In the name of God, the entirely merciful, the especially merciful
"So direct your face toward the way of life that is pure, the nature of God is the nature of the people upon which He has created them. No change should there be in the creation of God. That is the established way of life, but most of the people do not know." ( Quran 30:30)
John Locke’s second treatise of civil government is one of the turning points in world politics, because most of the governments before his writings professed a state religion and ruled under the laws of God. However, he argued that although authority comes from God, the laws come from men and nature, and hence religions should not be mixed with government. If we want to know the impact of his writings on the west, we should count the significant size countries today, in the west, which derives their constitution from God’s laws, and implements. Answer is none. There is no significant western government left today, who defies John Locke’s ideology. John Locke’s theories did overlap with goals of Islam, and in some cases can be the model of Islamic countries to follow, but his argument to remove God’s authority in legislation brings it odds with Islamic Creed, where all power rests with Allah (God). Since this topic is very large to cover, let us look at two major areas where John Locke’s treatise were very effective His focus on separation of religion and state and nature of slavery are the two prominent themes that worth discussing.
John Locke’s second treatise is an attempt to explain the rationale behind a civil government, and its authority. He establishes the theory on something called “state of nature”, which men are born in, where they have absolute freedom. However, he, then, points out that absolute freedom by everyone is not sustainable, so he argues that an alternative has to be achieved to maximize the freedom. In theory, he admits God’s authority over men to create law, as he says “In transgressing the law of nature, the offender declares himself to live by another rule than that of reason and common equity, which is that measure God has set to the actions of men, for their mutual security” (Chapter 2 Second Treatise). So, he is admitting that men are born in state of nature which is created by God, and hence God’s laws govern men. This is in complete accordance with Islamic understanding that every human is born in the state of “fitrah” (nature), as the Prophet (PBUH) stated “No one is born except they are upon natural instinct; then his parents turn him into a Jew or Christian or Magian;” (Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Number 6423).
In reality, John Loche never argues for a secular government free of any religion, but instead he argues for a civil government free of tyranny, which, he thinks, can only be achieved through civil government, where men coming together and setting up laws based on “reason” and “natural law”. While describing the legislative process that would govern a society, he says “for the law of nature being unwritten, and so nowhere to be found but in the minds of men” (Chapter 11 Second Treatise). This is where he makes the mistake that many of us make on a daily basis. We consider our senses and reasoning to be the basis of reality, but there is a lot that we can’t sense and understand in the nature, so how can people come together and create a government, when none of them knows the affects of polygyny (a man marrying two women) on the society. Should that be allowed? Or should it be banned. Of course not. What about Polyandry (a woman marrying two men). Should it be allowed? New scientific research can find the true father of a child, so is that ban from God obsolete now? Of course not. God has given us certain rules that defy our reasoning, but in his infinite wisdom are good for us. John, after admitting that God is the source of nature, he omits to mention how he knows that. Of course, he is a man of faith, which is clear in all of his writings. His theory coincides with Islam in all aspects, except the fact that, God has given us some basic rules, and they cannot be overruled by civil government. So, Islam is not a religion, but the laws of original state of men, which John Locke admires, and no government should have an official religion, agreed, but, at the same time, no government can establish laws that go against laws of nature set by God, some of them we cannot perceive completely, but are defined in Islam.
Chapter four of John’s treatise exclusively discusses about slavery, and he makes the point that Islam makes to humankind, which is that free will is not to do as you like, but to have limited freedom under the law that balances the rights of everyone. He says, “Freedom then is not what Sir Robert Filmer tells us, … a liberty for everyone to do what he lists, to live as he pleases, and not to be tied by any laws: but freedom of men under government is, to have a standing rule to live by, common to every one of that society…” (Chapter 4 Second Treatise). Furthermore, John distinguishes between slavery under Judeo-Islamic Law and slavery by trans-Atlantic traders, because slavery by itself is not oppression, as the slave in Judeo-Islamic law becomes slave by a concession given to them by the conquering army by sparing their life in return of their service to the master, and the master has limited rights, and cannot kill him or torture him. So, slavery is an extension of laws governing the debt and war, and man is not absolutely free, because most of us are always under a command of someone else (e.g. government), and slavery if regulated properly is part of that obligation (Locke and Slavery Article). In Judeo-Islamic slavery, a slave was treated as part of the family, and had certain rights, and the owner might work alongside the slave. However, in America, slaves were treated as non-humans, and they have lost all their human rights completely. Islam did not prohibited slavery, but established rights of slaves and owners to an extent that, slavery was no more than a service contract, and an alternative to killing and imprisonment during wars and indebtedness. Judaism and Islam forbid the type of slavery that existed in the America.
In conclusion, western civilization is in decline due to the materialistic ideals they adopted from John Locke and other like him, without understanding his context and adapting his theories as a whole, who argue that the laws are based on reason and laws of nature tangible to us, and since this world govern by the laws of nature, God’s laws are not proven as the truth, and hence the safety limits that God placed on us were removed. How can one admit existence of God, and not the laws he gave in Islam, which were the foundations of the golden age? For example, men are being allowed to rent money and speculatively trade a single property multiple times, which creates a self eating cycle that can only be controlled by keep increasing the rate of “riba” (renting money) and “gambling trades”, but it can reach a critical mass and explode, as it happened in 2008. John Locke’s second treatise is a very impressing and foretelling piece of writing, but his lack of understanding of the connection between nature and God’s laws renders it a flawed theory, in the end. Islam already encapsulates all the good contained in John Locke’s theory, and is the best solution for humanity today.
