INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC THOUGHTS, 3, 01-04, 2014

Copyright BIIT
ISSN 2306 -7012
Editorial
The purpose of creation as mentioned in the Quran (51: 56) is to know and worship
(yabudun) Allah (SWT) alone. The basic concept in the verse is implied by the root
word, abd, which means to acknowledge someone other than oneself as enjoying over
lordship and or surrendering oneself totally to his authority. The Arabic term ibadah
connotes obedience and submission which in Islamic terms means the ultimate obedience
and submission to Allah (SWT). Obeying the Creator is not confined simply to
performing the prescribed forms of rites and rituals. It means following Islamic beliefs
and practices and carrying out all activities in accordance with the shariah. This is clear
from the Quranic verse (16: 36): And to every nation We sent Messengers, ordering
them that they should worship Allah alone, obey Him, and make their worship purely for
Him; and that they should avoid al-tagut.
It is unfortunate to note, however, that many Muslims have confined the term
ibadah to obligatory prayers and erroneously assume that religiosity means carrying out
daily prayers and fasting in the month of Ramadan, paying zakah and performing
pilgrimage (haj). This misunderstanding can be attributed to nominal acquaintance with
Arabic language which does not help in understanding the various shades of the meaning
of the term ibadah and, most importantly, the absence of an Islamic environment which
would manifest the meaning of ibadah in its entirety in daily life. The categorization of
peoples life, in the books of Islamic jurisprudence, into ibadat (worships) and
mu'amalat (transactions) have also given erroneous understanding of the term. In any
case, the term ibadah is all comprehensive. It includes ones interactions with fellow
human beings, engagement in agricultural, commercial and professional works, financial
transactions as well as daily obligatory prayers. In politics, it would mean to legislate
according to shariah and implementing such legislations for the welfare of people and to
please Allah (SWT).
Therefore, ibadah in Islam means rendering unswerving obedience to the will of
Allah (SWT), an act that strips the believers of all volition. The concept of ibadah,
therefore, demands a total change in the attitude and mind of believers. It requires the
believers to consider the performance of five daily prayers as obligatory and rewarding as
to fulfill ones promises, adopting halal ways to earn livelihood, maintaining honesty in
business transactions, taking care of the kith and kin and the needy, and to render justice
to all. In short, ones entire life is ibadah if he/she follows the dictates of the Quran and
the Sunnah. Ibadah is also something that comes from the heart, or sincerity, as a result
of belief in Islam. Thus, ibadah has two aspects. Firstly, carrying out all actions in
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accordance with the Shariah. This means to be engaged in halal activities and staying
away from haram things and activities. Secondly, following the shariah must be carried
out with love solely with the purpose of seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT). The Quran
(33: 36) is categorical: It was never for a believer; man or woman, when Allah and His
messenger make a verdict about some issue, that they will have the choice in their
situation.
However, making a living becomes ibadah if the following conditions are met.
1. The activity must be carried out in accordance with the shariah.
2. The activity must be accompanied by a good intention and for the pleasure of Allah
(SWT).
3. The activity must be performed with excellence.
4. The activity must leave no room for injustice or disobedience to Allah or mistrust.
5. The activity must not refrain someone away from his obligatory rituals like prayer,
Fasting, etc.
All the articles in this volume deal with one or the other aspect of ibadah. Normala
Adnan explains the meaning of good governance from the liberal as well as the Islamic
perspective. Good governance would count as ibadah, if it is done with the welfare of
people in mind. She is critical of Western concept of good governance as defined by the
World Bank, which assumes the existence of universal laws applicable to all countries
irrespective of race, religion and location. She argues that good governance principles
need not be abandoned on the ground of cultural diversity. These principles could be
modified, altered, and improved to suit particular conditions and as long as it promotes
goodness to the society. She believes that Islamic model of good governance satisfies
these requirements and hence a better alternative to the conventional definition of good
governance.
Moniruzzamans paper examines the policies adopted by Muslim majority countries
to deal with minorities living in the country. He argues that states in the Muslim world are
extremely diverse ethnically, linguistically, and culturally as well as in terms of political
system, and level of economic development. As such, they have different minority
policies peculiar to their respective historical and regional characteristics. He links these
policies to the ratification or otherwise of four major international conventions
hypothesizing that the higher the ratification rate, the fairer the minority policy of a
country. The study found that the Muslim countries have mostly either ratified or
accessioned to three out of four conventions. In regional terms, the African, South and
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Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries are mostly comfortable with all the
conventions. The Arab countries, however, show most irregular pattern.
Mahmudul Hasans Good Literature and Bad Literature aims at finding out the
type of literature that may fall within the category of ibadah. He found that Islam
encourages poetry and other forms of literary productions that are conducive to building a
morally and religiously healthy society and are beneficial for individual, family and
community life. Conversely, it discourages creative works that entail moral and religious
hazards, serve ulterior motives of personal gain or glory, and further the spread of
endemic corruption at various levels of human life. Islam is supportive of literary
productions that deliver good messages but literary practitioners and critics should be
vigilant about the possible harms that poetry can cause. The Quran and the Sunnah warns
against potential moral and religious hazards that some poetry may entail.
Md. Golam Rosul is concerned with the pitiable condition of workers especially in
Bangladesh. He laments that condition of domestic workers has not received proper
institutional recognition and legal protection. Examining the current domestic workers
rights in Bangladesh from the perspectives of legal institutionalization and its practice, the
author found domestic workers rights have been violated with impunity. Such injustices
are unIslamic and inhuman as well. The author catalogues several cases of the violation of
domestic workers rights and their maltreatment by their employers. He emphasizes the
need to institutionalize this sector so that laws can be implemented easily. He concludes
by stating that the international conventions and national statutory laws can provide clear
legal prescriptions, the Islamic religious values, morals and incentives can help solve the
problem of the violation of domestic workers rights.
R. Adebayo analyzes various modes of ensuring sustainable economic development
in the country with a brief focus on the situation in Nigeria. He notes that the recent
global economic meltdown could have been dealt with successfully if the Islamic model
of economic development has been resorted to. The Islamic model is all the more
attractive because of the inability to solve the problem by those who institutionalised the
mundane economic system. He elaborates upon the Islamic economic system which
ensures Justice, Security of Life and Property, Diversification of Resources, and Resource
Management and Accountability. Nigerian economic woes could also be ameliorated by
adhering to the features of Islamic economic system which is free from usury and other
vices found in the Western capitalist system.
The last item in this issue is a review of the classical articles and books dealing with
identity, religion and politics in general and the impact of modernization on religion in
particular. Thereafter, Aisha Ismail looks into the earlier literature dealing with the
problem with particular reference to Nigeria. She found a lot of research conducted to
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determine the influence of religion on politics. Some scholars believe that religion is
exploited one way or the other by the politicians and other stakeholders, there are few
who believe otherwise. Some scholars suggest separating religion from politics; others
emphasize the positive contribution of religion in social, political and economic spheres.
However, most of the literatures were not based upon empirical data and these do not
analyse the attitudes and opinions of the people of Nigeria. She also found that though
Islam plays a dominant role in the affairs of the state and Muslim public opinion supports
the role of religion in the state. Yet, Islam has been marginalized perhaps due largely to
the manipulation of actors external to countries in the Muslim world.
Abdul Rashid Moten