensaje de manera natural – en nuestro propio idioma –como hicieron los mensajeros enviados por Alá, tal como Adán, Noé, Abrahán, Moisés, Jesús, y Muhammad (que la paz este con todos ellos). Alá menciona esto en el Corán en la Surah Ibrahim 14:4 –

“Todos los Mensajeros que enviamos hablaban el idioma de su pueblo para transmitirles claramente el Mensaje. Pero sabed que Alá extravía a quien Le place y guía a quien quiere; ciertamente Él es Poderoso, Sabio”.

Por lo tanto, se establece el sentido más profundo de comunicación entre ambas partes, y el corazón del que escucha se conecta al corazón del que habla basado en la cultura y el idioma que comparten. Esta es la razón que los eventos de IslamInSpanish son organizados en el idioma de la gente que sirven. Si la audiencia habla inglés, podemos presentar la información en inglés también, pero cuando una persona de habla hispana escucha la misma información en su lengua natal, su impacto y efecto son duraderos y los lleva al punto de aceptación, o al menos, de empatía hacia el Islam y los musulmanes.

Para más información acerca de IslamInSpanish, consulte:

La página web: www.IslamInSpanish.org

Número telefónico gratuito: 1 (877) 717-4961

www.IslamInSpanish.org

www.facebook.com/islamenspanish

www.youtube.com/user/IslamInSpanishTV

December 30, 2014
The Case for the “Fiqh of Muslim Minorities”

Can a Muslim live a pious or just life in a society where Muslims are a minority? Some Muslims wonder. Some non-Muslims (especially some agenda-driven pundits and Islamophobes) also raise a question: Can Muslims be loyal citizens in the West? These questions may not be burning issues or the reflections of widely held views, but these are certainly present in our contemporary debates and discourses, and therefore, they deserve adequate attention and answer. Since the “Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat” or “Fiqh for the Muslim Minorities” deals with these issues, we have decided to make this subject the “cover story” for the current issue of The Message.
It’s true that many medieval jurists viewed the world from a binary perspective—“Dar-ul-Islam” (Abode of Peace) and “Dar-ul-Harb” (Abode of War) and advised Muslims not to live in a non-Muslim land permanently. Their argument was that where Muslims are a minority, they live not only under non-Muslim political authority, but their environment also becomes surrounded by moral laxity and all sorts of transgressions. Therefore, Muslims have no choice, according to these jurists, but to migrate from a non-Muslim land to a Muslim land. Many scholars (both medieval and contemporary), however, contested and refuted this “fatwa” on the ground that in Islamic religious texts (i.e., the Quran and Sunnah), no clear divine prohibition on residence in non-Muslim land exists. As a matter of fact, sometimes the situation in the so-called “Muslim land” could be more hostile to the Islamic lifestyle than the “non-Muslim land.” The majority scholars thus view that if certain conditions are met, especially if the freedom to “manifest one’s religion” is present, residence anywhere is permissible.

Fiqh Al-Aqalliyyat deals with the
daily problems that arise for millions of Muslim individuals living in the West or in similar minority situations

Sheikh Taha Jaber Al-Alwani has rightly pointed out that “the classical and medieval jurists ignored the need for a systematic formulation of the status of Muslims as minorities”. Today, among the 1.57 billion Muslims worldwide, at least one third of them—if not more—live as minorities, and many of them reside in the west. Among these western Muslims, many are actually native born and, therefore, there is no such place for them that they can “return” to. The challenge these Western Muslims (and the Muslim minorities elsewhere) are confronting today is how to ensure their integration in these societies without the loss of their religious identity. The good news is that Fiqh of Muslim Minorities seeks to provide that answer (or solution).

Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat, to put it simply, deals with the daily problems that arise for millions of Muslim individuals living in the west or in similar minority situations. It tries to resolve conflicts with the culture and values of the host/native societies from within the framework of Islamic jurisprudence. According to Alwani, “It is not meant to give minorities’ privileges or concessions not available to Muslim majorities; on the contrary, it aims to project minorities as representative models or examples of Muslim society in the countries in which they live. It is the fiqh of model communities, elites, and a rigorous, rather than frivolous or concessionary, approach. Based on the rules and fundamentals of this fiqh, a number of parameters have been identified which may define our method in responding to questions from minority members” (Towards a Fiqh for Minorities: Some basic Reflections, IIIT: 2003, pp.3-4).
This, however, is not to suggest that the ruling in two different situations will always remain the same. Since the ‘fiqh for the minorities’ as a discipline takes into account the relationship between the religious ruling and the conditions of the community and the location where it exists, obviously, the fuqaha take into consideration a ‘sensitive’ appreciation of the social context. While answering a question, the jurists carefully examine the wider social context in which this question arises, as well as the social implications of implementing the fatwa. Furthermore, “the fatwas should be guided not by a literalist reading of the sources of law, but, instead, should be shaped by the broader aims of the shariah (maqasid al-shariah), Islam’s missionary imperative as well as by the recognition of the fact that the shariah ‘permits all that is clean and wholesome and forbids what is harmful,’ and hence is ‘aimed at making life easier and more convenient.” After all, ‘the fulfillment of religious obligations is concomitant upon human ability’.

At a time when the Muslim community (ummah) is passing through many challenges that require creative, sensitive, and sound answers, it’s a matter of great relief and hope that the Fiqh Al-Aqalliyyat is being applied to address some of those challenges. Fiqh of Minorities, therefore, could be considered not only as a legitimate and timely ijtihad for Muslims, but it’s indeed a window through which the rest of the world would be able to see the beauty of Islam as well.

January 12, 2011
Fiqh of the Muslim Minorities

“Fiqh of the minorities” (Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat) is a specific discipline that takes into account the relationship between the religious ruling and the conditions of the community, including the location where it exists. It is a fiqh that applies to a specific group of people living under particular conditions with special needs that may not be appropriate for other communities. The jurist in such a situation must not only have a strong background in Islamic sciences, but must also be well versed in sociology, economics, politics, and international relations relating to that community. The purpose of Fiqh al-Aqalliyyat is not to recreate Islam; rather it is a set of methodologies that govern how a jurist would work within the flexibility of the religion to best apply it to particular circumstances. Some of the methodologies include:

Redefining the Question

A wrong question can lead to a wrong answer. Before answering a question, the jurist must know the problem that caused the question and redefine the question to deal with the core issue involved. When the people asked the Prophet how the moon worked, their core issue was to understand its purpose. The answer came, “They ask you concerning the new moons. Say: they are but signs to mark fixed periods of time for people and pilgrimage” (Al-Quran, 2:189). The Quran reworked the question and answered regarding the purpose of the cycle of new moons, not regarding the scientific mechanism that runs it.

Example #1: A questioner asks, “Is it forbidden (haram) for a Muslim woman to be married to a non Muslim, and what should one do?”

The standard answer based on the Quran is that it is forbidden for a Muslim woman to be married to a non-Muslim, so she should be divorced immediately. However, in this particular case, the circumstances are as follows:

The woman has just converted to Islam, and she has a husband and two young kids. The husband is very supportive, but is not at this time interested in converting. The woman was told immediately after converting that she had to divorce her husband of 20 years.
Within these circumstances, the question should have been, “Is it worse for a Muslim woman to be married to a non-Muslim husband or for her to leave the religion?”

The answer is that leaving the religion is much worse, so it is acceptable for her to continue with her marriage, and she is responsible before Allah on Judgment Day.

Example #2: A questioner asks: “Is it forbidden to be involved in an un-Islamic government or institution?”

The standard Fiqh answer would be that yes, it is forbidden, because you do not want to be corrupted by the system or be seen as supporting a corrupt system in front of other weaker Muslims who might be negatively influenced. However, in this particular case the circumstances are as follows:

The government’s actions can be influenced by being involved in the system. The government has secular authority over the Muslims in that country and gives them the right to freely practice their religion. The Muslims are awarded by the government the right to hold public office. The government currently exerts laws and policies that are not in the best interest of the global or local Muslim community. The Muslims have the obligation of spreading their religion.

