tolerance in islam. you should know!

And do not abuse those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest exceeding the limits they should abuse Allah out of ignorance. Thus have We made fair seeming to every people their deeds; then to their Lord shall be their return, so He will inform them of what they did. [Quran, chapter-6, Verse-108]

Tolerance is a basic principle of Islam. It is a religious moral duty. It does not mean "concession, condescension or indulgence." It does not mean lack of principles, or lack of seriousness about one's principles.

Sometimes it is said, "people are tolerant of things that they do not care about." But this is not the case in Islam. Tolerance according to Islam does not mean that we believe that all religions are the same. It does not mean that we do not believe in the supremacy of Islam over other faiths and ideologies. It does not mean that we do not convey the message of Islam to others and do not wish them to become Muslims.

The UNESCO principles on tolerance say: "Consistent with respect for human rights, the practice of tolerance does not mean toleration of social injustice or the abandonment or weakening of one's convictions. It means that one is free to adhere to one's own convictions and accepts that others adhere to theirs. It means accepting the fact that human beings, naturally diverse in their appearance, situation, speech, behavior and values, have the right to live in peace and to be as they are. It also means that one's views are not to be imposed on others."

*Tolerance comes from our recognition of:

1. the dignity of the human beings,

2. the basic equality of all human beings,3. universal human rights, and 4. fundamental freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

The Qur'an speaks about the basic dignity of all human beings. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, spoke about the equality of all human beings, regardless of their race, color, language or ethnic background. Shari`ah recognizes the rights of all people to life, property, family, honor and conscience.

Islam emphasizes the establishment of equality and justice, both of these values cannot be established without some degree of tolerance. Islam recognized from the very beginning the principle of freedom of belief or freedom of religion. It said very clearly that it is not allowed to have any coercion in the matters of faith and belief. The Qur'an says, "There is no compulsion in religion." (Al-Baqarah: 256)

If in the matters of religion, coercion is not permissible, then by implication one can say that in other matters of cultures and other worldly practices it is also not acceptable. In Surat Ash-Shura Allah says to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, "If then they turn away, We have not sent you as a guard over them. Your duty is but to convey (the Message)ï?½" (Ash-Shura: 48) In another place Allah says, "Invite (all) to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious. Your Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance." (An-Nahl:125)

Further, Allah says to the Believers, "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and beware (of evil): if you do turn back, know then that it is Our Messenger's duty to proclaim (the Message) in the clearest manner."(Al-Ma'idah: 92)

One can also cite Allah's words: "Say: 'Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger: but if you turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear (Message)."(An-Nur:54)

All these verses give note that Muslims do not coerce people; they must present the message to them in the most cogent and clear way, invite them to the truth and do their best in presenting and conveying the message of God to humanity, but it is up to people to accept or not to accept. Allah says, "And say, 'The truth is from your Lord, so whosoever wants let him believe and whosoever wants let him deny." (An-Nahl: 29)

The question then comes: If Allah gave choice to believe or not to believe, then why did He punish the people of Prophet Nuh, the `Ad, the Thamud, the people of Prophet Lut, the people of Prophet Shu`aib and Pharaoh and his followers? The answer is in the Qur'an itself. Those people were not punished simply because of their disbelief. They were punished because they had become oppressors. They committed aggression against the righteous, and stopped others to come to the way of Allah. There were many in the world who denied Allah, but Allah did not punish every one. Ibn Taymiyah, the outstanding Muslim scholar, said, "The states may live long inspite of their people's unbelief (kufr), but they cannot live long when their people become oppressors."

Another question is raised about Jihad. Some people say, "Is it not the duty of Muslims to make Jihad?" But the purpose of Jihad is not to convert people to Islam. Allah says, "No compulsion in religion." (Al-Baqarah: 256). The real purpose of Jihad is to remove injustice and aggression. Muslims are allowed to keep good relations with non-Muslims. Allah says, "Allah does not forbid you that you show kindness and deal justly with those who did not fight you in your religion and did not drive you out from your homes" (Al-Mumtahinah: 8)

Islam teaches that fighting is only against those who fight. Allah says, "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loves not transgressors." (Al-Baqarah:190)

Islam may tolerate anything, but it teaches zero tolerance for injustice, oppression, and violation of the rights of other human beings. Allah says, "And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: 'Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from Yourside one who will protect; and raise for us from Yourside one who will help!'"(An-Nisa': 75)

Islam teaches tolerance on all levels: individual, groups and states. It should be a political and legal requirement. Tolerance is the mechanism that upholds human rights, pluralism (including cultural pluralism), and the rule of law. The Qur'an says very clearly: "To every People have We appointed rites and ceremonies which they must follow, let them not then dispute with you on the matter, but do invite (them) to your Lord: for you are assuredly on the Right Way. If they do wrangle with you, say, 'God knows best what it is you are doing.' 'God will judge between you on the Day of Judgment concerning the matters in which you differ.'" (Al-Hajj: 76-69)

*There are many levels of tolerance:*

A. Between family members, between husband and wife, between parents and children, between siblings etc.

B. Tolerance between the members of the community: tolerance in views and opinions, tolerance between the Madhahib (Islamic Juristic Schools).

C. Tolerance between Muslims and the people of other faiths (interfaith relations, dialogue and cooperation).

Muslims have been generally very tolerant people. We must emphasize this virtue among us and in the world today. Tolerance is needed among our communities: We must foster tolerance through deliberate policies and efforts. Our centers should be multi-ethnic. We should teach our children respect of each other. We should not generalize about other races and cultures. We should have more exchange visits and meetings with each other.

Even marriages should be encouraged among Muslims of different ethnic groups.

With non-Muslims we should have dialogue and good relations, but we cannot accept things that are contrary to our religion. We should inform them what is acceptable to us and what is not. With more information, I am sure the respect will develop and more cooperation will develop.

Courtesy: Dr.Muzammil H. Siddiqi, Ph.D.

Compiled, summarized, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif

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ISlam is the "adem-ayem" religion

The Holy Qur’an clearly stresses the importance of religious freedom. There is no compulsion in the matters of religion. Faith is an individual concern and commitment, between you and the One God.

“There should be no compulsion in religion. Surely, the right way has become distinct from error.”
(Holy Qur’an, Chapter 2, Verse 257)

It must therefore be something which you desire, not what is forced upon you. If you force a faith upon someone, then it becomes hollow and without true conviction. Islam stresses on a person finding the truth through their own path. If a faith is true, then it will appeal to the heart.

This is why the verse states:

‘Surely, the right way has become distinct from error’.
Islam stresses that we must not force or compel another to believe.

Elsewhere, in Chapter 10, Verse 100 of the Qur’an, we read:

“And if your Lord had enforced His will, surely, all who are on the earth would have believed together.
Will you, then, force men to become believers?”

This verse shows that religious freedom is part of Allah’s design. Allah hasn’t forced anyone, so who are we to do so? By forcing your faith upon someone, is really having no faith at all. This is not the idea behind Allah creating this physical world. As the verse states, it could have been easy for Allah to force His Will, but Allah gave us free will instead; gave us choices. We must choose the right path or be answerable for the consequences. Through all the Holy Books, Allah has explained to us the result of this choice. Either you submit to the One God and attain Paradise or you reject Him and attain Hell. But that has to be our choice. Likewise, the path we take, must be our choice.

In fact there is an entire chapter of the Qur’an, Sura Al-Kafirun (109), which clearly explains how with should conduct ourselves with non-believers:

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, ever Merciful,
Say, O ye disbelievers, I worship not as you worship,
Nor do you worship as I worship
Nor do I worship those that you worship
Nor do you worship Him Whom I worship,
For you your religion and for me my religion.”

A very beautiful chapter which explains clearly that you are free to choose which ever path you desire, so you should neither force a Muslim to worship what you worship; likewise a Muslim should not force his beliefs upon you. “For you your religion, for me my religion.” A clear statement of religious tolerance in Islam.

Any examples of this tolerance?

The best example must be the example of our beloved Prophet (s.a.w. – may peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), he understood the Qur’anic teachings better than anyone else and his is the example that every Muslim should always follow. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) actively promoted peace, tolerance and compassion for all non-Muslim minorities. He did not simply demand religious tolerance of his followers; but he laid down the foundations to provide legal and constitutional protections for religious minorities.

When the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) settled in Medina, he set about creating the first Islamic state. In Medina were not only Muslims, but there was three Jewish tribes and other Arabs who had not accepted Islam. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was asked to govern all the citizens. To achieve this he made a formal agreement, known as the Charter of Medina in 622 A.D.

We should also bear in mind that this Charter of Medina pre-dated the English Magna Carta by almost six centuries. A formal agreement between Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and all of the significant tribes and families of Medina, including Muslims, Jews and non-Muslim Arabs.

