Social System of
Islam
By Ayatullah
Muhammed Beheshti
"We have made you (the true Muslims) a
balanced nation, so that you could be an example for mankind" (Surah al-Baqarah,
2:142).
What the Qur`an expressly desires is
that the Islamic society should be a model for all those who want to
lead a healthy and happy life. It should be a living testimony for the
exalted principle that the way to live a healthy life and secure justice
and fair play is not closed to human beings. It is they themselves who
should find it and follow it with consciousness, faith and persistence.
Society Man is a being that has for long been social and has been living
a collective life. A group of persons living together is called society.
Society may be defined as a group of individuals whose life is
correlated with each other because they have common desires or common
interests for the realization of which they work together. The formation
of such a group is sometimes accidental and sometimes intentional. In
the former case it is technically called Accidental Society and in the
latter Intentional Society.
Accidental
society
Suppose you go out to see the museum or
to have a walk in the public garden of your town. You find that there
are many other people also who have come there for the same purpose. You
and they practically form a group having a common object.
However, it is evident that the individuals forming such a group had no
prior intention to form it. Every one of them left his house without
having had any intention to do so. Such a group is called Accidental
Society.
Intentional
society
If you want to set up a social,
financial, political or educational institution and you do not have the
intellectual, physical and financial potentialities necessary to
undertake such a project, you try to find some other persons who may
co-operate with you in the undertaking. Thus a group or a small society
comes into existence, whose members joins each other and work together
with prior intention to do so. Such a group is called Intentional
Society.
Characteristics
of Accidental Society
In this type of society there is
co-existence, but there is no co-operation except that of a very
superficial nature and that too partial and of short duration.In this
sort of get-together the members of the group do not choose each other.
That is why they do not consider it necessary to have any previous
acquaintance with one another to be a member of that group. For example,
a passenger of a bus, a train, an airplane or a ship normally does not
feel any necessity at the time of purchasing his ticket to make
inquiries about the moral character of other passengers, their views and
their motives of journey. Normally such inquiries are not even possible.
He and other passengers are interested only in using a particular means
of transport for going from one place to another, and no deep and
extensive acquaintance is required to achieve this end.
Characteristics
of Intentional Society
This tie is lasting within the limits
of the objective of the society and continues to exist until the group
is dissolved for one reason or the other.
As this type of society comes into existence with the intention of
co-operation for the realization of a particular object, therefore, in
this case co-existence is coupled with co-operation and mutual and
reciprocal responsibility.
In this type of get-together members of the group select each other, and
as the way of thinking and doing of each one of them affects the destiny
of the others, they contemplate certain rules and criteria for the
membership of their group.
The co-existence and co-operation between the members of the group and
their mutual relations are based on the principles and rules accepted by
each member consciously and after careful study. Members of the group
work whole-heartedly for its growth and development.
A definite example of an intentional
society is a family, which in its Islamic form is a model for every
other such society. It has all the characteristics of an ideal
intentional society, such as:
The husband and wife choose each other
intentionally and willingly; With a view to lead a common life, With
common responsibility, With reciprocal rights and obligations based on a
definite social system accompanied by whole-hearted co-operation to
secure a better and more developed life for themselves and their
children.
Individual and
society
Man is a gregarious and social being.
There can be no doubt that the conditions of his life depend on the
conditions of the society in which he lives. But how and to what extent?
Is this dependence such that it does not in any way curtail the
independence of an individual to mould his life according to his own
choice? Or is it such that it makes him absolutely subservient to his
social environment? Or is it neither this nor that but has some
intermediate position?
These are three different views
regarding the relation of an individual with his social environment. We
propose to explain them further. It is the individual who is important.
According to this view, the main factor in molding the life of every
person is he himself and not the society, for the society is nothing but
a collection of individuals, who have learnt by experience that their
desires will be better fulfilled if they co-operate with one another,
and consequent to this experience they have been attracted to collective
life. Hence their incentive to lead a collective life is actually their
interest in the fulfillment of their personal desires.
All the social systems have been
devised by the individuals to safeguard their own interests. Hence
everywhere the hand of the individual is uppermost and it is his desire
and action that play the basic role. The corruption of society also
originates from the corruption of the individuals. If every individual
reforms himself, the whole society will automatically be reformed.
It is the
society which is important
According to this view the truth is
diametrically opposite to what is maintained by those who say that it is
the individual who is important. The exponents of this view hold that it
is the society and the social man which are the material reality in this
world and not an individual independent of others, for what we find on
the face of the earth is only a collection of men mutually correlated
and that is what is society. As in the world of nature every natural
being is subservient to a general and universal system of nature and is
not absolutely independent, similarly in the society an individual is
only a part of it; such a part that follows the whole unhesitatingly and
is governed by its over-all system. Even the ideas of an individual, his
way of thinking, his desires, his aspirations and his will are only a
reflection of his natural and social environment and the economic
conditions of his society and class.
