Halal Governance

Is the Straight Path (tuwid na daan) of PNoy compatible with the Islamic Teaching of Governance?

In the principle of Islamic teaching , it is very clear in the Qur’an that every believer  must adhere to the very teaching of Islam or any religion in his or her day to day affair in order to receive the pleasure of God  the Almighty. In the Qur’an, it clearly states : “Then we put you on the Shari`ah (straight and clear path) in your affairs, so follow it and do not  follow the desires of those who have no knowledge” Surah Al-Jaathiya or The Kneeling 45 : Verse 18),then this is the very tenet or precept of Shariah Al-Islamiya or Islamic Law.

In any  governance , the society must have strong adherence to the leadership provided the leader  follows the concept of social as well as the religious principles of perfect relationship and transactions (muamalat)  to his peers or  followers. As God commanded us in the Qur’an surah Al-Nisaa or Marriage 4: Verse 59;

“O ye who believe! Obey God or Allah  and obey the Messenger and those who are in charge of affairs among you. Should you happen to dispute over something, then refer it to God (Qur’an) and to the Messenger(Sunnah or Sayings of the Prophet)…”

 It is sometimes misunderstood that religion can not interfere with the daily affairs of the Government because of the separation of state and the church ,Article II, Section 6, Philippine Constitution.

According to Fr. Joaquin Bernas , S.J, Amicus Curea ,Dean Emeritus of Ateneo Law School and one of the framers of 1987 constitution: “It is sometimes thought by some that separation of church and state means that church people should not get involved in the hurly-burly of public and political life. In other words, they should confine themselves to the sacristy. But to understand the subject properly one must begin with what the Constitution says.” The constitutional  commands say:“No law shall be passed respecting an establishment of religion …” the command is addressed not to the church but to the state. It is the state, after all, which passes laws. And on other parts of the article he wrote:The “separation part” of the constitutional command. The other part is the “free exercise clause.” Both are embodied in one sentence which says: “No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

A prominent  muslim philosopher Abu Hamid Gazzali (1058-1111) vividly explained: “ Religion and the state are like twin sisters, religion being the foundation of the human society, and the state being the preserver. If the foundation weakens, the whole structure would fall apart.”(Art:Dir. Soekarno Bong Mohammad)

The popular EDSA Revolution in 1986 lead by the mother of the president ,late  President Cory was the very example of the participation or meddling  of the church in the political affair that lead to the toppled down of the dictatorial regime.

In the ARMM Governance , being the only autonomous and muslim dominated region in the country, it is proper  to address the socio-religious needs of its constituents provided it should not violate the  constitution. In  the ARMM R.A. 9054 ,Sec.5,Art.VII clearly prescribed and I quote: “The beliefs, customs, and traditions of the people in the autonomous region and the free exercise of their religion are hereby recognized, protected and guaranteed.” One way of  protecting the Muslims in the autonomous region is the full protection of muslim consumers for what they consumed, that is the immediate implementation of the Antimislabelling Act of 2009, the law is already gazetted or enacted in the RLA but still lack of Implementing Rules and Regulations(IRR). As we know, halal  is an absolute obligation for every muslim because of its religious implication or component in which Islam strictly adhered too. To quote some of authentic sayings of  Prophet Muhammad(PBUH);“ I swear by Allah(swt), in whose hands is my life. When a person eats a tiny piece of Haram, none of his good deeds are accepted for 40 days……”( Sahi Muslim) and “There will come a time when my ummah will not concerned for what they earned or consumed. It shall not matter to them whether it is  haram or halal; when such time appear none of their du’ah or prayer  be accepted by Allah”(Sahi  Muslim).

Another protection for the constituents of ARMM is the right choice of leadership to lead  that has strong foundation to the teachings of   Islam or  halal way of  governance.

As an indication of halal way of governance, one should follow some of the recommended teachings of Islam that anchored on three principles such as (1)Trusteeship-man is the vice-regent or khalifa of God and the wealth he owns and the power he possesses are trust from Him and temporary in nature,. The Holy Prophet said: “This wealth is certainly green and sweet (enticing), but he who acquires it rightfully, for him it is an excellent assistance. While he who acquires it without his right, is like one who eat but never satiates.” (2) God Fearing or Taqwa-Man’s fear of God provides him the necessary motivation to utilize available resources, including his own possession and abilities. The Holy Prophet  exhorted:“God has made beneficence obligatory upon you and that God loves that when any of you does a good job, he does it perfectly.”  (3) Socio-Economic Justice and the equal right in the wealth of the community- distributive justice and incorporates in its system, a program for redistribution of income and wealth so that every individual is guaranteed a standard of living that is humane and respectable. The Holy Prophet Declared: “He is not a true Believer who eats his fill when his next-door neighbor is hungry.”(Art:Dir. Soekarno Mohammad)

 Take the example of the Total Quality Management of 2^nd Caliph Omar Ibn Al- Khatab(R.A.)634-644A.D, placed  52^nd  in the book “ The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, by Michael H.Hart  :   He spent many a watchful night going about the streets of Medina to see whether anyone needed help or assistance or provisions,   and the total humbleness of last Caliph of Islam Ali Ibn Abu Talib(R.A)656-661A.D, when he was going about the marketplace, a man stood up in respect and followed him. "Do not do it," said Ali. "Such manners are temptation for a ruler and a disgrace for the ruled."

Protection and the preservation of nature such as the beauty of the mountains wherein the trees  by its roots standing firmly ,that prevent the on slaught of humanity due to devastating flood and landslide is another  show of halal governance. The initial bold step of the OIC Governor Mujiv  Hataman in suppressing illegal logging in the area of ARMM is meant to be the right picked or choice of the President in appointing such decisive leadership .To quote some of the holy prophet  instructions to his ummah: “The world is green and beautiful, and God has appointed you as his guardian over it.”  (Sahih Muslim).“Even when the Day of Judgment comes (upon you), if anyone has a seed in his hand, he should plant it.” (Ahmad) .Jazakarullah Khair.