Smirnov Talibzhan Anatolievich
Candidate of Philosophic Science, Assistant Professor.
Department Head.
The Department of Philosophic, History and Foreign
Languages.
FSBEE HPE «Norilsk Industrial Institute»
Russia. Norilsk.
Faculty of Power
Engineering, Economics and Management
Moslem Family Environment (notion, structure, main development,
regularities).
Key words: family environment,
Islam, egalitarity, five pillars, the Koran, prohibitions, traditions.
Annotation: the article touches upon the problem of
moslem type family environment, of processes taking place in it, of structural
elements which became its inalienable attributes. Who is the main person in
family? Islam does not deal with this question. Women as well as men possess
all rights.
Special attention is paid to family environment
formation, functions and borders safety. Variants of family environment
development are given. The author takes into account relation of the family
environment mentioned above to orthodox, catholic and buddistic ones.
Personality socialization in moslem family environment possesses peculiar
features which differ it from the other ones.
The aim of this investigation is to work out the
notion of Moslem family environment.
Tasks:
1. To define structure
of Moslem family environment and its elements.
2. To present
regularities of its development.
3. To consider
functions of a family environment.
Methods of investigation: systematic, structural and comparative.
Family
environment is a complex phenomenon,
as opposed to the family, which includes parents, children, and their property. In any family
environment there are not only people and things,
but also the relationship between the
first and the second ones, and among
people themselves. The things themselves become not simple a phenomenon,
because they are understood not only as material, but ideal ones as well.
If material things can be considered as
property (movables and immovables:
house, land, livestock,
furniture, domestic appliances, car, etc.), ideal things
are considered to be more stable, much stronger. Perhaps, there
are no material things, there is spirituality, morality, knowledge, traditions
and customs, labour activities, skills, aptitude, thrift, beliefs and a number
of other ones (will, tenacity, persistence, perseverance, love, friendship,
etc) – that is a family environment [6]. So, the family environment is the trinity of people, things and relationships [5].Many famous thinkers of
the XIX and XX centuries studied problems of social and family environment.
Among them were: I. Tan, F. Ratzel, L.M. Archangelsky, T. Parsons, G. Tarde, L.P. Bueva. In
our investigations of family environment we rely upon their achievements and
take them as the basis.
The core of any
family environment is represented by parents, the
founders of a family, the
carriers of spiritual and material elements of a family environment; they
hand over spiritual things in the process of bringing up. In
historic time they hand over material things as well.
Processes
occurring in any family
environment, may be accelerated
or decelerated under the environment influence of the (positive or destructive)
or according to a number of inner reasons (illness, change
of residence, economic activity, age, and others), they can occur
in a regular mode (laminar / stochastic processes).
The beginning,
or to be more precise beginnings, bases, principles of any
family environment are strong, obvious, stable foundations which are handed
over to people from generation to generation primarily are love, friendship,
understanding, sincere attitude of kindness, gentleness, tenderness in the
relations of parents to each other, to their children and the same relations of
children to their parents, respect to elder members of the family, alive and
dead. All these phenomena create a solid foundation of any family
environment. Family environment (microenvironment) includes immediate
surroundings of a man – a family, close and distant relatives and has a
decisive influence upon the formation and development of any personality.
Family
environment gives meaning to
human actions. A man becomes aware of
himself, he defines himself in a
family environment. When he begins to be engaged in any activity (plays
any musical instrument, writes poetry, draws, performs a role in a play), he
makes himself familiar with something new and unusual. But this new activity
may become his profession and it is the result of family environment influence.
Since the family environment induces to a certain action, it develops
potentialities of any personality and raises talents. When a child says that he
will become this or that specialist and when it so happens – it is the
indubitable merit of the family environment. Children imitate adults, and ever
among adults discovery or invention cause "imitation" (G. Tarde) [6].
According to different
estimates there is 1 billion 750 million Moslems in the world. They
make up the Islamic community, the world's Muslim Brotherhood, or ummah.
Ummah is a dynamic formation which includes such mechanisms of adaptation and translation of faith, ritual, special state of consciousness, the Islamic way of life or lifestyle and Islamic culture.
Moslem family
environment includes people, things and relationships. The carriers of the
family environment are the representatives of
Mongoloid, Indo-European, Semitic and other races. According to national
sign they are Arabs, Iranians, Iraqis, Indians, Tatars, etc. According to
religious division they are Sunni, Haridzhizat, Shiites, Sufis, followers of
different schools (schools of thought) among which there are Hanafi, Shafii,
Maliki and Hanbali. Iman and Dean are observed in their family environment.
Iman is the belief in the truth of Islam and its tenets. Dean represents religious
practices of cults, rituals, etc. Carriers of Moslem family environment live
mostly according to Sharia law, if it is not a secula state (e.g. Russia). A
woman is subjected to a man, the right of inheritance is traditional one for
Moslem people.
