Muslim Youths and Involvement for Change
Stagnant?
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“A race that doesn’t believe in its own strength, cannot stand as a race of independence” (Soekarno)
A Muslim who realizes his responsibility as a vicegerent is a homo-Islamicus (Islamic Man). The life of an ‘Islamic Man’ is based on Tawheed. His life and death are grounded on the guidance of Tawheed which prepares a framework of ‘servitude’ to Allah SWT as the path to be taken.
According to the teachings of Islam, a homo-Islamicus is well aware of his fate as a creation, created by Allah as a vicegerent with the mission to complete two primary objectives that are to subjugate oneself to Allah (ibadah) by obeying His commands and abandoning His restrictions as well as carrying out ‘imarah’, that is to proper peace and to develop the world and prevent destruction. On the grounds of this mission, according to Islam, messengers and prophets were sent to mankind as reminders to remain consistent in carrying out the mission.
A homo-Islamicus is naturally a political resident and is born to succeed the mission of justice, peace and revolution in this world.
The mission is not a choice, but an obligation to bring forth the concept of ‘Khilafah’ through two measures namely; ibadah and imarah. Thus, in the teachings of Islam have emphasized the concept of upholding justice, opposing dictatorship and dictators, sacrifice, economic justice, defending the rights of the oppressed, advising and bringing down tyranny, being fair and equal, promoting the widespread of good, suppress evil and destruction and myriad mechanisms that advocate the manifestation of human well-being. The Arabic concept is known as ‘Jalb al-Mashālih fi Hayāt al-Nās wa Dar al-Mafāsid minha.’
In simpler words, the closeness of relationship of a Muslim individual with his deity is based on how far he has progressed in his relationship with other creations.
Politics and political involvement is an obligation in the life of a homo-Islamicus. The manifestation of a ‘non-political’ mindset is non-existent in the dictionary of a homo-Islamicus. As doing good to parents is an obligation, helping the poor is an obligation, respecting the rights of neighborhood is an obligation, averting riba’ is an obligation, political involvement is also an obligation. But, a sheer line of difference must be drawn between political involvement and party-based politics.
The understanding of political involvement confers a wider perspective. Political involvement should not be confined to only voting, political campaigns and attending political talks. Political involvement is in of itself a comprehensive framework to be understood. Under the framework of Tawheed, every inch of political involvement for the betterment of society and country is recognized as ‘Amal Soleh’ (Good deeds).
The conventional understanding of political involvement or political participation is blanketed around the freedom of speech, the mass influence on policy making, the involvement of the rakyat in choosing their leaders and the authority of the rakyat to be deemed accountable for the representatives they have chosen. During the age of POS-Governance that is after the term Good Governance was commercialized by the World Bank in 1989, the issue of political participation became more intensive.
The involvement of the rakyat was not limited to the political space and civic rights only, but was advanced to the governancial space. The wide boundaries of governancial space has diverged the space of political participation of rakyat to govern their own-selves, rather than to be governed by the elites. The rakyat today are not consumers but also policy makers of their own lives.
The civic spaces of politics, economy, welfare, preservation of the environment and other related spaces that were previously burdened on the shoulder of the government have now given effective space for the rakyat’s participation known as ‘citizen politics.’
With the involvement of civic spaces, homo-Islamicus are given the chance to prosper Good Deeds through political means.
Citizen Politics has entrusted every level of civil society to play a significant role to develop the society, country, and environment and in media platforms especially in new media and social media. This, has given homo-Islamicus to prospects to strengthening Iman and Taqwa through the aforementioned political participation. Religious rigidity in defining Good Deeds to be constricted in ritual activities must be rectified.
The activities of citizen politics such as political participation in the process of accountability is also a Good Deed, it may even be given superior rewards since the activity is not for oneself but for the betterment of a greater mass.
In short, participation of citizen politics is counted as Good Deeds the same as activities in civil societies and efforts to ensure good governance in the country is also deemed as Good Deeds as long as the responsibility bestowed by the rakyat is safeguarded.
It is clear that as the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, every Muslim individual has special singular responsibility. The Muslim Ummah is an Ummah with vision and mission. They are the chosen Ummah not because of neither their race, skin color nor because they are Muslim.
They can only be recognized as the chosen Ummah if they fulfill the pre-requisites that is to succeed the duties of the prophets in promoting the message and fight to uphold Tawheed on earth. Without carrying out that amanah, the Muslim identity of a Muslim shall not be guaranteed honor and hidayah from the Creator.
Translated from Dr. Maszlee Malik’s article “Pemuda Muslim dan Penglibatan Demi Perubahan” from his book “Risalah Pemuda Muslim.”
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