With this information, the question must be redefined to reflect the totality of the situation: Is it permissible for Muslims to participate in the political arena of a democratic government in order to affect policy in favor of the Muslims, or is it better to not get involved for fear of being corrupted by the system?

Under these circumstances the answer is that it is permissible and an obligation on the part of the Muslim community to get involved as long as they are not forced to sacrifice their integrity. For the community, it would be considered a type of jihad. If a particular member of the community feels himself/herself to be too weak in religion, then there is no harm if that person does not directly participate, but supports financially or in other ways instead.

Learning from Prior Rulings

The golden rule of Fiqh is “changes of Al-‘Ahkam (judgments) are permissible with the change in times.” The schools of fiqh and the past judgments were different because they were generated for different times and different people. For this reason, a jurist should not apply prior historical rulings to modern situations without a careful analysis of the circumstances and reasoning that generated the prior ruling.

For example, the Prophet (pbuh) first forbade visiting cemeteries; then he allowed it later saying, “Formerly, I forbade you from visiting cemeteries. You may visit them for they remind you of Al Akhira (i.e. the next life). The reason is that there were some bad pagan customs surrounding cemeteries, and he wanted to distance his people from that. After a time when the Muslims were stronger in their belief, the restriction was no longer necessary, so it was removed. Indeed, there are many documented cases of the four enlightened caliphs making changes to the established rulings. Occasionally, minor or major changes were even made to the rulings of the Prophet (pbuh), because the circumstances had changed.

Things to keep in mind regarding the early Jurists rulings:

Many early scholars did not thoroughly document how they arrived at rulings.

Many mistakes are found in historical books on fiqh because the jurists did not always have access to all of the relevant material. It has been only recently that jurists have been able to make computer searches to speed up research on issues.

The Muslims were not under conditions such that they had to escape to non-Islamic countries seeking lost rights or escaping from persecution.

The concept of citizenship, duties of a citizen, international law, and diplomatic relations did not exist in the form that they are today.

In ancient times, the language of military power was supreme. A country’s borders were only established because the military found it difficult to move forwards.

Globalization did not exist. People in ancient times lived on a planet of islands.

Therefore, we should not fight each other over the literal rulings of the past. Rather, we should study the methodology, wisdom, and intent of the prior rulings to best understand how they should apply to the modern world. The mere stress on minor issues of rulings without understanding intent will inevitably cause us to become like the people of “Al-Baqarah”.

Understanding the Purpose and Intent

The central theme of fiqh is: the performance of man as inheritor of the earth particularly from the point of view of man’s compliance or resistance to the divine purpose of the creation and how he falls short of that purpose. The debate regarding the realties of man’s mind and our abilities to evaluate ourselves independent of revaluation has gone on for centuries. Islam recognizes the role of the human intellect as part of the decision-making process. Also, we are provided with two books to help guide us in our decisions, the revelation (Quran) and the moving cosmos, which is the sum total of all aspects of life. The study of each book leads to a better understanding of the other. Some of the criteria for the method of study that emerge to facilitate a better understanding of ultimate purposes are:

Realize the unity of message and structure within the Quran and studying its application by the Prophet (pbuh) in specific practical everyday matters. We should hold everything to the benchmark of the Quran. If a saying does not appear to be in keeping with the Quran, we should follow the Quran in such circumstances and simply acknowledge that we might not have all the information surrounding that Sunnah (i.e. the circumstances that generated it).

Be in line with the concept that the Quran and the Prophethood in general are a completion of the legacy of past prophets. The message and purpose have always remained the same but the form has changed as human society has matured.
Grasp the delicate differences between humanity and the individual and how the Quran relates to each.

Be alert to the inherit logic of the Quran and the parallel nature of that logic for both capturing the divine purpose and the spiritual logic of the All Knowing, and yet speaking to and being logical to the unlettered human mind.

Adopt the Quranic concept of geography on the basis that the world is completely for Allah, and so the Quran is inherently a global message and should be treated and understood as such.

