The Effort of Muslim Scholars in Oman in Deployment of Moderation

Preface

"The Effort of Muslim Scholars in Oman in Deployment of Moderation" is a lecture on Omani history by Kahlan Nabhan Al-Kharusi (Assistant of Grand Mufti, Oman). The lecture was held on 12th of November 2012, at Doshisha University, in Japan.

There are three key words in the title; and each one of them is a significant one. It is an attractive topic because of these three key words.

·        The first one is "Oman", which not many people are familiar with and they do not much know about Oman.

·        The second word is "Islam", which is also an attractive topic to talk about and to know more about.

·  The third word is "moderation", which is a very shining term in our contemporary word, that everybody is claiming to be moderate or tolerant but this is what is going to be shown in this presentation.

Oman is the first Arab land to have the sun shine. Its people admire knowledge and learning. They try hard to build their country and to understand their religion. They respect others and appreciate different thoughts and cultures.

Outline

·        Historical background (Oman and Islam).

·        Defining concepts of fairness and moderation.

·        Roots of moderation from an Omani perspective.

o   Religion roots

o   Civilization factors

o   Knowledge and learning (Ijtihad)

o   Reign of HM Sultan Qaboos

·        Examples for the role of Omani scholars in deployment of moderation.

Historical Background (Oman and Islam)

Oman have been known by Westerners as "the Gate of the East". This tittle indicates the importance of the strategic geography of the Land of Oman. It lies at the entrance of the Arabian Persian Gulf on the east side of the Arabian Peninsula. Oman is therefore facing the Indian Ocean and this ultimately leads the country to have geopolitical importance because of the location. Its face is to the Indian Ocean and its back is to the Arabia and the Arab world. There is also Oman's Gulf and the Gulf between the Arabia, the Gulf countries and Persia (i.e. the historical Persia, what is now known as Iran). This definitely leads to an outstanding commercial and maritime position for Oman; and because of this location, Oman enjoys also a rich history of no less than 4000 years. There are some documents by many historians and some findings which go back to at least three millennium B.C.

Geography always determines the politics and the culture of every nation.  And this helps in the setting of the history of the nation. Throughout ancient and modern history, Oman strategic situation has imposed, which is very important, different historical wars at times and sometimes even burdens on its population. As history document, Omanis have played fundamental role as intermediaries between civilizations of Mesopotamia, Asia, East Asia, Fareast Asia and Africa. During the Colonial periods, Oman became one of the most coveted countries and the Omanis had to confront even the expansions and challenges of the imperialists.

Due to the very strategic location of Oman, Omanis had sources of income, such as commerce and maritime sources. The Omani nation was ruled by kings. The kings of Oman at the time of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) were called Jaifar and Abd sons of Al-Julanda b. Al-Mustakbir. So Oman was an independent state at that ancient time. It was a country that is familiar with statehood and insisted upon its independence. Omanis had their experience of conducting their own internal affairs and foreign affairs.

The Omanis were not just tribes scattered in the Arabia but they had a location, and a land facing the sea. They were neighboring modern civilized nations, such as Persia, India, Yemen and the Arabia. So all this has been recognized by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and that’s why he sent them a dispatch (i.e. a message) inviting them to adopt Islam.

In history, there are about five or six dispatches sent by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) with envoys, or what now is known as ambassador. One of them was to Rome, the second one was to Persia, the third one was to Yemen, the fourth one was to Egypt, and the fifth one was to Oman and it has be sent by one of the companions, well-known as Amr ibn Al Aas at the early times of Islam. Some documents say that it was in the year sixth of Hijra and others say in the eighth year of Hijra (Islamic Lunar Calendar). So this recognition by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) indicates a lot. It indicates that the country has been known even for Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as an independent and civilized state that even in order to approach them it needs to be in an equivalent manner to send an envoy with a message explaining what Islam is talking about and inviting them to embrace Islam with one of his trusted companions, i.e. Amr ibn Aas.

Prophet Mohammed's Message to the Kings of Oman

The important honour for Omanis is that they accepted Islam with full and complete conviction. Now, here is a very interesting story that indicates the culture of Omanis at that time and how they received the envoy of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). The two kings of Oman Jaifar and Abd received the envoy. They received the message and then they gathered their cabinet. They invited Amr ibn Al Aas to present the message. They asked him whatever questions they want. They left him out for a while. They discussed in the cabinet, in accordance to traditions that are about 14 hundreds years old. And after a thorough discussion, they decided that this is something good to accept Islam and so they became Muslims. It was as easy as that! It was in this civilizational way. The two kings asked the envoy all what they want to know about Islam and then they discussed with the tribe leaders, the advisers and the ministers, and they found that this something good for them. So they accepted Islam and the whole population became Muslim. This has been admired very much by Prophet Mohammed himself and then by the following Caliphs.

