INTRODUCTION
A Conflict can be defined as a dispute that occurs among different individuals; at the workplace, among friends/families or among the people of knowledge. Just because there is a dispute among the Muslim ummah does not mean that we are not one Ummah, rather, Allah created us in different ways so it is natural to differ on issues. The important thing is to make sure we follow the necessary steps towards conflict resolution. The Sahaba had series of disagreements among themselves such as; opinions on whether or not to fight people who did not pay zakat, who will be the successor of the Prophet (s) or where to bury the Prophet (s). What was their process in resolving conflicts?
“And if your Lord had willed, He could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to differ” (Q11:118). This verse shows that conflict is natural and it is inflicted on mankind so that it will improve our critical thinking and problem solving skills. There are two models of conflict resolution is Islam; The S.A.LA.M and the S.N.T models.
The S.N.T Model
Like they say, prevention is better than cure, the S.N.T model is a proactive approach to conflict resolution. The ‘S’ stands for Shoora (mutual consultation), the ‘N’ stands for Naseeha (advice) and the ‘T’ denotes Ta’awun (cooperation). This model had been used constructively since during the life of the Prophet (s).
SHOORA+ NASEEHA + TA’AWUN
S.N.T
A. Shoora: The Prophet (s) took the final decision after consulting others. After he consults, he asks again before implementing a change which demonstrated him as not just a leader but a ruler, a commander, a father who was continuously counseled by his family. Shura was widespread during his time, settling disputes and promoting peace and unity. “Who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation” (Q42:38).
Stating the proactive nature of shoora is vital. This prevents future crises because different opinions are brought on the table. So even if things do not go wrong they are likely to accept the challenge together as a team. After people are consulted and they give out their feedback, they feel appreciated and feel and they create a positive change in the society.
Examples
Family: Shura within the family helps in the bondage and strengthens the relationship which further helps in the stages of development of children or changes in behavior.
I. When Angel Jibreel held and squeezed the Prophet at the moment of the first revelation, he ran and consulted his wife and she told him God does not forsake honest people like him. Also after her death he didn’t want to remarry but khawla bin Hakeem advised him to remarry for the sake of his children.
II. During the treaty of hudaibiyya, he instructed 3 of his companions to make sacrifice and end the pilgrimage but they refused to listen till his wife umm Salamah advised him to perform the rites himself first and other companions will copy.
Between the Prophet (s) and Companions
I. The prophet used to consult his companions so much which led Abu hurairah to say; “I never saw anyone consult his companions more often than the Messenger of Allah.” (Ahmad). Whenever things happen where there is no divine guidance, the prophet would consult his companions first. He consulted them before going to both battles of badr and Uhud. Positive consultation is when the prophet(s) ask the companions for advice just as the case of the battles while negative consultation is when the companions bring up their opinions on something. Example; Al-Habbab ibn al-Mundhir was the sahaba that recommended the location of the battle of badr.
II. The prophet used to use the exclamation “give me your opinion’ ‘o people’”. The people during the prophet’s time used to participate in shura, hence their praise in the holy Quran; “{…and whose affairs are a matter of counsel…} (Ash-Shura, 42: 39)”
III. Before the battle of Badr, the news of Abu Sufyan’s caravan came to the prophet and he consulted his companions for advice.
IV. During the battle of Badr , consulted his companions on what to do with the prisoners of the war and he accepted Abu Bakr’s advice and rejected the rest
V. The prophet seeked consultation about personal matters. A case in point was when he asked the sahaba about the slander against Nana Aisha. “O people, give me your opinion regarding those people who made a forged story against my wife…” (Al-Bukhari)
Between companions and other companions
I. When Umar (R.A) was about to die who said the next khalifa should be picked based on mutual consultation among 6 companions.
II. There were disagreements on whether or not to distribute the land in Iraq after the Muslims had conquered it. Umar (R.A) gathered an assembly of the Muhajirins and the Ansars. Even though the conflict escalated it was subsequently resolved.
III. After the Prophet(s) had died, the dispatch of Osama bin Zaid as the leader was made by Abu Bakr while all other rejected.
A. Naseeha (Advice): The Prophet (s) actually equated the whole religion to Naseeha which shows how important it is. Fulfilling Naseeha to Allah, holy books and people is an integral part of religion. Naseeha is a process of seeking an action that contributes positively towards others. Firstly, one needs to purify one’s self from unethical practices and disobeying Allah through Naseeha. Secondly we provide Naseeha to our Muslim partners in order to strengthen our bonds and thirdly strengthen your relationship with your creator by doing what he orders and avoiding what he dislikes.
“The religion is Naseeha.” The people said, “To whom?” The Prophet (S) replied, “To Allah and to His book and to His Messenger and to the leaders of the Muslims and to the common folk of the Muslims.”(Muslim).