Those who hold that it is the society
which is important, maintain that an individual is just like a cell in a
living body. A cell cannot be independent of the whole body and its
complex system, nor can it develop fully irrespective of the fact
whether the whole body is in a healthy and sound state or not. Similarly
an individual cannot be independent of the social system in which he
lives. He will have to go the way towards which the powerful social and
economic forces dominating the society will push him.
Some contemporary social schools have
gone to such an extent in their reliance on the importance of society as
explained above, that it appears as if man is a being totally dependent
on society or his class and has perforce to follow the way shown to him
by social and class environment without having the least possibility of
exercising his own will and choice. As the result of this view, the
principle, that everybody should reform himself so that the whole
society is reformed, gives place to another principle, which says that
it is the social system which should be changed and reformed so that the
individuals are automatically reformed.
It is the mixture
of the individual and the society which is important.
According to this view it is the mixture of the individual and the
society which is important. The individual is a being who is neither
fully independent of nor fully dependent on society. He has an
intermediate position. There is no doubt that the overall educational,
economic and political system of the society leaves its impression on
the individual, his ideas and his personality. It evokes certain
desires. in him and suppresses certain others. It moulds his life and
guides his will. Nevertheless its impact is not so strong as to make the
individual totally subservient to his social environment.
It is similar to the impact of the
natural environment on him. Unlike other existing things man is not also
totally subservient to his natural environment. In many cases he rules
over nature, and using his self-consciousness and harnessing his latent
inner forces tries to change his natural environment or to bring it
under his control. He stands in the same relation to his social and
class environment also. He does not completely submit to it. He tries to
understand the sociological laws and with the help of his knowledge and
his hidden powers tries to control and change his social environment to
his own advantage. He is not always reconciled with the existing social
system.
Hence, though the social changes have
their own laws and trends and most of them are due to the factors
working inside society as a whole, an appreciable amount of them takes
place as a result of the ceaseless efforts of self-conscious and
enthusiastic individuals also.
Thus neither the individual is exclusively important, nor the society
and the social system. What is important is a mixture of the two.
An overall study of the Islamic teachings shows that they are based on
this third view, that of the real importance of a mixture of individual
and society.
We find that the Islamic teachings
stress, on the one hand, the responsibility of an individual in regard
to self-making and environment-making, and on the other emphasize the
inevitable effect of the social atmosphere in giving shape to the ideas,
intentions, morals and actions of man to such an extent that it may be
said that all men are largely interdependent in shaping their destiny.
That is why the Qur`an wants everybody to find and tread the path of
righteousness and not to put up the corruption of environment as an
excuse for his own deviation.
"When the angels take away the souls of
those who are wronging themselves, they ask them: hi what circumstances
were you They will say: We were oppressed in our land. (The angels) will
say.' Was not Allah s earth vast enough for you to migrate2 It is they
whose abode is hell. What a bad fate!" .(Surah al-Nisa, 4:97).
Imam Ali (a.s) says very emphatically:
"You people must not be deterred and discouraged by the paucity of those
who are going on the right path .
At the same time man has been reminded that he should not be contented
with his being on the right way himself and must not neglect his duty of
improving his social environment. The fall of society leads to the ruin
of the good and the bad alike.
Imam al-Baqir (a.s) says: Then the
wrath of Allah reaches its height. His retribution overtakes all. The
virtuous are ruined along with the wicked, and the young in the house of
their elders.
That is why a Muslim, while holding his
individual responsibility, is a collectivist also. Whatever he seeks
from Allah, he seeks for us' and not for me'. Look at the supplication
we make to Allah in our daily prayers: "You alone we worship and You
alone we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path". Also look at the
ritual blessing at the end of the prayers: "Peace be on us and on the
virtuous bondmen of Allah ".
The stress laid by Islam on exhortation
to good' and restraining from evil' being the reciprocal responsibility
of all the members of the society, whatever be their position, the
drawing of attention to the deep effects of the purity and the pollution
of the social environment and the emphasis on other factors touching
faith and morality such as the economic conditions, are some other signs
which clearly show that the doctrines and injunctions of Islam are based
on the principle of the importance of a mixture of the individual and
the society.
From what has been stated above
briefly, we come to the following conclusions:
- Islamic society is an intentional and
not -an accidental society. It has come into existence by the will of
the people on the basis of the choice of a definite goal of life.
- It is a society all the systems and laws of which pay full heed both
to the individual and to the relative role of his will and conscious
choice as well as to the social system and the educational, political
and economic conditions of the environment and their inevitable role in
moulding and building the individual character.
