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.
