INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ISLAMIC THOUGHTS, 3, 01-04, 2014Copyright BIITISSN 2306 -7012

Editorial

The purpose of creation as mentioned in the Quran (51: 56) is to know and worship(yabudun) Allah (SWT) alone. The basic concept in the verse is implied by the rootword, abd, which means to acknowledge someone other than oneself as enjoying overlordship and or surrendering oneself totally to his authority. The Arabic term ibadahconnotes obedience and submission which in Islamic terms means the ultimate obedienceand submission to Allah (SWT). Obeying the Creator is not confined simply toperforming the prescribed forms of rites and rituals. It means following Islamic beliefsand practices and carrying out all activities in accordance with the shariah. This is clearfrom the Quranic verse (16: 36): And to every nation We sent Messengers, orderingthem that they should worship Allah alone, obey Him, and make their worship purely forHim; and that they should avoid al-tagut.

It is unfortunate to note, however, that many Muslims have confined the termibadah to obligatory prayers and erroneously assume that religiosity means carrying outdaily prayers and fasting in the month of Ramadan, paying zakah and performingpilgrimage (haj). This misunderstanding can be attributed to nominal acquaintance withArabic language which does not help in understanding the various shades of the meaningof the term ibadah and, most importantly, the absence of an Islamic environment whichwould manifest the meaning of ibadah in its entirety in daily life. The categorization ofpeoples life, in the books of Islamic jurisprudence, into ibadat (worships) andmu'amalat (transactions) have also given erroneous understanding of the term. In anycase, the term ibadah is all comprehensive. It includes ones interactions with fellowhuman beings, engagement in agricultural, commercial and professional works, financialtransactions as well as daily obligatory prayers. In politics, it would mean to legislateaccording to shariah and implementing such legislations for the welfare of people and toplease Allah (SWT).

Therefore, ibadah in Islam means rendering unswerving obedience to the will ofAllah (SWT), an act that strips the believers of all volition. The concept of ibadah,therefore, demands a total change in the attitude and mind of believers. It requires thebelievers to consider the performance of five daily prayers as obligatory and rewarding asto fulfill ones promises, adopting halal ways to earn livelihood, maintaining honesty inbusiness transactions, taking care of the kith and kin and the needy, and to render justiceto all. In short, ones entire life is ibadah if he/she follows the dictates of the Quran andthe Sunnah. Ibadah is also something that comes from the heart, or sincerity, as a resultof belief in Islam. Thus, ibadah has two aspects. Firstly, carrying out all actions in

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accordance with the Shariah. This means to be engaged in halal activities and stayingaway from haram things and activities. Secondly, following the shariah must be carriedout with love solely with the purpose of seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT). The Quran(33: 36) is categorical: It was never for a believer; man or woman, when Allah and Hismessenger make a verdict about some issue, that they will have the choice in theirsituation.

However, making a living becomes ibadah if the following conditions are met.

1. The activity must be carried out in accordance with the shariah.

2. The activity must be accompanied by a good intention and for the pleasure of Allah(SWT).

3. The activity must be performed with excellence.

4. The activity must leave no room for injustice or disobedience to Allah or mistrust.5. The activity must not refrain someone away from his obligatory rituals like prayer,

Fasting, etc.

All the articles in this volume deal with one or the other aspect of ibadah. NormalaAdnan explains the meaning of good governance from the liberal as well as the Islamicperspective. Good governance would count as ibadah, if it is done with the welfare ofpeople in mind. She is critical of Western concept of good governance as defined by theWorld Bank, which assumes the existence of universal laws applicable to all countriesirrespective of race, religion and location. She argues that good governance principlesneed not be abandoned on the ground of cultural diversity. These principles could bemodified, altered, and improved to suit particular conditions and as long as it promotesgoodness to the society. She believes that Islamic model of good governance satisfiesthese requirements and hence a better alternative to the conventional definition of goodgovernance.

Moniruzzamans paper examines the policies adopted by Muslim majority countriesto deal with minorities living in the country. He argues that states in the Muslim world areextremely diverse ethnically, linguistically, and culturally as well as in terms of politicalsystem, and level of economic development. As such, they have different minoritypolicies peculiar to their respective historical and regional characteristics. He links thesepolicies to the ratification or otherwise of four major international conventionshypothesizing that the higher the ratification rate, the fairer the minority policy of acountry. The study found that the Muslim countries have mostly either ratified oraccessioned to three out of four conventions. In regional terms, the African, South and

EDITORIAL 3

Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries are mostly comfortable with all theconventions. The Arab countries, however, show most irregular pattern.

Mahmudul Hasans Good Literature and Bad Literature aims at finding out thetype of literature that may fall within the category of ibadah. He found that Islamencourages poetry and other forms of literary productions that are conducive to building amorally and religiously healthy society and are beneficial for individual, family andcommunity life. Conversely, it discourages creative works that entail moral and religioushazards, serve ulterior motives of personal gain or glory, and further the spread ofendemic corruption at various levels of human life. Islam is supportive of literaryproductions that deliver good messages but literary practitioners and critics should bevigilant about the possible harms that poetry can cause. The Quran and the Sunnah warnsagainst potential moral and religious hazards that some poetry may entail.

Md. Golam Rosul is concerned with the pitiable condition of workers especially inBangladesh. He laments that condition of domestic workers has not received properinstitutional recognition and legal protection. Examining the current domestic workersrights in Bangladesh from the perspectives of legal institutionalization and its practice, theauthor found domestic workers rights have been violated with impunity. Such injusticesare unIslamic and inhuman as well. The author catalogues several cases of the violation ofdomestic workers rights and their maltreatment by their employers. He emphasizes theneed to institutionalize this sector so that laws can be implemented easily. He concludesby stating that the international conventions and national statutory laws can provide clearlegal prescriptions, the Islamic religious values, morals and incentives can help solve theproblem of the violation of domestic workers rights.

R. Adebayo analyzes various modes of ensuring sustainable economic developmentin the country with a brief focus on the situation in Nigeria. He notes that the recentglobal economic meltdown could have been dealt with successfully if the Islamic modelof economic development has been resorted to. The Islamic model is all the moreattractive because of the inability to solve the problem by those who institutionalised themundane economic system. He elaborates upon the Islamic economic system whichensures Justice, Security of Life and Property, Diversification of Resources, and ResourceManagement and Accountability. Nigerian economic woes could also be ameliorated byadhering to the features of Islamic economic system which is free from usury and othervices found in the Western capitalist system.

The last item in this issue is a review of the classical articles and books dealing withidentity, religion and politics in general and the impact of modernization on religion inparticular. Thereafter, Aisha Ismail looks into the earlier literature dealing with theproblem with particular reference to Nigeria. She found a lot of research conducted to

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determine the influence of religion on politics. Some scholars believe that religion isexploited one way or the other by the politicians and other stakeholders, there are fewwho believe otherwise. Some scholars suggest separating religion from politics; othersemphasize the positive contribution of religion in social, political and economic spheres.However, most of the literatures were not based upon empirical data and these do notanalyse the attitudes and opinions of the people of Nigeria. She also found that thoughIslam plays a dominant role in the affairs of the state and Muslim public opinion supportsthe role of religion in the state. Yet, Islam has been marginalized perhaps due largely tothe manipulation of actors external to countries in the Muslim world.

Abdul Rashid Moten