THIRTEEN years after being appointed the last prophet of God, Muhammad ibn Abdullah received a command to leave the city of Mecca to continue the struggle to spread Islam in Madinah.
Mecca at the time was becoming unbearable for the Muslims. The Quraish were increasingly hostile, especially so when Muhammad snubbed their offer of a blank cheque for him to stop preaching.
He steadfastly replied: “I would not do so even if you placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand.” The Quraish then decided that the only way to stop Muhammad was to kill him.
Therefore, one night in the year 622 AD, the prophet and his closest friend Abu Bakar set out on a 400km journey across the Arabian desert to Madinah.
This turned out to be one of the most strategic events for Muslims. It is called the Hijra, which means departure. The year when Hijra took place becomes the starting point of the Muslim calendar.
Two days ago Muslims worldwide celebrated the new year, 1421 Hijrah. To commemorate the prophet’s migration from a place of hardship to greener pastures in search of new opportunities, Muslims are enjoined to do the same.
This year in particular will see an important shift in the way we conduct business. This is in view of the coming of the new era of knowledge-based economy or k-economy.
In contrast to the traditional production-based or p-economy that churns out manufactured goods, the k-economy will rely on knowledge to create value in products and services.
This does not mean prevailing manufacturing activities are not based on knowledge. Further, the coming of the k-economy does not mean we are going to witness the demise of manufacturing.
On the contrary, this sector will continue to be the main contributor to the nation’s economy for a long time. But what the k-economy proponents are hoping to achieve is to draw people’s attention to the need for consistent and continuous improvement in whatever that they do by applying knowledge.
In other words they should make knowledge work for them. This approach is not alien to Muslims.
The Islamic culture is a knowledge culture. The prophet enjoins his fellow Muslims to search for knowledge. He said that, “seeking knowledge is compulsory upon both men and women”.
The prophet also provides guidelines on what to do with the knowledge that they gather. He reminds them that “knowledge is the leader, and practice its follower”.
Thus, it is incumbent for Muslims to put their knowledge into practice so that others may benefit. In fact this was the basis for the creation of the first fully-fledged Muslim community of Madinah soon after Hijrah.
Based on the motto “knowledge without practice is useless, and practice without knowledge is irrational”, the community later proceeded to build one of the most extraordinary civilisations the world had ever seen.
The k-economy encourages knowledge acquired by individuals be enriched and then passed on to others. This will not only democratise knowledge but also result in a continuous improvement in the quality of knowledge that is being shared.
One important requirement for the k-economy is the availability of knowledge workers.
The various sayings of the prophet can be regarded to mean that every Muslim is a knowledge worker.
First, he is the knowledge worker of God. In order to perform his duties to the Creator, he must have at least the basic knowledge of how to recognise His presence. Then he must know how to worship Him.
Next, a Muslim should acquire knowledge on the do’s and dont’s in Islam. This relates to the main principles of Islamic law. In this way he or she will not act against the command of Almighty God.
Second, the Muslim is the knowledge worker of society. The Quran puts great emphasis on Muslims to master knowledge, both of this world and the hereafter. The continuum of knowledge allows him to serve society.
In Islam, man can be grouped into three categories. The first consists of those who receive knowledge and guidance, learn and then transform this knowledge into new value-added knowledge for the benefit of others.
They are in essence, the amplifier of knowledge.
Members of the second category receive knowledge and then supply others with the same without adding value to it. They lack creativity and innovation. Thus, they are mere transmitters of knowledge.
The final group is made up of those who do not understand what they have learned. They cause the knowledge to be weakened and finally dead and buried. They actually attenuate knowledge.
It is individuals with deep knowledge that we are striving to be.
However, the quest for “knowledge societies” must be in accordance with Islamic principles. Knowledge cannot and should not be used to gain excessive profit.
Knowledge bestowed on us by God is actually meant to guide people towards the right path.
But the pain and suffering that goes into the promulgation of knowledge must be recognised. Thus, a reasonable fee is charged to compensate the originator and disseminator of knowledge.
In the era of the k-economy, knowledge workers will be indispensable. But these workers must also be imbued with ethics and morals that could make them appreciate, reflect on and use their knowledge.
The Government has announced that it is formulating a k-economy master plan.
However it consistently emphasises that economic advancement does not merely mean material wealth but also intellectual and spiritual wealth.
This is to guarantee Malaysians an improved quality of life.
For Muslims, let’s make 1421 Hijrah the year where we put in that extra effort to make the change for the better. Let’s re-establish knowledge as the pillar of our faith and practice, and move from the p-economy to the k-economy.
In politics, we must make that move from “p” to “k”, or from profanity-based to knowledge-based politics.