• Remarkably 45% of the total population in Medina consisted of non-Muslim Arabs,
• 40% consisted of Jews,
• and only 15% consisted of Muslims.

The Charter consists of 47 clauses which set forth the formation of a sovereign nation-state with a common citizenship for all communities. The Charter protects fundamental human rights for all citizens, including equality, cooperation, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. Clause 25 specifically states that Jews and non-Muslim Arabs are entitled to practice their own faith without any restrictions. In short, this was the first document in history to establish religious freedom as a fundamental constitutional right.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) sent letters to various kings surrounding Arabia declaring his intention for peace and cooperation. One such letter was written to the monks of St. Catherine’s Monastery of Mount Sinai in 628 A.D. and known today as the “Charter of Privileges.”

The letter reads:

“This is a message from Muhammad, son of Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them. No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate. No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian it married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation of (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world).”

Western Islamic scholar, Marmaduke Pickthall, comments on this letter as follows:

“The Charter which Muhammad (saw) granted to the Christian monks of Sinai is a living document. If you read it, you will see that it breathes not only goodwill, but also actual love. He gave to the Jews of Medina, so long as they were faithful to him, precisely the same treatment as to any Muslims. He never was aggressive against any man or class of men . . . The story of his reception of Christian and Zoroastrian visitors is on record. There is not a trace of religious intolerance in any of this.”

It is a tragic irony that much of the Islamic world has lost sight of Islam’s true and essential teachings concerning religious freedom.

Wasn’t Islam spread by the sword?

As I have already explained Allah admonishes Muslims not to use force in matters of faith,

‘there is no compulsion in the matters of religion’

Therefore the Holy Qur’an clearly forbids the use of force for the spread of the faith. But as Islam spread very quickly over many countries, there is the general belief that Islam was spread by the sword. This wasn’t the case, certainly not in early Islam, when most of the conquests were made. Islam spread due to the beautiful teachings and the good example of the Muslims.

We see in the early history of Islam, that whilst the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was in Mecca, there was no fighting. But they were being heavily persecuted. Allah informs us in the Holy Qur’an that if you are not permitted to worship the One God, then move, travel the earth, it is vast. Go to another place to Worship the One God. So this is what happened. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and his followers moved to Medina. Sadly the persecution did not stop as the Quraish wanted to wipe out Islam. So permission was given to fight in self-defence, providing that it is only because they are preventing you from worshiping the one God. It is not about gaining land, or power, or oil etc. Permission is only given to allow you to worship Allah.

As the Holy Qur’an states:

“Permission to take up arms is given to those against whom war is made,
because they have been wronged and Allah, indeed, has power to help them.
Those who have been driven out from their homes unjustly,
only because they said, ‘Our Lord is Allah.’
And if Allah had not repelled some people by means of others,
cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of Allah
is oft remembered, would surely have been destroyed.
And Allah will, surely, help him who helps Him.
Allah is, indeed, Powerful, Mighty. (Al Hajj 22:40-41)

And fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but do not transgress. Surely, Allah loves not the transgressors. (Al Baqarah 2:191)

It is clear from these verses that they had to be defensive wars. Whenever they fought anyone there were three choices, accept Islam, accept Islamic rule or fight. If they accepted Islamic rule then they came under the protection of the Muslims and paid the Jizah – a tax, which was less than the tax the Muslims paid – Zaka’at. If the Muslims could not protect them, then they would return the tax. But many people saw the fairness, tolerance and justice under the Muslim rule, which was not there before, so they willingly accepted Islam. The main proof of that is that they remained Muslims long after the power of the Muslims and they are still Islamic countries to this day. It was due to the beauty of Islam, not force. Examples of this can be found in many African countries which became Muslim countries. Why did they remain Muslim countries? It was the beauty of the teachings that created a spiritual change in them and this is why Islam spread so fast, not due to force.

We see a lot of intolerance in Islam, why is that?

