Civic Involvement: An Islamic Imperative: Islamicity

Islamica*

Muslims have to build social and political networks in order to improve the condition of society, argue two leading American scholars

HAMZA YUSUF and ZAID SHAKIR

Improving the world in which we live is an Islamic imperative. God says in the Qur'an, "You are the best of communities brought forth for mankind." (3:110) Abu Su'ud describes this verse in his commentary: This means the best people for others. This is an unambiguous expression which states that the good [mentioned here] lies in benefit provided to the people. This is also understood from the expression, "brought forth for mankind" -namely, brought forth to benefit them and advance their best interests.[1]

Our Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, said, "God will continue to assist the servant, as long as the servant is assisting his brother."[2] We can thereby understand that divine aid and succor will accrue to this community as long as we are providing the same to fellow members of the human family.

Historical basis for involvement

In today's socio-political environment, concern and benefit can be understood as civic involvement. The word "civic" is derived from the word "city." Hence, civic involvement refers to the meaningful ways in which a private citizen is best involved in the life of his or her city. Despite its appearance in a largely agrarian context, if we consider the nature of the dominant means of economic production at the time of its emergence, Islam is best associated with the city. Our Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, is identified with the city. God mentions in the Qur'an, "I swear by this city, and you are a free man of this city." (90:1-2)

The Prophet's migration was from Mecca to Medina, from one city to another. Islamic learning and culture is associated with great cities -Damascus, Baghdad, Cairo, Isfahan, Samarqand, Bukhara, Tashkent, Qayrawan, Fez, Cordova, Seville, Granada, Istanbul, Sarajevo, Zabid, Timbuktu, Delhi, and many others.

It was the involvement of Muslims in the lives of these cities, many of which were established before the arrival of Islam, which defined them in their historical contexts. As Muslims, our involvement in the life of our cities should similarly leave a lasting and positive mark on them. Surely we have much to offer in that regard. It is not without purpose that God has placed us in significant numbers in and around the great metropolises of America. Now is the time for our constructive involvement in the lives of these cities to commence.

Such involvement is especially critical in these times of political transformation and the redefinition of both the role and scope of government here in America. As the two major political parties become increasingly responsive to special interest groups, particularly those associated with big business, large unions, and wealthy individuals, their role as facilitators of democratic and civic involvement is being eroded. This shift in responsiveness is leading to what is referred to as a dealignment of those parties. This dealignment causes private citizens to search for new institutions to serve as their primary means of political involvement, which consequently results in the proliferation of smaller, grassroots civic organizations. The collective weight of these organizations and their facilitation of direct citizen involvement in local politics is viewed by some as the reinventing of American democracy.[3]

For more on this article, please click on the following link: Civic Involvement: An Islamic Imperative: Islamicity