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The Islamic Economy and its Connection with the Project of Civilizational Islam: The Malaysian Experience
Author : Dr. Safwan Odaybat
Date Added : 29-01-2023

The Islamic Economy and its Connection with the Project of Civilizational Islam: The Malaysian Experience

 

Islam is the seal of religions and Allah sent Prophet Mohammad, blessings and peace be upon him, to give the good news of the arrival of this religion, which fits in every time and place. Almighty Allah says {What means}: "We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not." {Saba`/28} and He, The Most Exalted Said (What means): "Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Apostle of God," {Al-`Araf/158}. The Glorious Quran came in perfect harmony with the nature of this divine religion, which is characterized as comprehensive, balanced, and realistic. Allah The Almighty Says {What means}: "One day We shall raise from all Peoples a witness against them, from amongst themselves: and We shall bring thee as a witness against these (thy people): and We have sent down to thee the Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims." {An-Nahil/89}.

 

The Quran`s comprehensiveness of the religious, political, economic, and social aspects of life stands out via its total and partial provisions. Some rulings that aren`t affected by change in time, place, and individuals are shown in a detailed manner not amenable to nullification nor change, as reflected in provisions concerning inheritance and prescribed penalties. As for the general issues, which change with change in time, place, and individuals, general criteria and total controllers were formulated to regulate how they are applied and acted upon, as in financial transactions, economic as well as political issues. This is confirmed and explained in detail by the Prophetic Sunnah. In addition, the Prophetic guidance on dealing with various political, economic, and social issues represents a flexible and balanced Islamic approach and a role model in dealing with life affairs in light of constants and variables. 

 

Islam came to establish a civilizational project that aims to build, not destroy; unite, not divide; urbanize, not backward. However, it respects human mind, grants it freedom, but regulates the latter with the teachings of the religion, code of ethics, and values.

 

The civilized models of different countries where complete integration and blind imitation have taken place along with divesting from the fundamentals of the Islamic civilization in all aspects of life, may give future generations the impression that our religion is unfit for establishing an advanced urban civilization and that it is merely a set of religious rites, hymns and songs. In the labyrinth of this darkness and loss, we are in need for a contemporary experiment that annuls this understanding and proves, through practical application, Islam`s ability to advance human civilization in light of respecting other civilizations through science, work, and values.

 

The Malaysian Prime Minister, Ahmad Badawi, has submitted the project, (Civilizational Islam), in 2003, to make the Malaysian society return to the truth and essence of Islam, focus on the moral and social values and employ them in developing the human capital to arrive at sustainable development in the state of Malaysia. This is knowing that the spirit of this project was acted upon since the fifties; immediately (1) after the independence.

 

The Malaysian experience provided conclusive evidence for the need to link between the aspects of culture and value on the one hand and any civilizational developmental political, economic or social projects on the other.

 

Malaysia used to suffer from enormous problems concerning the intellectual and civilizational construction, multi ethnicity, how to manage them as well as the economic and political aspects. Therefore, the Malaysian society was restructured via plans and strategies to reduce the ethnic gaps between its members. Moreover, Islamic values were translated into a roadmap to elevate the Malaysian society to the rank of societies that respect time, appreciate its value, and work with integrity and honesty to form a nucleus of a strong state competitive in all fields.

 

In addition, the Islamic economy was restructured in Malaysia through its management and the employment of Islamic values to form a positive motivation to advance the Malaysian society. As a result, the Hajj Fund, which is considered one of the most successful cooperative institutions of Malaysia, was established forming an investment opportunity for the state of Malaysia. Afterwards, Islamic economic institutions were established in simulation of Islamic values. Amongst the most important of these institutions are (BERD) and (IIUM). (2) 

 

Briefly, the project, Civilizational Islam, is beautifully expressed by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Badawi, who said: "Civilizational Islam isn`t  a new religion or school of Islamic law; rather, it is an attempt and a vision to bring the nation back to the foundations of rue Islam, which emanate from the Quran and the Sunnah. If these are translated and understood correctly and clearly, Muslims will never deviate from the straight path…Civilizational Islam came to advance Muslims in the third millennium and help integrate them into modern economy. Civilizational Islam fits to be the cure for extremism and exaggeration in religion since it encourages tolerance, understanding, moderation, and peace….." (3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1) The Democratic Arab Centre for Strategic, Political & Economic Studies; Berlin, Germany, 2019, published an authoritative book entitled: "The Dimensions of the Malaysian Experiment: An Analytical Study on the Backgrounds, Foundations, and Horizons." The book contained a set of valuable research papers that clearly unveiled the Malaysian experiment in development and indicated the key of the economic, political, and social renaissance in Malaysia and its reliance on the project of Civilizational Islam.

 

(2) Adapted from the research entitled: "The Project of Civilizational Islam and the Malaysian Experiment: A Study on the Role of Islamic Values in Development." This research was conducted by Bin Hittah Elias, University of Algeria, from a series of the research papers of the authoritative book issued by The Democratic Arab Centre for Strategic, Political & Economic Studies; Berlin. First Edition, 2019.

(3)(Ibid.P.16-18). 

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on praying while wearing shoes?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.

There is no sin for a Muslim to perform prayer while wearing their sandals or shoes, provided they are free from any impurities (najasa). It was narrated that Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: 'Did the Prophet ﷺ pray in his sandals?' He replied: 'Yes.'" (Related by Al-Bukhari).

It is stated in Fath al-Bari (Vol.1/P.494) by Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him): "Regarding the phrase 'praying in his sandals,' Ibn Battal said: 'This is understood to apply as long as there is no impurity on them; furthermore, this is considered one of the legal concessions (rukhas)." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on the cessation of blood after (40) days from delivery, but later continued sporadically during two days of Ramadan?

Once postpartum bleeding (Nifas) ceases, and the woman is certain that it won`t reoccur, then she becomes ritually pure and so she is free to make Ghusl (purificatory bath), pray, and fast. If the bleeding reoccurs before fifteen days from its cessation, and before the end of (60) days after delivery, then the ruling on postpartum bleeding is effective, and her fasting and prayer are null and void, thus she must make up the fasting that she missed and not the prayer during those particular days.

What is the virtue of Laylat al-Qadr?

It is enough to know its great status that Allah revealed an entire surah about it—Surah Al-Qadr. Moreover, the Quran was first revealed on this night.
Allah says {what means}:
"We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And what will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand: Peace!... This until the rise of morn!" [Al-Qadr/1-5]
The Prophet ﷺ taught us to observe I‘tikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan, seeking Laylat al-Qadr. Whoever worships Allah and revives this night will receive the reward of worshiping for a thousand months—excluding Laylat al-Qadr itself.

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