Sadly these days much of the Islamic world has lost sight of Islam’s true and essential teachings concerning religious freedom and tolerance. Countries such as Indonesia, Egypt and Pakistan all currently have laws that suffocate the rights of religious minorities. A dramatic example of this is one that happened recently to Ahmadi Muslims. Sadly in 2010 at Lahore, armed gunmen killed 86 members of that Community and injured hundreds more. This wasn’t a random act of religious violence in Pakistan, it was due to the constant persecution of religious minorities. Pakistan has actually made it a law to declare the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as non-Muslims, despite the fact that they themselves call themselves Muslims! And they have made it punishable if the Ahmadis act or call themselves Muslims or do the call for prayer etc. Anything which is Islamic that they find an Ahmadi Muslim practising, they declare that this is an insult to them and the Ahmadi Muslims can be imprisoned or even punished by death. They even prevent them from going to Hajj and voting as a Muslim. Instead they have declared them by law as a minority community which is non-Muslim. Sadly despite being a so-called Muslim country, it is very intolerant of non-Muslims.

What does Islam teach about tolerance when someone blasphemes, i.e. Salman Rushdie, cartoons of the Holy Prophet etc?
In the incident where the ‘death penalty’ was given on Salman Rushdie, Imam Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa pronouncing that according to the Holy Qur’an, the punishment for ‘Blasphemy’ was death! There is no such punishment for blasphemy in the Holy Qur’an or in the Traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, (s.a.w.). Blasphemy against God is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 6, Verse 109:

“And abuse not those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they, out of spite abuse Allah in their ignorance”

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has given an example of this when he said: “do not abuse your parents”. When his companions asked him ‘would anyone abuse their own parents?’ he replied, ‘if you abuse someone’s parents, then they will retaliate by abusing your parents’.

The Holy Qur’an further relates in Chapter 4, verse 141

“When you hear the Signs of God being denied and mocked at, sit not with those who indulge in such talk until they engage in some other talk;”

No authorisation has been granted to any man to inflict a punishment for blasphemy against God. That person will be answerable to Allah for what he has said. Muslims are guided to be tolerant and not mix with such people whose talk is bad. If you go on protest marches, or book-burning and threats to kill, then this gives Islam a bad name and people will not see the beauty of Islam. Despite all this, it would be unjust if one were to ignore the real issue. It is unfair to condemn Khomeini only, rather than Salman Rushdie, who has produced a book whose extreme language is deliberately offensive to the many millions of Muslims throughout the world. Nor is that all. The book helped to undermine peace between Muslims and Christians and unleashed the forces of racial intolerance.

As for the Sudanese Teddy Bear incident, this was again an incident where they did not understand tolerance in Islam. There was no insult being made, in fact in a recent survey, the name Muhammad is one of the most popular names in the world and was the choice of the children she taught, not her choice. So such extremes do not represent the beautiful teachings of Islam.

On the other hand, the cartoons of the Holy Prophet, was an attempt to pour scorn on the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). We have to be tolerant and understand that there are people who will make fun of religious leaders. We need to approach the people concerned and explain why we find this sort of cartoon offensive. When such action is taken, then the people can realise their mistake and may even apologise. If you start making protests or marches, then it only raises the intolerance of some people. Therefore we should always respond with dignity.

What does Islam teach about tolerance if someone leaves their religion?

Some Muslims believe that if a person leaves Islam then according to their understanding of the Islamic teachings, any person who becomes an apostate in Islam, then the punishment is death! Once again there is no such punishment mentioned in the Holy Qur’an!

The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 4, Verse 138 relates:

“Those who believe, then disbelieve, then again believe, then disbelieve and then increase in disbelief, Allah will never forgive them nor will He guide them to the right way.”

From this verse it is clear that it is Allah, not man, who will punish a person for apostasy. If the punishment was really death, then how does a person believe again when he is dead? At the end of the day, maybe they may come back to Islam or their children may become Muslims, but if you kill someone for leaving Islam, then they have no chance of coming back. The Holy Qur’an stresses that “there is no compulsion in Islam” (Ch2: 257), which means that you cannot and must not force your opinions on anyone, or force them to be a Muslim. Instead we should be tolerant of everyone’s believe and just explain in the best possible way what we believe and why we believe it.

The Holy Prophet (s.a.w) has said,

“Make religion easy for others to follow; do not make it difficult.
Similarly, present religion in a pleasing manner; do not make it repulsive to others.”

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi as said, “Remember that Allah loves compassion and kindness and wants us to be kind to His subject and people. If He liked harshness and selfishness, He would have prescribed that but such a teaching is below His Grace. He is the Gracious, the Merciful. Therefore, you who have a bond with me, remember, that you should be gracious to everyone regardless of his religion, creed or race. Be kind to everyone as that is the teaching of the Holy Quran”

We should always be tolerant and kind, that is the real teaching of Islam.

