In a world where Islam doesn’t make sense

Being a Muslim means to submit oneself to Allah’s will. So how do we know what He wants from us? Any chance we could have a direct conversation with Him? Well, no… of course not. However, He provides us a guidance, the Qur’an … delivered to us through His messenger. Follow that, and we’ll be walking in the path of those on whom He has bestowed His grace. Simply put, Allah’s will is stated in the Holy Qur’an. Thus, if we want to be a true Muslim, just follow what the Qur’an said.

Easier said than done! Yes, the five times prayer (shalat), fasting in the month of Ramadhan, the act of charity (zakat) and pilgrimage (hajj) are plausible… but the other rules stated in the Qur’an? How am I supposed to do all that? Sometimes trying to be a good Muslim can give me such a headache; there are many Islamic values taught in the Qur’an that collide with reality. Let’s see… How am I supposed to be free of usury if all the banks in this country are based on such concept? Should I not have any bank account? But I cannot not have a bank account! I am a student; the university needs me to have a bank account. Should I then sacrifice education for the sake of not having anything to do with usury? That sounds a bit ridiculous.

What about prostitution or alcoholic beverages? I think Islam would not allow any of them to exist… But you see I’m living in a country where those things are given room to grow. Can I just turn a blind eye to them? The important thing is for me to stay away as far as possible from them. That sounds easy, but is it the right thing to do??? Maybe it is more appropriate for me to be a part of an Islamic organization who thinks themselves as a better doer of justice than the current authorities and join them when they’re raiding red light districts or beer sellers? Argh… I don’t know! None of them sounds right! All I want to do is be a good Muslim; follow the Qur’an… but how? In my world, it doesn’t make sense!

Of course it doesn’t make sense! You wanna know why? First, you’re thinking of doing Islam as an individual. I think I know where that came from… It’s because in your mind, being a Muslim is like doing the five times prayer; it’s all about individual act towards God… you don’t need other people to do it... and you certainly don’t depend on any rules of society/government to do it. Well let me spoil something for you, you are able to do shalat only because you are allowed to do so by your environment. It’s lucky for you to live in a country where Muslims dominate the population, so even if it’s not a country based on Islamic values, your religious needs are sure to be accommodated. You see mosque everywhere, prayer rooms in almost any public facilities like the mall, university, schools, etc. Try to live abroad where Muslim is a minority. Ha… Life would feel a thousand times harder. Yes they’re all about religious freedom, but to actually practice it without having the proper facilities to do it is not so easy (take it from someone who has had the experience… Me!). Say, you’re at the university. You want to do a prayer. Not only it’s hard to find an appropriate place to do it but your class schedule also clashes with the prayer time. In addition, before you do a prayer you must first do the ablution ritual (wudhu). You need water to do that. Yes, there are lots of toilets there… clean toilets… But they’re dry toilets. The only way to do the ablution is with the tap water from the sink. Figure how to do that without splashing water everywhere?! In the end, you’re only able to practice your religion as much as your environment allows you.

Second, there’s not even a single religious conduct in Islam that is not regulated. You say the five times prayer is something you can do independently? Again, you are mistaken. How do you think you know when to start a prayer? O yes, you hear the adzan (the call to prayer) from the Mosque. What if you are not anywhere near a mosque? O yes, you have the prayer time table. So, how do you think the prayer time table came into existence? Yes! You need people who know the rules to determine prayer times to decide such things for you. That also applies to fasting (you follow what the experts say about when to start the Ramadhan fasting), zakat (you left your money in the care of someone who has the rights to distribute it), and all other things stated in the Qur’an. The point is you need authorities to decide/interpret how you follow Qur’an correctly¹.

Third, you think it's a solution to join a self-appointed-law-enforcer Islamic group. However, that kind of group exists in a society that does not abide the rule of Islam. That group is a part of a country that does not use Islam as its basic principle. Thus, if they’re trying to do justice using their own interpretation on how justice should be, then they’re nothing more than a vigilante. You can’t practice a rule you think is right in a land that has already has its own rule … you’ll be labeled nothing more but a trouble maker. When in Rome, do as the Romans do²… If you don’t like it then leaveee! Go make your own country!

Gasp!

So we have finally come to that… 

Yes indeed we have. I’m sorry to say but there’s no other way to make sense of Islam unless you live in a system that embraces Islam fully... In other words, there’s no way of becoming a complete Muslim unless you’re a part of a state that practice Islam; use Islam as its foundation. Why a state? That is because “law is not just a norm stated on a paper or a holy book. It has to be interpreted, formulated, and applied in a society³”, and who has the power to do that if not something like a government?” Remember, you’re only able to practice your religion as much as your environment allows you and Islam encompasses not only our spiritual side but all aspect of our life. Thus, the only sane place for a Muslim to live is where the government is responsible in making sure that everything we do count as an act of serving Allah.

Just my two cents,
Gray
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¹ Deciding and interpreting Qur’an should be based on sunnah Rasul (how Prophet Muhammad conducted Qur’an).
^{2 I'm not saying that as a Muslim we have to forsake our belief when living in a non Islamic country. I just want to emphasize that as a citizen of a country, our action is bounded by the law of that country. What's more, they have values, cultures and customs we have to respect. Thus, when what they have is not in accord with what we believe, we're the one who has to make adjustment. For example: university doesn't have prayer room -> that's nothing to get mad about; the least thing we can do is ask if there's an unused classroom or any other room that we can use as one. Or, when a Westerner who is not used to waking up early moved to Indonesia -> He lives near a Mosque; so every day before dawn the sound of Adzan always wakes him up. He can't complain. Either shift his waking time or use earmuffs so he wouldn't be disturbed by it.
3} A quote from Yusril Izha Mahendra in one of his talk