Guidance and Misguidance
Linguistically Huda means rashaad (integrity of conduct) and dalaalah (showing the way). It is said, he guided him to the deen, i.e. led him to guidance; I showed him the way and the home meaning I informed. Dhalaal is the opposite of rashaad.
Hidaayah, according to the Shar'a, is to be guided to Islam and to believe in it. And dhalaal, according to the Shar'a is deviation from Islam.
Referring to this is the saying of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم: "Verily, Allah will not allow my Ummah to all agree on a dhalaalah." [Tirmidhi]
Allah سبحانه وتعالى has kept the Jannah (Paradise) for the muhtadeen (those who have hidaayah) and the Nar (Fire) for the Dhaalleen (those who are on dhalaal). In other words, Allah سبحانه وتعالى will reward the muhtadi (the one who has hidaayah) and punish the dhaall (the one who is on dhalaal). Attaching reward or punishment to huda and dhalaal indicates these (huda and dhalaal) are due to the actions of man and not from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. If they came from Allah سبحانه وتعالى He would not have rewarded people for having hidaayah and punished them for being on the dhalaal, this would lead man attributing injustice (Zulm) to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. For when He punishes someone whom He has caused to go astray, He has done an injustice to him. He is too High and Exalted to do such as thing.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ
"And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves." [Fussilat, 41:46]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَمَا أَنَا بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ
"And I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves." [Qaaf, 50:29]
However, there are aayaat that suggest hidaayah and dhalaal should be attributed to Allah سبحانه وتعالى and it could be understood that hidaayah and dhalaal do not emanate from man, but are from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Other verses suggest that hidaayah, dhalaal and idhlaal (causing someone to go astray) should be ascribed to man, thus it could be understood that hidaayah and dhalaal are from man.
All these verses should be understood from a legislative aspect in the sense that one should understand the reality for which they have been legislated. It would appear that ascribing guidance and misguidance to Allah سبحانه وتعالى has a meaning other than the meaning of attributing guidance and misguidance to man. Each one focuses on a different aspect from the other, and this makes the legislative meaning clear. Indeed, the verses that ascribe misguidance and guidance to Allah سبحانه وتعالى are explicit in that it is Allah سبحانه وتعالى Who guides and it is He Who causes someone to go astray.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:
قُلْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي إِلَيْهِ مَنْ أَنَابَ
"Say: Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills and guides unto Himself who turns to Him in repentance." [Ar-Ra'ad, 13:27]
He سبحانه وتعالى also said:
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
"Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills." [Faatir, 35:8]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَيُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
"Then Allah misleads whom He wills and guides whom He wills." [Ibrahim, 14:4]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَلَٰكِنْ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
"But He sends astray whom He wills and guides whom He wills." [An-Nahl, 16:93]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَمَنْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَهْدِيَهُ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهُ لِلْإِسْلَامِ ۖ وَمَنْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهُ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَأَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاءِ
"And whomsoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam, and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky." [Al-An'aam, 6:125]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
مَنْ يَشَإِ اللَّهُ يُضْلِلْهُ وَمَنْ يَشَأْ يَجْعَلْهُ عَلَىٰ صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ
"Allah sends astray whom He wills and He guides on the Straight Path whom He wills." [Al-An'aam, 6:39]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
قُلِ اللَّهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ
"Say: It is Allah Who guides to the truth." [Yunus, 10:35]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَقَالُوا الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي هَدَانَا لِهَٰذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لِنَهْتَدِيَ لَوْلَا أَنْ هَدَانَا اللَّهُ
"And they will say: All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has guided us to this, never could we have found guidance, were it not that Allah guided us!" [Al-A'araaf, 7:43]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
مَنْ يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلَنْ تَجِدَ لَهُ وَلِيًّا مُرْشِدًا
"He whom Allah guides, is rightly guided; but he whom He sends astray, for him you will find no wali (guiding friend) to lead him (to the right Path)." [Kahf, 18:17]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
"Verily! You (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills." [Al-Qasas, 28:56]
In these verses there is a clear indication that the one who does the guiding and misguiding is Allah سبحانه وتعالى and not the servant. This means the servant does not find guidance by himself, rather he is guided when Allah سبحانه وتعالى guides him. When Allah سبحانه وتعالى sends him astray he goes astray. This meaning comes with indications (qara'in) which change the meaning from considering that the initiation of guidance and misguidance is from Allah سبحانه وتعالى to another meaning, i.e. reconsidering that the creation of guidance and misguidance comes from Allah سبحانه وتعالى, but the one who practices the guidance and misguidance is the servant himself. As for these indications (qara'in) they are shar'ai and rational indications.