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islam hanyalah agama yang rahmatan lil-alamin

Islam adalah agama rahmatan lil ‘alamin artinya Islam merupakan agama yang membawa rahmat dan kesejahteraan bagi semua seluruh alam semesta, termasuk hewan, tumbuhan dan jin, apalagi sesama manusia. Sesuai dengan firman Allah dalam Surat al-Anbiya ayat 107 yang bunyinya, “Dan tiadalah Kami mengutus kamu, melainkan untuk (menjadi) rahmat bagi semesta alam”. Islam melarang manusia berlaku semena-mena terhadap makhluk Allah, lihat saja sabda Rasulullah sebagaimana yang terdapat dalam Hadis riwayat al-Imam al-Hakim, “Siapa yang dengan sewenang-wenang membunuh burung, atau hewan lain yang lebih kecil darinya, maka Allah akan meminta pertanggungjawaban kepadanya”. Burung tersebut mempunyai hak untuk disembelih dan dimakan, bukan dibunuh dan dilempar. Sungguh begitu indahnya Islam itu bukan? Dengan hewan saja tidak boleh sewenang-wenang, apalagi dengan manusia. Bayangkan jika manusia memahami dan mengamalkan ajaran-ajaran islam, maka akan sungguh indah dan damainya dunia ini.

Indonesia adalah negara dengan penduduk muslim terbanyak di dunia, sekali lagi, terbanyak di dunia. Maka melihat keterangan di atas, seharusnya Indonesia menjadi negara yang indah, damai, dan beradab. Tapi lihat saja kenyataannya, kita tidak bisa menutup mata dan telinga dengan pemberitaan sehari-hari yang mengabarkan tentang kisah-kisah menyedihkan dan tak beradab. Mulai dari anak-anak yang melakukan pencabulan, berjudi, menghisab sabu. Remaja tawuran antar sekolah, kumpul kebo, menjadi pengedar, minum-minuman keras. Orang tua yang mencabuli anaknya sendiri, membunuh anggota keluarga sendiri, membunuh karena masalah sepele, bunuh diri, mutilasi, dan sebagainya. Sampai kepada pejabat kita yang melakukan tindak asusila, dan korupsi besar-besaran. Hampir setiap hari kejadian semacam ini keluar di pemberitaan. Sebenarnya apa yang terjadi? Di mana moral mereka? Bukankah sebagian besar dari mereka adalah muslim? Bukankah orang muslim seharusnya menjadi rahmatan lil ‘alamin?

Jika dikatakan tidak berpendidikan sepertinya tidak juga. Saya yakin kebanyakan dari mereka telah mengenyam pendidikan dasar, bahkan tidak sedikit yang sudah sarjana bahkan lebih. Lantas mengapa moral mereka bisa sebegitu hancurnya? Jawabannya adalah tidak memahami dan menjalankan ajaran islam secara kaffah. Jika mereka tahu bahwa membunuh binatang semena-mena saja dilarang oleh islam, mana mungkin sampai berani membunuh sesama manusia, apalagi sesama muslim. Jika mereka tahu bahwa islam melarang untuk mencuri dan menipu dan mereka menjalankan larangan itu, mana mungkin mereka berani melakukan korupsi. Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنه mengatakan bahwa Nabi صلی الله عليه وسلم bersabda, “Orang Islam itu adalah orang yang orang-orang Islam lainnya selamat dari lidah dan tangannya; dan orang yang berhijrah (muhajir) adalah orang yang meninggalkan apa yang dilarang oleh Allah.” Sudah sangat jelas bagaimana islam menjelaskan bagaimana ciri orang islam sesungguhnya.

Jika ingin merasakan Indonesia yang damai sejahtera, maka yang harus dibenahi adalah moral bangsanya, bukan sekedar pendidikan belaka. Dan pendidikan moral yang sesungguhnya, yang komplit, dan yang diperintahkan oleh pencipta manusia adalah Islam. Setiap muslim wajib untuk belajar tentang agamanya. Dengan begitu kita akan mampu menjadi khalifah sesungguhnya di bumi sesuai tujuan diciptakannya kita, yaitu menjadi rahmat bagi semesta alam. Sudah semangatkah kita untuk belajar dan mengamalkan islam? Atau kita malah lebih semangat untuk mempelajari dan mengikuti budaya Jepang atau budaya Barat dari Islam? Seberapa banyak buku Islam yang telah kita baca? Mana banyaknya dengan buku-buku selain itu?

