Murad’s Story
Murad - The Son of a Jigsaw Designer
The Young Boy
Murad was a young boy who had lost his father at a young age. As he grew up he began to hear much about the great talent of his late father who was known to create brilliant jigsaw puzzles. His father created magnificently large and beautiful jigsaws which remained unmatched by competitors, and attracted the fascination of friends and foes alike. Murad had heard that people travelled long distances just to see and buy these mind-boggling puzzles. As he constantly heard praises of his father, he became more and more proud of his father’s talent and genius.
One day Murad was visited by a group of people who mentioned they were aware of his father’s profession and popularity. However these people, unlike those Murad had come to know all these years, did not seem to be impressed with his father’s skills, and they tried to convince Murad of the same. When they realised that their explanations were cutting no ice on the young boy, they finally opened a box they had brought with them and took out a jigsaw puzzle from inside; one which they had created themselves. Murad noted that this puzzle of theirs had a number of pieces missing. They asked Murad to fetch any of the puzzles left behind by his father. Murad complied and brought a favourite puzzle he had safely kept of his father. Needless to say, both of these puzzles were completely different from each other; in colour, design, and picture, as well as the shapes and sizes of the cut-out pieces.
Turning Point
When Murad handed the puzzle to them, they took out a few pieces from that puzzle and placed them into the empty slots of their own puzzle. Since the pieces were of completely different sizes and shapes, they had to force them in, resulting in much twisting and distorting, with the ends of some even jutting out. The outcome of this laboured and awkward exercise was an extremely unsightly and grotesque looking puzzle that did not deserve a second glance, let alone any degree of fascination.
They then showed the terribly assembled puzzle to Murad and explained what they had meant when they said his father’s puzzles were far from perfect. They remarked, ‘Since it cannot fit into this puzzle of ours, it has to be flawed and doomed’.
Unfortunately, Murad was too young to realise the foolishness of their thinking and action. He thought he had been ignorant all along not to realise this. The more he looked at the new hideous looking puzzle, the more his fascination for his father’s greatness diminished. This new development was shocking for Murad and thence onwards he began to entertain doubts about his father and his own identity which had been a source of pride for him his entire life.
The Principles of an Ecosystem
Murad’s character is obviously a fictional one, and so is the above story. However, the import of the story isn’t, if seen within its intended context. And here it is:
Every unit belonging to a whole and every element belonging to a system has its natural place of existence within that structure and system. Outside of this, they either have no existence at all or are deficient at best. We can refer to this as the ‘ecosystem’ of that unit and element.
Let's take the example of the renowned tech company Apple. The Apple ecosystem refers to the integration and compatibility among various Apple devices, software, and services, enabling smooth interaction between the company's diverse products. This principle of interconnectedness extends universally to all company ecosystems and ecosystems in general.
The point being made here is once you take an element (such as a particular software, designed to run on Mac in our example) out of its ecosystem, its failure becomes all too obvious. And this of course is no fault of the software, nor the ecosystem to which it belongs; and neither are the designers of the system to blame for this. Needless to say, it is simply the folly of the one who attempted the misapplication.
Inconsistency in Application
Although the foolishness of such an exercise is evidently recognised anywhere else, it seems faith systems seem not to enjoy that luxury. And though other religions may somewhat experience this too but on the whole Islam is usually on the receiving side of such irrationalities.
Typically when a question or objection is raised against Islam in particular, the prevailing tendency is to isolate a small element of the Faith (which was a perfect fit in the corresponding whole), and see it either in complete isolation or in the backdrop of a completely alien and an incompatible system. This can logically never work in any sphere of activity, and neither should it be expected here.
Rightly, such a concept is never applied to any other field, such as, science, education, social matters, political and economic domains, etc. We never take a single element from any of the above disciplines and forcefully patch it with elements from another field altogether (or from the same field but within a different framework) and expect it to function seamlessly.
Fallacies and Misconceptions
There are several fallacies and misconceptions surrounding the Islamic Faith. These are mainly a result of the following:
Oversimplification of a concept.
Decontextualisation of a concept.
Isolation of a concept and, usually, superimposition of it on a foreign system.
Though all these issues warrant a lengthy discussion in themselves, our focus today is on the last one.