In our opinion to pay attention to
these two points is essential for the correct understanding of the
social economic, moral and devotional teachings of Islam, and their
difference from what is preached by other schools of thought.
Social System
In every society, especially an
intentional society, there always exists a sort of method or system
which determines:
The general ways and customs of
society;
· The way of its administration;
· Mutual relations of its members, and
· Thee relations of every member with the whole society;
· The rights and obligations arising out of these relations.
For an example take the case of a
trading or an industrial concern. From the very beginning it is
necessary that its aim, the method and the means of the realization of
this aim, the way of the administration of the company, the
functionaries responsible for the ~working of each section of it, the
rights and powers of every share-holder, every office-bearer and the
general body and all such other questions should be decided in advance,
and that the company from its very establishment should work
accordingly.
Is it possible that a company is
established or run without deciding all these details? Obviously not.
The same applies to a society also. From a small professional union to
the world society every organization requires a system and fixed rules
and regulations for its working.
The sum-total of the rules, the system and the basis according to which
a society works, is called the social system.
Just Social
System
We know that only a healthy and
balanced body can continue to grow properly. Any kind of defect in the
limbs or a system of the body will cause disturbance and weakness. If
the temperature of the body goes above what is normal, the result will
be high fever and a general crisis. If its temperature goes below
normal, weakness and some other kind of imbalance will ensue. The
excessive increase or decrease in the degree of blood pressure, in the
number of white and red globules, in the quantity of the vitamins
necessary for the body - all these cause a sort of imbalance and some
disease or other. One must combat strenuously these diseases (and
imbalances) in order to bring about all round equilibrium, or otherwise
be ready to decay and die. As we have seen, this kind of balance is
necessary in human and spiritual matters also. Too much or too little
satisfaction of the desires of man is injurious to his humanity.
Society
The strong mutual attachment of a group
of individuals brings about the existence of a sort of social entity
called society. Anyhow, its members retain their individual character
and the independence of their will. Like the physiological and human
existence of an individual, the entity of society is also governed by
certain laws, which of course, exclusively pertain to it. The survival
of society depends on the existence of a social equilibrium in
accordance with these laws.
If there exists all round justice in
society, conditions will be favourable for its growth and development,
and generally speaking, the evolutionary movement of society will be in
conformity with the evolutionary course of the entire world. On the
other hand, any kind of injustice will be a cause of disturbance,
retrogression and decay of society. It is one of the principal aims of
Islam to establish justice and to bring about complete equilibrium in
Islamic society. The Qur'an says: "Indeed We sent Our Messengers with
clear evidence and We revealed with them the Scriptures and the standard
to show what was right and what was wrong, so that people might conduct
themselves with fairness ~ (Surah al-Hadid, 57:25).
In order to know the factors which cause equilibrium in society, the
following factors should be taken into consideration:
Equality of men
We know that for the establishment of
equilibrium it is necessary that every thing should be in its place. As
all men are basically equal, Islam does not admit that any individual
has any special position. All men have been born of one ancestor and
have a common nature. The difference in rights on the basis of race,
class, tribal attachments etc., which existed among certain nations, is
totally denied by Islam. Islam declared its view on this subject at a
time when social groupings, discrimination in position, difference in
rights were considered to be natural and rational in the biggest
civilized and eminent countries of the day. Islam does not believe that
any particular group or class has been born for subjection and any other
group for mastership. No group has been born dirty nor any other group
for executive and administrative jobs. No groups has come into existence
to have the status of the beasts while others enjoy human dignity, as
was the religious, legal and social position under the out-dated systems
of yore.
Islam officially proclaimed that:
· "All men are equal like the teeth of a comb
· "You are descendants of Adam and Adam was made of day.
"This nation of yours is one nation and I am your Lord. Therefore
worship Me . (Surah al-Anbiya 21:92).
In fact all men are slaves of Allah and
brothers of each other. They all form one group and belong to one class.
Legal Justice
With that conception of divine
cosmology which Islam has in regard to man, it is naturally necessary
that among individuals there should exist a sort of unity, harmony and
equality in the matter of basic legal rights. When it is not recognized
that any particular position in society is reserved for any particular
individual or group, none can claim that any high position or a superior
job is his exclusive prerogative, nor can any one consider others to be
destined to obey him and to do only menial work. Naturally for no
particular group there exist any special rights or fixed privileges, nor
for others lesser rights and privileges.
On the basis of this conception,
justice does not mean the subjection and privation of the vast majority
and the enjoyment of all the comforts of life by a particular class of
individuals having the right of exploiting others for their own benefit.
