Thursday, March 8, 2012

Patriotism in Islam


Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
As Salamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh


Patriotism is love for one's country, loyalty and devotion  to it, desire to grow and prosper collectively or as a community. Although the Westphalian state system formally separates the church and the state on the ground that spirituality and faith cannot coexist with love for one’s own country. However, Islam does not consider these two elements anti-thetical. Loving one's country and its people is a good trait of the Muslims, as our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) said : ‘Love of your country (patriotism) is a part of your faith’.  
Islam does not forbid a Muslim to love his motherland/homeland or the country in which he lives or grows up. What is reprehensible is basing one’s feelings of loyalty and disavowal on that, and loving and hating on that basis. A person who belongs to the same country as you is not closer to you than a Muslim from another land, and the reason for your loving or hating others should not be whether or not they come from the same country as you. Rather loyalty and disavowal, or love and hatred, should all be based on Islam and piety. Al-Quran says plenty about that. When people think highly of themselves and lowly of others, that's not patriotism. This gives rise to  xenophobia or ethnocentricity which is not supported by Islam. 

Our first loyalty is to Almighty Allah, creator of the heavens and the earth. This means upholding the truth and being faithful to our conscience. This should make us the most patriotic of all citizens, not simply blind followers of capricious politicians. As Allah Almighty has said: “Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.” (Surah al-Mumtahina : 8)

Allah Almighty created Prophet Hazrat Adam (AS) and Hawa (AS), and made their offspring into peoples, tribes, races and colours. All people come from Prophet Hazrat Adam (AS) and Hawa (AS), and no colour or race is superior to another. Rather all of them are equal before Allah with regard to their origins, and the one who fears his Lord the most is the best and most honourable before Allah. Islam abolished race, family, and country as criterion for pride. And it calls having pride in these things or taking part in them as acts which are detrimental to ones belief. Almighty Allah says: “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqoon (the pious)]. Verily, Allah is All Knowing, All Aware.” (Surah Al-Hujurat:13)

However, people split themselves into nations, countries and races, just  like the splitting of a single family, brothers from one father and one mother. This asabiyyah (tribalism) that is appearing nowadays in most countries, where people form factions on the basis of race, colour or motherland/homeland. One is reminded of the ancient tribalism that existed between the tribes of Aws and Khazraj. So the contemporary trends are legacies of jahiliyyah or the age of ignorance. There had been many wars between Aws and Khazraj during the Jahiliyyah, with a great deal of enmity and hatred, and intense fighting, until Islam came and they entered therein, and became brothers by the grace of Almighty Allah. 

After Islam had set their affairs straight and they had become united, a Jewish man passed by a gathering of Aws and Khazraj, and he was bothered by their friendship and unity. So he sent a man who was with him to sit amongst them and remind them of the wars that used to be waged between them. He did that and kept doing it until they were provoked and became angry with one another, and they got riled up and started shouting their slogans and calling for their weapons, and threatening to go out to the Harrah (a place in Madinah) to fight. News of this reached the Prophet of Islam Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), so he came to them and started to calm them down, and said, “Are you issuing the calls of the jahiliyyah when I am still among you?” Then he recited to them the following verse of the Holy Qur'an: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) clear to you, that you may be guided.” (Surah Al- Imran:103) When the Messenger of Allah (SAW) recited this verse to them, they regretted what they had done, and they reconciled and put aside their weapons. 

The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) used to love Makkah because it was the most beloved land to Almighty Allah, but he did not love the kafirs who lived there, rather he fought them because they fought against Islam and killed Muslims. Neither he nor his companions ever gave precedence to their love of Makkah over the laws of Allah Almighty, so when Allah Almighty forbade those who had migrated from Makkah to go back to it, except for Hajj and three days after it, they adhered to that and did not stay there for longer than that period. Their love for Makkah did not make them disobey Allah Almighty, let alone do anything that was worse than that. 

