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A man called Mughees and his wife, Bareera, who were
living in slavery in Medina, decided to accept Islam. After some time
the wife was set free. By winning her freedom she legally obtained the
right either to live with her husband or to seek a separation from him.
Bareera decided in favor of separation. But Mughees, who was greatly
attached to her wanted her to change her decision and continue to live
with him.
This is a long story recorded in books of Hadith in
detail. To put it briefly, the matter was finally brought before the
Prophet. Both of them came to the Prophet, Bareera in front and Mughees,
a black, following her. As recorded in the Hadith, the Prophet said to
Bareera: "It would be better for you to take back your
decision." Bareera replied, "O Prophet of God, is this
your command?" The Prophet said: "No, it is only a
suggestion." Bareera replied, "Then I do not need
it."
This is the highest and ultimate example of Islam
granting such great freedom to men and women. This freedom does not mean
anarchy. It is a concession to human nature. The development of human
nature is possible only in an atmosphere of freedom. Just as a tree
flourishes in an open environment similarly the human being develops to
the full only in an atmosphere of total intellectual freedom.
Freedom of Expression and Islam
Islam grants human beings total intellectual freedom.
Rather it would be truer to say that it was Islam which for the first
time in human history brought about a revolution in freedom of thought.
In all the ages of history prior to Islam, the system of despotism
prevailed, and man was consequently denied freedom of thought. This was
a matter of the utmost gravity for it is a fact that the secret of all
human progress lies hidden in such freedom.
The first benefit of intellectual freedom is to
enable man to achieve that high virtue which in the Qur’an is called "fearing
the unseen." That is, without any apparent compulsion or
pressure from God, man, of his own free will, acknowledges God and leads
his life in this world, going in fear of Him. In the absence of an
atmosphere of total freedom, no one can undergo this spiritual
experience—an indescribable spiritual pleasure—which is called in
the Qur’an, going in fear of the Lord. Without such freedom it is not
possible to give credit to anyone for this highest of human virtues.
Man is a thinking creature. Of necessity he forms
opinions. If curbs are placed on the independent expression of his
views, the content of his thought may remain unchanged, but his ideas
will never find expression in his speech and writings. Curbs of this
nature, imposed by a community or a state, will ultimately produce a
society of hypocrites. No sincere person can ever flourish in such a
repressive atmosphere. It is only freedom of thought and expression
which can save man from hypocrisy. Moreover, intellectual freedom is
directly related to creativity. A society with freedom of thought will
produce creative human beings: a society which places curbs on freedom
of expression will necessarily witness intellectual stagnation; it will
stop producing creative minds, and its development will come to a final
standstill.
In matters of criticism or expression of differences,
the right approach is for people to end unnecessary sensitivity to it
instead of attempting to put an end to criticism and differences. This
is the demand of Islam as well as of nature.
According to the Hadith it is a virtue on the part of
believers: to accept the truth without any reservation when it is
presented to them. That is to say, a believer is one who has the
ability in the perfect sense of the word to accept the truth. Whenever
truth is brought before him, whenever his faults are pointed out to him,
no complex comes in the way of his accepting of the truth.
This quality is present to the maximum degree in one
who is ready and waiting to accept the truth when it is brought before
him. Eager for his own improvement, he accepts the truth with pleasure.
This keenness for self-reform through acceptance of the truth is
perfectly expressed in the words of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab: "May
God bless on one who sends me gifts of my own shortcomings."
It is a fact that acknowledgment of truth is worship,
nay, it is the greatest form of worship. It is an act for which man has
to make the greatest sacrifice. What makes it such a great sacrifice is
that it involves the setting aside of one’s prestige.
It amounts to the sacrifice of one’s ego. But that
is the occasion when man assures his entry into heaven.
When does one find the opportunity for this great
form of worship and this great good fortune? This opportunity comes
one’s way only when there is full freedom of expression. When one can
criticize another with impunity. When such an atmosphere prevails in a
society which permits the speaker to air his views freely and the
listener may freely appreciate what is being said. Just as a mosque is
the right place for the performance of prayer in congregation, similarly
freedom of expression is the right atmosphere in which to foster the
great virtues of expressing the truth and acceptance of the truth.
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