Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page 63
Social Peace 63 In this context, it should have become clear that any social order, which promotes irresponsible, disorderly and evil behaviour, no matter how attractive or enticing it may seem to the casual observer, must be rejected. It is all right for the believers to say things and make such claims as are other-worldly in nature. After all, who has returned from the so- called other-world to testify to such claims or stand witness against them? Why not be content with a bird in hand than to barter it for two in the bush? This is the materialistic answer to the Islamic philosophy regarding how society should be shaped and on what principles it should be based. The Islamic philosophy encompasses the life here on earth and the life in the Hereafter as a continuous flow broken momentarily on death, which, in fact, is only a transformational stage of one life to another. As against this, the materialistic philosophy visualises life as only a short, accidental span of consciousness, which drowns into nothingness at the moment of death. Therefore, the social system has only to cater for the needs related to this short span of life. The individual is answerable to the society only as long as he lives and only for that aspect of life which is visible and detectable; that which is hidden in the form of his thoughts, intentions, plans, conspiracies and evil crimes subtly perpetrated, goes undetected and unquestioned. Again, the crimes against society are only adjudged as crimes when it is established beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt that a crime had been committed. There is the possibility of the miscarriage of justice. In such a social order, the dispensation of justice is not only superficial and limited but also becomes conducive to offences against society. It promotes the pursuit of vested interests and encourages extreme selfishness on the part of the individual.