Friday, May 16, 2008
I AM not sure what will happen to our generation in the next decades. The world is becoming more and more polluted.
Probably, they will not be able to set their eyes on the various species of beautiful animal and plants exist today. Clouds bearing acidic compounds, seas contaminated with toxic, forest devastation and polluted air. That is the kind of life looming over them.
They probably will not be able to make out the meaning of the beauty of nature, the clear cold water of a river, the beautiful greenness of trees, clean sea and fresh cool air.
To them, the world is all about pollution. They will probably not be able to understand the beautiful poetry illustrating natures beauty inherited from the previous generation.
Even more, they will probably regard it as a mere imagination of the writer or a history that will never repeat itself.
It is even highly unlikely for them to create art reflecting the natural beauty of the world.
That is only possible if they are capable to use their imagination just as the painters these days are imagining a world that is vibrant with colors like the land of Fairytopia.
That is the consequence when pollution conquers the world.
The future generation will say that the world is naturally dirty. They will not know that the world is not created dirty, that it has actually been polluted by humankind.
It is similar with the issue of halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). The world is originally full with things that are halal and not haram.
Everything in this world was created for humankind except for a few things that are forbidden as a way to test our devotion to Allah as well as for our own benefit.
Because of that, if we were to pick up a piece of paper and list down all the types of food and drinks that are forbidden by Allah, the list will be very short. Probably, it will not even fill up the whole page. However, if we were to list down all the things that are halal, surely we will not cover everything.
Therefore, the principle in Islam is that The fundamental ruling of all matters or things is harus (permissible) rather than haram.
Thus, based on this principle, all kinds of food, drinks and action are permissible as long as there is no evidence forbidding it.
It is not the principle of Islam to deem everything haram until it is proven halal. Only in matters of ibadah (acts of worship) does Islam forbid its followers from performing until proven that it is allowed by the authoritative texts of al-Quran and al-Sunnah. This is to prevent fabrications in religion and the misuse of the name of Allah to justify ones fabrication.
As for matters concerning the daily affair, one can eat and drink or do anything as long as there is no evidence indicating that it is forbidden in Islam. I always use this example to illustrate this line of reasoning.
If we find an animal that we do not have any knowledge of its name, are confident that it will not harm us if we eat it, thus although its name is unknown to us the ruling is that it is halal to eat. This religion is easy and full with blessing.
Allah says (translated as): "Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made His bounties flow to you In exceeding measure, (Both) seen and unseen?" (Surah Luqman: 20)
The sphere of halal in Islam is too wide while the sphere of haram is too small and too little.
Even if Allâh decrees things as haram such as gambling and alcoholic drinks, that is based on His Supreme Wisdom for the wellbeing of humankind.
In addition to that, it is also a test to humankind to symbolize our devotion to Him. Every matter and action is permissible unless there are authoritative texts that prohibit it.
Therefore, the scope of halal is vast. If there are complaints saying that Islam always decrees this and that as haram, it is because either the world has been contaminated or we have been deliberately constricting ourselves.
* Translation by Umm Hajar
Minda Mufti
Probably, they will not be able to set their eyes on the various species of beautiful animal and plants exist today. Clouds bearing acidic compounds, seas contaminated with toxic, forest devastation and polluted air. That is the kind of life looming over them.
They probably will not be able to make out the meaning of the beauty of nature, the clear cold water of a river, the beautiful greenness of trees, clean sea and fresh cool air.
To them, the world is all about pollution. They will probably not be able to understand the beautiful poetry illustrating natures beauty inherited from the previous generation.
Even more, they will probably regard it as a mere imagination of the writer or a history that will never repeat itself.
It is even highly unlikely for them to create art reflecting the natural beauty of the world.
That is only possible if they are capable to use their imagination just as the painters these days are imagining a world that is vibrant with colors like the land of Fairytopia.
That is the consequence when pollution conquers the world.
The future generation will say that the world is naturally dirty. They will not know that the world is not created dirty, that it has actually been polluted by humankind.
It is similar with the issue of halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). The world is originally full with things that are halal and not haram.
Everything in this world was created for humankind except for a few things that are forbidden as a way to test our devotion to Allah as well as for our own benefit.
Because of that, if we were to pick up a piece of paper and list down all the types of food and drinks that are forbidden by Allah, the list will be very short. Probably, it will not even fill up the whole page. However, if we were to list down all the things that are halal, surely we will not cover everything.
Therefore, the principle in Islam is that The fundamental ruling of all matters or things is harus (permissible) rather than haram.
Thus, based on this principle, all kinds of food, drinks and action are permissible as long as there is no evidence forbidding it.
It is not the principle of Islam to deem everything haram until it is proven halal. Only in matters of ibadah (acts of worship) does Islam forbid its followers from performing until proven that it is allowed by the authoritative texts of al-Quran and al-Sunnah. This is to prevent fabrications in religion and the misuse of the name of Allah to justify ones fabrication.
As for matters concerning the daily affair, one can eat and drink or do anything as long as there is no evidence indicating that it is forbidden in Islam. I always use this example to illustrate this line of reasoning.
If we find an animal that we do not have any knowledge of its name, are confident that it will not harm us if we eat it, thus although its name is unknown to us the ruling is that it is halal to eat. This religion is easy and full with blessing.
Allah says (translated as): "Do ye not see that Allah has subjected to your (use) all things in the heavens and on earth, and has made His bounties flow to you In exceeding measure, (Both) seen and unseen?" (Surah Luqman: 20)
The sphere of halal in Islam is too wide while the sphere of haram is too small and too little.
Even if Allâh decrees things as haram such as gambling and alcoholic drinks, that is based on His Supreme Wisdom for the wellbeing of humankind.
In addition to that, it is also a test to humankind to symbolize our devotion to Him. Every matter and action is permissible unless there are authoritative texts that prohibit it.
Therefore, the scope of halal is vast. If there are complaints saying that Islam always decrees this and that as haram, it is because either the world has been contaminated or we have been deliberately constricting ourselves.
* Translation by Umm Hajar
Minda Mufti