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RASA AMAN DAMAI DALAM ISLAM

islam agama damai Akhir-akhir ini dunia sering di landa rasa was-was, rasa mencekam, mulai dari krisis di tunisia, krisis di mesir, dan yang terakhir di libya, serta Negara yaman, sebagian kondisi Negara yang saat ini hangat di bicarakan di banyak media masa baik elektronik maupun cetak. Begitu juga dengan negara kita, akhir-akhir ini banyak sekali isu-isu terorisme, penyerangan ahmadiyyah, pengeboman masjid polisi di daerah cirebon. Saya merasakan bahwa rasa aman di dunia ini sudah mulai terkikis dari dunia ini, terlebih kita yang notabene sebagai orang muslim, serta kasus kapal kudus yang di hadang oleh bajak laut, Somalia, yang notabene bajak laut itu salah satu pemimpinnya beragama islam, seakan hati kita ingin bertanya, betapa sulit mencari rasa aman di dunia muslim saat ini.

Saya tidak ingin menjustice ataupun mempersalahkan kondisi kaum muslim saat ini, saya hendak memaparkan bagaimana sebenarnya islam memberikan rasa aman kepada umatnya, dan bagaimana islam menjamin rasa aman itu, dan dengan wujud apakah itu?

• Definisi Kata Aman (اللأمن )

Secara bahasa kata aman, berasal dari kata amina, yang berdekatan makna dengan ; amanah dan juga, dan iman, kebalikan dari kufur, dalam alqur’an dan al hadist banyak menyinggung segala sesuatu yang bisa membuat manusia merasa aman dan damai dalam kehidupannya. Dan juga selalu memerintahkan untuk menjauhi segala hal-hal yang dapat membuat manusia merasa teraniaya, terintimidasi, goncang dan lain sebagainya. Dalam berbicara tema ini al qur’an membicarakannya dalam dua metode :

1. Memberikan indicator tentang sesuatu yang bias membuat kita aman damai dan sejahtera,


2. Secara explisit menyinggung tentang rasa aman,yang di ungkapkan dalam bahasa alqur’an secara langsung.

Yang pertama dapat kita lihat ketika zaman jahiliyyah sebelum islam datang, masyarakat waktu kehilangan rasa amannya, perbedaan suku dan ras yang mencolok, perbudakan yang masih menjadi hal yang biasa, pertengkaran antar suku yang terkadang menimbulkan peperangan, tidak ada penghormatan terhadap perempuan, penyembahan terhadap patung yang notabene benda mati.

Setelah islam datang yang di bawa oleh Rasulullah, rasa aman damai dan tentram di rasakan oleh penduduk warga arab setempat, hal ini tentu mengadung beberapa pertanyaan, mengapa bisa seperti itu? Ada apa dengan ajaran yang di bawa oleh Rasulullah, mungkin kita dapat menelaah sebagian manhaj yang di ajarkan oleh Rasulullah melalui apa yang di bawa Beliau kepada kita melalui alQur’an dan asshunnah.

•          Eksistensi Iman

Iman Kepada Allah, dan ajakan terhadap setiap manusia untuk selalu menyembah-Nya, dengan satu pegangan yaitu Alqur’an dan assunnah, iman inilah yang memberikan kekuatan kepada manusia untuk menebarkan kebajikan di setiap detik nafas kehidupannya, saling berkasih sayang sesama manusia. Mereka semua sama di ciptakan dari satu bapak, yaitu Nabi Adam, dan nabi adam di ciptakan dari debu, sehingga bagaimanapun tiada saling unggul antara satu sama lain, toh semuanya sama dari penciptaannya, kecuali takwa yang membedakan satu sama lainnya.

Ketika keyakinan itu telah meresap dalam hati setiap muslim, maka pasti mereka akan membenci segala bentuk saling mengungguli satu dengan yang lain, saling sombong, rasa amanlah yang akan timbul.

Era globalisasi sekarang ini manusia kurang mampu untuk menanamkan rasa bahwa semua orang itu sama di hadapan Allah, akibatnya Negara-negara yang maju malah justru saling berebut kekuasaan terhadap Negara yang lemah.