Contemplate the facts of life, so that when a question is formulated, it is done while taking into consideration all aspects involved.
Understand the aims and purposes of the Shari’ah as well as the resulting outcomes.

Test the fiqh verdicts to evaluate their validity by seeing if they provoke the desired outcome of bringing people closer to the pure path of Allah.

A Fundamental Rule in Relations with Others

The following two Quranic verses express the golden rule defining the relationship between Muslims and others:

“God does not forbid you to be kind and equitable to those who have neither fought you on account of your religion nor driven you from your homes. God loves the equitable. But God only forbids you to be allies with those who have fought you because of your religion and driven you from your homes and abetted others to do so. Those that make friends with them are wrongdoers” (Al-Quran, al-Mumtahanah: 8-9).

These two verses set out the moral and legal foundation principle with which the Muslims must comply in their dealings with people of other faiths: kindness and justice towards all non-belligerent communities. All developments and new situations must be judged according to this principle. The relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims cannot deviate from the main framework.

Forbearance

Even if the Muslim minority’s proactive participation with the majority should entail certain courtesies that may blur or dilute some aspects of the minority’s behavior or qualities, other than the fundamentals of its faith, it would be acceptable and pardonable because without such participation a greater good would be forfeited. This is not a new situation for Islamic fiqh. It was something that Muslim scholars have tolerated ever since the end of the era of the first four caliphs. Muslims were facing two choices: affirmative participation with certain concessions demanded by the reality of the prevailing tyranny or passive association and withdrawal, leaving the Ummah easy prey for tyrants. They opted for the former because of what they knew of Islam’s positive and flexible attitude.

The Example of Abyssinia

The example we have of Muslims taking refuge in another country to protect themselves and their religion is the emigration to Abyssinia. Like today, the Muslims at that time were being persecuted in their homeland, and the Prophet (pbuh) sent them to Abyssinia because their rights would be protected there.

The Quraish (the leading tribe of Makkah) sent two emissaries to make a plea before the Abyssinia king Negus to return the refugees back to Quraish. Negus, however, was not about to make a judgment on people in absentia. So after hearing the arguments of the emissaries (Amr, and Abdullah), he asked to hear the defense of the Muslims. When Negus’s messenger informed the Muslims of Negus’s decision to hear them, they had a discussion amongst themselves and decided to stick to the truth no matter what. They also agreed upon Ja’far ibnu ‘Abi Talib as a spokesperson.

When they came before the King, the Muslims didn’t bow to the king, and when asked, they explained that they only bowed to Allah. Then Jafar said, “O King! We were a people in ignorance, we worshipped idols, rejected kin, abused our neighbors, and the strong among us oppressed the weak. We continued so until Allah sent us a prophet from among us. He invited us to worship the one God, leaving the idols of wood and stone, and to tell the truth, guard the trust, to keep good relations with both family and neighbors, to give charity. We have come to your country, chosen you and not anybody else, and desire being near you, and hope that we would not be treated unfairly in your audience, O king.”

The king was impressed with the Muslims argument and granted them “political asylum”. During their stay, they developed very strong relations with the Negus and his people, and when his throne was challenged, they prayed for him. Umm Salamah said, “We prayed to God to help the Negus prevail over his rivals and confirm his rule in his country.” The logical consequence of that relationship was that the Negus eventually embraced the religion of Islam.

Some lessons to learn

We should drop concepts like Darul-Islam and Darul-Kufr and consider all land to be for God as the Quran says:

“Moses said to his people: “Seek support from God and be patient, surly the earth is God’s to grant to the servants of his choice, and the best is for righteous” (Al-Quran, 7:128).

Existence of Muslims in any country should be planned on the basis of being permanent, not temporary or accidental. They (Muslims) must be a contributing factor to the society, should work together within the established system to better their position as long as they do not get so carried away that they sacrifice the core pillar of their religion.

We must present Islam in our words and deeds in the best possible way so that we gain the interest and respect of those around us.

