An Overview of Freedom Which Is a Core Islamic Principle and a Prerequisite for Human Dignity – Concluding Part

By Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam 2 June 2023 Political Freedom and Islam Main Points: 1. Rousseau and Rawls argued that political freedom means everyone should have the chance to participate in all decisions up to the formation, operation, and dissolution of the government. 2. Moral Freedom requires respect for society, ethics, and the rule of law. 3. Freedom is essential for human dignity and Islam, but there are three fundamental requirements to achieve it. 4. Muslims are immigrating to Europe from Muslim-majority nations to seek freedom and respect for human rights, not for atheism. ------- According to Rousseau and Rawls, political freedom means that everyone should have the chance to fully participate in all decisions up to the formation, operation, and dissolution of the government. No one person or group should attempt to determine the fate of everyone else. Additionally, everyone should be free to participate in the creation of the government; rather than only some members of a particular family or class being eligible for positions in government, everyone should have equal opportunity to do so. Everyone should have complete freedom to evaluate the government when it is established and to accept responsibility. Practically and philosophically, this idea of political freedom has gained prominence in the modern era thanks to the Western world. But the truth is that Islam had not only fully explained the tenets and rules governing this connection from the very beginning, but it had also demonstrably done so through the Khilafat-e-Raashida. Shura, albeit only a word, encompasses the entire idea of political freedom as it was discovered by the West, but the idea goes far deeper than that. It is a key term in the Islamic concept of political freedom. Khilafat-e-Rashida also provided a distinctive and alluring practical representation of this word. Moral Freedom and Islam Moral Freedom suggests that in order to use freedom morally, society must be taken into account. Therefore, it is crucial that legislation be used to consistently enforce it. As a result, freedom necessitates that the ethics of freedom be established. And freedom demands that the rule of law be acknowledged as dominant. Islam has given its followers some very good teachings in this regard. The Qur'an's warning to believers not to insult the gods of other religions that they worship besides Allah serves as an excellent illustration of this. Similar to this, all national symbols and objects should not offend anyone's opinions about them in the name of freedom; as a result, people should be held to certain ethical standards and society should be subject to legal restraints. Essential Requirements for Freedom Freedom is a fundamental requirement of both human dignity and Islam. But there are also some prerequisites to meet in order to begin the voyage of freedom, to set out on the path of introspection, and to analyse one's function in relation to society and politics with freedom, without which freedom becomes a meaningless word. In this context, there are three fundamental requirements that are of utmost importance. The satisfaction of fundamental human needs is the first prerequisite. Any human being's freedom is meaningless if they lack a roof over their heads, food to satiate their hunger, and water to slake their thirst. As a result, overseeing the satisfaction of fundamental human needs is crucial for any society's overall order. In a similar vein, what use is the freedom guaranteed by a country's constitution if the government fails to take care of the most fundamental citizens of its citizens? Management of education is another crucial requirement. Without education, freedom loses its meaning. The third most crucial prerequisite is a fair and just society. For Rousseau, only when a society is founded on justice can freedom be constrained by moral and legal principles; otherwise, freedom will inevitably lose its significance and dignity. Freedom is a prerequisite for human progress and a fundamental human right. In the human race's quest for freedom, two significant turning points are readily apparent. The first significant event occurred at the dawn of Islam when the Creator of the Universe gave explicit and comprehensive instructions about the fulfilment of all the needs of humanity as well as freedom through the last revelation. The second turning point occurred during the French Revolution or the Enlightenment in modern times when people chose their own paths to freedom by following the logic of reason. In essence, the two routes converge in considerable part. However, the negative behaviour is seen in relation to the fundamental purpose of freedom, its requirements, as well as the essential ethical values, and then the moderate attitude between individual and collective freedom in the case of freedom, etc., because the light of revelation in the West is not clear. In other words, there remains a big gap at the moral, spiritual, and philosophical levels in the Western world despite the significant accomplishments made at the academic and practical levels of freedom. On the other hand, despite the presence of all teachings, the Islamic world is very far behind in terms of both the theoretical and practical needs for freedom. Even Rached Ghannouchi, one of the greatest thinkers in the Islamic world, acknowledged that this freedom is now lacking in the Islamic world. Because of their desire for freedom, some Muslims immigrate to Europe from Muslim-majority nations. Muslims are not leaving Islam for atheism in this immigration, but rather from oppression to freedom and respect for human rights (Rached Ghannouchi, Democracy and Human Rights in Islam). ------ Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a regular columnist for New Age Islam. Previous Parts: An Overview of Freedom Which Is A Core Islamic Principle And A Prerequisite For Human Dignity - Part – 1 An Overview of Freedom Which Is A Core Islamic Principle And A Prerequisite For Human Dignity - Part – 2 An Overview of Freedom Which Is A Core Islamic Principle And A Prerequisite For Human Dignity - Part – 3 URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-ideology/core-islamic-principle-human-dignity-concluding-part-/d/129905 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism