A Call For Coexistence
Episode 17
In the name of Allah,
the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon
Prophet Muhammad(SAWS).
In
a time when the Arab world suffers from disagreement, disunity and conflict;
In
a time when Iraq suffers from disunity, bloodshed and conflict;
In
a time when Lebanon suffers from disunity, bloodshed and conflict;
In
a time when Darfur suffers from disunity, bloodshed and conflict;
In
a time when divorce rates are increasing as a result of misunderstandings;
In
a time when the youth do not know how to coexist among each other;
In
such a time, we call for coexistence.
Coexistence is a sure way all conflicts worldwide.
By
coexistence, we do not mean to lose our identity.
Families must learn that happiness cannot be established without harmony,
coexistence and understanding.
We
all need to think of creating a mutual zone with everyone around us.
If
you have a circle of thoughts and the other has one, we should find a zone of
harmony. We do not mean that you should give up your thoughts or that he/she
gives up their own, but we have to find a mutual zone.
Allah created us of different kinds and backgrounds in order to enrich the
universe. But while Allah created all humans different from one another, they
all have mutual zones with one another. What a concept!!!
As
we relate a story of the great four Imams,
we can not help but admire their approach towards coexistence. They indeed found
mutual zones with everyone around them. In the previous episode, we learnt about
the esteemed scholar ash-Shafi'y.
Today, we invited someone who appreciates the art of coexistence. We have with
us Dr. Abdul-Haleem Zidan who was also with us in the previous episode. Dr.
Zidan learned ash-Shafi'y’s jurisprudence and graduated from the faculty of
Islamic Studies in the University of Imam Muhammad Ibn Sooud.
Dr.
Zidan worked on various sciences while copying the encyclopedia of ash-Shafi'y;
which compiled all the sciences of his age. Dr. Zidan has a PhD in
administration, is an expert in training and enjoys tea..
I
would like to remind you to please contact us via our website
www.amrkhale.net with your ideas of applications for the program.
We
ask our audience from the youth and women to narrate their experiences with
coexistence and disagreement. We accept all advice and welcome any narration of
international experiences because we agree that our differences enrich us.
Let
us prove our idea even more; let’s note our actions and how they will change
after this episode.
I
am extremely proud of my heritage as a Muslim and I opt to learn from the many
esteemed Imams we have been blessed to have such as ash-Shafi'y and Ahmad
Ibn-Hanbal. I am also proud of their balance and
open-minded manner.
Let
us all coexist with the west but without losing our identity. Let every Muslim
woman be proud of the head scarf (veil) she wears. We should all continue to be
proud of Islam. Let us all apply the teachings of Islam by finding ways to
cooperate and coexist with one another. Let us all respect each other’s ideas
and choices.
Dr.
Zidan, let us begin discussing ash-Shaf’iy’s intellectual odds.
Dr. Zidan:
In
the name of Allah,
the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Peace and blessings o
f Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).
As a matter of fact, ash-Shafi'y was a persona who
aroused many debates as he was known for giving advice without forcing anyone to
abide by his rulings and opinions. He even taught people how to conclude the
evidences from his reasoning. A sheikh once came to him asking on what
constitutes “evidence”. Ash-Shafi'y replied that evidence is in the Holy Qur’an,
then His prophet’s Sunnah
and then in the people’s consensus. The sheikh asked what the people’s consensus
is. Ash-Shafi'y did not reply, hence the sheikh offered to give him three days.
Ash-Shafi'y went and recited Qur’an. After three days, the sheikh came and
ash-Shafi'y said, “I recited Qur’an three times a day until Allah guided me to
the following verse ‘whoever is dissident to the
prophet after being well guided and non-abide by the believers’ way; We let him
to his way and get him into Hell which is a bad fate’.”
The
above verse states that Allah promises a bad fate to those who do not abide by
the Muslims’ consensus without due reason. Hence, the sheikh then concluded
ash-Shafi’y’s words as the logical truth.
The
second matter is more challenging than the first; for it concerns the fire and
the mud. As many know, in jurisprudence there are matters which are called
hypothetical and deductive matters.
Amr
Khaled:
After the previous episode, I was asked about what
you wore on your head. Many people here are not used to seeing different attire
worn by religious scholars. So I told him that Lebanese sheikhs’ head wear is
like that. Hence, we see that the appearance aspect affects coexistence. So when
Abu-Hanifah wore at his era (Ummayad) is certainly different than that of the
Abbassid age. Abu-Hanifa did not wear during the time of the Ummayads, yet to
show his solidarity he wore during the time of the Abbassids.
Dr.Zidan:
A person once came to ash-Shafi'y asking how Allah
punishes the devil with Hell from which he was created. Ash-Shafi'y was silent
and picked a small stone and hit the man with. Ash-Shafi'y then commented on
although man was created from earth (mud), it still pained him.
Someone once came to ash-Shafi'y asking how Allah said, “Oh,
those who believe; fear Allah perfectly and not die except you are Muslims”.
The man said, “How can I die at this moment in belief?” Ash-Shaf’iy told the man
to continue with the verse to find his answer in “Oh,
all stick to Allah’s religion and never separate.”
Indeed, this is true coexistence..
To be continued.