None has any special position and all are capable of developing their
talents and showing their ability. In this context justice means the
provision of equal opportunities to all individuals to promote and show
their talents, and to go forward up to the limit of their capacity.
Elimination of
undue discrimination under Islamic conception
If we look at man from a purely
material angle, it is quite likely that we should arrive at a conclusion
untenable intellectually and ideologically. For example, if we consider
man only as a living being having various faculties of growth and
reproduction and having certain physiological and biological
characteristics culminating in a developed nervous system and brain, we
will notice that there is a vast difference between various individuals
from the point of view of their physical activity, colour of skin, power
of muscles, shape of limbs, height, weight and the ability to do various
physical jobs.
If we define man as a tool-making
being, we will find that all men are not alike in tool-making ability
and manual skills. Similarly if we judge man and his human value by his
power of production, we shall see that in this respect also there is a
vast difference from individual to individual. On this basis, it may
look to be a part of human nature that there should be a difference in
the position and the legal rights of different individuals. This kind of
philosophy leads us to the ancient system of grouping and paints
discrimination in natural and rational colors.
But according to the divine view of
Islam, humanity of man neither lies in his veins, skin or bones nor in
the growth of his muscles, his working power or his tool making. It lies
in the fact that man is a self-conscious being having independence of
will and power of choice. On this basis all men are human beings
possessing human values. Even from material point of view, what is
important is that all men are made of clay, which is their common
feature. Their nature is the same. According to this view the question
of any human and natural discrimination does not arise.
Economic Justice
As we have already learnt, basically
ownership is concentrated in Allah. All the natural resources which can
be exploited by man are as a principle Allah's property. All men have
been created by Him and they live on His gifts. According to this'
conception of cosmos, natural wealth is not the private property of
anybody in society.
No particular group or class can claim
its ownership and deprive others of its use or to reduce them to the
status of serfs. All natural resources belong to Allah. They are for the
benefit of all. Justice means that, in the words of the Qur'an, wherever
a man finds his means of living or in the words of Imam Ali a.s, whoever
has a spark of life, he should have a right to acquire his sustenance
Social justice in financial matters means that all yes all should be
able to get all the necessities of life.
Freedom of thinking and acquirement of
knowledge We know that man is a being ready for evolution and moving
forward. Hence the social position of an individual in society is
represented by the opportunity that opens for him the way to evolution
and development, and even protects and guides him on this way, so that
he may attain his natural and human rights. For example, man has the
power of thinking and choosing. Therefore a just society is that which
provides him the opportunity of exercising his free will, gives him
freedom of thought and does not impose on him the will and desire of any
particular class. Suppression of the freedom of thought in any way
hampers evolution and deprives man of his innate and God-given right.
A just society gives man the right of making free and conscious choice.
Man is not expected to make his choice
with his eyes and ears closed nor under duress and pressure against the
dictates of his conscience. The suppression of the right of choice is a
deviation from the normal human course. It causes disequilibrium in
society. Anyhow, in regard to these questions it is a social necessity
that guidance and constructive opportunities are provided to man to
enable him to think rightly and make his choice rightly. But in
providing this guidance there is a lurking danger which must carefully
be avoided. Guidance must be earnest and selfless. It should be provided
for the service of man, to make his hidden capacities bloom, and not
with a view to exploit him and mar his humanity.
Man has also the capability to learn
and attain knowledge. Attainment of knowledge is his birth-right. A just
society is that which provides an opportunity to everyone to gain
literacy, to make higher studies and to acquire proficiency in skills
and arts. Profit is the result of work and all-round activity It is the
right of every individual to profit by the natural resources. But that
is possible only as the result of his exerting himself and doing work.
Therefore, it is necessary that an opportunity of working and making
some sort of useful effort should be provided to every individual, and
everyone should be guided and trained to make full use of his
intellectual, mental and practical creativeness, so that he may be
engaged in constructive activity and may profit by the natural gifts as
the result of his own efforts.
Privation is the result of
encroachment. It should not be forgotten that man is a social being, and
an individual has to live with others in society. It is not the right of
any one individual, but it is the right of all individuals that all
possibilities of growth and development should be provided to them.
Hence, the education of one must not be at the cost of keeping others
uneducated, and the employment of some must not be at the cost of the
unemployment of others. Similarly the enjoyment of the comforts of life
by some should not be the cause of the privation of others.
It may be noted that according to the
view held by Islam it is not because some individuals have secured their
rights that others are deprived of theirs. It is, in fact, because of
the transgression and excess of some individuals that others are
deprived of their rights. Imam Ali (a.s) has said: "I have never seen
any hoarded money', without there being neglected rights' besides it. He
has also said: "No one remains hungry, except for the reason that some
rich man has availed himself of too much. There can be no privation if
everybody is satisfied with what is his due. |