There is a funny story that once Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) sent a messenger (i.e. an envoy to a tribe). That messenger was harmed and insulted. So when he returned back to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), he was bleeding, or full of blood. So Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said to him, "If you were to be my envoy to the people of Oman, you would not have been harmed or insulted."

Defining Concepts of Fairness and Moderation

According to Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, "moderation" is defined as "the quality of being reasonable and not being extreme". Now, everybody is claiming that he is moderate. Everybody is claiming that he is reasonable and far from being extreme. But it is the actions that will determine whether a person or a group or a certain ideology is an extremist or not, or is a moderate or not.

The Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary concentrates on the qualities of the person. The same thing is for "fairness", which is very much close to moderation and tolerance, that is, "the quality of treating people equally or in a way that is reasonable". While according to Wikipedia, it is a process and is not just a quality. It is defined as "a process of eliminating or lessening extremes. It is used to insure normality throughout the medium on which it is being conducted". So according to Wikipedia, it is a process of eliminating or lessening extremes and subsequently trying to be moderate and tolerant.

Omanis has been described as moderate conservatives. This description is found in the researches done by the American Congress, which is known by its fair and open-minded researchers. If these researchers describe a nation or a country as a "moderate conservative" then this is not something that everybody can achieve. They do have their own standards; they do have their principles by which they can classify countries and nations. And until recently, this is the description given to Omanis. Omanis are conservatives but at the same time they are moderate; and it is an equation which is hardly can be achieved.    

Roots of Moderation from Omani Perspectives

For Oman, there are roots for moderation. These roots are: the religious roots, the civilizational factors, knowledge and learning, and wise leadership of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos. Omanis has been known as moderate because of this combination of factors. Thus the deployment of moderation was due to the combination of all these factors.

·        Religious Roots

The principles for Omanis and Omani scholars, is that they believe that Islam is a religion of guidance, mercy, peace and security for the whole world, not a religion of punishment or malediction to plague the world or an alternative that they must impose on others with arrogance or exaggeration. This is the first principle. The second principle is that tolerance, appreciation of others, acknowledgment of different diversity of the universe is a maxim for this life. They got this from the sacred sources.

The Holy Quran

Here are some of the evidences found in the Holy Quran that Omanis insist on being adherent to.

-      The first verse: "We have created you all out of a male and female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him."[49:13] The keyword here is "so that we have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another."

-       The second verse: "And if your Lord had pleased, surely all those who are in the earth would have believed all of them, will you then force men till they become believers?" [10:99]. This verse indicates that God's Will, because He is the Creator (according to Islamic faith). Then the diversity of people to whatever they are going to believe in cannot be by enforcement. This is a self-determination. Otherwise, the Creator would have been able to force people to a certain belief. Yet, the Creator has made people free to choose. So, nobody, even the addressee, here it is His Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), will then force men till they become believers.

-       The third verse: "There is no compulsion in religion."[2:256] It is not up to you to force them because "there is no compulsion in religion". This is another quotation which indicates the religious principles for Omanis in being adherent to moderation.

-     The fourth verse: " Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and have disputations with them in the best manner. Surely, your Lord best knows those who go astray from His path, and He knows those who follow the right way." [16:125] Here, how to call people for Islam. It is not just to have disputes, arguments and controversies with others. These arguments must be in a way that is known today as "dialogue" in the best manner. This is the term used "in the best manner", and definitely, the best manner is to have dialogue and discussions with the others who are different. This is what Omanis believe in and all Muslims believe in, whether they are practicing this and implementing these rulings; and this is something of a different concern.

·        Civilizational Factors

The second source or root for the deployment of moderation for Omanis beside the religious roots is the civilizational factors. This involves the traditional institutions, facing Indian Ocean, the exposure of different nations, tolerance, fairness, harmony, good behavior, moral relationships, dialogue, and no clash based upon self-superiority. In brief, when Oman was described as an independent state that knew the traditions of conducting its own affairs with its strategic location that it possessed, then this definitely lead Oman to have institutions. They were not written institutions; they were definitely not in the forms that are known nowadays, but they are social institutions and formal, official institutions that were running the country and dealing with all the needs of the nation and also dealing with the neighbours. It should be bared in mind that Omanis are neighbouring Persia and they are also facing the Indian Ocean, which lead them to have, throughout ancient history, relations with India and Africa, practically, East Africa. So this created, throughout the stages of the Omani history, traditional institutions.

