Earl Abdulmalik Mohammed Speaks

QUESTION: As-Salaamu-Alaikum, Imam Mohammed. I have been sent videos of Police Officers in foreign countries using long rods to beat citizens that are found outside their homes. They are yelling at them to go home and stay inside for fear of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is happening in both poor Christian and Muslim countries. I'm appalled at such behavior. Maybe it's something in my genetic memory that makes me feel that way when I watched those videos.

When I saw them my first thought was that Our Leader should address this serious matter of extremism in both the behavior of government, local officials and the citizens themselves. How does Al-Islam address the Role, Rights and Responsibilities of Government towards its citizens and the Citizen's Role, Rights and Responsibilities to its Government and fellow citizens in maintaining safety and peace during this time?

IMAM EARL ABDULMALIK MOHAMMED:  We are addressing conditions in the life of Man on this earth, so I would not like to necessarily mention any specific action or any particular nation except perhaps my own country. What is of primary concern to me in answering you here is the availability of citizen access to good information, or truthful information, for the benefit of service and protection of citizens, and upon which governments can address the important needs of citizens. Accurate information, or truth, is the valuable commodity for the peace and order during these times of concern and crisis everywhere in this world right now.

My brother, you are asking what principles of order Islam is committed to in the public spaces of world society where human community lives and interacts, where human beings depend on one another, and what Islam values as a foundation for forming and strengthening the bonds of trust in society. And you are also asking upon what knowledge Muslims are to act in these anxious times that threaten confidence in the social and governing institutions. These are serious Times and your question is a necessary concern for Muslim leaders and all responsible leaders to understand and address. 

Allah, the Most High, says in the Holy Qur'an "And advise those nearest to you with a conscientious and informed attention..." And again the Most High says "And do not follow that for which you have no knowledge base (of support)." 

Nothing happens in this world, nothing can happen in its material or non-material realities, except that it is within the Knowledge and Plan of Allah. In other words, nothing is beyond His Concern for man, and nothing is outside of His Plan for man. Everything that occurs in the animate and inanimate worlds, the sensory and sub-sensory worlds, the seen and the unseen worlds, is based upon His Knowledge and is permitted within His Plan. He is "Lord of all of the Systems of Knowledge" as our late leader Imam W. Deen Mohammed translated and explained the meaning of the well-known statement in the Qur'an.

We are to understand from this that there are lessons and conclusions -"Signs" to learn from in every reality encountered within our human existence, whether it is in our personal circumstances or in the public society of man that are intended to teach us something about ourselves, our condition, and about the state of our human society. We have, then, the obligation to manage ourselves with an acute and learned awareness of what Allah Intends for our human lives in society -particularly in our interactions with one another, and we are to maintain a general consideration and respect for what all humans share as entitlements or rights.

Rights are truths, and urges of responsibility and obligation. This refers to the personal and public obligation simultaneously. And every ritual requirement in Islam, every proven and verified practice of the Prophet, acknowledges and honors this issue. A right for you is an obligation for me, and vice versa. I must have you in my heart in order to honestly and properly respect my own dignity, and to have my own dignity respected. Without a conscious and thoughtful regard for you, I will be contributing to conditions that will ultimately threaten me. This is Islam, straight and clear. 

So, the Prophet taught that Allah has "rights upon man." And, that man has "rights upon Allah." This is English and it is not the language of origin here, and does not give us all of the help we need to understand fully what is here. The "rights" are actually 'truths in obligation.' This is referring to the actual word in the Prophet's expression and the Qur'an language that G'd taught him. The word is 'haqq,' but it makes no big difference to mention this word unless we are making the proper connection to its meaning in context.

Man's obligation is to recognize that he is not capable of his existence in peaceful and satisfactory order without the Lord and Creator that Fashioned him -gave him a nature, and then Gave him purpose, teaching him through that nature and that purpose what should be the construction of his human world that will give him the sense of well-being he desires. And man's "rights upon Allah," if we can put it this way in English, is that Allah Sends His Guidance to man which saves him in society. It is to say that with Guidance man will not find himself in a 'punishing' condition. 

In this time of concern and crisis in society we should promote the Qur'an's clear truths. And Allah says "...Obey Allah and Obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you...Such is better and most excellent as a conclusion." Citizens must obey the advice of governing authorities in the interest of preserving the peace and order. In turn governing authorities must respect and devote themselves to protecting the dignity of citizens with accurate information and guidelines, and access to humane assistance.

Islam does not recognize or give sanction to the authority of evil, or wrongdoing. Muslims have no permission or moral support to take from bad behavior with the intent of correcting worse behavior. Conduct that is not permitted by the rules of decency and are beneath human worth and dignity cannot correct the oppressive acts of authorities in the eyes of G'd or civilized human society. Likewise, oppressive authorities will not survive these Times for long holding to policies of abuse masked as preventive or protective measures for suffering populations.  

This is the Sign. Rulers and the common people, the established and the unestablished, are all affected, are all culpable, and are all responsible in these moments. Islam does not absolve the obligation of upholding responsibility for the peaceful order from anyone in society except the insane, the ignorant, or the unconscious. Even the oppressed are not excused from these obligations and these judgments, no matter how weak or deprived they have been made by oppressors.

No groups are excluded or discriminated against with what is affecting man in society this time and with this disease. Even those who do not have the disease, or who have an immunity of some kind to its harshness on the body, are still affected by the condition of society in this crisis. They have lost loved ones. They have lost employment. Some have lost or are on the verge of losing their sanity. The thinking and behaviors of Man -men and women in society, has invited a global condition whereby all people, no matter their claims or station, are compelled in one, universal moment to discern carefully their choices of respect and or disrespect for the quality of our common human existence. 

I saw today in these United States of America where a large religious congregation -people saying they believe in G'd and G'd's Authority and Healing power, have purposely defied the advisory from a responsible state government to gather in large numbers, and held a so-called worship service. This was an extremely selfish act and a serious offense, and is public proof that even those who claim "faith" in G'd can disrespect G'd's Rights over them and by extension invite irresponsible behavior into the society and encourage distrust between the important social units in society.

Conscious Muslims should be on guard of their knowledge base. Our faith is in no way an invitation to disrespect good sense. Muslims should reject those who are confusing them in their obligations of faith and worship. I would not like to hear that Muslims or Muslim leaders are doing such things as what this congregation did on the dictates of their leader, but I am sure that they are somewhere on this earth, even in spite of the fact that there was more than one instance where in the history of Prophet Muhammed's leadership he commanded the Caller to Prayer to tell the people to "pray in your homes." 

We turn to Allah, and we are grateful to Him for al-Islam that honors what He has given us as goodness of nature, intelligence, and Guidance.