Economic, Political and Socio-Cultural System Connections

Economic, Political and Socio-Cultural System Connections Quoted from Akif Ziya Bayrak’s PhD Thesis Translated by Bahadır Gürler MalaysiaNur.com

Comparison: Habermas and Nursi „Habermas‟s theory‟ applies the principal functions defined by Parson to political, economic and socio cultural systems. The systems, in which the government, entrepreneur and values exist, utilizing power, money and values as tools. Creating the life of the universe, those sub-systems generate shapes and contextual deal zones. As the result of breaks among these zones and operating grounded on inner logic, the problem of colonizing, crisis and psychological pathologies occur. Habermas suggests “Communicative Rationality” to ensure rationality of this process. Reaching this level is possible only where an ethic of communication is formed and individuals are able to reach consensus. Nursi basically suggests that it is religious institution, legitimate democracy, open society, ethics in economics and ‘I’la-i Kalimatullah’(*),that would impel this institution. Religion is the guide for people and is a developing and satisfying entity, along with being concerned with the order of the universe. As with Habermas theory, in Nursi the social system is shaped over economic, political and socio-cultural fields of exchange. While Mannan grounds the social system over interest rates, prohibition of exploitation and human equality. Mannan stands wholly for Islamic society modelling. The Capitalist system, as it exists, is a bourgeois system based on secular, democratic and liberal principles. According to the profound discoveries of Weber and Durkheim, in the capitalist system, social sub-systems dissociated and each began to process according to its own internal logic. Until the Western Enlightenment, in the social system, the “areas of values” were not yet dissociated and each system was integrated with the other. Likewise, in the condition before the dissociation, the individual had a position and a distinct character in the universe. (*) to belaud and spread the name of Allah on the globe.

The individual was not estranged from its social-physical environment and its Creator and was at unity with them. This order was destroyed by the enlightenment process that occurred in the West and a brand-new system was established. In this new system, daily life, being isolated from the sacred, was quasi redesigned under the sovereignty of the mind and knowledge. Sub-systems entered the process of opposition and conflict with each other. General harmony and concord, in evidence before this time, gave way to discordance and clash. At this stage, the phenomenon which Weber names as “New Paganism” covered everywhere; people were saved from One God, and became the slaves of numberless gods. Money, power, career, consumption goods, political leaders, artists; took their places as the new gods of humanity. In this process human nature was instrumentalized and colonized by the bourgeoisie. On the one hand, individuals became meaningless, because money colonized daily life, the effort of the workers turned into a material that was bought and sold and the individual began to perceive himself as an inanimate asset thus, became estranged from its humanistic nature and finally becoming a part of the machine block. Estrangement and enmity took the place of the universal brotherhood feelings based on Abrahamic values; exploitation with feelings of denial took the place of solidarity and cooperation. Sociologists and economists like Durkheim, Weber, Adorno and Horkheimer espouse the environment of Critical Theory opposed to instrumentalization of humanistic and physical environment. Habermas, today‟s living representative of the Critical Theory environment, also opposes the capitalist system‟s colonizing of money and other sub-systems of bureaucracy. Habermas, in regard to preventing the destruction of the capitalist system in modern society proposes the notions of Communication Ethics, Communication Law and Communication Justice. That is to say, Habermas proposes a system that includes religious essences to accept the existence of the other unconditionally through dialogue, to be in universal brotherhood and solidarity, to see humanity as an aim itself. It is seen that, this system shows parallels with Abrahamic values, which are also very similar to the ideas of Said Nursi, an Islamic thinker and philosopher, and those of Mannan, a serious economist. Economic Development in Nursi In the period when Nursi lived, in Ottoman society and particularly the Islamic World were living through their most depressed period. While the West was progressing with giant steps in science, technology, art, literature, philosophy and realizing long term revolutions in a short period, Ottoman society was in a state of collapse. However, Nursi was not without hope for the future of the Islamic World. With the democratization process, firstly Ottoman society, other Islamic societies following and even the entire Asian continent would enter an economic development process and would increase their prosperity. Because, according to Nursi, all the necessary dynamics for economic development were eminently present in the Ottoman society. (For detailed information, see. AbuRabi, 2003, p.61 et al.) We can examine Nursi‟s dynamics of economic development under three headings; physical and geographical dynamics, the sociological dynamics and psychological dynamics.

