The advent of the lunar month of Rabi
al-Awwal brings to Muslims worldwide the joyful memory of Prophet Muhammad's
birth (peace and blessings be upon him). The name of the month itself carries
within its meaning the spirit of prosperity and renewal. The Arabic term
"rabi'" means "spring", which is the season of the year
between winter and summer which is a time of renewal, a time when new life
begins and the face of the earth is covered anew with vibrant living colors.
The birth of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) was the spring that took the entire world out of the
darkness of ignorance into the light of knowledge. His birth was a portal of
divine mercy in the history of entire humanity. The time that preceded the
birth of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was known as the
jahiliya (the era of ignorance) when social traditions and tribalism trounced human
rights both inside and outside the Arabian Peninsula. Therefore, the Quran
describes the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as a "mercy to
creation". This mercy is unlimited for it includes teaching and guiding
man to the straight path as well as promoting both his material and spiritual
wellbeing. As such, this mercy is not limited to those who lived at the
Prophet’s time but will continue to extend until the end of time. This is
attested to by the Quran which, describing the Prophet’s mercy, states, “And We
have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds” (Quran 21: 107).
Commemorating
the Prophet's birth this year coincides with the rising call to renew religious
discourse, which has become a necessity in our modern time to combat extremist
ideologies and keep abreast of modern developments. In this context, some might
confuse renewal with the rejected concept of innovation (bida'ah) and impede
attempts to revisit Islamic jurisprudence. However, the Prophet’s hadith on the
inevitability of renewal challenges this position. The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) urged us to engage in renewal when he said, “God will
raise for this Ummah at the turn of every century one who will renew its
religion for it."
With the
rapid developments the world witnesses continuously, Muslims are in constant
need to remember that our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the
first to exhort us to engage in ijtihad and renewal.
In his
book Al-Jami' Al-Sagheer, Imam al-Suyuti explained the term "renewing
religion" as "renewing its guidance, clarifying its truth and
precedence, refuting the innovations and extremism presented to its followers
or their reluctance in upholding it, and following its rules in managing the
interests of the people and the law of society and civilization."
The demand
to renew Islamic thought is not a novel issue. The call to renew Islamic
discourse in order that it be consistent with the social, economic, cultural,
and political interests of society was and continues to be raised by Muslim
scholars. Examples include Imams al-Shafi'i, Ahmed ibn Hanbal, Abu Hamid
al-Ghazali, and Ibn Rushd from the early generation of scholars and Sheikh
Hassan al-'Attar, Imam Mohammed Abdo, and others from the modern generations.
Despite the different approaches pursued by those revivalists, the aim was and is
still the same — namely, keeping the nuances of the Shari'ah consistent with
the needs and demands of time.
Imam Muslim recorded in his Sahih that
after arriving in Medina, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once
passed by some people who were fecundating some date palms, so he asked them
what they were doing. When they told him, he said, “I don’t think that
[fecundating the date palms] will provide any benefit,” or in another
narration, “It would be better if you didn’t do that.” Therefore, they
refrained from doing it, and that year the date harvest was not as abundant as
it normally was in previous years. When they mentioned this to the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him), he replied, “I am only a human being. If I
command you to do something related to your religion, obey; but if I tell you
to do something based on my personal opinion, then [know] that I am only a
human being.” In another narration, he is reported to have said, “You know
better about your worldly affairs.”
In this Prophetic tradition, the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) teaches us to work in the best interest of
people by consulting specialists. Since Mecca was deficient in arable land, the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have any experience in date
palm cultivation. This is why he later told the people of Medina, "You
know better about your worldly affairs."
If we compare this example to our modern
time, the current medical, economic and social developments require the advice of
experts and specialists provided it does not contradict the fundamentals of the
religion. This is what is meant by "renewal".
In another example relating to women
traveling alone without a mahram, the basic rule when a woman travels is that
she must be accompanied by a mahram. Proof to this is the hadith narrated
through Ibn ‘Abbas (may God be pleased with them both) who said, “A woman must
not travel unless she is accompanied by a mahram ….”
However, some jurists from the Maliki
school of jurisprudence as well as others allow women to travel alone if the
way and destination are safe. This is based on the hadith of ‘Adi ibn Hatem who
narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, “And
if you live a long life, you will surely see a woman traveling from Hira till
she circumambulates the Ka‘bah – fearing no one except God."
The change of lifestyle, venues and
multiple means of transportation prove the Prophet's words true though he left
us centuries ago. Women today travel alone for different purposes including
work, study, or recreation without any fear.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught us the importance of taking into account changes in time, place, people, and circumstances when it comes to the deduction of rulings. There is nothing wrong with having multiple questions relating to the reality of time and this has nothing to do with innovation as some people claim. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offers us timeless guidance and his birth was the turning point that guided humanity, “… There has come to you from God a light and a clear Book” (Quran 5: 14).
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