As for the shar'ai indications many aayaat were revealed attributing guidance, misguidance and idhlaal to the servant.
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ ضَلَّ فَإِنَّمَا يَضِلُّ عَلَيْهَا
"So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self, and whosoever goes astray, he does so to his own loss." [Yunus, 10:108]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
لَا يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ
"If you follow the right guidance no hurt can come to you from those who are in error." [Al-Maaida, 5:105]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَلِنَفْسِهِ
"So whosoever accepts the guidance, it is only for his own self." [Zumar, 39:41]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
"And it is they who are guided." [Al-Baqara, 2:157]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا رَبَّنَا أَرِنَا اللَّذَيْنِ أَضَلَّانَا مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ
"And those who disbelieve will say: Our Lord! Show us those among jinns and men who led us astray." [Fussilat, 41:29]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
قُلْ إِنْ ضَلَلْتُ فَإِنَّمَا أَضِلُّ عَلَىٰ نَفْسِي
"Say: If (even) I go astray, I shall stray only to my own loss." [Saba, 34:50]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَىٰ عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِيُضِلَّ النَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ
"Then who does more wrong than one who invents a lie against Allah to lead mankind astray without knowledge." [Al-An'aam, 6:144]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ
"Our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your Path." [Yunus, 10:88]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَمَا أَضَلَّنَا إِلَّا الْمُجْرِمُونَ
"And none has brought us into error except the Mujrimun." [Ash-Shur'araa, 26:99]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَأَضَلَّهُمُ السَّامِرِيُّ
"As-Samiri has led them astray." [Ta Ha, 20:85]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
رَبَّنَا هَٰؤُلَاءِ أَضَلُّونَا
"Our Lord! These misled us." [Al-A'araaf, 7:38]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَدَّتْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ
"A party of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) wish to lead you astray. But they shall not lead astray anyone except themselves." [Al-Imran, 3:69]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
إِنَّكَ إِنْ تَذَرْهُمْ يُضِلُّوا عِبَادَكَ
"If You leave them, they will mislead Your slaves." [Nuh, 71:27]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَأَنَّهُ يُضِلُّهُ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ
"Whosoever follows him, he will mislead him to the torment of the Fire." [Al-Hajj, 22:4]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَيُرِيدُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَنْ يُضِلَّهُمْ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا
"But Shaytan wishes to lead them astray." [An-Nisaa', 4:60]
So, in the wording (mantuq) of these verses there is clear indication that man is the one who performs the actions of guidance and misguidance, thus he will go astray and he will lead others astray; and the Shaytan also leads people astray. So guidance and misguidance has come to be attributed to man and Shaytan and that man can guide himself and send himself astray. This is an indication (qarinah) that attributing guidance and misguidance to Allah سبحانه وتعالى is not one of practice (mubasharah) but one of creation. If the aayaat are placed together and understood in a legislative manner, then the departure of the meaning of one verse from the direction of the other becomes clear. Thus the ayah says:
قُلِ اللَّهُ يَهْدِي لِلْحَقِّ
"Say: It is Allah Who guides to the truth," [Yunus, 10:35]
and the other ayah says:
فَمَنِ اهْتَدَىٰ فَإِنَّمَا يَهْتَدِي لِنَفْسِهِ
"So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self." [Yunus, 10:108]
The first indicates that Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the one who guides and the second verse indicates that man is the one who guides himself. The guidance of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the first verse is one of creating the guidance in man, thus creating the capacity for guidance. The second ayah indicates that man is the one who practices/takes up what Allah سبحانه وتعالى has created in terms of the capacity for guidance and so he guides himself. That is why He سبحانه وتعالى says in the other ayah:
وَهَدَيْنَاهُ النَّجْدَيْنِ
"And (have We not) shown him the two ways (good and evil)." [al-Balad, 90:10]
meaning the path of good and the path of evil.
In other words Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given man the ability to get guidance and has left man to practice his own guidance. So these aayaat which attribute guidance and misguidance to man are a shara'i indication (qarina shar'iyyah) showing that the practice of guidance should be diverted from Allah سبحانه وتعالى to the servant.