The very family environment is the cradle of Islam. Mohammed
became a prophet thanks to the support
of his family and relatives, he united
all the families of the tribe and then other nations under the aegis of Islam (Soloviev)
[5].
The Moslem family
environment is egalitarian,
i.e. all carriers of the family
environment are equal before the law.
All Moslems are subjected to code of laws arising from the Koran and fiqh (Islamic law) [1]. Creed of Islam is syncretic, it combines
religion, law, dogmas and ritual. The basic concepts of Mussulman religion –
“islam’, “dean”, “iman” are strictly observed in the family environment.
Islam means the whole world within which
the laws of the Koran act [1] .Contrary side of
this is "dar al harb,"
- the territory of war, where Islam is approved by means of jihad (holy
war). In Islam the belief is connected with angels and devils (demons),
resurrection after death and the Day of Judgment.
Dean is the religion, law, set of
rules - a divine institution,
consisting of three main elements:
the "five pillars of Islam, the faith (the Iman) and good deeds (ihsan)."
In a family environment
all carries observe and support the "five pillars". They teach their
children and younger relatives in this way.
The first pillar reads:
"There is no God but God (Allah) and Mohammed is the Messenger of
God." The second pillar - is daily five prayers (al-salat). Then there is
post in the month of Ramadan, then voluntary purifying (al-sunset) and the last
pillar is the hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca (for many people it is rather
expensive event and they have to save
money almost all their lives for this visit to come true once). [1].
Iman (faith) is
primarily understood as the indication of the faith object. In Islam it is the
God who shows himself in the Koran [1]. The main requirement to a man is to
follow the path of perfection, observing the Koran laws.
In any family
environment people adhere certain political views on the power and state, i.e.,
the fundamental things that make up both social environment and family
environment as they are closely related and influence each other.
T. Parsons declared that
according to any society relation "values take
the leading position in regard to the fulfillment of the
preservation and reproduction functions by social systems." (T. Parsons)
[4]. Thus, in the Moslem family environment values are ad hoc essential element
of sample preservation, i.e., the Islam religion itself and relatives
environment where this religion penetrated.
Is it possible to have
man’s free will? And how to solve the problem of predestination? The answer to
these questions is ambiguous. Dzhabraites deny any will freedom and state
predestination of human fate because of
unlimited power of the God. In their family environment Kadarites support the
idea of a man freedom will in choosing their actions. Mutazilites and
Murdzhinites coordinate the predetermination doctrine and man’s freedom will by
means of rationalistic methods.
"Purity" of
any Islamic family environment is
supported by marriage. Young people, going to be married should be of one
unified Islamic environment. If one of the married couple is a carrier of
another religion he (or she) should be turned into “true” religion. In case of
failure it is recommended to divorce. But in modern conditions options are
possible. Children of mixed marriages take the religion of that parent whole
status is higher.
Prohibitions and
permissions are the most important aspects of any family environment
management. Under Sharia law adultery, alcohol and intoxicating agents (drugs)
are prohibited up to deprivation of life. There is also a ban on certain foods
(pork and all its products). Sexual relations between husband and wife are
regulated as well. Homosexuality is strongly condemned and banned. Polygamy is
allowed but it requires permission of the first wife. Divorce is forbidden but
this process can be started by any of the couple.
Personality
socialization in the Moslem family environment is based on Islam traditions and
laws. The main elements of the socialization mechanism are the following ones:
imitation, interiorization (perception of rules), regulations, laws, forms of
behavior as values), identification (respect, love, a sense of co-participation
and assimilation of values) [1].
The equality of men and
women are observed in Koran. One of the first verses of Koran states: "Men
and women who give themselves to the service of God; men and women who believe
in God, men and women following His commandments, men and women who do not
violate His precepts, men and women who behave themselves modestly, men and
women who do not indulge in gluttony, men and women who keep chastity, men and
women who always remember God – all of them are worthy of forgiveness and they
will be rendered by great honours [1]. A number of legal regulations of Koran
and Suras even give preference to a woman, they raise their prestige in a
family, they offer not to violate the principles "Imsak bi-il
Maarouf" (peaceful coexistence of husbands and wives). The Koran teaches
men who do not like their wives, "If you have the sense of aversion to
her, you have the sense of aversion to the good which is sent to you by the
God" [1]. From this it follows that a husband should take his wife as a
divine gift, good and not to try in any way to refuse this gift.
As for mothers, Koran
says: "Our will to a man is to respect his parents, to remember that he
came to the light in throes of his mother. He should be grateful to the God and
parents”. [1] Protection of any woman in marriage is expressed by Sharia law. A
woman who is going to marry should get money or valuable property from her
future husband as the warrant of social protection. It should not be regarded
as a guarantee of the bride-price or redemption because everything belongs to
the woman.
The basis of any Moslem
family environment is connected with such virtues as faith, diligence,
activity, responsibility, kindness, justice, honesty.
All these qualities are
brought up in any family environment and handed over from generation to
generation symmetrically to the previous one. Faith is a feeling which arouses
obedience and worship to the God in the carrier of the family environment even
if he doesn’t see Him, but the God sees the believer who stands before Him.
