Yesterday a friend sent me the following verses of the Qur’an:
YUSUFALI: On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our messengers with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land (005.032).
YUSUFALI: Not equal are those believers who sit (at home) and receive no hurt, and those who strive and fight in the cause of Allah with their goods and their persons. Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who strive and fight with their goods and persons than to those who sit (at home). Unto all (in Faith) Hath Allah promised good: But those who strive and fight Hath He distinguished above those who sit (at home) by a special reward (004.095).
After I read the verses and applied them to the Gambia situation, I started to wonder why these verses are not discussed in our mosques, Islamic schools, and our homes. Once in a while I read in the newspapers that so and so Imam condemned the advocates to abolish female genital mutilation, or delivered an eloquent speech about the abundance in Heaven and the punishment in Hell Fire. Rarely would you hear an Imam talk about the injustices in our society, the culture of disappearance, imprisonment, and killings in broad day light.
Is Islam not the brotherhood of man, the abolition of the Caste system and untouchability, the right of women to inherit, opening the places of worship to all, prohibition of all intoxicants, the true concept of the Unity of God, freedom of the oppressed and the enslaved persons, the concept of equality and fairness? If so, then why can’t we demand that the rights of very individual Gambian is protected from torture and inhumane treatment and also demand justice for all the victims of torture and inhumane treatment in the hands of our government?
How can those who have knowledge in the rules of the Shari'ah (Islamic Law), the meaning and implications of Ash-Shahadatayn (the two testimonies, there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), the wisdom behind the various rules of the religion with regards to the permissible and the impermissible, the life story of the Messenger of Allah and knowledge in what will occur after death, such as the torment in the grave, the hardships of the Day of Resurrection, the bounties in Paradise and the torment in Hellfire, to effectively adopts a culture of complete silence to widespread injustice prevailing in the Gambia today?
I think all Imams are supposed to serve as apostles of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), by talking His talk and also walking His walk. The true disciples of Prophet Muhammad ought to be crusaders against injustice and murderers everywhere. The very foundation of Islam is equality and justice for very human being, which has proven to impossible to establish with silence and inaction. I am very convinced that if the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was in the Gambia today, He would not sit down idly to let the current status quo to prevail.
The current state of affairs in the Gambia is no secret; everybody knows what is going on. Many have gone never to return, many are/were illegally held for several weeks, months, and sometimes years without due process of the law, and many bore scars of torture on their skin, faces, and their very humanity. Who knows the next victim of their senseless detention, torture, and killing? In his last sermon, Prophet Muhammad is quoted as saying:
O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to. All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black, nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim, and that Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to your selves.
When would the Imams standup to their responsibility to God, by condemning injustice and unfairness in our society? When would they freely preach the message of Muhammad (SAW) to their followers?
During Jawara’s era, Hatab Bojang served prison term for his remarks about injustice and unfairness in society. Bunn Jeng was also an open advocate of justice and fairness. Few years ago, during the veil crises in the Gambia, the Imam of state house delivered a powerful sermon strictly condemning the President’s order, and as expected, the words of Islam stood while the words of the president fell. Why can’t such a protest be about illegal imprisonments and senseless killings happenings in our society every day and night?
Silence is a sign of acceptance and it is strictly in contravention with the teachings and philosophy of Islam.
Muhammed Lamin Touray
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