As for the rational indication (qarinah aqliyyah), Allah سبحانه وتعالى takes people to account, rewarding the guided one and punishing the misguided one and He سبحانه وتعالى has prepared the reckoning according to the actions of human beings.
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
مَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَلِنَفْسِهِ ۖ وَمَنْ أَسَاءَ فَعَلَيْهَا ۗ وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ
"Whoever does the righteous good deeds it is for (the benefit of) his own self, and whoever does evil, it is against his own self, and your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves." [Fussilat, 41:46]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ
وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ
"So whoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it." [Az-Zalzala, 99:7-8]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِنَ الصَّالِحَاتِ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَلَا يَخَافُ ظُلْمًا وَلَا هَضْمًا
"And he who works deeds of righteousness while he is a believer, then he will have no fear of injustice, nor any curtailment (of his reward)." [Ta Ha, 20:112]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
مَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ
"Whoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof." [an-Nisaa, 4:123]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْكُفَّارَ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا ۚ هِيَ حَسْبُهُمْ
"Allah has promised the hypocrites; men and women, and the disbelievers the Fire of Hell, therein they shall abide." [at-Tawba, 9:68]
For if the meaning of ascribing guidance and misguidance to Allah سبحانه وتعالى is that He سبحانه وتعالى practices it, then His punishment of the kafir, munafiq and sinful is injustice. And Allah سبحانه وتعالى is High Exalted above that; then we are obliged to change the meaning to something other than practice, which is the creation of guidance from nothing and aiding man towards it. Thus the one who practices guidance and misguidance is the servant, and therefore he is accounted for it.
This concerns those aayaat in which guidance and misguidance is ascribed to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. As regards those in which guidance and misguidance is linked to His wish (mashee'a):
فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُضِلُّ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ
"Verily, Allah sends astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills." [Faatir, 35:8]
The meaning of mashee'a here is iraadah (will). The meaning of these verses is that no one forcibly guides himself against Allah سبحانه وتعالى's will nor does he forcibly go astray against His will. Rather the one who finds guidance is the one who guides himself by the wish and will of Allah سبحانه وتعالى; and the one who goes astray does so by the wish and will of Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Still remaining are those aayaat from which one might understand that there are people who will never be guided. Such as His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا سَوَاءٌ عَلَيْهِمْ أَأَنْذَرْتَهُمْ أَمْ لَمْ تُنْذِرْهُمْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ ۖ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ
"Verily, those who disbelieve, it is the same to them whether you (O Muhammad) warn them or do not warn them, they will still not believe. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (they are closed from accepting Allah's guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering." [Al-Baqara, 2:6-7]
And His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
كَلَّا ۖ بَلْ ۜ رَانَ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
"Nay! But on their hearts is the Ran (covering of sins and evil deeds)." [Mutaffifin, 83:14]
He سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَأُوحِيَ إِلَىٰ نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ لَنْ يُؤْمِنَ مِنْ قَوْمِكَ إِلَّا مَنْ قَدْ آمَنَ فَلَا تَبْتَئِسْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
"And it was inspired to Nuh: None of your people will believe except those who have believed already, therefore do not grieve at what they do." [Hud, 11:36]
These verses are information from Allah سبحانه وتعالى to His Prophets about certain peoples that they will not believe, so this comes under the Knowledge ('ilm) of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. The information does not mean there is a group which will believe and a group which will not believe. Rather, every human being has the capacity to acquire iman. The Messenger and the da'wah carriers who come after him are ordered to invite all peoples to iman. It is not allowed for the Muslim to despair about anyone's iman.
Concerning the prior Knowledge of Allah that a man will not believe, Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows it because His Knowledge includes everything. For what Allah سبحانه وتعالى has not informed us about what He knows, we cannot pass judgement on this. The Prophets did not pass judgement or make a decision that someone will not believe except after Allah سبحانه وتعالى had informed them about this.
