[9.] Ibn Yakub - Enjoining Right and Denouncing Wrong [Part 2]
Enforcing Right and Denouncing Wrongdoing
Allah, the Exalted, says in the Qur'an:
Woe to those who shorten the measure, (1) who, when they are measured by people, demand a full measure. (2) But when they measure it for them or weigh it, they shorten it. (3)
(Surah 83 -- Al-Mutaffifin, verses 1-3)
This verse addresses the unjust economic system of the Quraysh people, which consisted of increasing their profits by cheating business partners. This practice was denounced by our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
But what does this verse mean for us today? The Qur'an has, then as now, absolute validity for the lives of Muslims. It is the measure of all things. This means that we must apply the verses of Allah to our current social lives. The shortcomings of today's economic and social systems, such as the interest-based banking and capital market system, must be denounced, and the Islamic system must be offered as an alternative.
The problems in today's economic and social systems, such as the interest-based banking and capital market system, must be denounced, and the Islamic system offered as an alternative.
... Another example of how Qur'anic verses can take on a broader meaning in modern times, due to changed living conditions, than they did at the time of their revelation, is provided by the following verses of the Holy Qur'an:
When the sun is rolled back, (1) and when the stars are dim, (2) and when the mountains are moved, (3) and when pregnant camels are neglected, (4) and when wild beasts are gathered, (5) and when the seas become a sea of flames, (6) and when souls are paired (with their bodies), (7) and when the girl buried alive is asked, (8) "For what crime were you killed?" (9) And when scriptures are unrolled far and wide, (10) and when the sky is removed, (11) and when Jahim is kindled, (12) and when Paradise is drawn near; (13) Then every soul will know what it has brought with it. (14) (Surah 81, A-Takwir, verses 1-14)
Nowadays, infant girls are no longer buried alive; however, abortions are still permitted in some countries even in the very late stages of pregnancy. The verse above also clarifies that this is not permitted in Islam. It is incumbent upon Muslims to draw attention to this injustice by invoking their DIN (Islamic Order).
Brother Ibn Yakub also attempts to clarify in this lecture that Islam has universal significance and is not limited to the private sphere of Muslims—it is a DIN, a way of life that Allah, the Exalted, has prepared for humankind.