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Presentation by Prof Dr Omar Hasan Kasule, Sr. MB ChB (MUK), MPH & DrPH (Harvard) at the 25th Ta’aruf and Intellectual Discourse (TIDE 25) held organized by the Office of the Deputy Rector (Academic) IIUM on 8th April 2005 CE / 29th Safar 1426 H at Century Mahkota Hotel Melaka.
ABSTRACT
The university can play a role by going into society and helping to solve the problem of social failure. This is done by doing research on the causes of social failure and then being involved in the planning, execution, and evaluation of social programs that will address the problems of social failure. This paper summarizes manifestations of social and programs that can deal with it as a basis for workshop discussions. Social failure manifests as unhealthy lifestyles, sexual perversions, poverty, and violence. Programs to address social failure include: Dawa, amre and nahy, social re-engineering, academic and professional organizations, and social and relief organizations..
1.0 MAINFESTATIONS OF SOCIAL FAILURE
1.1 SOCIAL FAILURE
The Qur’an describes social failure as ‘ajz, wahn, dhull, and kasal. Failure may be physical, psychological, or social but all are interrelated. Failure manifests as neglect of Allah’s duties, social incompetence, lack of seriousness, kufr, misguidance, transgression, temptation, miserliness, distress and sorrow, helplessness, laziness, cowardice, indebtedness, begging from others, poverty, being overcome by others, vain talk, extravagance, questions on disputed issues, and being hasty.
The ultimate form of failure is loss of self-control and ending up being under the control of passions and becoming an addict to a habit or a sin. The causes of failure are: forgetting Allah and neglecting His commands, diseases of the heart, and peer pressure. Social failure is a result of wrong choices of what life-style to follow.
1.2 SEXUAL PERVERSIONS
The Qur'an severely condemned approaching zina. Antecedents of zina are haram because what leads to haram is also haram. The antecedents of zina are trans-sexual dressing and behaviour, takhannuth/ stirjaal, free mixing of the 2 genders, ikhtilat; seclusion, khalwat; lustful the gaze; and indecent exposure, tabarruj. These either singly or in combination create an atmosphere conducive to committing zina.
Preventive measures of zina are education, tarbiyyah, early marriage, and following the Law. Zina and its antecedents are avoided by modesty in dress; prohibition of ikhtilaat and khalwat, discouraging looking at the opposite sex with desire, privacy of the home, and huduud as a final deterrent.
Social disapproval of zina by the family and the community is more effective than legal deterrents. Ghiira is a strong motivation to make sure that spouses and relatives do not approach zina.
False accusation of zina, qadhf, makes zina seem common and thus easier to commit. Pornography is conducive to zina.
Adverse effects of zina are sexually transmitted diseases, out of wedlock births and illegitimate children who live in physical and emotional deprivation, family break-down, and high rates of divorce.
Abnormal sexual behaviors & practices have to be addressed. Anal intercourse, liwaat, male and male or male and female, is severely prohibited. The death penalty is prescribed for a male who commits rape, istikraah. The death penalty is prescribed for incest, ityaan al mahram.
The law prohibits abnormal marital arrangements that lead to illegal sexual intercourse. These include temporary marriage, mut’at; marriage with intention to divorce, and legally invalid marriage, nikaah baatil.
1.3 ADDICTIONS
Addiction can be to alcohol, tobacco, or psycho-active substances. It may also be addiction to habits, passions, and sins such as sex, sports, fame, food, or gambling. Other forms of addiction are to power, respect, and money.
Drug dependence is of two types: physical dependence and psychological dependence. Addiction is inability to control use of a drug or enslavement to a habit (good or bad) through loss of self-control. Some forms of addiction are innately bad such as addiction to nicotine, addiction to drugs (alcohol, opiates, sedatives, marihuana, amphetamine, cocaine, caffeine), addiction to gambling, and addiction to lahw. Some forms of addiction start as habits and practices that are good innately but become bad due to excesses. This includes sports and halaal food. The addiction process goes through various stages. It starts as a habit that becomes psychological dependence. It finally ends up as physiological dependence. Addiction has severe consequences. Addiction to intoxicants is prohibited because it nullifies the purpose of preserving intellect. It leads to poor health, psychiatric complications, crime, and violation of diin.