Concluding Remarks

Fiqh relating to Muslim minorities is essentially derived from the general fiqh of Islam as a whole. It is in a similar category to the fiqh of fundamentals, priorities (al-awlawiyyat), contrasts (al-muwazanah), or realities, or to comparative fiqh, or the fiqh of ethics, etc. Accordingly, although this branch of fiqh includes several aspects of the general fiqh, it focuses specifically on issues affecting Muslim minorities living among non-Muslim majorities and endeavoring to preserve their identities under somewhat different customs, legislation, and laws.

“Fiqh for Minorities” is a collective discipline and should not be practiced on an individual basis. It is multifaceted, with differing aspects that render any individualistic approach potentially perilous. It comprises political, economic, cultural, social, and legal elements. The fiqh side of it requires appropriate treatment of facts and issues. No treatment can be correct without consideration of all aspects of the matter in question, a task that cannot be completely fulfilled by a single individual. It requires the collective input of several scientists and specialists from different social and religious disciplines. These people need to scrutinize and study the issue from all angles, especially those of a general nature, that affect the future of Muslim minorities in order to articulate the problems accurately and seek their solutions in fiqh. Indeed, the fiqh derived for these cases should not be based on partial evidence or facts commonly approved by jurists, but should be broadly based on the universal fundamentals of the Quran and Sunnah, as well as the established values and objectives (maqasid) of the Shariah.

Finally, what we have said so far regarding the fiqh of Muslim minorities is a mere introduction—it is intended to provoke interest in issues peculiar to Muslim minorities. Since this fiqh is open to debate and discussion, so should be its development, the documentation of its literature, and the elaboration of its means, methods, and tools. The author will be happy to receive from readers any suggestions or comments that may assist in further research and analysis.

January 12, 2011
Fiqh of Minorities: What Does It Deal With?

Fiqh (jurisprudential understanding) of Minorities is a contemporary terminology for issues that were discussed and presented by earlier fiqh scholars in a widely scattered form. The breadth of this term spans across intrapersonal issues as well as ibaadah (worship) matters. The following is a list of examples of topics covered by the Fiqh of Minorities:

Intrapersonal Issues: family matters, marriage, divorce, inheritance, wills, rights and duties of husband and wife, childcare related issues, extended families, convert Muslims, interfaith marriages, etc.

Ibaadah Issues: prayer timings, Jumu’ah midday prayer timing, combining prayers, praying in a vehicle, Qiblah (praying direction), Zakah (alms-giving) distribution, nisaab (Zakah threshold), tax evasion, insurance, compensation and wages, social welfare, traveling without a mahram (unmarriageable kin), halal zabeehah (animal slaughtering), interfaith dialogues, joining the military, participation in civic and political activism, janaazah (Islamic burial and funeral) matters, traditional and cultural norms and conflicts, citizenship, legal disputes, moon sighting, co-ed education, difference of opinions, schools and sects, etc.

The general details of these issues are not new, though specific circumstances may vary, but many contemporary scholars saw to it that the Masaa’il and Ahkaam (fiqh questions and their decrees) be extracted from the older text of fiqh and be compiled under one heading. Thus, this would allow for easier understanding, study, analysis, and synthesis of the many challenges faced by the practicing Muslims living as minorities. It would also allow for easier focus on their specific circumstances and their special needs within their cultural subtexts. In addition to recompiling previous decrees, the new Fiqh of Minorities would allow for developing and establishing new relevant decrees while fulfilling the following conditions:
Extracting decrees from the sacred texts within established and existing frameworks;
Remaining mindful of the conditions and capabilities of the subjects of the decrees and establishing suitability;
Understanding the context time and locale to address the challenges, and as such, the hukm (singular of ahkaam: decree) may vary from one context to another.