Islam as a whole is a perfect fit; not Islam in part, and not Islamic elements patched up with foreign elements. In fact all this does is distort even the original and create misunderstandings for the whole.
A Simple Example
There can be many examples from across various disciplines, however a simple example from the Islamic laws of inheritance should suffice to demonstrate our point.
The main argument is that the Islamic laws of inheritance are biased against women for typically allocating half the share of the man in certain situations.
The following example should serve to disprove this.
Say a man (let’s call him Amir) has an average job paying him £3000 a month. Islamically, he is responsible for his entire household which includes his wife, children, and more often than not one or both of his elderly parents. This is because parents are not to be separated from their sons, especially when they are old, unless they expressly desire separation themselves. Amir can be expected to be assisted by his brothers, if he has any, in regard to the parents.
Some Calculations
Let's assume Amir’s income is allocated in the following way:
£1700 for household expenses
£600 for various members of the family (equitably distributed)
£300 for future savings
£100 for contingencies
£300 for other less fortunate relatives
As Amir is responsible for his family, he aspires the following (for the entire family and not just for himself):
Build a business
Buy a house
Provide education for the children when they grow up
Improve the general quality of life
Who Bears the Financial Responsibility?
According to Islamic principles, Amir's wife (we'll call her Huda) will carry no financial responsibility whatsoever, neither for herself nor her family.
If Huda ever received any income, through a business she started for instance, or gifts, or any other means, she would have total ownership of that income and could spend it on herself or wherever she pleased. There can be no pressure from her husband or anyone else with regard to her choice of disposal.
Considering the above, if Amir received a share of inheritance, say, £50,000 (from a larger legacy) and Huda received £25,000, Amir, due to the pressure of liabilities, would naturally be forced to allocate his share to the interests of the household. This may include running costs of the house, possible accumulated debt, future plans as mentioned above in regard to purchase of property, children's education, etc. On the other hand, Huda's full share of £25000 would be entirely pocketed by Huda without being required to contribute to any of the above costs.
The Overarching Principle
Men and women are expected to assume distinct roles, resulting in different responsibilities. From the Islamic perspective, financial responsibilities are assigned to men.
Hence under Islam a girl will receive full financial support from her father (or other older male relatives in the absence of the father) until she gets married. After marriage, the financial responsibility will shift to her husband. In the unfortunate events of bereavement or divorce, her financial support would be provided by her sons, brothers or other male relatives.
Once this overarching principle is understood, other subordinate principles may not appear as unfair or prejudiced.
The Right Lens
A closer examination reveals that these laws are designed to allocate financial responsibilities in a comprehensive manner. In the Islamic framework, women are granted complete financial security. Understanding this principle provides a clearer perspective on the rationale behind specific inheritance allocations.
If we were to apply the aforementioned Islamic rule to the current system of a Western country, while keeping the country's status quo intact regarding other family laws and regulations, a stark contrast of discrimination and inequality would become evident. This arises from the fundamental difference in operation between the prevailing frameworks. The root of misunderstandings does not lie in inherent flaws within a system but rather in the attempt to forcibly integrate elements from one system into an entirely different one, without due consideration of the universal and overarching frameworks.
Unfortunately, this investigative lens is not limited to just this case alone but is applied to all comparative analyses concerning Islam.
The Principle of Justice
Islamic inheritance law is guided by the principle of balanced justice, which ensures fair distribution of inheritance rights based on responsibilities and needs. It aims to achieve justice for all heirs, regardless of gender, age, or status.
In Islam, justice in inheritance is not about equal shares but rather proportional to one's role in family and community life. Men and women receive shares based on their obligations and requirements. Men may receive larger shares in certain cases, owing to their financial responsibilities within the family.
Wrapping Up
In conclusion, just as the analogy of ecosystems highlights the significance of elements functioning cohesively within their respective systems, faith systems too, especially Islam, need to be perceived as complete entities rather than isolating individual aspects. Misconceptions often arise when these elements are taken out of context and imposed on unrelated systems.
To truly grasp the essence of Islamic principles, akin to elements in harmonious ecosystems, a holistic understanding is paramount for comprehensive comprehension. By recognising the interconnectedness and broader context within the faith system, we can dispel misconceptions and cultivate a more nuanced and respectful dialogue.