UNRIBA: Emancipate Yourself

"Islam is a way of life."

Muslims say that all the time because our faith in Allah subhanahu wa taala impacts every aspect of our lives. That may sound overbearing to some people but in fact, we are in need of guidance in every aspect of our lives and in my study of Islam thus far there is one common theme: purity. 

Islam calls for the purity of the heart, mind, body and soul. This is achieved by being mindful of the things we consume and the activities we do. For instance, to have a sound heart we must stay away from obscenity and vulgarity. To be physically healthy we must eat in moderation and avoid food that is not clean. Similarly, to have a pure and wholesome life we have to stay away from corruption and injustice. 

Riba or interest is seen as a form of injustice in Islam but unfortunately it's almost inevitable these days. Riba has infiltrated into everything in this dunya. 

As part of their CEMAS (Campaign for the Emancipation of Money and Society) campaign, Crescent Collective has produced a short documentary on how youths in Malaysia feel about living in a riba-based economy with capitalism as the main driving force. I think it's a great effort to raise awareness about something we tend to sweep underneath the rug.

The goal of Islam is to liberate the human race from the proverbial ball and chains of this world. Everyone is a slave but at least we can choose God to be our one and only Master.