Nicotine addiction is a type of drug addiction. Addiction to narcotics & sedatives starts as normal pharmacological use of the drugs and progresses to harmful addiction. Illicit drugs with no pharmacological benefit are addictive
The root cause of addiction is following passions, ittiba’u al hawa. Measures should be taken to stop antecedents to addiction on the basis that what leads to haram is haram. While preventing addiction we should not forget to treat the victims of addiction. Internal measures of addiction control are strengthening iman, taqwa, ibadat, and dihkr. External measures of addiction control include education, tarbiyat, good use of spare time, and good company. Rehabilitation of addicts starts with telling them to repent. If they refuse they should be isolated socially. Cognitive therapy is used to sure the addict understands the impact of addiction on health, wealth, and family life.
1.4 POVERTY
The main causes of poverty are family breakdown, non-payment of zakat, social injustice, and physical disasters.
Poverty is associated with malnutrition and ill-health. It destroys human dignity and self-worth replacing them with despair and loss of hope. Poverty undermines self-confidence and assertiveness making it difficult to resist temptation to sin and crime. People may resort to crime to meet basic human needs. Social instability results when the deprived fight the well to do.
Poverty mitigation is by mutual social welfare, takaful ijtimae. The Qur’an has taught many ways of mitigating or eradicating poverty. The target groups for poverty programs are the weak and needy: the maskiin, the faqiir, orphans, widows, and the elderly. Their needs are food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and education. The main sources of resources are zakat al mal, zakat al fitr, and sadaqat al tatawu’u, kaffarat, adhahi, ‘aqiiqah, and waqf. The institutions involved in social welfare are the extended family, waqf institutions, the government, and social insurance.
Equitable distribution of the world resources will eliminate much of the poverty existing at the moment. However concerted international action is not possible. The primary role of the government is to ensure just economic distribution, employment opportunities, infra-structure, and a non-riba economy. Conditions of peace and stability will enable the community build safety nets for the most vulnerable citizens. Stability and continuity of the nuclear family protects children from poverty. Open migration will enable people to move from places with no economic opportunities to others where they can help themselves.
1.5 VIOLENCE
Taking one’s life is a major sin. Any form of harm to others is forbidden. Genocide is wholesale killing of people because of race or other distinguishing characteristic. Opponents or those with different ideas are often victims of torture. Even criminals may be tortured beyond the legal punishment.
We learn from books of siirat about the poor status of women on pre-Islamic Arabia. This included denial of the right to life for the women in the pre-Islamic period, denial of the good things of life from the woman, despise of the woman in the pre-Islamic period, considering a woman as a bad omen, inheriting the woman like a piece of property, and sadness at the birth of a girl. The woman was also mistreated in pharaonin Egypt.
The low and despised position of women exposed them to violence at home and outside the home. Islam protected the rights of the woman. It raised the woman’s status. It acknowledged the physical weakness of mothers necessitating special protection for them. Killing the woman was forbidden. Good treatment of women was ordained. Making fun of women was prohibited. Abuse of women can be physical, psychological, sexual, or emotional. Domestic violence is defined as physical violence, coercion, threats, intimidation, isolation, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, economic abuse. Victims of domestic violence can get protection. Violation of the protection order is a crime.
Any action that kills or causes harm of any kind to the fetus in utero is forbidden by the Law. Children are often victims of abuse, physical and psychological.
Old age is a period of physical weakness. Islam ordained respecting the rights of the elderly. Good treatment of parents is one of the best acts in front of Allah and has special rewards. If every offspring treated the parents well, there would be no elderly mistreated in the world. Cursing or mistreating parents is one of the major sins and is accompanied by severe punishment. Geriatric patients or elders can be mistreated by abuse, neglect, or exploitation either at home or in institutions.