It is worthy of noting that in Usool-ul-Fiqh (jurisprudence), takleef (duty or imposition) is the implementation of hukm on a subject; however, there are numerous causes for exception or forgoing of enforcement, such as nisyaan (forgetfulness or mindlessness), jahl (ignorance), al-aafaat as-samawiyyah (the natural disasters), daroorah (necessity), ikraah (compulsion) as well as the expected outcome of living in non-Muslim countries, such as new acceptance of Islam, living where Islamic knowledge is not readily available.
Additionally, urf (norms or culture) plays a major role in shaping the context of the enforcement subject as well as the application of text, which varies from one time, place, and people to another. For example, certain traditions have established a set of objects or things as Islamic symbols; i.e. green color or the crescent. The term musallaa (place of prayer) meant the one place where all people of a locality gathered for an Eid prayer congregation, yet musallaa now refers to a to a smaller, rented or otherwise impermanent place or hall for daily prayers, while a Masjid refers to a permanent entity. As per varying urf practice, a Masjid may only be used for just praying or it may be a hub of numerous activities and services.

Fiqh is the science of deriving and extracting practical application and rules from the authentic sources for the implementation by the masses of Muslims

Reality on the ground and local needs of every place are also incorporated in shaping of the Fiqh of Minority jurisprudence and developing the applicable ahkaam from it. The fundamentals and sources of derivation remain agreeable and firm while the application and the details vary. For example, it is allowed to miss a jama’ah (congregation) for the prayers in poor weather conditions, but what counts as bad weather will differ with different locales, and as such, the ahkaam defined and derived will vary as well.

An important and more controversial issue is related to the division of different countries, states, and areas in different categories and zones by our earlier fiqh scholars; e.g. Dar-ul-Kufr (a non-Muslim or disbelieving state) and Dar-ul-Islam (an Islamic state). This is a fiqh-related issue as well an ijtihaadi (Islamic exegesis) matter. It is important to consider the following points with respect to the categorization of world zones: a. it was introduced in Madinah while the Prophet (pbuh) did not establish it in Makkah; b. the classification cannot exist independently from an existence of a Dar-ul-Islam, which itself has a strict definition and it differs from Dar-ul-Muslimeen (a Muslim state, exclusive or predominant); c. in the present time, this division is not existent and unsuitable, especially in the sense of a Dar-ul-Harb (a warring state). In fact, other categories may be more applicable, such as Dar-ul-Amaan or Dar-as-Sulh and Dar-ad-Da’wah; d. presently, numerous non-Muslim countries have opened up doors for all for citizenship, and they provide equal rights, freedom of faith and association for Muslims and others. The development and advancement of the Fiqh of Minorities will continue to lead towards more relevant and refined classifications and more suitable ahkaam will be derived therein.
Some scholars have disagreed with the new terminology given to the Fiqh of Minorities because that term has not been used in the past, but differing about terminology is no cause to overlook the necessity and applicability of this embranchment. As the Usool-ul-Fiqh scholars have stated: “No Quarrelling over Terminology”.

Fiqh of Minority is a step in the right direction and it can help the Muslims deal with the ever-growing challenges faced by Muslims living as minority communities

Fiqh is the science of deriving and extracting practical application and rules from the authentic sources for the implementation by the masses of Muslims. It seeks yusr (ease) while maintaining balance and keeping extremism away, which leads to fanaticism and disorder. Fiqh is a tool for attaining wihda (unity) as well when understood and applied correctly. It establishes the framework of prioritization, major issues ahead of minor ones, as well as a logical classification level of application, such as wajib (obligatory), sunnah (recommended), mubaah (allowed), makrooh (distasteful) and haraam (prohibited). It also provides guidelines for coexisting and maintaining amicable relations with each other while differing on details. Conflict emerges with faulty understanding of fiqh, mixing of fiqh’s practical rules with aqeedah (creed and belief) matters and with not establishing the priorities correctly.

Fiqh of Minority is a step in the right direction and it can help the Muslims deal with the ever-growing challenges faced by Muslims living as minority communities while remaining faithful to the practice of Islamic teachings along with a better appreciation and acceptance of accepted differences of opinion amongst themselves.

Fiqh of Minority may also serve as a great dawah (calling to Islam) tool, develop characters of individuals to cope with societal needs and challenges, and to organize the collective lifestyle and focus towards moral excellence. It is one way to show humanity that Islamic framework adapts to the challenges of all times and places and it provides a remarkable solution for all.

January 12, 2011

Tag: Minorities

Entrevista: Mujahid Fletcher (Islam in Spanish)

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