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The Ideal Muslim Society: as defined in the Qurʼan and Sunnah by محمد علي الهاشمي, محمد علي الهاشمي
najwafrhna's review
It took me months to finish this, mainly because it was written more like a textbook so there’s a lot for me to take in and reflect while reading it.
This book acts as a comprehensive guide to build an Islamic society which I believe is crucial for all Muslims especially at this day and age. It’s important to highlight here that the author wrote about an “ideal” Muslim society, so realistically no such state can possibly be established except with a genuine collective effort from all Muslims around the world who share the same goal – to seek the pleasure of Allah in every single aspect of their lives.
The author made a lot of references to the time of the Prophet & also in the seventh and eighth centuries during the Islamic Golden Ages because these are the times when the Muslim society was at its best. The rulers were just & pious, the Muslims (scholars, businessmen) during that era were proactive, the social system was ahead of its time. It’s amazing how Islam took precedence in almost everything – social security through the establishment of zakah, equality amongst people, giving women rights to inheritance. And this was 1400 years ago! Centuries later the British legal system still gave everything to the eldest son, leaving the rest of the heirs at his mercy, and equality is still being fought for every minute today.
It’s a shame that we Muslims take these things for granted and fail to acknowledge how holistic Islam is. We have little knowledge of our own history & background, so it’s no surprise to see many Muslims today having doubts over their own identity.
Although the book is discussing the bigger picture ie society as a whole, I feel like it still hit home because ultimately for this ideal society to exist, it needs to start with its Muslims first. Throughout the book I learn how Islam really highlights the obligations of the Muslim toward the people around him. How he is responsible to use his resources to help the ummah, how his neighbors have rights over him, how there HAS to be action & practise after theory. So many things struck a chord with me, it got me thinking of my privileges and how much I’ve contributed to our brothers and sisters who are suffering on the other side of the globe.
Of course, those days where Muslims unite under one rule like the caliphate or the Ottoman sultanate are long gone what with nationalism and all that. But it doesn’t diminish the fact that the core values Islam upholds are still very relevant today. We just need the same level of awareness & appreciation on these values like the people before us, so that we can truly hidupkan again the glory days of Islam, even if it’s just among our small community.
I guess my final take is that despite how ridiculous the potrayal of Islam is on media today, we really need to remind ourselves that Islam in and of itself is already perfect. It’s us that needs to change & progress, and seek that “ideal” within ourselves. There’s so many things that we still have to learn, so many misinterpretations to be revised, so many doubts to dismantle. All we can do is our best.
This book acts as a comprehensive guide to build an Islamic society which I believe is crucial for all Muslims especially at this day and age. It’s important to highlight here that the author wrote about an “ideal” Muslim society, so realistically no such state can possibly be established except with a genuine collective effort from all Muslims around the world who share the same goal – to seek the pleasure of Allah in every single aspect of their lives.
The author made a lot of references to the time of the Prophet & also in the seventh and eighth centuries during the Islamic Golden Ages because these are the times when the Muslim society was at its best. The rulers were just & pious, the Muslims (scholars, businessmen) during that era were proactive, the social system was ahead of its time. It’s amazing how Islam took precedence in almost everything – social security through the establishment of zakah, equality amongst people, giving women rights to inheritance. And this was 1400 years ago! Centuries later the British legal system still gave everything to the eldest son, leaving the rest of the heirs at his mercy, and equality is still being fought for every minute today.
It’s a shame that we Muslims take these things for granted and fail to acknowledge how holistic Islam is. We have little knowledge of our own history & background, so it’s no surprise to see many Muslims today having doubts over their own identity.
Although the book is discussing the bigger picture ie society as a whole, I feel like it still hit home because ultimately for this ideal society to exist, it needs to start with its Muslims first. Throughout the book I learn how Islam really highlights the obligations of the Muslim toward the people around him. How he is responsible to use his resources to help the ummah, how his neighbors have rights over him, how there HAS to be action & practise after theory. So many things struck a chord with me, it got me thinking of my privileges and how much I’ve contributed to our brothers and sisters who are suffering on the other side of the globe.
Of course, those days where Muslims unite under one rule like the caliphate or the Ottoman sultanate are long gone what with nationalism and all that. But it doesn’t diminish the fact that the core values Islam upholds are still very relevant today. We just need the same level of awareness & appreciation on these values like the people before us, so that we can truly hidupkan again the glory days of Islam, even if it’s just among our small community.
I guess my final take is that despite how ridiculous the potrayal of Islam is on media today, we really need to remind ourselves that Islam in and of itself is already perfect. It’s us that needs to change & progress, and seek that “ideal” within ourselves. There’s so many things that we still have to learn, so many misinterpretations to be revised, so many doubts to dismantle. All we can do is our best.
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