KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Any “madani” concept for the advancement of civil society must properly follow the precepts of Islam to succeed, according to PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Any other version that is guided by Western philosophers will fail, he asserted today, in what appears to be a response to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent push to establish a “Malaysia Madani” model to lift Malaysians of diverse races and creeds.
In a Facebook post this morning, the Islamist said the word “madani” is derived from the Quran, and its concepts and practice must follow the tenets of Islam.
“A civil society model that is not based on the model of Allah and the Messenger of God will surely lead to the same failure as the previous civilisation and the modern civilisation that is burning itself now.
“Muslims cannot be influenced by the concept of 'civil society’ brought by those who do not share the same faith,” the Marang MP said, referring to Western philosophers such as Thomas Paine, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, and Karl Marx.
Naming two famed Islamic philosophers of the past, Hadi said Al-Farabi who is also called Alpharabius in the West, and Ibn Khaldun, were the ones who made the term “madani” known worldwide.
Al-Farabi had introduced the term “Al-Madinah Al-Fadilah” in response to Greek philosopher Aristotle’s The Republic while Ibn Khaldun introduced the word “madani” as a concept of the civil nature of human beings back in the Middle Ages through his book, Al-Muqaddimah.
Hadi said the word is rooted in Islamic history as noted when Prophet Mohammad changed the name of the place of migration from Yathrib or Taibah to “Madinah” to act as a guide for the establishment of a civil society.
He stressed that the gathering of Muslims and non-Muslims living together as a plural society in the Arabic city of Medina proves the success of the “madani” concept.
He suggested that for Malaysia to similarly succeed in this model, it should follow the established Islamic practice.
“Hopefully, we can establish a state and a country that follows the pattern of Allah in Terengganu and Malaysia,” Hadi said.
On January 19, Anwar introduced his “Malaysia Madani” blueprint as a new narrative for the nation going forward.
In launching his new reformation plan called “Membangun Negara Madani” (Developing a Madani Nation), Anwar said he wants to foster a new mindset among Malaysians for an equitable share of the nation’s wealth regardless of their ethnic, religious, political, and social class demographics.
