Citations & References:The Moon said, "It is therefore of utmost importance to bear constantly in mind, the ethical aspects of society and the state. There is always danger lest that organic entity we call the state, be regarded as an impersonal entity and its acts as devoid of moral significance.Questions of state ethics may be loosely divided into two classes: duties of citizens to the state, and duties of the state to its citizens. What then are the duties of the citizen to his state? First, he ought to love his state. This duty is fundamental and in a sense includes every other. Patriotism is a well-worn theme and yet one cannot easily define it. It has two principal forms, the martial or conservative and the civic or constructive patrotism. Martial patriotism is first in time, but second in rank. Its function is to defend the state in times of danger, but it shold not be pushed into Jingoism. As civilization advances, this form of martial patriotism recedes. It is not so much needed, but again, this martial form of patriotism is receding before the advancing spirit of general philantrhropy.Civic patriotism is of slower growth than the form just mentioned, but is superior in character and abiding in value. Its primary purpose is, not to preserve the life of the state, but to improve character of the state, to build it up in justice, virtue, and moral power. Men fight to preserve the state, not to improve it. If "revolutions never go backward," revolutionists seldom go forward. Progressive results are incidental, existing beforehand in the mind of Providence, no doubt, but not in the minds of those who fight. Surely we need effort, right?The second duty of the citizen is to obey the state. There are three possible cases. First, where a law is believed to be wise and good. In this case, exact and prompt obedience is the manifest duty of citizen, no matter how burdensome it may be to himself personally.Second, where a law is believed to be unwise. In this case, the citizen is segested to obey. Of course, a law really unwise will ultimately work injury to the state, and ought to be repealed. But the individual citizen, not being gifted with infallibility, cannot certainly decide as to the unwisdom of a law.The third case is that of an iniquitous law. Ought the citizen to obey a law of the state which he believes wrong? Now, this question involves a larger one, namely, must a free moral intelligence always obey his own conscience? If he does, it will inevitably lead him astray. If he does not, he rejects his only possible moral guide, abdicates his manhood and becomes a thing instead of a man. The answer is that he must obey conscience in every case. If, in a given instance, he is led astray thereby, then his guilt attaches to some previous defection from duty, and not to his present loyalty to conscience.If this general principle of ethics be correct, then a negative answer must be returned to the question before us. The citizen must not obey a wicked law. In determining its moral character, he should seek all possible personal enlightenment, but the final decision must be his own. The state cannot keep his conscience for him. If he disobey the law, however, he should not seek to avoid its penalty. Let him stand up like a man, and take the full consequences of his disobedience. He is thus a law-abiding citizen, vindicating his own loyalty and condemning the law that he breaks.A third duty of the citizen is to support the state. There are two kinds of support to be rendered, material and moral support. A state without money is like a sail without wind, an engine without steam. But the state has no resources of its own, apart from those of its citizens. It exists simply for their benefit. It performs certain indispensable services in their behalf, for which an equivalent should be cheerfully rendered, at least in so far as may be necessary for the support of the state. To evade a just tax is to rob the state of that material support which is due from every citizen.Another duty of the citizen is to cooperate with the state. Every man ought to be an active politician. The citizen may cooperate with the state, by participating in voting; by affiliating with a political party; by accepting office; and most importantly, by joining privately and unofficially with other citizens of the state.Now we come to the duties of the state itself. In order to consider them more intelligently, first thing first, we assume that geography, language, race, and religion are left. There must be society, organization, sovereignty. A lone man living in a hut on Treasure Island for seven years, cannot constitute a state. Neither can unorganized savages, pirates, or gypsies, constitute a state. Organized sovereignty is the essential characteristic of the state. Whenever a social compact exercises sovereignty over its members, it thereupon becomes a state. Whenever it ceases so to do it, thereupon ceases to be a state.So, the first duty of the state is sovereignty. This is both a duty and a right, pertaining to all states alike, regardless of size, wealth, or power. And it means much.The state is sovereign over itself. By this, is meant that there is no human authority back of the state whence its rights are derived, and no tribunal above the state to which its enemies may appeal. Ultimate sovereignty, of course, dwells in Allah alone. But He have entrusted to the state so much of it as pertains