‘Community’ is a concept that exists in almost every human language. When community is at the heart of the human experience, how could it be otherwise? We are social beings that thrive in groups. Living as part of a group satisfies our most basic desire to belong to a group, which exists in all of us. This is why the concept of community, which is simple, innate, and intuitively understood, has never prompted much debate. It was that important.
Not since man was forcibly plucked from his natural social womb and delivered bewildered into moral distortion, unmanageable materialism, greed, injustice, and hubris. This has gradually led to a high esteem for individualism and a near-total contempt for man’s common good.
The outcome has been far more than just a loss of an abstract sense of community among us (and its attendant avalanche of ugly ills). We’ve had to watch while the most important humanising component of life, the family, has deteriorated and, in some cases, been completely destroyed.
‘Community’ is still widely used among all people. We invoke it at every opportunity because it is ingrained in our Fitrah (natural propensity for which Allah The Almighty created mankind), our innate desire to be good. All earthly hope for our common happiness and fraternity rests on community.
Something as ancient as community—a given for pre-moderns despite their technological and informational “deficiencies”—has become a fundamental challenge in our day, and at what cost?
This brings up another essential point about community: a lack of awareness of what it means to be a part of it. This is the primary reason why establishing and maintaining one is so difficult today.
There is, indeed, a sign for our perplexed times in this. It reveals a level of ignorance among our Muslim leaders, who have struggled to identify the sources of community, despite the fact that the Quran is clear on the subject.
The tremendous emphasis on community in the Quran is the first thing that grabs your attention. Apart from faith and Tawheed (God’s Oneness), the most commonly referenced idea in it is Ummah (Muslim Nation) in its different forms. It establishes community as the benchmark for understanding and reflecting on man. Allah, the Almighty, says (what Means):
This is the most basic kind of community God Almighty designed for man—a single fellowship mandated to unite for the common welfare on the basis of monotheism. The Quran acknowledges that material wealth can help a person prosper in this life. However, only one criterion (God’s reverence and worship, which the Quran describes to as Taqwa) is used to judge man. As a result, Taqwa, or the worship of only one God, is the only path worth following. This isn’t just a figment of the imagination. So there should be no doubt about it. Taqwa is a concrete concept. Let’s be honest: if people have trouble grasping the rope of God Almighty by which Taqwa is depicted, it’s all due to one flaw: Because forming a community based only on reverence for God Almighty means that no man may be lord over another, some men cannot be lords over others. Because all people are equal, they must give to others what they expect in return. Taqwa is the only reasonable condition for a just community for this reason. It reflects our determination to trust in Allah, the Most High, and obey His precepts.
Surprisingly, the Quran teaches us that the most crucial factor in forming a community is not location, time, matter, or any other “chance” quality or link. It’s a heartfelt connection. The truth is that no amount of human will or earthly resources can make it happen. It is, without a doubt, an act of Divine Grace. Allah, the Almighty, says (what means):
Thus, it is Allah, and Allah alone, who unites and bonds the hearts of a community.
We must recognize that this is not solely a result of fate, but also of a people’s intentional decision to internalize and live by the magnificent standard of Taqwa, namely, God is God. Man is what he is. The first is that you should be worshipped. The latter is His servant, who serves everyone else at His discretion.
Sending their daughters to study in a foreign country without a Mahram (non-marriageable male) has become a source of social pride and a trait of cultured households and the upper classes. They give it a religious spin by claiming that the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah elevate his name) declared, “Seeking knowledge is a responsibility for every Muslim.” [Al-Albaani: Saheeh)] Ibn Maajah (Al-Albaani: Saheeh) They overlook the fact that the Hadeeth (narration) refers to information that brings the Muslim man and woman closer to Allah, the Almighty, rather than incorrect knowledge that keeps them from Him.
Some people nowadays have gone beyond the bounds of Sharee’ah (Islamic law) and labelled dancing, music, singing, drama, cinema, theatre, filthy stories, and any other form of immorality and disbelief as “knowledge.” Furthermore, they refer to the study of Riba (usury) and Freud’s sexual theories as “knowledge”! They have gone so far as to argue that the obligatory knowledge referred to in the Hadeeth of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (may Allah elevate his mention) is immorality cloaked by knowledge slogans.
To avoid any misunderstanding, the Hadeeth refers to what is required to understand religion, such as the two testimonies of faith and their meaning, prayer, fasting, Zakaah (obligatory charity) for those who have the Nisaab (the minimum amount liable for Zakaat), Hajj for those who are able to perform it, the rulings of transactions and trade for those who wish to trade, and the rulings of Muzaara’ah (Crop Sharing).
This type of knowledge is known as “individual obligation,” and it is something that every Muslim must learn. Any further knowledge is deemed “community obligation,” but only some Muslims are expected to learn it. If no Muslims study it, they all carry responsibility for as long as the branch of knowledge is required. Allah, the All-Powerful, says (what this means):
We should raise each group according to the needs of natural disposition after teaching the youngsters (both males and girls) the required understanding of religion. The teaching curricula for boys and girls must be the same; otherwise, it would be like shoe factories producing only one model. Bringing together the educational programmes for boys and girls is the height of folly and ignorance. There needs to be a distinction in educational programmes so that we may have mothers who know how to raise their children and manage their homes and families in the end. They need also have a general understanding of nursing; some should be experts in this field in order to nurse and treat women and children. The girl should know how to run a household, sew, needlework, and cook. She has to learn how to raise her children in a godly manner.
These are the fundamentals that every girl should understand after learning the essentials of religion. Then, if she has the aptitude and desire, she is free to learn other disciplines of knowledge or specialise in them. Under Sharee’ah, there is a vast sphere for this topic as long as it stays inside Sharee’ah’s bounds and there is no mingling of sexes, exposing of adornments, or propagating corruption and obscenity.
According to Dr. Alexis Carrel, forcing a woman to give up her motherhood is unwise. As a result, girls should not receive the same cerebral and physical training as boys. It is not appropriate to urge them to pursue the same goals as boys. Mentors must put up a lot of effort and pay close attention to the male and female’s physical and mental features, as well as their natural functions. There are significant distinctions between the sexes that must be acknowledged. As a result, it is unavoidable that we consider these disparities when constructing a civilised world.
He also expressed surprise that females’ education programmes do not contain a thorough examination of the young and their mental and physiological qualities. The woman’s natural function must be restored to her. This responsibility should not be limited to pregnancy; it should also involve the care of her children.
Sadly, educational programmes for girls and boys are comparable all throughout the world, including in Arab and Islamic countries who, regretfully, mindlessly follow the West’s lead.
Dr. Carrel’s statements about the comparability of educational programmes offered to boys and girls and their risk to society are crucial since this approach leads to attempts to erase the inherent and biological differences between boys and girls, as well as their misunderstanding of their role in life.
