Substantiating Hijrah: From Ritual Piety to Social Integrity

Muharram has returned. As usual, social media is filled with narratives about leaving bad habits behind for a better life. Religious communities invite the public to renew their spiritual commitments. This phenomenon is certainly encouraging. It shows that religion remains a source of inspiration and moral energy for society. However, ironically, why does religiosity appear to be increasing while moral violations still occur? Why are places of worship full, yet prisons are also full? Why are more people talking about religion, but honesty and trustworthiness remain rare commodities?

Perhaps the problem lies not in a lack of religious activity, but in the absence of a deep transformation of values. We often succeed in building ritual piety, but have not yet fully built social piety. In Islamic history, the Hijrah of Prophet Muhammad SAW was not merely a geographical move from Mecca to Medina. The Hijrah was a civilisational turning point. It gave birth to a new society built on the foundations of justice, brotherhood, responsibility, and respect for human dignity.

Therefore, hijrah is essentially not just a change of appearance or social environment. Hijrah is a change in life orientation. It is a move from egoism towards the common good, from dishonesty towards integrity, from abuse of power towards trustworthiness, and from personal interests towards collective interests. The great Islamic thinker, Imam Al-Ghazali (1058-1111), emphasised throughout his works that the core of religion is the purification of the soul (tazkiyatun nafs). According to Al-Ghazali, knowledge and worship will not produce nobility if they do not result in a change of character. This message feels very relevant to modern life, which often measures religiosity by what is visible, not by what is reflected in behaviour.

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) reminded us of the same thing in the Muqaddimah, written in 1377. He asserted that injustice is an early sign of a civilisation’s decline. A society may possess wealth, power, and even strong religious symbols, but when justice begins to be abandoned, destruction is only a matter of time. Ibn Khaldun’s warning feels very current. The nation’s challenge today is not only an economic or technological issue, but also a matter of integrity. Recurring corruption shows that our main problem is not a lack of rules, but a weak moral commitment to implement those rules.

Herein lies our problem. Most of society understands that corruption is wrong. They know that cheating is a sin. They understand that betraying a trust is a despicable act. However, moral knowledge does not always transform into moral action. Yet, religion does not only teach what must be known, but also what must be done. Piety that does not produce honesty is unfinished piety. Worship that does not produce social awareness is worship that has lost part of its meaning. A hijrah that does not change behaviour is merely a shift in symbols, not a transformation of substance.

The contemporary Algerian Muslim thinker, Malik Bennabi (1905-1973), in his work The Conditions of Renaissance (1948), reminded us that the decline of a nation often begins with a moral crisis and a crisis of ideas. According to Bennabi, a civilisational revival cannot be achieved through physical development alone, but must begin with human development. This view is important to contemplate. This nation does not actually lack religious infrastructure. What is still needed is character building that makes religious values present in daily life.

We need a hijrah of officials from a culture of power to a culture of service. We need a hijrah of business actors from a profit-only orientation to social responsibility. We need a hijrah of educators from merely teaching to shaping character. We need a hijrah of society from a culture of blaming to a culture of self-improvement. More than that, we need a collective hijrah as a nation. Collective hijrah means the courage to improve systems that allow injustice to persist. Not all problems can be solved solely by moral advice to individuals. A bad system will continuously tempt people to do bad things. Conversely, a good system will help people maintain goodness.

Therefore, the substantiation of hijrah must proceed on two tracks simultaneously: individual transformation and social transformation. Personal piety must give birth to public piety. Spirituality must produce the common good. Muharram should be a moment for collective evaluation. The measure of hijrah’s success cannot be seen merely from how many houses of worship are built, but also from how much dishonesty has decreased in society. Not just from how crowded the study circles are, but also from how great their impact is on social behaviour.

Ultimately, hijrah is not a geographical journey. Hijrah is a moral journey. It is not a change of place, but a change in the quality of humanity. This nation does not only need a society that is religious in ritual, but also religious in character. Not only diligent in worship, but also honest in work. Not only fluent in speaking about morals, but also presenting them in real life. Full houses of worship will find their meaning when prisons begin to empty. When trustworthiness becomes the culture. When honesty becomes a habit. When justice becomes a reality. When power is used to serve, not to dominate. It is there that hijrah finds its substance. Not as an annual slogan.