Thanks,
Law abiding citizen
AbuArman (Adnan) Jumani
"So direct your face toward the way of life that is pure, the nature of God is the nature of the people upon which He has created them. No change should there be in the creation of God. That is the established way of life, but most of the people do not know." ( Quran 30:30)
John Locke’s second treatise of civil government is one of the turning points in world politics, because most of the governments before his writings professed a state religion and ruled under the laws of God. However, he argued that although authority comes from God, the laws come from men and nature, and hence religions should not be mixed with government. If we want to know the impact of his writings on the west, we should count the significant size countries today, in the west, which derives their constitution from God’s laws, and implements. Answer is none. There is no significant western government left today, who defies John Locke’s ideology. John Locke’s theories did overlap with goals of Islam, and in some cases can be the model of Islamic countries to follow, but his argument to remove God’s authority in legislation brings it odds with Islamic Creed, where all power rests with Allah (God). Since this topic is very large to cover, let us look at two major areas where John Locke’s treatise were very effective His focus on separation of religion and state and nature of slavery are the two prominent themes that worth discussing.
John Locke’s second treatise is an attempt to explain the rationale behind a civil government, and its authority. He establishes the theory on something called “state of nature”, which men are born in, where they have absolute freedom. However, he, then, points out that absolute freedom by everyone is not sustainable, so he argues that an alternative has to be achieved to maximize the freedom. In theory, he admits God’s authority over men to create law, as he says “In transgressing the law of nature, the offender declares himself to live by another rule than that of reason and common equity, which is that measure God has set to the actions of men, for their mutual security” (Chapter 2 Second Treatise). So, he is admitting that men are born in state of nature which is created by God, and hence God’s laws govern men. This is in complete accordance with Islamic understanding that every human is born in the state of “fitrah” (nature), as the Prophet (PBUH) stated “No one is born except they are upon natural instinct; then his parents turn him into a Jew or Christian or Magian;” (Sahih Muslim, Book 33, Number 6423).
In reality, John Loche never argues for a secular government free of any religion, but instead he argues for a civil government free of tyranny, which, he thinks, can only be achieved through civil government, where men coming together and setting up laws based on “reason” and “natural law”. While describing the legislative process that would govern a society, he says “for the law of nature being unwritten, and so nowhere to be found but in the minds of men” (Chapter 11 Second Treatise). This is where he makes the mistake that many of us make on a daily basis. We consider our senses and reasoning to be the basis of reality, but there is a lot that we can’t sense and understand in the nature, so how can people come together and create a government, when none of them knows the affects of polygyny (a man marrying two women) on the society. Should that be allowed? Or should it be banned. Of course not. What about Polyandry (a woman marrying two men). Should it be allowed? New scientific research can find the true father of a child, so is that ban from God obsolete now? Of course not. God has given us certain rules that defy our reasoning, but in his infinite wisdom are good for us. John, after admitting that God is the source of nature, he omits to mention how he knows that. Of course, he is a man of faith, which is clear in all of his writings. His theory coincides with Islam in all aspects, except the fact that, God has given us some basic rules, and they cannot be overruled by civil government. So, Islam is not a religion, but the laws of original state of men, which John Locke admires, and no government should have an official religion, agreed, but, at the same time, no government can establish laws that go against laws of nature set by God, some of them we cannot perceive completely, but are defined in Islam.
Chapter four of John’s treatise exclusively discusses about slavery, and he makes the point that Islam makes to humankind, which is that free will is not to do as you like, but to have limited freedom under the law that balances the rights of everyone. He says, “Freedom then is not what Sir Robert Filmer tells us, … a liberty for everyone to do what he lists, to live as he pleases, and not to be tied by any laws: but freedom of men under government is, to have a standing rule to live by, common to every one of that society…” (Chapter 4 Second Treatise). Furthermore, John distinguishes between slavery under Judeo-Islamic Law and slavery by trans-Atlantic traders, because slavery by itself is not oppression, as the slave in Judeo-Islamic law becomes slave by a concession given to them by the conquering army by sparing their life in return of their service to the master, and the master has limited rights, and cannot kill him or torture him. So, slavery is an extension of laws governing the debt and war, and man is not absolutely free, because most of us are always under a command of someone else (e.g. government), and slavery if regulated properly is part of that obligation (Locke and Slavery Article). In Judeo-Islamic slavery, a slave was treated as part of the family, and had certain rights, and the owner might work alongside the slave. However, in America, slaves were treated as non-humans, and they have lost all their human rights completely. Islam did not prohibited slavery, but established rights of slaves and owners to an extent that, slavery was no more than a service contract, and an alternative to killing and imprisonment during wars and indebtedness. Judaism and Islam forbid the type of slavery that existed in the America.
In conclusion, western civilization is in decline due to the materialistic ideals they adopted from John Locke and other like him, without understanding his context and adapting his theories as a whole, who argue that the laws are based on reason and laws of nature tangible to us, and since this world govern by the laws of nature, God’s laws are not proven as the truth, and hence the safety limits that God placed on us were removed. How can one admit existence of God, and not the laws he gave in Islam, which were the foundations of the golden age? For example, men are being allowed to rent money and speculatively trade a single property multiple times, which creates a self eating cycle that can only be controlled by keep increasing the rate of “riba” (renting money) and “gambling trades”, but it can reach a critical mass and explode, as it happened in 2008. John Locke’s second treatise is a very impressing and foretelling piece of writing, but his lack of understanding of the connection between nature and God’s laws renders it a flawed theory, in the end. Islam already encapsulates all the good contained in John Locke’s theory, and is the best solution for humanity today.
Thanks,
Law abiding citizen
AbuArman (Adnan) Jumani
References
- The Second Treatise of Civil Government: 1690: John Locke
- Locke and slavery: An Article: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/distance_arc/locke/locke-slavery-lec.html
- http://www.constitution.org/jl/2ndtreat.htm
- Sahih Muslim: Compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
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