(52): ISLAM: A Faith Full of Prohibitions?

Muhammad Muhsin Ibrahim

muhsin2008@gmail.com

@muhsin234

Islam and its about 2 billion adherents suffer an acute ad hominem criticism in various places in the world today. The condemnations are wide and wild. While the notorious one centres on terrorism carried out by some Muslims, dubbed extremists, a salient other one is on the many prohibitions embedded in the religion. A non-Muslim friend of mine once told me, “I can’t practice Islam. There are more ‘Noes’ than there are ‘Yeses’ in it”. I didn’t quickly affirm or snub her allegation. I instead felt the need to study the whole thing thoroughly, and so I did.

There are, of course, many “noes”, which are, nonetheless, for the wellness of humankind. For instance, Islam bans all intoxicants (cigarettes and alcohol deserve particular mention), pork meat, interest and usury, any sexual immodesty (adultery, fornication, incest, pornography, etc.), gay marriage, among others. Religion is religion. It must not always seem reasonable to a faithful before he (generic) abides by all its rules and regulations. Needless to say, though, is the simple fact that scores of medical, social, financial, etc., discoveries confirm the rationale of these proscriptions. I will discuss this later after a brief digression.

Often, a Muslim, especially living in non-Muslim majority places, chooses to ‘belong’, hence disregards the ethics of Islam and fails to uphold its core values. In the same vein, he might seldom be found observing some inconsequential religious duties, as a Muslim at least by identity. In this effort to be present in two places at once, he ends up pleasing no one, both Allah and the people he wants to be part of. Bollywood Muslim actors are a typical example. A few months ago, an influential BJP leader called on Hindus to boycott films of the Khans. It is evident that they neither please Allah with their movies.

So many scholars, both Muslims and non-Muslims, such as Thomas Cleary in The Essential Koran (2011), have attested to the fact that Islam does not demand unreasoned belief. Instead, it invites profound faith, grounded in observation, reflection, and contemplation, beginning with nature and what’s around us. That, and not “Holy war”, as Jihad is wrongly translated, aided the spread of the religion across the globe. That, too, made the religion champion in the courses of human (social, moral, financial, political, technological, medical, etc.) development. This was also what “nursed Europe out of the Dark Ages” (Ibid: vii). As discussed, there’s nothing beneficial for humanity in the aforementioned banned practices and activities. 

A few years ago in Nigeria, the former governor of the Central Bank and the current Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, spearheaded the introduction of a Shari’ah-compliant, interest-free banking system. Although the practice has been adopted in many countries, including the UK, some Christian groups have stubbornly opposed it. He, or another person – I can’t recall correctly – advised them to bring forward a Christian-compatible system, and it would be incorporated in the system the same way Islamic banking is. They couldn’t and still can’t.

There have been discoveries on the health risk and danger of eating pork meat. The hazards of cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption need no mention, for they are ubiquitous. That’s why many warnings and restrictions always accompany their adverts and are sold everywhere. Islam, being a divine religion, already prohibits us from taking those poisonous substances.

On the polygyny issue, which often transcends to women’s rights, Islam champions this course as well. For over a thousand years, Islam has recognised women’s right to own property, inherit, trade, and work. No religious book limits a man to marry one wife (two, three or four, max., on unequivocal conditions and guidelines) except the Qur’an. If women are not allowed to drive cars in Saudi Arabia, for instance, that’s their law, not Islamic.

There’s also a huge health risk in same-sex marriage. In fact, no religion approves of it. Even the Vatican declares that the recent referendum result, which gives the nod to gay marriage in Ireland, is a defeat for humanity. It’s only Muslims’ rejection that’s a thorn in the flesh, but for obvious reasons, I suppose.

What is more? Islam is a religion for humanity that contains a well-nourished, befitting message to address the contingencies of all times: past, present, and future. The media, which are primarily controlled by non-Muslims who mostly have an entrenched hatred for Islam, mainly concentrate only on the wrongdoings of Muslims. ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and the like are contraventions of Islam. We barely hear about the plight of Muslims in many places, such as Myanmar/Burma, Sri Lanka, the Central African Republic, etc. Muslims are portrayed only as the bad guys. This is why people think there are more negatives than positives in the religion. Wrong. I urge you to research Islam from authentic sources.