The Messenger of Allah's (SAW) love for Makkah was based on the noble status that Allah Almighty has given to Makkah, and not because he was born there. All Muslims should have this love and affection for Makkah because it is the most beloved land in the sight of Almighty Allah. After all, the Muslims pray towards Makkah and go there to perform Hajj there as it houses the Ka'ba. The above saying of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), therefore, has nothing to do with nationalism. If Rasulullah (SAW) and the Muhajirin amongst the Sahabah (RA) were tied to the homeland (of Makkah), they would have had settled in Makkah after it became part of the Islamic State. 

Allah Almighty in the Holy Qur’an says that patriotic Muslims should go into the war for jihad if community is attacked by other country (enemies) and if performing islamic religion is hampered/prevented by non-muslim people or kafirs. Almighty Allah also says that Muslim people should obey to the laws and regulations where they live. They should defend the country where they live. They should obey to the government where they live as long as they are treated fairly. Allah Almighty stated in the Holy Quran: “Permission to fight is given to those (i.e. believers against disbelievers), who are fighting them, (and) because they (believers) have been wronged, and surely, Allah is able to give them (believers) victory.” (Surah Al-Hajj: 39) “And say not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah, 'They are dead.' Nay, they are living, but you perceive (it) not.” (Surah Al-Baqara:154) Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) once declared that: “The best jihad is to speak a word of truth in the court of an unjust ruler”

One thing we must be absolutely clear about. Suicide bombing and other acts of indiscriminate violence have no precedent in the Prophetic Sunnah. This is not the way to address injustices; it is not the way of our noble and illustrious predecessors. While Islam  deplores injustice and oppression, it also provides a moral and ethical compass for our actions. As citizens we have a duty to awaken the moral and ethical consciousness of our fellow citizens. We, the patriotic Muslims, also have a duty to keep our neighbourhoods safe. We should be a safe pair of hands, trustees, caretakers of other people and their possessions. We must never give our neighbours any reason for fear or suspicion. Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) declared that: “A Muslim is he from whose tongue and hand other Muslims are safe, and a true Believer is one in whom all of mankind has a sanctuary for life and property.”

Patriotic Muslims are reminded to put wrong things right with their hands, and if they cannot do that, they must speak out against it, and if they are too weak to do so, then they must at the very least, hate the injustice in their hearts. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “The believers, in their love, mutual kindness, and close ties, are like one body; when any part complains, the whole body responds to it with wakefulness and fever.” (Muslim) “The faithful are like one man: if his eyes suffer, his whole body suffers.” (Muslim)

Islam has also given people the right to freedom of association and formation of parties or organizations. This right is also subject to certain general rules. It should be exercised for propagating virtue and righteousness and should never be used for spreading evil and mischief. We have not only been given this right for spreading righteousness and virtue, but have been ordered to exercise this right. Addressing the patriotic Muslims, the Holy Qur’an declares: “You [true believers in Islamic Monotheism, and real followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and his Sunnah (legal ways, etc.)] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden)... .” (Surah Al-Imran:110)

This means that it is the obligation and duty of the entire Muslim community that it should invite and enjoin people to righteousness and virtue and forbid them from doing evil. If the entire Muslim community is not able to perform this duty then: "Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma’ruf (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful." (Surah Al-Imran:104)

This clearly indicates that if the entire Muslim nation collectively begins to neglect its obligation to invite people to goodness and forbid them from doing evil then it is absolutely essential that it should contain at least a group of people which may perform this obligation. As has been said before, this is not only a right but an obligation and on the fulfilment of which depends success and prosperity here as well as in the Hereafter. It is an irony with the religion of God that in a Muslim country the assembly and association that is formed for the purposes of spreading evil and mischief should have the right to rule over the country and the association and party which has been formed for propagating righteousness and virtue should live in perpetual fear of harassment and of being declared illegal. Conditions here are just the reverse of what has been prescribed by God. The claim is that we are the patriotic Muslims and this is an Islamic state but the work that is being done is directed to spreading evil, to corrupt and morally degrade and debase the people while there is an active and effective check on the work being carried out for reforming society and inviting people to righteousness. Moreover, the life of those who are engaged in spreading righteousness and checking the spread of evil and wickedness is made intolerable and hard to bear.