For His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ
"And Allah guides not the people who are Fasiqun (the rebellious and disobedient)." [al-Maaida, 5:108]
And His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ
"And Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (wrong-doers)." [Al-Imran, 3:86]
And His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ
"And Allah guides not the people who are Kafirun (disbelievers)." [al-Baqara, 2:264]
And His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
إِنْ تَحْرِصْ عَلَىٰ هُدَاهُمْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ يُضِلُّ
"If you (O Muhammad) covet for their guidance, then verily Allah guides not those whom He makes to go astray." [an-Nahl, 16:37]
And His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ كَذَّابٌ
"Verily, Allah guides not one who is a musrif (a polytheist, those who commit great sins), a liar! (kazzab)" [al-Ghaafir, 40:28]
These verses mean that Allah سبحانه وتعالى did not grant them guidance since the granting of guidance comes from Allah سبحانه وتعالى. The fasiq, zalim, kafir, daal, musrif and kazzab, are all characterised by attributes inconsistent with guidance, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى will not help for guidance those who have such attributes. This is because helping in guidance is to provide its causes for the human being; and the one who is characterised with these attributes the means of guidance will not be available for him, rather the causes of misguidance. Similar to this is His سبحانه وتعالى saying:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ
"Guide us to the Straight Way." [Al-Fatiha, 1:6]
And His saying:
وَاهْدِنَا إِلَىٰ سَوَاءِ الصِّرَاطِ
"And guide us to the Right Way." [Saad, 38:22]
meaning help us so that we may be guided i.e. facilitate for us the causes of this guidance.
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Monday, 5 April 2010
Upholding the truth
The responsibility of the Ulema in working for the Khilafah and upholding the truth
“Verily those who fear Allah from His servants are the Ulema” [TMQ Fatir: 28].
Allah (swt) mentioned the reality of the Ulema in this verse
And the Prophet (saw) emphasised the importance of the Ulema in many ahadith:
The Prophet (saw) said: “The Ulema are the inheritors of the Prophets”
We know that they cannot be the inheritors in Prophethood as this ended with the final Messenger Muhammad (saw), rather it means they are inheritors in the sense of responsibility of spreading the Deen, working to remove munkar and upholding the truth
Abu Nu’aim narrated that He (saw) said: “Two types of people who, if they are righteous, the people are righteous and if they are bad, the people are bad: The scholars and rulers” (Abu Nu’aim narrated it in ‘Al-Hulya’).
Ad-Darimi narrated in the book ‘Al-Muqaddimah’ that he (saw) said: “‘Do not ask me about evil but ask me about good’, saying it three times. He said: ‘The worst of evil is the evil scholars, and the best of good is good scholars’”
Bi’isnillah today I want to discuss the responsibility of the Muslims in general and especially the Ulema in working to solve the vital issue facing the Muslim Ummah
The problems facing the Ummah worldwide cannot be ignored, they are burning issues that must be addressed, as the Prophet (saw) emphasised in many ahadith, for example he said:
The Prophet (saw ) said: “The Believers are like one man, if his eye becomes sore then the whole (body) feels pain, and of his head is in pain then his whole (body) feels the pain.”
How much pain and suffering has the Muslim Ummah felt over the last decades? And how much did we feel? And how much did we work to put an end to this pain? How much do we address it in our khutba’s, in our bayans and in our masaajid?
We have seen all forms of problems afflict this Ummah whether economic, social, political, military, educational or cultural
We have seen the occupation of the land of Isra and Mi’raj by the Jews since 1948, we saw the massacre of the Muslims in Sabra, Shatila, Qana and Jenin – we still witness the ruthless occupation by the Israeli’s who continue to kill our innocent men, women and children in the land of Palestine.
We saw the death of over half a million children due to the sanctions placed on Iraq in the past, we even the saw birth of deformed babies due to the Uranium tipped bombs dropped by the crusaders
We saw the problem of Bosnia where over 60 thousand women were dishonoured by the Serbian Kuffar
We have seen the brutal aggression of Russia against the Muslims of Chechnya, the aggression of China against the Muslims of Xingyang province, the oppression of the tyrant of Uzbekistan against the Da’wa carriers there, the problem of East Timor of Aceh and Ambon in Indonesia, the problem of Darfur in the south of Sudan and many more.
Since September 11th we have witnessed an intensification of the war against Islam, where Islam and the Muslims have become the focus of world attention. We saw the brutal occupation of Afghanistan where the Americans and their allies dropped thousands of bombs upon the innocent people
We saw the occupation of Iraq by the new-age Mongols who dropped more bombs in this latest war against Iraq than in the first and second world war combined. We saw how they treat the Muslims like animals in Abu Ghraib prison the pictures of which were on the front pages of the newspapers world wide, we see how they have caged our brothers in Guantanomo bay even without right to a lawyer and a fair trail.
They have slaughtered over 100 thousand (one lakh) people since this invasion of Iraq according the British medical journal, the Lancet
We were crying when Babri masjid was Shaheed, how many mosques have been destroyed by the US and Britain in Iraq?
In the city of Fallujah alone, over half the mosques in Fallujjah have been destroyed – out of approximately 120 mosques, over 60 are reported to be destroyed
We should not think for one moment that these problems are not our problems, that just because we are sitting in India that these problems are only the problems of the people of Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq or Afghanistan. As Allah (swt) has made us brothers when He (swt) said: “Verily the believers are a brotherhood”
The Prophet (saw) said: “The Muslims are one Ummah, there land is one land and there is one war”
I want all of us here to ask the question to ourselves how many times have really spoken about these issues, addressed them in our bayaans, amongst our gatherings and have we been working for a true solution to these problems
If the Ka’ba was attacked tomorrow, I’m sure all of us would feel it and would be restless, we would not be able to sleep, we would be addressing it with the people, we would strive to save it with all of our efforts. But what value has Allah (swt) placed on the blood of a Muslim?
Whilst the Prophet (saw) was doing Tawaaf around the Ka’ba he said: “Maa a’zamaki” “How great you are” “Wa ma asrhafaki” “How blessed you are” “Wa ma ajmalaki” “How beautiful you are in the sight of Allah, but the blood of the Muslim is worth more than you and all your surroundings” [Ibn Majah]
If this is the value of Muslim blood then surely we must seriously work to protect it. Muslims all over the world feel the pain of these problems and discuss these issues amongst themselves.
The Muslims every where in the world look the Ulema for answers as to how we should achieve that, as they see them as the light that should show us the correct path. Therefore it is an enormous responsibility on our shoulders that we address this issue correctly
Before I address the solution to these problems facing the Ummah from the perspective of the Islamic evidences, I want mention some key points that I want all of us to think about during this event and the rest of my talk:
1) We must have it clear in our minds that the only source of legislation, of guidance of ahkam, of solutions for us are the Islamic sources namely the Quran and the Sunnah and what they have indicated such as Ijma as-Sahaba and Qiyas. The source of legislation, guidance or solutions to our problems are not the writings of an intellectual, the legislation of a parliament, the rule of a King or President, nor own emotions, our own desires, our own interests, our own benefits, our money, or our fears. This is part of our Iman when we say Laa illaha illalah Muhamadur Rasuululah. Allah (swt) says:
"The Rule is for none but Allah: He declares the truth and He is the best of Judges." [6:57]
2)Secondly we must realise that our allegiance and sincerity must be to the Haqq (truth), the Deen of Allah, not to any group, organisation, Ameer, Aalim, government or institution. We should remember the many ahadith warning us about this time:
In the Hadith in Sahih of Bukhari, on the authority of 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr who said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As overcame us with proof. I heard him say: “Allah will not deprive you of knowledge after he has given it to you, but it will be taken away through the death of the learned men (Ulema’a) with their knowledge. There will remain ignorant people who, when consulted, will give verdicts according to their opinions whereby they will mislead others and themselves go astray.” i.e. they give Fatwas according to their own opinions which are not derived from the Islamic evidences.
We must remember the order of Allah (swt):
"And do not mix the truth with the falsehood nor knowingly conceal the truth." [Al-Baqarah]
What is the solution to our problems?
In order to understand the solution to our problems, we must actually realise the nature of the problems correctly first. We cannot separate the problems from each other, as they are all interconnected to a root problem just as the symptoms of cancer are connected to the root cancer.
The root problem or cancer today is the absence of the Islamic state, the system which implements the Ahkam that Allah (swt) revealed to us. This state was called al-Khilafah by the Prophet (saw) which has also been reffered to by different names Sultanate, Imamah or Dowla Islamiyya.
The Khilafah is a general leadership of the Muslims. It is a worldly leadership to implement the Islamic Shari’a and to carry the Da’wa to the world. Therefore, it is a public leadership and not a private one. The Khalifah is the Amir (leader) of the believers who succeeds the Messenger of Allah (saw) in implementing Islam and not in conveying it, and thus, it is a worldly leadership and not a religious one. The Khalifah does not communicate a message from Allah (swt), nor has he been personally appointed by Allah (swt), rather he is appointed by the Muslims to represent them in the implementation of Islam within Dar Al-Islam (the land ruled by Islam), and in carrying the da’wa outside it.
