Assalamu ‘Alaikum
It’s difficult to change world views when it has hardened but we continue to try because it is important and it’s true to the spirit of amar maaruf nahi mungkar. Just look at the recent headlines “Malaysia likely to achieve high income status in 5 years says World Bank.”
Now we do not question this at all because it is the World Bank. Whatever the World Bank says must be true. We are not trained to question the World Bank’s worldview but if anyone challenges our Islamicness we will fight.
However as a Muslim it does not occur to us to challenge the validity of World Bank’s views in terms of Islam. It does not matter to us they are the icon of international riba. It does not matter to us how they asked us to run our economy may use tools and systems that are the antithesis of Islam. It does not matter to us that the worldview of the economy they operate in are also antithesis to Islam. It did not occur to us they have may have vested interest in their advice to us that benefits them to our detriment . Without doing all these checks in Islam called Tabayyun, we accept the world’s Bank’s views as holy and correct.
And combining that with our daily rituals, we are now the complete Muslim. Somehow economics and economy will not be part of the examinations we will face in the hereafter. These are based on the following reasons. One, it is not possible to change. Therefore we will be forgiven. Second, we do not know how to change things and if we do not not know how to change things nobody else does. Therefore we will be forgiven.
We accept that one of the questions that we will be asked in the hereafter is what have we done with the knowledge Allah swt has given us. Again we do not tabayyun the education we have received. Coming from the Western worldview, did it come from the correct worldview? Should it not come from the Quran and the Sunnah as expected by Allah swt? We somehow feel that this will not be part of our examinations. In any case we will plead ignorance or jahil in this area.
We have also imbued Western values in our thought process. Unlike the Quranic “samiqna wa athoqna” (” we hear and we obey”), like the west, we will not attempt to do anything unless we can see it’s immediate success. We do not see how we can change our education system or economic system therefore we will not be questioned on these and therefore we have to do nothing.
We forget that we are not rewarded based on success. We forget we are rewarded based on effort.We forget we are required to execute effort ; success is the domain of Allah swt.
We did not realise our education have been specialised into religion only education and worldly knowledge only education by our colonisers and this is the specialised system we practice until now. How are we to change our education and our economic system to fit the demands of our religion when we do not know the intricate rules of our religion. How are we to advise on what is needed to change education and our economic system to fit Islam if we are unable to fathom it’s intricate workings.
.
That is the dilemma we are in. Our gurus tell us to introspect ourselves and to know ourselves before we learn about our religion as an individual. But as a nation nobody has asked us to introspect about our education system and our economic system. Therefore it is not incumbent for us to do so and therefore we have a free ticket to Paradise