Islam and Cities

I love knowledge so I must love cities. Cities are places where people come together. People who are  full of ideas. Sharing ideas pushes thought forward; thought translates into actions and events which stimulate further thought. This is one of the reasons I think that being born in Joburg has been a huge blessing. People from all over South Africa, Africa and the world end up here sharing their thoughts and ideas, enriching my life by merely existing and expressing themselves in this concentrated environment which is the city.

As Muslims we have a duty to examine the world around us; we are to marvel at its complexities but also recognize and understand it. How many of us take the time to marvel at the urban environment that surrounds us and think about what makes it work? What is it working towards, who decides its direction, its future, its priorities. In this last question I find a close tie between cities and politics.

Here's a piece I came across in Ahmad Farid Moustapha's, "Islamic Values in Contemporary Urbanism": 

"When Mawlay Idris decided to build the city of Fas (Fez) in northern Africa (Morocco), having sketched the ground-plan of the city and before construction got underway, he recited the following prayer:

"O my Lord! You know that I do not intend by building this to gain

pride or to show off; nor do I intend hypocrisy, or reputation, or

arrogance. But I want You to be worshipped in it, Your laws, limits

and the principles of Your Qur'an and the guidance of Your Prophet to

be upheld in it, as long as this world exists. Almighty, help its

dwellings to do righteousness and guide them to fulfill that.

Almighty, prevent them from the evil of their enemies, bestow Your

bounties upon them and protect them from the sword of evil. You are

able to do all things." 

       

 There are cities in this world that have people as their highest priority. Corutiba for instance shuts down its busiest road once a week and rolls out massive rolls of paper that children from the city are free to go colour on. Their city is designed for people. Makkah is designed for the worship of Allah, one could argue: the city is built around the Kaabah, all development that takes place is done with the understanding that people that come to Makkah come to see the Kaabah and worship Allah. Dubai is a commercial centre, it has little to offer once the oil runs out and so all profits from the oil are being invested into tourist attractions. Qatar is the same with its gas reserves being converted into modern art museums (2) . The intentions that drive cities fascinates me - it's where values meet the real world and in their expression lives are shaped and determined.

Johannesburg is the city of Gold… most people that live here do so for that reason til this day, well cash/jobs not really gold anymore. What does that mean for the quality of life? I’m sure we have engaged in conversation about the quality of life in Cape Town versus Joburg and how that impacts on people. 

Have we asked how our city impacts on our Islam or how our Islam impacts on it?