HOW ISLAM DEALS WITH CORRUPTION. Allah SWT mentioned

Transcription

1 HOW ISLAM DEALS WITH CORRUPTION Allah SWT mentioned And do not consume one another's wealth unjustly or send it [in bribery] to the rulers in order that [they might aid] you [to] consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know [it is unlawful]. (Surah Al-Baqarah: 188) Hadis Rasulullah S.A.W. The Prophet s.a.w. has condemned the giver or receiver of bribe in decision making (ruler, management, judges etc...)" (Narrated by At- Tirmidzi, 3/622: Imam Tirmidzi said: Hasan Sahih) The holy Qur an, the guidance of all mankind, has stated that corruption has been lingering in the human society for more than five centuries. This disease eats away at the nobility of men and is still being practiced today. Bribery is wealth earned by accomplishing a task for a party that should have been done without any compensation (whether to bring benefit to the party or to avoid harm).the act of bribery or corruption is categorized as a major sin in which the person giving and/or receiving bribes will be condemned by Allah SWT. Condemnation by Allah the Almighty means that a person will not obtain any sort of cherishment in this world and the Hereafter unless he/she has truly sought repentance from Allah. Greediness to obtain all worldly pleasures fuels men to indulge them in corruption. Moreover, the persuasion by men s long time enemy, the Devil, make humans selfish and disregard the negative implications that corruption has towards society. Islam emphasized Hukm (God s Authority) in every aspects of life. These aspects include the country s law, which comprises of state administration, legislation, economic affairs etc. The very essence of Hukm is what makes Islam a total divine religion. Allah The All Knowing, reveals that this disease (corruption) infects all mankind without any exception regardless of social status, including those having authority in religious matters, the sinner permitting the forbidden and forbidding the permitted acts.

2 Allah SWT also mentioned O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of Allah. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah - give them tidings of a painful punishment. (Surah At-Taubah: 34) Allah SWT also mentioned: And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators. (175) And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought. (176) (Surah Al- A raf: ) During his reign as the caliph of Medina state, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) educated his Companions to make the act of bribery forbidden in their sovereignty. For instance, when a companion was appointed as Zakah collector of an Islamic region, said with sincerity, Oh Rasulullah! This is for you while this (other wealth) is a gift presented to me. (So, it is mine). The Prophet employed a man from the tribe of Al-Azd named Ibn Al-Lutabiyyahh to collect the Zakah. When he returned (to the Prophet with the collections), he said: This is for you while this (other wealth) is a gift presented to me. (So, it is mine). So, the Messenger of Allah stood on the pulpit, praised Allah, extolled Him and then he said, Why does an official whom I send (in a mission) say: This is for you and this has been presented to me as gift? Why did he not stay in the house of his father and mother to see whether gifts will be given to him or not?

3 By (Allah) in Whose Hand is the life of Muhammad, if any one of you takes anything (wrongfully,) he will bring it on the Day of Resurrection, carrying it on his neck Then he raised his hands till we could see the whiteness of his armpits and repeated twice, O Allah! Have I conveyed (Your Commandments)? (Muslim). The hadith above proves that extravagant giftsgiven by certain people with hidden interest are in fact a form of corruption. This sinful act gives significant negative impact as it would affect those people having higher positions in public service to be unfairly and unjust. According to the Islamic perspective, every responsibility given to an individual will be accounted for on the Day of Judgement. This accountability is based on the concept of good deed and bad sin which will be judged in the Hereafter. Gruesome torture awaits for those who have sinned as well as not receiving Allah s blessings in life. Sins obtained by the act of corruption cannot be atoned for via Ibadah such as performing Haj or Umrah as it affects the public s rights. The negative impact of corruption towards our lives is truly worrying. It damages all aspects of our lives involving administration, management, legislation, politics, economy and others which are part of our daily lives. This is due to the fact that corruption has the power to influence results and approval. When I was giving a talk in Nanyang University (Singapore) a few years back, I was questioned as to why corruption is not categorized as an offence according to Hudud and Qisas? My response: Hudud is a law in relation to The Rights of Allah. On the other hand, Qisas is a law related to human rights. There exists a certain boundary to differentiate Qisas and Hudud. For us to know the boundary, various factors need to be considered in cases involving corruption. The cases may consist of The Rights of Allah or human right, the degree of offence may be major or minor, the reason of receiving bribery needs to be taken into account and the different posts involved in the deed. Thus, Islam introduces the Takzir law where the jurisdiction provides flexibility in dealing with certain cases. Major and minor cases can be judged using Takzir Law however the judgement must be made fairly by those who are having the authority (government, judiciary, enforcement authorities) to do so. The very