Dynamics of Economic Development According to Nursi, geographic conditions and population density are important factors for development. The sufficiency of the rivers, abundance of minerals, especially the flatness of land in Northern Europe were factors stimulating development in the West; “Yes, the idea of artistic works (industrialization thought), tendency of learning come out of multiplicity (the population density). Because of the narrowness of Europe, seas and rivers providing natural transport facilities circulating within them, just as familiarity results trade, cooperation results the participation of work, contact also promotes accumulation of ideas and competition promotes the contest. Iron mines, which are the foundation of much industry, existed in plenty and iron gave to their civilization a weapon of power with which to extort and loot all the wreckages of civilizations in the world, outweigheding and breaking the balance of scale on the ground.” (Nursi, Sünuhat, 2010, p.66) According to Nursi, another factor that stimulates development, even makes it necessary is the „need‟ factor. According to him, “Need is the father of the civilization and the founder of advancement” (Nursi, 2006, Divan-ı Harb-i Örfi, p.51, Envar Pbl.) Nursi also gives importance to the severity of need for economic development. Need intensifies and reaches a point that, “obviates the ground‟s ability of growing”, viz. nothing can prevent economic development, it will erupt from anywhere. After reaching this stage, by saying. “need to the art, curiosity to the knowledge and distress to the instruments of sin; they become teachers and begin instructing” (Nursi, 2010\a, Sünuhat-Tuluatİşarat, p.40, Envar Pbl.). He explains how need stimulates industrial development and emphasizes that need, strapped to the structure of humanity, forms an irrepressible force, and emerges as one of the most important factors in the formations of industry and civilizations. According to him, need continuously increases, primarily with elements like fashion and custom. Expanding needs encourage production and the increase and diversification of production again increase need, through advertisement, custom and fashion. Thus the diversification of production again increases need, which increases production and increases expansion and more profitable investments. Another dynamic of economic development that Nursi handles is the poverty which „bends our waist‟. According to Nursi, poverty “..is a force that (by any power) cannot be silenced and be broken”. (Nursi, 2010\b, Hutbe-i Şamiye, p.34, Envar Pbl.) The Relation of Economic Development and İ’la-i Kalimatullah in Nursi Nursi, a thinker who lived four different periods, felt keenly the results of economic insufficiency and attaches a very special importance to economic development. Even he regards economic and technological development to be identical with “I‟la-i Kalimatullah”. Indeed Nursi, advancing a very striking and quite original approach, puts forward that in this time the I‟la-i Kalimatullah can only be possible by, “Material progress and entering a genuine civilization” (Nursi 2010\b, Hutbe-i Şamiye, p.35, Envar Pbl.).

In the same way, he points to science and technology as being fundamental dynamics of the I‟la-i Kalimatullah phase by saying, “We will fight against ignorance, poverty and disunity, which are the most formidable enemies of the I’la-i Kalimatullah, with the weapons of science and industry.” (Nursi, 2006, Divan-ı Harb-i Örfi, p.64, Envar Pbl.) Going even further, he argues that, “What obstructs the I‟la-i Kalimatullah also obstructs the Shariah.” (Nursi, 2010\b, Hutbe-i Şamiye, p.102, Envar Pbl.) Duran, commenting on Nursi‟s I‟la-i Kalimatullah concept, states that the I‟la-i Kalimatullah phase is not a one-dimensional, homogeneous and static situation, contrarily it is multi-dimensional, differing according to each time and place; a dynamic process. He argues that this is determined by the dynamics of societies like accumulation, level of experience, attributes of needs and their intensity levels. According to him, in the era in which we live, the level of I‟la-i Kalimatullah normally has two dimensions; one, the dimension formed as the introverted lifestyle (perfect human-being); the other is the dimension, which appears as extroverted action. The most prominent institutions of the introverted lifestyle are; Justice, Compassion, Chastity, Wisdom, Gnosis, Beneficence and Frugality. The dimension of extroverted action is evident in the economic, social, political and scientific fields. According to Duran, this stage expresses such a socio-economic advanced level, that it is in this stage the Islamic community in general, can reach to the power, possibility and capacity of presenting the transcendental principles of “science”, “justice”, “compassion” and “solidarity” to the intelligent and conscious beings on the globe in every moment and on every occasion continuously and effectively. Viz, Islamic society must reach such a level in science, technology, economy, culture, art, literature, politics and morality, so that they can fulfill its duty of presenting these values and principles to mankind on a global scale, through various communication channels, without pressure and imposition.. (Duran, 2008, p.1-15) According to Nursi, to achieve such a level is also an obligation (farz-ı kifaya) for the Ummah. The Muslim community can bring to humanity Allah‟s desires and wills only after reaching this level, and only after such a development, can fully protect “the dignity of Islam” and the blood of the innocent. The goal to reach this phase is also a motivation of action for Muslim individuals and a compulsory religious duty like prayers and fasting. Interestingly, Nursi, in his work namely Muhakemat, considers advancement in science and industrialization as “farz-ı kifaya”. In summary from his own original words: “…while the law of perfection, which occurs in the creation of the universe and flows from The Glorious Maker’s principle of work sharing, is obligatory..”Islamic societies did not obey this order as required. However, according to Nursi,”…since gave a spiritual order to perform the sciences and industry which can be considered as the farz-ı kifaya of the laws of the creation..” Ummat broke and extinguished this enthusiasm through misuse. And of necessity, the results of this, for both this world and the hereafter, have been negative. (Nursi, 2008, Muhakemat, s.26, RNK Pbl.) With Duran‟s approach, it is possible to consider I‟la-i Kalimatullah as a social stage. This phase corresponds to an advanced civilization in the modern sense. Accordingly, it can be claimed that Islamic societies reached this phase in the 7-8th century in the Arabian Peninsula; 8-14th century in Andalusia and in Transoxiana and 15-17th century in the Ottoman.