to the social order. And no human power can rightfully interfere therewith. Every act of the state is self-authorized, self-controlled, final. If mistakes occur they can be corrected only by the state itself. If there were human hands, control the state, then it is no longer sovereign.The state is sovereign over its own domain. And this includes all the land, the entire territory of the state. It all belongs originally to the state. Whether any or all of it shall be owned by individuals is a question to be determined by the state alone.The state is sovereign over its citizens. A man is born into society without his own consent, and cannot escape it. Aristotle said long ago, "The state exists by nature, and man is by nature a political animal." He may throw off his allegiance, by removing from one state to another. But this is only to change masters. He has not escaped state sovereignty thereby. This sovereignty includes three things, the life, liberty, and property of the citizen. The state can innocently take the life of the citizen for cause. No other power can. Therefore no individual right remaining, except in necessary self-defense, to take either his own life or that of another. The state can likewise take personal possession of the citizen for all purposes with the scope of the state's authority. Even the property of the citizen is subject to the state. A just state will never exercise authority over the citizen or his possessions in any arbitrary or unjust way. Government should restrain such individuality as is inconsistent with society, while it encourages such as tends to social evolution.The second duty of the state is to protect its citizens. It is for the purpose of protection that the state exists. At least, this is its chief purpose. But for this purpose, it need exercise no sovereignty either over itself or over its subjects. No man can protect himself or secure his own rights. Relentless forces of nature, savage beasts and more savage men, are continually resisting him and defeating his strongest efforts. trol. He needs a stronger arm than his own to hold these forces in proper adjustment, and to secure the free action of his own powers. Such a protecting arm, it is the office of the state to furnish. This protection is threefold, that of person, of property, and honor.A third duty of the state is to secure the improvement of its citizens. This duty is necessarily somewhat indefinite. And yet the public welfare is to be sought by the state quite as much as the public safety.A fourth duty of the state is to respect the rights of its citizens. There are two classes of these rights, one which they have, hold, and exercise only in their combined capcacity as a body politic, a brotherhood. Manifestly there are some things which may legitimately be done by society as a whole, and yet which no private citizen has any right to do. These things belong to the state and lie within the scope of its soveregnity. Life, liberty, and property, when forfeited by the citizen or when needed by the state, must be reckoned in this list. But there are other rights of the citizen which he has, holds, and exercises as an individual being, a private personality. These cannot be alienated by himself or accepted by the state. That is to stay, the citizen has given much to the state, but he has not given his personality. You may take by force my property, my liberty, my life, but you must not touch the inner citadel of my self. That belongs to Allah and to me.The state must neither transcend the limits of public right nor invade those of private right. Notice what this twofold inhibition means. In a general way, it means that the capable of doing wrong. If it cannot do wrong, it is manifestly a mere machine and cannot do right. If it cannot abuse its rights, neither can it maintain them. The old doctrin that the king cannot err is decidedly uncomplimentary to the king. But more particularly this inhibition means that the state must exercise only its own rights, and these only in legitimate ways and for legitimate purposes. There are some things the state cannot do, some realms it must not enter. Social virtues must be encouraged and social vices repressed. With intrinsic personal virtue, the state, by the nature of the case, has nothing to do."The Moon, concluded by saying, "My good brother Bewok, this is not patronizing, but as Allah commands about the obligation of a marriage, and for the sake of Love, then Allah also commands that surely humanity is in ˹grave˺ loss, except those who have faith, do good, and urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to perseverance."The Moon left by singing a song,Bayangkan bila harimu penuh warna[Imagine if your day was full of colors]Itulah yang saat ini kurasakan[That's how I presently feel]D'ya membuat tidurku tak nyenyak[She makes my sleep not sound]D'ya membuat makanku tak enak[She makes my eating not pleasant]Kuterpikat pada kehangatan[I'm hypnotized by the warmnes]Yang s'lalu diya berikan[Of what she allways gives]Kurasa 'ku sedang dimabuk cinta[I think I'm in love]Nikmatnya kini 'ku dimabuk cinta[The cozy is now I'm drunk with love]Dimabuk cinta *)[Get drunk by love]Seeing the Moon's oddity, the Owl pouted, jealous, then said, "And Allah knows best!"
- Dr. Ali Albarghouthi, This is Love, Dakwah Corner
- D. B. Purinton, Ethics of the State, the University of Chicago Press
*) "Mabuk Cinta" written by Mai Armada Band
