ISLAM as a religion for the Muslims is dynamic, relevant and has a universal framework for society to manoeuvre and organise.
It teaches Muslims to be ambitious, positive in their thinking, have a good character and be productive in their deeds.
The Muslims of the past had proven beyond doubt that their spirits were high when they were at their zenith.
Uqbah ibn Nafi’s famous speech on the shore of the Atlantic in the Maghrib was one of many examples. He said: “O Ocean, if I knew that there is earth beyond you, I would cross you on horseback!”This was typical of the spirit of that new generation brought up by Islam.
Their task then was conceived as global and they were ambitious to be world leaders. The Quran says: “O People! Serve Allah alone. You have no god other than Him. It is He who established you on earth that you may reconstruct it (according to His pattern).“Do seek His forgiveness and repent to Him, He is our Lord, near and responsive (to those who call on His mercy)” (Chapter 11:61).
To the late Professor Ismail Faruqi, because of that the Muslim is confident that what Allah disposes history to be
in the end is the direct consequence of his own conduct in history, on the personal, individual level as well as on the communal or societal level.
The Quran further educates the Muslims: “Allah will not change the fate of a people until they change what is in themselves” (Chapter 13:12).This divine teaching is an absolute law of history.
It holds the Muslims responsible for whatever they do.
To succeed they have to have the right spirit to improve themselves and be global.
Success requires every individual initially to possess the right spirit.
It needs clear vision and a social theoretical framework which is in tandem with human needs and requirements both on individual and societal levels.This Islamic approach to success can guide our present policy formulation.
The humanistic approach in line with divine instruction can provide humanity a path which is eternal, for this world
and the hereafter. In our context, our people should have the right frame of mind and spirit, if we want to continue to develop ourselves into a very noble and respectable society.
This century is a great challenge for us. Our vision for the 21st century has to be supported by our confidence and willingness to be a successful and great society.
Our mental preparation at all levels has to be geared for a long struggle and continuous hard work.
Rome was not built in a day.
It is the same with the experiences of great societies in the past.Patience, perseverance and diligence are important ingredients for success.
The Japanese experience in their economic success is a lesson to study.
Japanese leaders and people are ambitious and were able to develop the right spirit for success.
Their secret is to be found in the fact that they tapped a universal human desire to build, belong to an empire, conquer neighbouring empires and become the world’s leading economic power after the bad experiences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Their goal in economic expansion is market share maximisation (strategic conquest) and value-added maximisation (a measure that includes profits and wages), not simple profit maximisation.Only in the contracting phase of a producer’s life cycle are profits maximised so that it serves as a cash cow to finance the expansion of a new area of endeavour.
This Japanese strategy requires an ambitious and long-term effort to succeed.
Japan is able to surpass most of the Western economic performances because the Japanese strategy required Japan to be more competitive in all aspects, from product management to product quality to marketing strategy.
If every economy adopts the market optimisation approach, human welfare can be more approachable provided at the same time the spiritual and ethical aspects are equally given proper attention.The present economic dilemma of the Japanese is due to the lack of attention given to the latter.
If this holistic approach is adopted, everybody will be more quality conscious and in the long term, we will be moving towards higher efficiency. Those who are able to produce better quality and at the cheapest prices will succeed.
They can have a bigger market share.
This encourages the firm to adopt efficient technology through research and development. This competitiveness should also include the ability to maintain environmental balance.These requirements are all aspects that contribute to a successful society.
We in Malaysia have to be proud that our model of Vision 2020, if properly and comprehensively implemented, will have a competitive edge.
This is because it is comprehensive and multi-dimensional in nature.It subscribes to a fair social order, a strong, ethical and healthy society with fewer social ills.
It fosters social solidarity and builds an economically strong society.
These ingredients are very much in line with the requirements of human nature at individual and societal levels.