In order to establish a new civilization, one of the basic elements of it is economic and technological development, according to Nursi, is a need to engage a positive dialogue with the advanced Western communities. In this regard, Nursi first starts with an interesting ijtihad (independent judgements on the law) on how Muslims may obtain things made and developed by people outside the Muslim world. According to him, when the most of the political and economic issues are things independent from religion such as clocks or machines, just as we prefer the best master craftsmen when buying them or getting them maintained, there is no religious objection to taking most of the economic and political mechanisms from experts on that subject, regardless of their religion and morality. Because just as not all the attributes of a Muslim may be Islamic, it is not required that all the attributes of an unbeliever may be unIslamic. As some attributes of Muslims can be infidel, in the same way some attributes of an unbeliever may be Islamic. Because love and hatred are not inherent, nice attributes are appreciated no matter who has them and are even admired and imitated. (Nursi, 2006\a, Münazarat, p.41-42, Envar Pbl.) Then, according to Nursi, there cannot be any objection of the utilization by Muslims of the economic, political and cultural institutions produced from the manifestations of the positive attributes of infidels. Socio-economic mechanisms, institutions, policies focusing on basic principles such as justice, freedom, efficiency, frugality and cooperation can all be taken by the Muslim community without looking to its origin, and can be immitated. Islam even allows any Muslim individual to take not only the economic and political institutions of Christians and Jews, having more vitally feature but also to take their chaste women as wives. (Nursi, 2006\a, Münazarat, p.71, Envar Pbl.) Here we encounter with another approach of Nursi which amazes people: Nursi does not totally condemn the West, seeing it as a monolithic block of evil, but considers it from two different directions: “Europe is twofold. One follows the sciences which serve justice and right and the industries beneficial for the life of society through the inspiration it has received from the true religion of Christianity. The other, corrupt Europe, which, through the darkness of the philosophy of Naturalism, supposing the evils of civilization to be its virtues, has driven mankind to vice and misguidance.” (Nursi, 1994, Lemalar, p.119, Yeni Asya Pbl.) According to Nursi, now although the negative part of Europe is dominant, it is not possible for it to last forever; finally, the first Europe will reconcile with Islam and present a brand-new civilization to humanity: “Through civilization’s iniquities prevailing over its benefits and its evils being preferred to its virtues, mankind has suffered two calamitous blows in the form of two world wars, and overturning that sinful civilization men have been so utterly disgusted that they have smeared the face of the earth with blood. InshaAllah, through the strength of Islam in the future, the virtues of civilization will prevail, the face of the earth cleansed of filth, and universal peace be secured.” (Nursi, 2010\b, Hutbe-i Şamiye, p.36, Envar Pbl.), (For detailed information, see. Eickelman, 2010, p.135-147, Justice, Morality, and Modernity: What Makes the Risale-i Nur Modern?, Theodicy and Justice in Modern Islamic Thought, Ashgate Press, England.)