For example the great scholar Imam al-Mawardi defined it in this way, he said: "It is to guard the affairs of the Deen, and take care of the world's affairs politics after the prophethood." [Imam Al-Mawardi, Ahkam as-Sultaniya]
Many scholars defined it in a similar manner
It was reported in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal that the Prophet (saw) said, "The knots of Islam will be broken one by one until everyone of them is undone. The first to be undone will be the knot of ruling and the last will be the knot of Salah"
This knot of ruling by Islam had been tied by the Prophet (saw) himself in Madina when he made the Hijra, this Islamic state had begun with the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and had lasted for over 1000 years.
After the death of the Prophet (saw) the ruling by Islam continued and the bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) was given to Abu Bakr Siddique (ra), and after him Umar al Farooque (ra), Uthman ibn Affan (ra), Imam Ali (ra), Imam Hassan (ra) and continued to have ruler after ruler until the last Khalifah in 1924 Sultan Abdul-Majeed.
Many of the rulers or Khulafah’s names may be known to us as they are famous such as Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, Sultan Muhammad al Fatih, Suleyman al Qanuni, Sultan Abdul-Hameed 2nd and Sultan Murad.
Some of the Khulafah were better than others and some of them were even oppressive, nevertheless the system of Islam remained implemented. Even though some of the rulers misapplied some rules and were oppressive, the Prophet (saw) foretold of this and instructed the Muslims to accept them as Khulafah and obey them as long as they did not implement open Kufr (Kufr bu’ah). It is unanimously accepted by all the Sunni Ulema in history that the Khilafah existed throughout the period of the Khulafah ar-Rashideen, the Ummayids, the Abbasids, the Mamluks and the Uthmanis until the Khilafah was destroyed after the first world war.
These Khulafah ruled by Islam and did not implement Kufr Bu’ah (open Kufr) that is why we find the great scholars of Islam such as Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Jafar as-Sadiq and the like accepted that they were Khalif’s but accounted them. In fact the two most famous students of Abu Hanifah who recorded his Fiqh, most of us in India follow the Fiqh they recorded - Qadi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad As-Shaybani were appointed as Qadi al Quda (the chief judge) in state in the time of the Khalifah Haroon ar-Rasheed.
Some of the great scholars wrote books about the history of the Khulafah such as Imam Suyuti known as al-Jalalayn, who died in 1505 CE – he wrote the book Tarikh al Khulafah, ‘History of the Khulafah’. Imam Mawardi who died in 1058 CE who was appointed as a Qadi and later an ambassador by the Abbasid Khalid Al-Qaim bi Amr Allah wrote the famous book, ‘Al Ahkam As-Sultaniya’, about the ruling system in Islam.
Although today some of us including some of the Ulema have forgotten the meaning of Khilafah, at that time the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent including the Ulema cried out in support of the Khilafah and called against its removal. Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar said about the Khilafah:
“The ruler of Turkey was the Khalifah or successor of the Prophet and Amir -ul- Momineen or chief of the believers and the Khilafah is as essentially our religious concern as the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet." [Johar, Mohammed Ali, My Life a Fragment pg.41]
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad wrote a book in 1920 called ‘The Issue of Khilafat’, he stated: “Without the Khilafah the existence of Islam is not possible, the Muslims of India with all their effort and power need to work for this.”
Sheikh ul Hind Maulana Mahmood ul-Hassan who was the head of Dar al-ulum Deoband in his time, who was imprisoned by the British in Malta for 3 years due to him sticking to the truth and not disowning the Uthmani (Ottoman) Khilafah said in his Fatwa published October 29, 1920:
“The Khalifat-ul-Muslimin (Muslim Caliph), who used to unite the entire community on this planet; who as vice-regent of Allah on this earth used to implement the universal law of Islam; who used to protect the rights and interests of Muslims and who used to preserve and ensure that the glory of the words of the Creator of this universe be preserved and implemented, has been surrounded by the enemies and made redundant.”
The Prophet (saw) said as narrated in Sahih Muslim: “Verily the Imam is a shield behind whom they (Muslims) fight and by whom they are protected”.