Illegal wars cause a lot of death and suffering. Even in legal wars, no harm is done to non-combatants. Armed robbery causes harm. Some sports are very aggressive physically for example boxing and wrestling. Some sports are very risky like climbing, gliding, and skiing. Occupations may expose workers to harmful situations.
2.0 PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS SOCIAL FAILURE
2.1 DA’AWA
Dawa is conveying the message of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims. It is a communication process involving the caller, the called, the message, and behavioural change. Tauhid is the basis for all dawa efforts. The Qur’an is the main tool of dawa. Dawa indicates dynamism of the community because Islam is a missionary religion. Dawa is a collective obligation, fardh kifayat, however individual efforts even if small are encouraged. Dawa must be undertaken at all places and times. The first level of dawa is calling to accept the creed accomplished by pronouncing the kalima. The second level is calling upon individuals and families to practice and live Islam. The third level is calling upon the whole society to be organized according to the teachings of Islam. Dawa has impact on the caller, the called, and the society at large.
The caller gets the reward for calling people to guidance. The prophet Muhammad is the best model of a caller. His message is universal and clear. His behavior, patience, humility, and mercy were effective. He faced problems. The caller must have the following personality characteristics: patience, wisdom, insight, iman,‘Ilm, kindness, consideration, firmness, commitment, good personal relations, generosity, practicality, flexibility, humility, zuhd, qana'a, and taqwa. The most important attribute is commitment, ikhlaas. The following characteristics make a caller more persuasive: being perceived as honest, personal power, attractiveness, likableness, similarity to the called, being of the same gender as the called, expertise, and credibility. A caller need not be perfect to start dawa. Dawa makes him better because of the challenge is that you have to live up to expectations of a caller. All dawa workers whether full-time of part-time must be receive training tailored to the local situation.
Everybody is targeted, Muslims and non-Muslims, all races and nationalities, all social classes, and all parts of the world. Dawa to Muslims involves calling them to practice Islam. Dawa to non-Muslims exposes the truth and positives of Islam while correcting the disinformation by the enemies. It aims at returning them to the natural state of human beings, which is Islam. Dawa to the general society involves propagating to the general public with the aim of making them aware or conscious of the presence of Islam. Dawa programs could target special populations such as women, youths, patients in hospitals, prisoners, students, laborers, and workers. They could also target special social classes such as artists and stars, aristocrats, middle class, professionals, and ordinary people. The marginalised and rejected members or classes of society are a special target group for dawa because they are so susceptible. These include: criminals in prisons, drug addicts, the socially deprived, etc. They are looking for an alternative that will take them out of their sad situation.
Aggressive and pro-active strategies are better than defensive and reactive ones. Success depends on phasing, gradualism, tarbiyah, and influence by example. Material incentives should not be used to convince but to attract people to listen to the message. Dawa requires a wise, polite, non-antagonist, non-critical approach presentation of the Islamic alternative because truth automatically displaces falsehood. Dawa may be by direct or indirect, personal or impersonal. Personal contact is the most effective approach. The message should be individualized and customized. It should be simple and direct.
The main elements that a dawa plan covers are: the caller, the called, the time dimension, resources (money, material), and program control. Dawa requires funding but cannot be professionalized. Volunteers do the legwork and have motivation and enthusiasm. Coordination eliminates unnecessary duplication and competition. Individual initiative and many organizations are encouraged. The main objective is unity of purpose and not unity of organization. Program evaluation is used to improve effectiveness. Process evaluation is easy. Outcome evaluation is difficult because results of dawa are long-term and are not quantifiable. Success depends on Allah’s will and not only the efforts of the caller. Opposition should never provoke violent reactions. Dawa is a peaceful process that targets the hearts of men and not their bodies.