Islam gives its citizens the right to absolute and complete equality in the eyes of the law. As far as the patriotic Muslims are concerned, there are clear instructions in the Holy Qur'an and hadith that in their rights and obligations they are all equal: "But if they repent, perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat, then they are your brethren in religion. (In this way) We explain the Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) in detail for a people who know." (Surah At-Taubah:11) The Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) has said that: "The life and blood of Muslims are equally precious." (Abu Dawud & Ibn Majah) In another hadith he said: "The protection given by all Muslims is equal. Even an ordinary man of them can grant protection to any man." (Bukhari, Muslim & Abu Dawud) In another more detailed Tradition of the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), it has been said that those who accept the Oneness of God, believe in the Prophethood of His Messenger, give up primitive prejudices and join the Muslim community and brotherhood,"then they have the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have." (Bukhari & Nasai) Thus there is absolute equality between the new converts to Islam and the old followers of the Faith.

This religious brotherhood and the uniformity of their rights and obligations is the foundation of equality in Islamic society, in which the rights and obligations of any person are neither greater nor lesser in any way than the rights and obligations of other people. As far as the patriotic non-Muslim citizens of the Islamic State are concerned, the rule of Islamic Shariah or law about them has been very well expressed by the Caliph Hazrat Ali (RA) in these words: "They have accepted our protection only because their lives may be like our lives and their properties like our properties." (Abu Dawud)

In other words, their (of the dhimmis) lives and properties are as sacred as the lives and properties of the Patriot Muslims. Discrimination of people into different classes was one of the greatest crimes that, according to the holy Qur'an, Pharaoh used to indulge in: "Verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidun (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.)." (Surah Al-Qasas: 4)
The incidents above demonstrate that tribal ties have no place in Islam. Patriotic Muslims are commanded to stick together and not to disassociate themselves from each other just because they come from different tribes or backgrounds. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) also said, "The Muslims are like a body, if one part of the body hurts, rest of the body will also suffer" (Muslim) "An Arab is no better than a non-Arab. In return, a non-Arab is no better than an Arab. A red raced man was not better than a black one except in piety. Mankind are all Adam's children and Adam was created out of clay." (Bukhari and Muslim) This means that the Patriot Muslims, whether they are of Chinese, African, or Arabian or European origin, are one Ummah and they cannot be separated from each other. Furthermore, in the Holy Quran Allah Almighty says: "The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic religion). So make reconciliation between your brothers, and fear Allah, that you may receive mercy." (Surah Al-Hujurat:10) No tribalistic /nationalistic ties should ever break their unity. That is the beauty of Islam.

Now the speech of Allah Almighty addressed to the Messenger (SAW) is also a speech to his Ummah, unless specific evidence comes to restrict this. In this case, there is no such restriction, so it becomes obligatory for the Patriot Muslims to rule according to Islamic teachings. And ruling according to Islam leaves no room for nationalistic constitutions whatsoever because what is applied (and what forms the criteria for judgement) is the Book of Allah Almighty and the Sunnah of the Messenger (SAW). Allah Almighty says: "It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error." (Surah Al-Ahzab: 36)

Islam is a universal religion without territorial bounds and this teaching has profound wisdom and logic. The Holy Qur'an stresses on the obedience to authority in the following verse: “O ye who believe! obey God and obey the Prophet and obey those in authority from among you.” (Surah An-Nisa: 60) Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) has also said: “He who obeys me, obeys God; he who disobeys me disobeys God. He who obeys his authority obeys me; he who disobeys his authority disobeys me.” (Muslim, Kitab al-Imarah)
Thus, the guidelines for obedience to authority and nation are clearly stated in the Holy Qur'an and elucidated by the Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAW). Commandments in this regard are very practical and rational. Patriotic Muslims residing in various parts of the world have different nationalities. It is inconceivable and beyond logic to expect them to oscillate between different loyalties. It would only cause much disorder and disrupt the harmony of the society.