• .       Agama yang sesuai dengan Fitrah manusia

Aspek yang memperngaruhi bahwa islam itu adalah agaman yang damai adalah, Universalitas nya Islam, agama ini berbeda sekali dengan agama-agama yang lain sebelum islam, hal ini terlihat dari ajaran-ajaran pokok agama islam, agama yang sesuai dengan fitrah manusia di ciptakan agama yang memperhatikan kemampuan manusia, agama yang tidak memaksa, agama yang moderat, hal ini sejalan dengan tabiat manusia, semua makhluk sama di hadapan undang-undang.

Karena universalitasnya inilah sehingga islam mampu memberikan rasa damai dan tenteram sesama manusia, beberapa hadist dan ayat alqur’an menyinggung hal ini seperti dalam alQur’an “ya ayyuhannasu innaa kholaqnakum min dzakarin wa untsa waja’alnakum syu’uban waqobaila lita’arafu” (Q.S al hujurat : 13). Wahai manusia telah Kami jadikan kalian laki-laki dan perempuan, dan Kami jadikan bergolong-golongan dan berqobilah-qobilah, untuk kalian saling mengetahui, Dari ayat ini jelaslah bahwa manusia itu sama.

• .       Umat yang Satu

Islam mengibaratkan umat ini sebagai sisir, semuanya berhak memperoleh bagian yang sama, tanpa membedakan antara si kaya dan si miskin, antara si putih dan si hitam, jalan inilah yang membuat manusia bias hidup berdampingan,merasa aman pada harta, pada diri, dan harga dirinya. tanpa adanya sifat sombong, sifat meremehkan terhdap yang lainnya,

Sebagai tambahan bahwa agama islam adalah agama yang cinta damai (salam) bahwa Allah menamai Diri-Nya sebagai Assalam, bahkan surga dalam alqur’an di sebut sebagai Darussalam atau rumah kedamaian kalau dalam bahasa indonesianya. Bahkan Allah memerintahkan kepada Rasulullah untuk mengutamakan jalan damai, ketika berperang melawan musuh. Seperti dalam ayat “wain janahu lissilmi wajnah laha watawakkal ‘alallah” (Q:S, Al Anfal :  61)

Timbul sebuah pertanyaan, ketika kita tahu bahwa islam itu agama damai, lantas kenapa, islam memperbolehkan untuk berperang, dan menyebut orang yang berperang sebagai seorang mujahid, seorang yang berhak memperoleh pahala yang berlipat ganda dari Allah?

Perang dalam islam bukanlah hal yang pokok untuk di lakukan, perang di lakukan hanya pada kondisi-kondisi tertentu, untuk menjaga Akidah, dan untuk melawan musuh yang dzalim, dan memusuhi islam. Seperti dalam ayat “Udzina lilladzina yuqotiluna biannahum dzulimu” di ijinkan bagi orang yang membunuh karena dia di dzalimi (QS Al Haj : 39)

Perang dalam islam hanya di lakukan dalam kondisi darurat, sehingga hal itu bias di katakana wajar saja kalau perang sebagai wujud dari upaya pembelaan diri, perang yang di maksudkan bukan untuk merusak, secara kasat mata perang inilah yang damai, bukan perang yang sering kita ketahui sebagai penjajah.

•          Gotong Royong (attakaful)

Islam sangat mengajarkan untuk selalu bergotong royong satu sama lainnya, semanga takaful ini bukan hanya pada hal yang sifatnya materi saja, akan tetapi lebih dari itu dalam segala aspek kehidupan ini kita di tuntut untuk ringan tangan kepada siapapun, dan bukan hanya orang muslim, tetapi orang nonmuslim juga berhak terhadap ke ringan tanganan kita, karena akidah kita memerintahkan untk memulyakan semua manusia, bukan hanya terbatas pada islam atau tidaknya orang itu saja, sehingga dengan inilah rasa aman rasa damai akan timbul dengan sendirinya, bagaimanapun semangat takaful ini senantiasa membuat aman karena disetiap detik nafasnya ada yang menolong ada yang menyantuni ada yang menopang ketika seseorang mendapatkan musibah dan lain sebagainya.

Ketika semangat iman, takaful, saling menasehati, dan seharusnya memang harus tertanam di benak setiap muslim karena itu semua adalah ajaran agama kita, maka rasa damai dan tentram dapat dengan mudah kita dapati, karena dalam setiap aspek itu terdapat nilai-nilai saling menghormati, nilai saling mengasihi, bukan saling mengintimidasi, yang ujung-ujungnya berdampak kepada saling membunuh, saling menyepelekan, nilai islam semacam inilah yang hilang dari kehidupan modern saat ini. Wallahu a’lam

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