2.2 ENJOINING GOOD and FORBIDDING THE BAD, amre & nahy
Amr and nahy are necessary for the maintenance of morality and social order. Amr and nahy are communal obligations. The prophet said that whoever sees an evil should change it by the hand, it he cannot by the tongue if he cannot by the heart and that is the weakest of iman. Amre and nahy by the hand and the tongue are fardh kifaayat. Amre and nahy by the heart is fardh ‘ain. Amr and nahy have 2 components, promotive and inhibitive, that must be balanced. The promotive component is enjoining the good and the inhibitive component is forbidding the bad. The good, al ma'aruf, must be in actions, in speech, and in fulfilling obligations. Dawa and advice, nasiihat, are a form of amr and nahy.
Amr and nahy protect society from destruction due to actions of evil doers. There is a great reward for those who guide to the good. The ummat’s superiority based on undertaking amr and nahy. Neglecting amr and nahy is a reason for punishment. Banu Israil were cursed for abandoning amre and nahy. There is no imam for one who does not attempt amr and nahy. The prophet gave the example of those who neglect amr and nahy like passengers on a boat in which people sitting at the upper level neglected to stop those on the lower level from making a hole in the boat which eventually caused the boat to capsize and drown everybody
The person must know what is halal and what is haram. Halal is done while haram is avoided. Halal and haram are clear but between them are mutashabihaat. The general guideline about shubuhaat is to leave alone what causes doubt and do only what has no doubt in it keeping away from grey areas. People unfortunately use the gray area as an excuse to permit the forbidden. Allah wants that people make use of relaxations that He gave them as much as He hates commission of ma’asiyat. A person is advised to leave what causes him doubt and go for certainty. Allah does not oblige a human beyond capacity. Once a community neglects amrnahy there is social disorder. Scales and values are reversed. The good may be forbidden. It is forbidden to permit the forbidden as it is equally forbidden to prohibit the permitted. and
Any one can undertake amr & nahy on the specific subject that they know well. The person need not morally perfect; what is needed is that he is trying to get better. Amr and nahy is fard kifayah. Those who undertake it must be adults, believers, and must have the ability needed for the task. They must have the attributes of knowledge, taqwa, and good behavior/character. There are several targets of amr and nahy. Some know the truth but reject it out of jealousy like the Yahuud. Some know the truth and turn away from it for material reasons like the wealthy. Some do not know the truth because of ignorance and may even be enemies of the truth. Nahy is about specific bad actions that are forbidden by shariat , that exist now, that are obvious, that are known without ijtihad, and any blameworthy, munkar, or forbidden, haram, act. Amr & nahy are undertaken at all times of day and night. In some special circumstance, it may be better to wait for a more appropriate time to make sure that the target of amr and nahy will appreciate the message better. Amr and nahy are undertaken in any place. The method of amr and nahy proceeds by knowing the munkar, explaining that it is wrong, and nahy verbally by giving advice. If there is no response harsh condemnation is undertaken. If there is no change physical means of removing the evil are undertaken. Courage is needed. There should be no fear in saying the truth. There must be consistency between word and deed. A person cannot order good and perform evil. Balance is needed between amr and nahy. Amr and nahy must be realistic being fulfilled to the extent of ability. The channels of communication used in amr and nahy are speech, lectures, books, preaching, nasiihat, and pamphlets. Kindness and sympathy are needed.
In matters of aqidat and ibadat there can be nothing new because all was prescribed in the book and nothing was left out. Even apparently innocent innovations in matters of aqidat are dangerous because they divert attention from the spirit of true ibadat and become just rituals.
2.3 SOCIAL CHANGE, taghyiir ijtima’i
The original default position is success and happiness. Transgressions lead to fall and destruction. If communities believe and have taqwa they get bounties from Allah. Bounties are a test for humans (2:49 & 89:15). Bounties are increased if humans are grateful to Allah (4:147 & 14:8). Few humans are grateful (2:243 & 67:23). Humans give the lie to Allah’s bounties (55:13). Iman is necessary for happiness on earth (13:28).
The Qur’an has talked about change from good to worse as destruction of people (6:6 & 77:16), communities (6:42 & 50:36) as punishments for transgression (7:159 & 35:42).