The misguided and radicalized Muslims lack  basic knowledge of Islam with regard to nationhood and patriotism, and thus adopt the illogical course. They are lured and indoctrinated by extremist elements, whose sole ambitions are political. They are not true representatives of Islam and their actions are a far cry from its true essence.

Let us pray to Allah Almighty and ask for His divine Mercy and intervention. O Allah! help us to become worthy and valued citizens of every land where the Patriot Muslims live. Help us to earn the respect and affection of our neighbours, through our adab, our good conduct and through our service to society which we render out of love and gratitude to You. Amin.  

( Dr. Muhammad Abdul Munim Khan is Assistant Professor of Islamic Academy (Institute of Intellectual Studies) and Head of the Dept. of Islamic Studies & Da’wah, Faculty of Religious Sciences, Darul Ihsan University, Dhanmondi, Dhaka; Director, Institute of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW); Advisor of Islamic Affairs, The Daily Prothom Alo.

8 comments:

  1. can you give the source of this hadis "Love of your country (patriotism) is a part of your faith"

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    1. this is fabricated hadith...scholar is their books of list of fabricated hadith has mentioned this hadith

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  2. A patriot is "one who loves, supports, and defends one's country." A bigot, on the other hand, is "one who is strongly partial to one's own group religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ," says the American Heritage dictionary.

    The difference between the two is obvious and enormous: Patriotism is borne out of love and generosity towards the country to which a person belongs, while bigotry is borne out of hate and a mean-spirited attitude towards those who are different.

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  3. Let us not confuse love and worship, loving a person's native land does not mean he worships it, it does not mean it is holy land to him

    For example Muslims greatly love and respect the Prophet (pbuh) but they cannot and do not worship him.

    In the same way in Islam, Paradise lies beneath the feet of mother but a Muslim cannot worship his mother. He only loves her
    But one who hurts his mother may lose the paradise is a well authenticated teachings of Rasoolullah (saws)

    Exactly in the same way a Muslim loves his country or motherland but cannot worship it and that is why those who insist that Muslims in India must say or sing Vande Mataram are putting humanity to shame. Vande Mataram means worship motherland

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  4. The reference of Surah An Nisa (Ayay 60) is not correct.. The actual Ayay states that:
    "Have you not seen those who claim to have believed in what was revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what was revealed before you? They wish to refer legislation to Taghut, while they were commanded to reject it; and Satan wishes to lead them far astray."

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  5. It is heartening to know that Islam permits a Muslim to be loyal to his/her country. Somehow this fact seems to be lost on many Muslims in India. Muslims need not view Vande Mataram as Prayer but a beautiful patriotic song. Had it been a prayer, it would have been a part of all religious ceremonies of Hindus. It is not.
    Also, the horrors perpetrated by Pakistan Army on Muslims and Hindus alike in Bangladesh (then East Pakistan) only goes to show that the message of Islam is not imbibed in its true spirit by even the so called Islamic Republics for whom region, tribe , creed matter more. What Bengalis underwent is now being played out on the Baluchis by the same Army.

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  6. Good post. One question, is there any specific Ayah or Ahadith that encourages patriotism or Nationalism? I understood from your post that the Quran and Sunnah speak mostly negatively about Patriotism and Nationalism. Also, thank to your post, I understand that Islamic 'worldview' is supra national i.e. it rises above the man-made artificial boundaries created to separate human beings for political (or business) reasons. Thanks again.

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  7. BTW, Apni ki Bangalee Bhai? Khub chomotkar site korechen Bhai. Nuton post pele aro khushi hobo iA.

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