The Khilafah is the mechanism that Allah (swt) revealed for our protection and to solve our problems
The Fard of having a Khilafah to implement the Shariah of Allah and solve our problems is Qati (definitive) and it is established from evidences in the Quran, the Sunnah and Ijma as-Sahaba and all the scholars in history are unanimous on it. I will quote some of the evidences not all of them due to time constraints
Evidence from Quran
There are many ayat about ruling in the Quran such as:
"And rule between them by that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their whims, and beware that they may deviate you away from some of which Allah revealed to you." [TMQ Al-Mai’dah:49]
The speech of Allah to the Prophet (saw) is also a speech to the Prophet's Ummah (nation), unless there is an evidence which indicates this speech is limited to him. In this case there is no such evidence limiting this address to the Prophet (saw). Thus, the verses call upon Muslims to establish the rule of Allah. The appointment of a Khalif does not mean other than the establishment of the rule of Allah and the authority of Islam.
Regarding the authority, Allah ta'ala obliges the Muslims to obey those in authority, i.e. The ruler, which is an indication that the existence of the ruler is obligatory. Allah ta'ala says:
“O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger and those in authority amongst you” [An-Nisa: 50]
Furthermore many ayat about establishing the Salah, the Hudud, etc is an address to the Ummah – we are sinful if there is no system to enforce these.
Imam Tahawi also narrates a Hadith from Muslim ibn Yasar that the Prophet (saw) said, “The (collection of the) Zakah, the (implementation of the) Hudood the (distribution of the) spoils and the (appointment of the) Jumu.ah are for the Sultan..” (A similar narration has been narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musanaf and also by Imam Narghiyani. They have been deemed acceptable.)
Hence the obligation of establishing the Khilafah is the obligation upon which many other obligations rest, such as the Hudood (penal codes), collection and distribution of the Zakah, the organising of the main Jumu.ah and it.s Khateeb and other obligations besides these. The removal of Kufr depends upon the resumption of the Khilafah. Establishing Islam in actuality means the establishment of the Khilafah as that is the only method of implementing Islam. Indeed, without the Khilafah the Deen cannot exist in our societies. Hence the whole of Islam depends upon the Khilafah as that is the method that Islam defined to bring it into existence. The current situation of the Islamic Ummah is a testament to this fact. The Islamic penal code is absent and is replaced with that of the European countries. The economic system of Islam has been replaced by that of the Capitalists and today the resources of the Muslim Ummah are the spoils that are distributed by the Kuffar. The Islamic lands are occupied despite the military capacities of the Muslim armies. The absence of the Islamic way of life in our countries is ever affecting the societal fabric with nightclubs and bars arising in the holy lands of al-Quds, as well as many other major cities and capitals in the Islamic world. These stark facts unfortunately clearly illustrate the absence of Islam and the truthfulness of the statements of the Messenger of Allah (saw).
Allah orders us to protect those who are attacked for their Deen – so when Muslims are attacked in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine or anywhere – we are sinful if we are not working to establish the system to protect them.
Evidence from the Sunnah
Many evidences indicating the Fard of having a Khalifah, even specific texts establishing that it is Fard Ayn to have bay’ah on the neck:
Muslim narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (saw) said: “Whosoever dies whilst there was no bay‘ah (allegiance or a pledge) on his neck (to a Khaleefah), he dies a death of jahilliyah.”
To understand this Hadith and the meaning of no Bay’ah on the neck becomes clear when we look at the following Hadith:
The Prophet (saw) said: “The One who dies without an Imam he dies the death of Jahiliyyah”. [Reported on the authority of ‘Umar by at-Tabarani and Abu Nu’aym. The latter declared the hadith as authentic] The Imam in the text means the Khalifah.
Is an obligation more important than the life of the Prophet (Saw):
He (saw) stated to his uncle concerning the Mushrikeen, “....by Allah, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, on condition that I relinquish this matter, I would not relinquish it until Allah has made it dominant or I perish therein..” (Tareekh ut-Tabari by al-Tabari Vol. 6 par. 1179).
Ijma as-Sahaba
After the death of the Prophet (saw) – they did not bury him for 3 days and 2 nights
Imam al-Haythami said, "It is known that the Sahabah (r.a.h) consented that selecting the Imaam after the end of the era of Prophethood was an obligation (Wajib). Indeed they made it (more) important than the (other) obligations whilst they were busy with it over the burial of the Prophet (saw)". (al-Haythami in Sawaa'iq ul-haraqah:17.)