Action, activity as
virtue is that any mussulman must transfer all theoretical constructions into
the sphere of practical life and if it can not be done, then theories become
meaningless and life becomes disorganized one. Support of the family
environment and the carrier himself is hard work: work in the Islam environment
is a particular value and even if a mussulman works only for himself, all his
actions are regarded as force (jihad) in the glory of God. Responsibility
contradicts irresponsibility which destroys and breaks everything, it destroys
the path to perfection, to the ideal, to the God. Responsibility is creative,
strengthened by the spirit and will of the carries. Responsibility in the most
important pillar of power, religion, family and family environment.
Responsibility means such behavior in which people take care of each other,
help each other, protect their loved ones (wives, children, parents) from
encroachment of hostile groups. In the family it is connected with taking care
of elders, patronage to wife, children and younger members. According to the
Islamic way of life, a mussulman must always observe the absolute purity of the
body and home. Islam prescribes to dress modestly, men are forbidden to wear
silk clothes and ornaments. The exception concerns a wedding ring (silver one).
Women are allowed to wear silver and gold jewelry, elegant clothes but only at
home, in public they should close their body and hair. Both men’s and women’s
clothes must be clean and tidy.
Bath precedes the
obligatory prayer, the water should be clean and not stolen. There is strict
order of washing: the head and neck are washed first, then the right and left
sides, etc. in the absence of water bath is taken with the help of sand.
Prayers performed five times a day are: morning, noon, late afternoon, after
sunset, evening. Besides, it is obligatory to pray while going round the Kaaba
during the Hajj, for the parents, over the dead, with an oath and vow. Prayers
are performed not only at home in a family environment but also collectively in
the mosque. The carrier of Islam family environment is required to attend the
mosque, especially on Fridays.
Terms of burial which
are observed in the Moslem family environment recommend to bury the dead as
soon as possible on the nearest graveyard. Mussulmans do not bury the dead in a
coffin, it is not recommended to cry loudly and erect tombstones.
Symbolism of color
occupies a special place in the Moslem family environment; each color has its
own definite role. White means Islam, yellow-faith, dark-blue – the divine
grace, green-steady rest, red-intuitive knowledge and black-passionate love for
the God.
In family life many people are busy in making silk
fabrics, dishes, carpets, bronze, silver and gold articles. Arabesque received
universal recognition. It is an open composition, which allows to cover any
surface with a continuous pattern, whether it is a mosque portal, wall of a
building, a carpet for your home or page of a book. Arabic pattern is “music
for eyes”. The names of weaves with stylized plant motifs and geometric shapes
originated in the Arabic world and they were taken not by chance. Calligraphy
appeared along with the decorative arts
to create unique ornamental patterns
that influenced Western countries. It found the sacred meaning in the Moslem
environment due to moslem dominating idea of the word incarnation. Calligraphy
is basically graphical reproduction of the divine word.
Moslem holidays are an
integral part of any family environment. The most important holidays are: Feast
of the Sacrifice (Idal-Adha, Eidal-Adha), holiday Fitr (Id al-Fitr), the birthday
of the Prophet Mohammed (Mauzhd), the night of predestination (Laylat al-Qadr).
Family function includes
performing a full range of reproductive environment in different ways,
transformation processes of historical periods (from human biological species
to complete life cycle, education of personality, economy, law activity,
professional learning, psychological comfort, etc.).
Thus one can identify
the following regulations in the Moslem family environment:
1. The more carriers
of Moslem religious environment adhere to family traditions,
customs, laws, the more stable is the religious environment itself, the longer
is the effect of this formation.
2. The more families
belong to Islam the greater and faster is quantificational growth of Moslem
family environment.
3.
The qualitative certainly of Moslem family environment is associated
with stability and firmness at different historic periods.
4.
The structure of Moslem family environment is determined by the elements
without which it cannot exist even if one of them (for example, law, cult,
ritual) is changed.
The novelty of the above paper is that for the first
time there is given whole definition of a Moslem family environment, structural
elements and functions. The investigation of different directions in Moslem
family environment will be continued.
References:
1. Quran M., 1993. S.81-87, 288-292, 461-463.
2. Parsons T. The system of modern societies / M .: Aspect Press, 1997, pp
55-60.
3.Smirnov TA Family. Personality. Society (social and philosophical study of
the problems of socialization in the family); Norilsk industry. Institute t.-
Norilsk Research Institute, 2009.S. 6.
4.Smirnov TA The family as an institution of socialization (socially insured
eco- philosophical study) / Norilsk industry. Inst - Norilsk Research
Institute, 2007, pp 5.
5. VS Soloviev Mahomet. Founder islama.- M .: "associates", 1994.
P.60, 65.
6.Tard G. social logic. / St. Petersburg: Social - Psychological Center, 1996
S. 147.
+79134971753
663310 Norilsk Lenin street 7 - 18