4 essence of Islamic Law focuses more on educating the guilty and not solely to punish. The nucleus of Islamic Empire pinnacle greatness was down to the practice of Islam Law. Islam Law was designed in such a way that encompasses the elements of both Lahiriah (Physical) and Ruhaniah (Spiritual) which is safeguarded by the principle of Iman and the concept of Taqwa. In man-made laws, there is an absence of the element of Ruhaniah (Spiritual) An individual who is guarded with Iman and Taqwa would not abandon the Hukm of Allah to build the foundation of a country s legislation. A strong belief of Iman and Taqwa will make humans think of the consequences in their actions not just in the world, but in the Hereafter too. They believe that if they were to escape by cheating the man-made law, the Hereafter s punishment will be far more devastating as nothing that they did during their lifetime will be missed by the judgement of Allah The Almighty. One night, Caliph Umar as usual went in disguise with his companion Ibn Abbas to see the condition of the people. They strolled from one quarter to another. At last they came to a colony where poor people lived. While passing by a small house, the Caliph heard a whispering talk within. The mother was telling her daughter that the amount of milk fetched by her for sale that day was very little. She told her that when she was young, and used to sell milk, she always mixed water with milk, and that led to considerable profit. She advised her daughter to do the same. The girl said, "You adulterated milk, when you were not a Muslim. Now that we are Muslims, we cannot adulterate milk." After a few moments of disagreement, the girl still refused to fall in with the plan of her mother. She said, "Caliph may or may not be here, but his order must be obeyed. My conscience is my Caliph. You may escape the notice of the Caliph and his officers, but how can we escape the notice of Allah and our own conscience." Upon this incident, Umar Al Khattab asked one of his sons to marry this honest milkmaid thus they gave birth to one the most pious leader of all which is the Great Caliph Umar Abd Aziz. Apart from educational background and experience, elements of religion, Iman and morality are taken in consideration (in Islam) when electing an individual to be among the leaders. In conjunction with this, the Baiah (Agreement) needs to also be upheld by the elected leaders so that they can carry out their responsibilities fairly and free from personal interests.

5 Discrepancies between Islamic Law and man-made law can be seen clearly when they are being compared. For instance, man-made law does not take accountability in aspects of Iman while morality and Taqwa may release an accused even though he or she is in the wrong. The judgement in the Hereafter is not being taken into account. There are also individuals who put themselves above the law. Communist-led countries will issue death sentences in the offence of corruption without considering the government s wrong doings and others such as providing employees with a too-low salary insufficient to keep up with current living costs. In addition, liberal government, adopting capitalism, could not apprehend the disease of corruption as men will do whatever it takes in acquiring wealth without considering the boundaries of Iman and Taqwa. The Hukm of Allah is merely for ibadah purposes thus men abandon it in the legislation creating selfishness as though they have the power to be above the law. Corruption will affect all of mankind as we are facing a threat of Syaitan constantly in our daily lives. Therefore, the Islamic way is the best approach to fight against corruption. Firmly grasping Islam as the roots of the party, PAS showed an admirable display of Islamic leadership in every state that is governed by PAS. Kelantan is a primary example of zero-corruption in its administration. PAS supports the war against corruption. Any entities should be investigated for this sinful act. The culprits should be taken into custody for necessary actions to be taken upon them. PAS will not pardon anyone from its government who associates with this sinful act. All PAS members are educated with Islamic knowledge and an Islamic development plan (Tarbiyah). Everyone has to oblige with the Baiah in all aspects that are not contradictory with Islam. These include ijtihad jamaah which have no reference from the Al-Quran or hadith of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Those who insist on involving themselves with that which is impermissible in Islam must not remain with PAS. There are those who have left of their own accord and others which have been removed.

6 PAS also supports any entities that wish to lodge an investigation in the possibility of corruption cases within the government. However it must be done fairly and justly, free from false accusations. Prosperity with Islam ABDUL HADI AWANG President of PAS Bertarikh: 8 Rabiul Akhir 1439 / 27 Disember 2017 HARAKAHDAILY 27/12/2016