Quraish Shihab: Cooperation Made Possible by Almighty Allah to Achieve Happiness in Life and Hereafter

His Excellency Dr. Muhammed Quraish Shihab, member of the Muslim Council of Elders and Indonesia’s former Minister of Religious Affairs has affirmed that cooperation was made possible by Almighty Allah in two areas in order to achieve happiness in this life and the hereafter; righteousness and piety. This, he added, is important since piety and righteousness both satisfy Allah and when people's happiness and Allah's satisfaction coincide, both this world and the hereafter are full of joy.

During episode 8 of the 'Values of Humanity with the Elders' program which airs on the Muslim Council of Elders' social media channels during the holy month of Ramadan, Dr. Shihab said, " Man is a social creature whose needs and requirements are often far greater than his abilities. Therefore, food is a necessary need of life. For this reason, man is indeed a social-being who incapable of living alone in isolation from people.”

Shihab added, “Allah introduced religion and sent messengers to guide people to stabilize and secure their lives. Likewise, Almighty Allah urged truth, dialogue and negotiation as well as cooperation as ways to avoid disputes until stability is achieved and each one fulfils their needs.”

Shihab expanded, “Through cooperation, work is achieved in a better and faster fashion since everyone does what they are good at and continues to improve. Those who cooperate benefit from each other’s experiences which results in further creativity and knowledge that may not have been known previously. All of this leads to familiarity and cohesion between those who cooperate with each other. We find that religious texts are filled with the subject matter of cooperation and in turn urge it. This not limited to cooperation and not that between brothers or sons of the same nation, but rather incorporates all mankind and creations.”

Indonesia’s former Minister of Religious Affairs concluded by stating, “Islam encourages cooperation, but it goes beyond just doing physical and material work. Instead, it extended beyond that to incorporate cooperation to come up with innovative ideas and reject misconceptions between people. This was mentioned in Surat Al-Asr, when Allah warned man and humanity to encourage one another and to be honest and patient. The verse thereby imposed the requirement of enjoining knowledge and understanding, or, in other words, enjoining one another with truth and patience. Instead, "Truth" relates to experience and knowledge, as well as advice to have patience that is persistent in kindness and self-control in order to acquire what is virtuous.”

The Muslim Council of Elders’ social media pages will broadcast a total of 5 programs during the holy month of Ramadan which falls in line with the Council’s strategy to employ all avenues to promote the values dialogue, peace and coexistence. Programs include Al-Imam Al-Tayeb, Crescent of Coexistence, Values of Humanity with the Elders, Youth Peacemakers and Think About Your Fasting.