In conclusion, Nursi, having the experience of despotism, constitutionalism, single-party and a multiparty republic, criticizes his own society for conducting only religion-based relationships and argues that relationships in the axis of economic, scientific and civilization should begin. Nursi, with these orientations offers arguments that should apply to the entire community. Stating that in the old societies, the individual did not have position and was simply instrumentalized and lost the fields of freedom, Nursi says that, in this age, the individual began to become an actor, saved from being an instrument, gaining freedom, and participating in management. For the formation of such a structure, Nursi proposes an open society. Stating that the open society should be based on democratic values, he starts with the closed society when touching on the problems of the Ottoman era. Indicating that the closed society of the Ottoman era exposed the disease of despotism. The thinker then utters that in an open society based on democratic values, all fields should be based on democratic principles. Nursi, in addition to his thoughts, strengthens his proposal of the open society by showing the connection between religion and democracy. If we look at the mutual relation and the deal between the socio-cultural and management systems, the socio-cultural system presents to the management system its loyalty, which expresses the commitment, trust and obedience of individuals to the state. In return, the socio-cultural system gains election, ownership, organization, freedom of religion and conscience. Across the community of loyalty, the management system gets its source of legitimacy from divine-social sources. In return, it offers a justice system which does not have the privilege of any race, class, creed and religion in the management system and that everyone is equal before the law. In order for society in the justice system to live in peace and stability, the socio-cultural system must provide integration to the management system in terms of social unity. The meaning of this integration is; the living of the individuals of the society in the peace of a system which they formed themselves.. The management system should provide the internal and external security in response to this integration. And culminating from this mutual relationship, the management system and the socio-cultural system will ultimately enter a harmonic process. Nursi, while bringing clarity to the mutual relationship between the economic system and the management system, mentions that the state should fulfill the working arrangements of its personnel working in the economic system. The economic system, in return will ensure the environment for the rationalization of the management on points of economic progress and commercialization. After obtaining these gains, the management system is required to establish the cooperation of organizations, which are legal infrastructures of social solidarity. By the formation of these institutions, the economic system, increasing the activity capacities, developing new products, saving the society from poverty, will provide a welfare society. The workforce that forms the welfare society within the economic system should be educated by the management system and the skilled labor should be placed into the system. And finally, thanks to the economic order that develops after all these mutual emerging exchanges, the management system will gain courage to turn into an honorable structure. All the relationships explained from Nursi‟s point of view are a collection of links to forming a welfare society caught in all the layers of civilization.

Conclusion 1. Habermas, who benefited considerably from the work of famous economic sociologist Talcott Parsons, examines Parsons‟s social system, which has four basic subsystems of the political, economic, entrepreneur and socio-cultural, as tripal, by removing the entrepreneur. He argues that the political system uses power; the economic system uses money and the socio-cultural uses values, as tools. In the capitalist system, the economic and political system is sparated from the sociocultural system and process with its own internal logic, thus both systems face a crisis of legitimacy and accordingly with rationality, motivation and economic crises. 2. Habermas claims that, the separation of the systems does not leave them as neutral. Contrarily the economic system, with money and the political system, through bureaucratic power, colonize the socio-cultural system and deform the freedom of individuals and the social integration of the community. 3. In order to bring the human, instrumentalized by the Bourgeois class for power and money, Habermas suggests a communication morality, which is not based on benefit but includes unconditional and universal solidarity. For this to happen, by eliminating all the restrictions that prevent communication, all segments of the society should be encouraged to enter a dialogue. And through this dialogue the communities will reach a consensus on moral and legal norms. As a result of this, social order will be established. 4. There are some parallels between Nursi‟s understanding of the social order and the approaches of Parsons and Habermas. As do the two modern thinkers, Nursi also recommends that the economic system, political system and the socio-cultural system should be in a tight cooperation and relation. Nursi stresses that, especially the political system, needs social legitimacy and the economic system needs moral legitimacy; which they should obtain from the socio-cultural system. Likewise, as economic development is achieved, the economic system begins to export rationality to both the political system and the socio-cultural system. In this process, the function of the political system and arrangement of the works of society members, ensures trust among them and also ensures the distribution of income in a fair manner; particularly, through training, providing the skilled craftsmen which the economic system needs. In this way, the economic system will provide prosperity, solidarity and national courage to the community. What Nursi desires from the political system is the removal of obstacles facing society and the complete handing over of works to the civil society. 5. Mannan proposes a system based on Islamic propositions. This system is based on the principles of individual‟s obedience to the commands of the Qur‟an, to the Prophet‟s words, and to ijma and ijtihads in individual and social life. To Mannan, Islam has the principles to ensure all the facilities of a healthy and balanced social life. He places the banning of interest and exploitation in the center of the social system. In this way absolute human equality will be reached. According to him, social systems exercise exchanges among each other in the fields of zakat, collaboration, planning, property, prosperity and enterprise.