A decade into the new millennium and we have a world steeped in turmoil and chaos. Poverty, financial crisis, global warming, corruption, war and violence prove that we have failed to deliver on peace, prosperity and governance.
Ideologies which hitherto won both hearts and minds are crumbling under their own weight.
The world awaits a new order. A just world order.
Almost half the world – over 3 billion – live on less than $ 2.5 a day. At least 80 % of humanity lives on less than $ 10 a day. Reports suggest that the richest 1% of adults alone own 40% of global assets, and that the richest 10% of adults account for 85% of the world total. The bottom half of the world adult population owns 1% of global wealth.
This huge disparity is the unwanted gift of capitalism to the world. A sustainable and equitable wealth distribution is possible only with a system that circulates wealth from the rich to the poor but also encourages wealth creation and mercantile activity. Society practises charity and loves care and welfare.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was successful in creating a welfare state and society that was based on the sustainable and just distribution of wealth. A just world order has a lot to learn therefrom.
World military expenditure in 2010 is estimated to have reached $1.62 trillion in current dollars. This corresponds to 2.6 per cent of world gross domestic product (GDP), or approximately $236 for each person in the world.
The USA, with its massive spending budget, is the principal determinant of the current world trend, and its military expenditure now accounts for just under half of the world total, at 43% of the world total.
Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) greatest gift to the world has been his teachings and guidance for establishing peace and justice. A just world order is possible only by applying those teachings to the contemporary world.
Today one in five adults is still not literate and about two-thirds of them are women while 67.4 million children are out of school. And while the world spends billions on arms and war, the fight against illiteracy does not get the importance it deserves. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) gave extreme importance to knowledge and learning. His legacy lifted Europe out of the Dark Ages into the Renaissance and put the world on the path of mastering science and technology. A just world order has to deliver education. It must take a leaf out of the Prophet’s teachings regarding the importance of education and learning.
Racism is the belief that characteristics and abilities can be attributed to people simply on the basis of their race and that some racial groups are superior to others.
Racism and discrimination have been used as powerful weapons encouraging fear or hatred of others in times of conflict and war, and even during economic downturns.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) articulated such wonderful and effective guidance regarding the universal brotherhood of man that racism was virtually eliminated not just legally and physically but also from people’s hearts and minds.
A just world order should be racism-free and the easiest way is to follow the Prophet’s teachings for creating a society that is joined together solely on the basis of virtue and piety and the colour of one’s skin has no consequence and bearing on one’s position in the community.
The climate is changing. The earth is warming up, and there is now overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
Many agree that climate change may be one of the greatest threats facing the planet. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions, and/or increasing extremities in weather patterns.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) strictly forbade the destruction of trees and animals and gave a new dimension to “going green” being the approved and official state policy. A just world order has to address the challenge of climate change and global warming and has a ready example in the Prophet’s life and style of governance.
The global financial crisis, brewing for a while, really started to show its effects in the middle of 2007 and into 2008. Around the world stock markets have fallen, large financial institutions have collapsed or been bought out, and governments in even the wealthiest nations have had to come up with rescue packages to bail out their financial systems.
On the one hand many people are concerned that those responsible for the financial problems are the ones being bailed out, while on the other hand, a global financial meltdown will affect the livelihoods of almost everyone in an increasingly inter-connected world.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) ran a system of finance that was free of usury. The society was just and charitable not greedy and bent on hoarding and gambling to make a fast buck at the cost of others. A just world order must copybook that golden age of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). There is no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s all done and proved. Only sincere application is required.
According to the Global Corruption Barometer 2010: Six out of 10 people say corruption has increased in the last three years. 1 in 4 people reports paying bribes in the last year. 29% people report paying bribes to the police. 8 out of 10 people say political parties are corrupt. 50% of the people say their government’s anti-corruption efforts are ineffective.
The spirit of Prophet Muhammad’s teachings was to inculcate the fear of God in the heart of man. He therefore lives in this world like a true and obedient slave of God fearing his displeasure at all times. Man thus would remain away from corruption because he knows that even if he can fool people, there will come a Day in which he will be presented before his Lord and be held accountable for all his deeds.
A just world order will succeed only if this inner fear of God can be created in man. Mere laws will not work.