Naseeha from a leader involves treating people justly, promoting good and forbidding evil, appointing the qualified people to lead task, being compassionate and caring. Naseeha towards a leader involves accepting and implementing with them what is right, being patient with them in case they make a mistake or forget something, advising them if they are ignorant of something that happens to be aligned to their leadership.
It is best to advice people in private and not publicly to avoid feeling of being ridiculed. The intention of the person giving the Naseeha should not be to embarrass that person but to advise him sincerely even if he does not like to hear it. It also unacceptable to disclose the information to other people .The person giving the Naseeha has to speak calmly and softly. Prophet (s) had spoken softly to the worst of leaders. When Allah sent Moses and Aron to Pharaoh he commanded them to speak softly; “And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear Allah” (Taha 44).
“The believer conceals [the sin] and advises the person while the evildoer exposes the sin and disgraces the person.”(Al-fudail, 1998).
“Naseehah implies that a person loves for his brother what is good, calls him to it, makes it clear to him and encourages him to do it. This is part and parcel of the true religion of Islam”. (Uthaymeen, 2007).
Examples
I. The prophet usually advice his companions with the exclamation; “I am like a father to you.” (Abu Dawud).
II. Umar ibn Abi Salamah said: “I was a boy under the care of the Prophet and my hand used to go around the dish while I was eating. The Prophet(s) said; O boy! Mention the Name of Allah and eat with your right hand, and eat of the dish what is nearer to you”. (Al-Bukhari)
III. Prophet(s) also used ‘persuasion’ in advising his companion. “A man from Banu Fazarah came to the Prophet and said: ‘My wife has given birth to a black boy’ – and he wanted to disown him. He said: ‘Do you have camels? Yes. ‘He said ‘What color are they? Red.‘Are there any gray ones among them? There are some gray camels among them.’ He said: ‘Why is that do you think?’ He said: ‘Perhaps it is hereditary.’ He said: ‘Perhaps this is hereditary.’ And he did not permit him to disown him”. (An-Nasa’i)
c. Ta’awun (cooperation): Ta’awun came from the word ‘awn’ which means support so human beings need each other and they have to work together. According to Islam though this working together has to be towards achieving good and not when committing evil. Whether people are Muslims or non-Muslims, the ethics provides that they must cooperate with each other as long as their purpose is right and good and a Muslim is not allowed to cooperate with anyone that has the intention of promoting evil.
“Help one another in righteousness and piety; do not help one another towards sin and hostility. Be mindful of Allah, for Allah’s punishment is severe”. (Al-Ma’idah 5:2).
Muslims have to cooperate with others in achieving good, we have to work together with our children, spouses, and we have to cooperate between people with different cultural backgrounds, ethnicity, race and difference in jurisprudence. Muslims have to know how to deal with media or political leaders.
Examples
I. When Prophet Mohammad (S) joined “Hilf al-Fudul” He made an agreement with Abdullah ibn Jud’an: “If they found any one either a native of Mecca or an outsider, had been wronged they would take his part against the aggressor and see that the stolen property was restored to him.” (Seerah Ibn Hisham. Vol (1), 133-134).
II. After he became the Prophet of Allah, the Prophet used to say: “I witnessed in the house of Abdullah ibn Jud’an a covenant which I would not exchange for any number of fine camels: if I were invited to take part in it during Islam, I would indeed respond.” (Ibn Hisham, Seerah Vol (1), p.134).
III. Another example in this modern times is the establishment of Shura Council of Southern California which serves as an umbrella to the more than 70 masjids that were built and they have a population of over 500,00 Muslims in southern Carolina. The main purpose of the organization is work together with all the Muslim ummah under one roof for the benefit of themselves or outside of themselves.
“Ta’awun is essential for change process, to promote healthy communication, reduce change opponents and eliminate hostile working environment” (Ahmad, 2007).
Application of SNT
A research on all pharmaceutical companies in Alexandria was carried out to investigate the reason behind interpersonal conflicts and the level of its impact on productivity. Some Islamic values such as shura, naseeha, husnul khuluq and sabr. The result showed that high impact on conflict resolution of the following; shura, naseeha, ta’awun, adl, islah and hikma. This means such Islamic values played a role in minimizing conflict. Concerning conflict exploitation the following had high impacts; taqwa, tawakkul and afuw.
CONCLUSION
Conflicts are inevitable among human beings. Functional conflicts promotes the positive attainment of an organization while a dysfunctional one hinders the development of the organization. Islam has provided us with models towards effectively resolution of conflict through adhering to the rules governed by the Sharia. However Shura is least practiced one of them now a days which poses a gap in the resolution of conflict. It is recommended that Islam bodies should reintroduce and remind the Muslims around the world of mutual consultation as an integral part of conflict resolution.
Bibliography
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