The Qur’an has described that there are laws of social change, sunnat al llaahi fi al taghyiir (6:89 & 47:38). The same laws applied to all past communities (3:137 & 48:23). Allah does not change the original position of a community unless and until they themselves do evils that necessitate that change (8:53 & 13:11). Every community has a fixed span of time (7:34 & 23:43). Communities rise and fall and are replaced by others (6:133 & 76:28).
Social change leading to decay is due to ruling with laws not from Allah, hukm bi ghayr ma anzala al llaahtab’iyat madhmuumat (2:102 & 71:21), luxuries, taraf (11:116 & 43:23), disbelief, kufr (6:25-26 & 19:74), giving the lie to the truth, takdhiib al haqq (8:54 & 69:4-6), transgression, dhulm (3:117 & 53:50-52), crime, ijraam (7:83-84 & 44:37), the actions of the ignorant, sufaha (7:155), following desires, ittiba’u al hawaa (20:16), sins, dhunuub (6:6, 8:54, & 17:17), fisq (17:16 & .46:25), dhann al suu (41:23), wasteful extravagance, israaf (20:127-128, 21:9), taraf (17:16), batr (28:58), and batsh (43:8, 50:36). (2:188 & 24:48), following the false,
The Qur’an has mentioned reform, islaah (2:160 & 47:5). It is essentially the honorable, taba’iyat mahmuudatnasr al muminuun (2:194-195 & 63:8). The earth will be inherited by the righteous, wirathat al ardh li al saalihiin (7:100 & 44:28). (2:38 & 57:27). The believers will eventually be victorious,
2.4 PROFESSIONAL & OCCUPATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Academic associations are usually established for three purposes: Intellectual exchange, assertion of rights, and setting or maintaining Professional ethics/standards. They achieve these purposes through various activities which are inter alia: seminars, publications, training, certification, and professional discipline. Membership is based on academic qualifications and professional involvement. Grades of membership may reflect respective professional standing. These organizations value their academic independence and self control which they feel are necessary for professional integrity. The word ‘alim is generally used to refer to scholars in the classical Islamic sciences. The term can be extended to all sincere and believing scholars of other disciplines. Ulama organizations must have the following objectives: dawa, protect Islam and its heritage, application of Islam, Islamization, advice, and counseling. Membership qualifications may be informal because many Muslim scholars today were not trained in any formal institutions of higher learning. Some hold academic qualifications from universities or other institutions. In addition to the academic standing, the member must have Islamic character and values.
Student extracurricular activities should never interfere with studies. Students have to be good students first before they are anything else. Programs for students on the campus: worship, tarbiyat and training, academic support, entertainment, career or study counseling, counseling on social life, protection of Muslim student interests, and dawa. MSA should receive and initiate new students on arrival or if possible even before coming to the University or college. Routine activities of MSA include: lectures, question forums, study groups, competitions, projects, drama, exhibitions, visits to hospitals, charitable visits, Islamic newsletter/magazine, video shows, practical demonstrations. The usra type of training is the best for students. A specific plan must be followed to ensure that there is continuous and balanced tarbiyat all through the course of study at the university.
LABOR AND PROFESSIONAL UNIONS
A labor or professional union is a social institution that should concern itself with larger issues of controlling inflation, stabilizing prices, expansion of the economy to provide full employment. The union should also take positions on issues of local and global economy. It should eschew the European concept of continuous social struggle and conflict between interest groups: employers vs workers, professionals vs clients, government vs unions etc. This contradicts the Islamic model of social development that requires consensus-building at all stages within the context of Islamic teachings. Islam equally rejects the Marxist doctrine of class struggle. The idea of labor being a permanent class of society in continuous struggle with owners should be replaced by a system whereby workers are encouraged to avoid hyper consumerism so that they may save enough money and buy property and shares and thus gradually join the owners' class. If working class is thus temporary why the social struggle? The union should promote cooperation between owners and workers in al birr and taqwah instead of competition and struggle.
