Living in a material world, one confusion which arises amongst some people is that how, on the one hand democracy, capitalism and the policies of the west are kufr and yet we still use their technologies such as the internet, mobile phones and cars. Is this not haram? Additionally, some condemn the Khilafah as being regressive or anti-technological. Former US assistant secretary of state, James Rubin said in an interview, “Muslim resentment of the West will evaporate when they are free and fed”, he continued, “Do you really want to live in Bin Laden Land, a Stone Age Islamic caliphate with no rights, no economy and no future? I am confident the answer will be no.” Is James Rubin right, or does Islam have something to say on the ‘technological revolution’?
There is a difference between haDarah (civilisation) and madaniyyah (material progress). Material objects arising from the haDarah are specific to a civilisation and define a particular outlook towards life. Hence a statue such as those being worshipped by the Quraysh, or in contemporary times such as those being worshipped by Hindu, epitomise something which represents a particular ideological viewpoint. To make use of these objects which represent a foreign haDarah to the Islamic one is haram as it contradicts the Islamic outlook on life.
However, madaniyyah is not specific to any civilisation and is universal. Material aspects arising from science and its advancement or from industry and its evolution are not specific to any particular civilisation or ideology. Consequently mobile phones, laptops and the internet all stem from scientific enquiry which is universal to man and not limited to the west alone. Hence it is wrong to equate technology or science as something which may be ‘Western’ or ‘kufr’.
This distinction should be very clear and at the forefront of our minds. Whilst we may adopt from the Western madaniyyah those things which arise from science, industry etc. we must never adopt from her haDarah.
Hence using a car to go and buy a computer is allowed whilst bringing home a statue of an idol to adorn pride of place on your mantelpiece is not. In the first instance a computer does not represent any particular ideological outlook or view whilst in the later example a statue typifies shirk, something which runs totally counter to the Islamic aqeedah.
A final point worth reflecting on is that, madaniyyah alone is no adequate benchmark by which to assess any civilisation. Each and every civilisation can expect to make material progress over time. Consequently penicillin could have just as easily been discovered in China or Nigeria or Bahrain as it was in the West. Unfortunately some Muslims have become smitten with the western madaniyyah and have consequently condemned Islam as being ‘backward’ or anti-technological. Clearly this is not the case and Islam does not oppose technology or industry as such. When we examine the Western civilisation we must pull back from examining her madaniyyah and instead, assess the intellectual basis of her civilisation; capitalism, secularism and freedom.
Regarding holidays, ceremonies, festivals etc:
“To every people We have appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow: let them not dispute with you on the matter, but you do invite (them) to your Lord: for you are assuredly on the Right Way” [TMQ: 22:67]
It is reported that Anas Bin Malik (ra) said; “When the Prophet (saw) came to Medina, the people had two holidays from the days of Jahiliyyah. He (saw) said, “When I came to you, you had two holidays you used to celebrate in jahiliyyah. Allah has replaced them for you with better days, the day of Fitr and the day of slaughter (Adha).”
“Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 3512; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
In Islamic thought, a ‘people’ (Muslim and non-Muslim) are composed of two parts, first is the hadarah (civilization) and the second is the madaniyyah (progress). The hadarah includes aspects of the people’s civilization, i.e. their laws, belief-systems, ideologies, systems governing interactions (such as economics) etc, and the madaniyyah refers to a people’s material progress in terms of technology, administration, wealth, etc. As Muslims, we are free to adopt from the madaniyyah of Kaafirs, but NOT from the Kaafir hadarah – which would basically equal Kufr, or in some cases, Shirk. Furthermore, we cannot adopt things from the Kaafir madaniyyah if it contradicts and/or is alien to the Islamic hadarah, for example, earning money from derivatives, interest, free-floating exchange, etc, is forbidden.
Things such as holidays, ceremonies, festivals, etc, come from the hadarah, and therefore, we Muslims are not permitted to celebrate them as they come from the Kaafir hadarah. Hence, there is no room for ‘neutrality’ in terms of holidays, interactions, policies, etc; in these areas you are obliged to follow Islam exclusively. A quick look into the life of the Prophet (SAW), he used physical tools that were from the Persians – such as the trench – because it was from the Persian madaniyyah, and had nothing to propagating their hadarah (or contradicting Islam’s). However, you’re not going to find a single case of him celebrating a holiday other than the ones sanctioned by Allah SWT. To even claim that certain holidays are secular or neutral – such as New Years – is to establish a hadarah in which we’re claiming that there is a space where Allah SWT doesn’t cover in His laws (without evidence from Quran and Sunnah).
Nope. Actual clothing in and of itself is pure madiniyyah, the Prophet (SAW) and Sahaba themselves wore foreign origin clothing at times. It’s only hadarah if it begins to (1) violate the Islamic dress code or hijab for both men and women or (2) if we’re talking about clothing that symbolizes the Kuffar hadarah. For the first example, I can’t wear jeans/pants that show parts of my body that I am not allowed to show, such as the intimate parts. For the second example, I can’t dress with the Bishop’s collar, or Jew’s hat, etc…anything that the Kuffar themselves think to symbolize a part of their hadarah. In other cases, we can wear whatever as long as we don’t violate the Hijab or symbolize the kufr hadarah.