Facing the Indian Ocean made Omanis open. You cannot face an ocean, an open nation and then be isolated from your neighbours and from the rest of the world. That's why people living in countries, which have borders with the sea and with the oceans, are more open than those living countries that have no contact with the sea. And for Oman, it was not just because they have been sailors and people of the sea. Omanis are facing the ocean, their back is to the desert and in between they do have the mountains. All this formed the identity of Omanis. This Omani Identity leads to an integration with different nations; either when Omanis are travelling to different lands or when people from different lands are coming to Oman. So they do have the experience, and the cultural and the social manners, which enable them to interact with people of different backgrounds. And this interaction or integration cannot be without having maxim of tolerance, fairness and harmony. These three are of the necessities that are required in able to achieve tolerance, integration with others, being able to expose, integrate and interact with different people without any reluctant. So they believe in good behavior. Ethics and morality are very important for Omanis and they insisted upon this and actually, even some of the religious roots. Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon Him) has admired Omanis for their morality and ethic. Omanis believe that all disputes can be solved through dialogue and not through clashes. And relationships with others should be based upon the human principles. They shared values but not through self-superiority.

·        Knowledge and Learning (Ijtihad)

For knowledge and learning, what is been discussed here is what is called in Islamic Science Studies, as "the Ijtihad". The practice of Ijtihad is defined as "the effort of conscious and reason to arrive at judgments in law by scholars". Omani scholars have the sacred text, i.e. the Quran, and the Hadiths, which are the traditions of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). These are the main sources of legislation in Islam but they are limited texts, while the events and concerns of people's life and their affairs are unlimited. So there must be a way by which scholars can derive judgments from the main sources; and for a scholar to reason and make analogy, by which he would be able to derive a judgment for a new concern, be it political or social or in whatever matters of life. This is called Ijtihad.

Islam calls Muslims to give free reign to their abilities, intellects, knowledge and mental faculties in all aspects of life. For Omani scholars, they have never closed the gates of Ijtihad, i.e. they have been updating their knowledge and insisting upon making the minds free to search and reason and conclude new results. These results will be able to solve the new issues and questions of the people. This is based upon a belief that ignorance causes extremism, while knowledge leads to tolerance and moderation. This is true everywhere and it is also true for individuals and the societies. Societies that are practicing the process of learning, studying and gaining knowledge, are definitely active societies, which are able to solve contemporary issues and concerns. They are up to the contemporary challenges. And those who are only looking at their heritage and are trying to bring solutions from the heritage that they have to the contemporary issues, they are not going to leave the present time but are going to leave the past. Muslims' need for scholars in Islam in later periods and for their inquiries into contemporary issues is greater than their need for them in past periods. The past is fully respected, but it is not necessarily that the solutions found in the past are relevant to what people need to their inquiries and to the solutions that they need for these inquiries in the contemporary time.

·        Reign of HM Sultan Qaboos

The last root for the deployment of moderation by Omani scholars is based upon the wise leadership of their current ruler, His Majesty Sultan Qaboos ibn Said. And here are some of the pillars of his reign that are based upon all what has been described, either religious or traditional or civilizational. There is an emphasis given to these pillars.

-  The practice of Shura, which is consultation and has been institutionalized. So Omanis have an institution with legacies for the Shura Council (the Consultation Council). And this is an elected council by the people, and for the people.

-      State's Basic Law, which is a written constitution which determines all the relationship, the rules of the government, the duties, the right of the people, the duties of them, and the duties and responsibilities of the government; and all these are written in this constitution.

-        Justice and rule of law. There is great emphasis on justice and rule of law in the society.

-     Independent bodies. The indication is that there are independent bodies in Oman: legislative bodies, executive bodies and the judiciary system which is totally independent.

-        Education. Like any other civilized and developing country, there is a great emphasis on education, and this is based upon what has been described on learning and knowledge.

-    Human rights. There is an emphasis given to human rights based upon the human values, ethics and morality that has been discussed previously.

-     Open parliament, which means that the ruler himself, the Sultan, goes out and meets the people open in their places, where they are living in. He is listening to them and they can talk about whatever issue they wish. This is the open parliament, which is beside the parliament that Omanis have.

-      Openness. This is one of the maxim that Omanis work on is "live and let live" and the openness in socially, economically and culturally.

There are some speeches of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, in which he is denouncing extremism and at the same time talking about practical steps of the deployment and tolerance in the Omani society and what the whole Muslim World is looking for.

Examples for the Role of Omani Scholars in Deployment of Moderation

Omanis' kind relations and decent behavior gained them the admiration of the locals in the lands they reached; whether in Asia, East Asia and including parts of China, what is now known as Korea, parts of Japan, all parts of India, East Africa and even West Africa. So they gained the admiration of the locals, they even have internalogies with the locals without any discrimination of any kind. And they enabled them to represent a moderate image of Muslims and a true reflection of Islamic civilization. It is not part of Omanis nature or tradition to show how people are talking about them, or how people are praising Omanis!

"I hope we are really representing what we have been describing to be moderate, tolerant and at the same time conservatives." [Dr. Kahlan Al-Kharusi]

Reference:

Kahlan Nabhan Al-Kharusi "The Effort of Muslim Scholars in Oman in Deployment of Moderation" youtube.

Lecture transferred freely by Bint Ibadh.

Huge thanks for "A Doer of Good" and my sister for their efforts in transcribing and typing the lecture.