2.5 SOCIAL WELFARE and DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS
Poverty is defined in absolute and relative terms and its level varies from place to place. Individual poverty is due to lack of saleable skills, lack of knowledge, lack of opportunities, and misfortunes due to failed economy or discrimination. The blind, the aged, the mentally and the physically handicapped are incapable of working.
Eradication of poverty can be alleviative or curative. The alleviation is providing assistance. Cure is by job creation, job training/apprenticeship, education, job search/match, and assuring a minimum wage. Poverty is prevented by compulsory saving, strengthening the family, crisis intervention, ensuring employment, job training, and inculcating a work ethic. Mutual help in society, takaful al ijtimae, is by charity and zakat al maal. Charity should be temporary while poverty curative measures are undertaken.
Social network are needed to guarantee basic necessities to all people. The social safety net includes the extended family, community organizations, and the government. Voluntary work assists the elderly, the handicapped, and the mentally ill. The social welfare institutions involved in social work are: hospitals and clinics, schools, orphanages, homes for the elderly and the handicapped. The role of government in social welfare should be limited to regulation, monitoring, or funding. Social welfare work should be in the hands of private societal organizations. Several social interventions can eradicate poverty such as nasiihat for sinners and negligent parents, lifestyle changes, control of drug abuse, and supporting the family to survive.
A crisis or a disaster situation is said to exist when the magnitude of the problem or its speed of evolution and progression overwhelm the usual coping mechanisms. Characteristics of a disaster are immediate danger to life, unstable and unpredictable situation, events happening quickly, emotions high, and no routine or standard responses. Man-made disasters are those in which humans are involved directly in the causation such as: war/violence, economic disruption, political instability, and social crisis. Non man-made disasters are disasters that happen without any direct involvement of humans such as epidemic disease, drought, crop failure, famine, hurricanes, typhoons, flooding, and earthquakes.
Managing a disaster requires a full assessment of its human, geographical, social / psychological, financial / resources, and technological dimensions Disasters can be anticipated and prevented. The aim of crisis management is to reverse the situation back to normal or limit the damage done. Crisis management requires speed in information gathering, deciding, and implementing. Because of the rapid change in status quo, decisions must be updated continuously. Systematic disaster management involves assessing the situation, assessing potential development, assessing side effects, determining who can be involved, stopping actions that make the situation worse, deciding the strategy and alternative strategies, continuous review and assessment, and avoiding panicking.
The following processes should go on continuously during disaster management: assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluation. Tracking progress of a crisis must be timely and accurate. Prioritizing and decision-making are undertaken under pressure of time. Decisions are made on less that full information more often than in normal situations. Intuition based on previous experience plays a more prominent role. Routines are very good for dealing with crises. There must be a recognized leader. Speed of response is very important in a rapidly developing crisis situation. Quick intervention at the right time can limit the damage.
A few crises can become chronic problems if the causative agent continues operating unchecked or if the primary cause leads to secondary crises that become chronic and are not checked. Most crises are self-limiting and are time-limited. Speed of response is very important to limit the damage. Late intervention serves no purpose because the damage is already done and the crisis may be over. In an emergency you may not have the luxury of using the ideal approach. Speed is important and we may have to use less that ideal quick and dirty solutions. As far as possible you must avoid creating future problems in our haste to resolve a current crisis.
Charismatic leaders usually emerge at times of crisis. They are usually very effective in crisis management. Each disaster is unique. There are no fixed rules that can cover management of all disasters. There are however some general principles. Many crises may have to be waited out. Time is the ultimate solution. Epidemics of infectious diseases are self-limiting in time if spread of the contagion can be controlled. Preventing movement into and out of the stricken region is a first preliminary measure. Spread of the infection to the healthy can be prevented by appropriate measures of vaccination and other precautions against infection. Interventions in a crisis situation are always associated with some risk. The intervention may inadvertently cause more damage. It may not achieve its goal or it may close off other more viable options. Having a fallback plan minimizes the risk.