MENACE OF INSECURITY: THE ISLAMIC SOLUTIONS
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
“Your lives and properties are forbidden to one another till you meet your Lord on the Day of Resurrection,” the Prophet Muhammad said during the Farewell Hajj.
Insecurity is generally used to describe the state of being open to danger or threats or lack of protection. Its presence has plunged the nation into despair, properties and lives are wasted with little to no punishment.
The increasing number of homicides is alarming, from petty thefts to oil bunkering and Offshore havens and hidden riches, the list is endless.
How did we get here?
It is pertinent to x-ray what insecurity stems from to understand how to tackle them. Here are some of the causes of insecurity:
- Poor judiciary system
The feeling of knowing that for every crime committed appropriate justice will be meted out without fear or favour. More often than not we have seen the ‘big men’ escape justice. The commoner knows he won’t get justice until he knows somebody.
- Financial imbalance
The disturbing slogan among youth is now ‘get rich or die trying’, this slogan absorbed by Gen Z has made many climb ladders of social vice without shame.
Parents sacrifice their children for rituals, children use their parents for offerings, it’s now a case of who goes first.
2. Loss of societal value
Gone are those days when respect is accorded based on values, and morality is of a high standard. If you want to abort, go on its legal, same-sex marriage, no problem. Many societies detest corruption but now the premium is placed on financial status.
The list is almost endless and as we have seen the impact is too great to be ignored.
Kidnapping and banditry are on the rise daily. Loss of lives and properties, decline in productivity, etc, are among the impacts of insecurity.
Islam to the rescue
Tagging Islam with terrorism, insecurity, and oppression is not only fallacious but callous. As Murtadha Gusau opined in one of his articles:
“It is no exaggeration to say that Islam and violence are contradictory. The concept of Islamic violence is so obviously unfounded that, prima facie it stands rejected.”
- The mind and soul:
Islam in its universality understands the difference in humans and thus encourages all forms of good. Curbing insecurity means training individuals through Quranic verses to purge them of envy, evil thoughts, and materialism.
The Prophet (SAW) teaches that: “True richness is not via much property and belongings, but true richness is in self-contentment” (Bukhari and Muslim).
2. Welfare:
Islam creates an atmosphere that encourages sharing not only wealth but other non-trivials like smiles and greetings. Islam encourages that the poor, the orphans, etc are well catered for.
Ammar Ibn Yasir said:
“Whoever has three qualities will have completed the Iman (faith): fairness from yourself to others, offering peace to the world, and spending in charity even while poor.” [Sahih Bukhari]
Allah the Highest said:
“When you enter houses, offer greetings of peace upon each other, a greeting from Allah, blessed and good.” [Quran, 24:59]
And Allah said:
3. Reformation of Police and judicial system:
When the soul is well serviced with the words of Allah and the Prophet and the body is well catered for with a good welfare package, the body can still wander off.
This is where the police and the judicial come in, to met out warning and punishment as the case may be. Islam shuns favouritism as the Prophet said of his daughter Faatimah.
He (S.A.W) said: “…. By Allah, if Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand” (Sunan Ibn Majah 2547).
Shariah should also be enacted. “Islam is able to realize the fundamental objectives of Ash-Sharīʻah which include protection and preservation of life (Hifzu An-Nafs), intellect, progeny and property and that each and every one of these objectives has its suitable capital punishment (Hadd),” Elesin ʻAbdulwahab wrote in his article.
Conclusion:
Islam upholds moral values in high esteem. Lives and properties are sacrosanct in Islam. Islam shows compassion and frowns at attempts to oppress not only fellow humans but also animals.