When Umar was on his deathbed: He said to them: "You have this group whom, when the Messenger of Allah (saw) died, he was pleased with them, and he said about them: They are the people of paradise: Ali b. Talib, Uthman b. Affan, Sa’ad b. Abi Waqqas, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Az- Zubayr b. Al Awwam, and Talha b. Ubaydullah. Let Abdullah ibn Umar be with them, but let him have only an opinion without having anything in the matter of Khilafah." Umar advised these six people to select a Khaleefah, and appointed to them a three day time limit. After a long talk with them he said: "When I die, consult for three days, and let Suhaib (in these days) lead the Muslims in prayer. Do not let the fourth day come without having an Ameer upon you." He also appointed Abu Talha Al-Ansari to protect the gathering and to encourage them in their task, and he said to him: "O Abu Talha, Allah (swt) has helped Islam by you (i.e. the Ansar) so select fifty men from the Ansar, and urge these (six) people to select one from amongst them." He asked Al-Muqdad ibn Al-Aswad to select the place of the meeting and said to him : "After you put me in my grave, gather these (six) people in a house till they select one man from themselves." Then he asked Suhaib to monitor the meeting and said to him: "Lead the people in prayer three days, and let Ali, Uthman, Az-Zubayr, Sa’ad, Abdul Rahman b. Awf, and Talha, if he came back (from his travel) and bring in Abdullah b. Umar, without allowing him any personal interest in the matter, and stand at their heads (i.e. supervise them). If five agreed and accepted one man, while one man rejected, then hit his head with the sword. If four consented and agreed on one man, and two disagreed, then kill the dissenters with the sword. If three agreed on one man and three disagreed then let Abdullah bin Umar arbitrate. The group which Abdullah b. Umar judged for, let them select one from them. If they did not accept the judgement of Abdullah b. Umar, then be (all of you) with the group in which is Abdul Rahman b. Awf, and kill the rest if they declined to accept what the people agreed upon." Then he asked them to leave the discussion about the Khilafah until he died.
Imam an-Nawawi (rh.a.) said, "(The scholars) had Ijma (consensus) that it is an obligation upon the Muslims to select a Khaleefah". (Sharhu Sahih Muslim page 205 vol 12)
All the Sahaba consented – even though he ordered killing = 3 days 2 nights as a clear time limit – today has been 81 years, we are all sinful until it is established
Appointing the Khalifah in origin Fard Kifaya but becomes Fard Ayn if not established, e.g. Janaza, replying to salam, etc.
Therefore it is Fard Ayn for all the Muslims to work to re-establish this obligation
The Ulema must stand for the truth like Ulema in the past
Today we as Ulema must stand for the issue of Khilafah and create a public opinion for this, utilising all our abilities and influence
We must address the vital issues facing the Ummah and work to build a comprehensive understanding of Islam as the a complete ideology with all the solutions to lifes problems
In this time when the Kuffar especially the West are continuously bombarding the Muslims with their Kufr culture, they are calling for the separation of the Deen from the Dunya, they call for a reformation of Islam, a modernisation of Islam and they use their agents, money and power to spread their corruption every where
The Ulema must respond to this and be the ones who defend Islam, who refute the Kufr concepts such as Democracy, Freedom, Secularism, Nationalism and Socialism which have become the new gods which people worship today instead of Laat, Manaat and Uzza
How can we remain silent in the face of all the Munkar around us? How come most of the Masajid do not address the real issues facing the Ummah and refute the ideas being propagated by the West?
We should be careful today not to fall into those Ulema who have sold the Deen for worldly goods, who are afraid to speak the truth or those who even spread corruption in the name of Islam. Let us take a warning from the words of the Prophet (saw) who said:
Al-Tabarani in Al-Kabeer wal-Bazaar, by the Istinad of the men of Sahih that 'Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'i narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “My Ummah will become divided into some seventy sects, the greatest will be the test of the people who make analogy to the deen with their own opinions, with it forbidding what Allah has permitted and permitting what Allah has forbidden.”
Unfortunately we see this today, people permitting Democracy, Nationalism – like some of the Ulema of Saudi Arabia who permitted the Americans to come onto Islamic land to launch war on the Muslims of Iraq, the Sheikh of al-Azhar who has justified Riba and many more.
Let us look at the example of the Ulema in the past who did not fear anyone except Allah (swt).
Let us consider the example of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (ra), master of hadith, Mujtahid of Makkah and the man to which the Hanbali Madhab is attributed. In his time, Mamoon, who became Khalifah, had adopted the Mu’tazilah belief that man created the Qur’an. Mamoon attempted to force this belief upon the masses - this created trouble with the Ulema, as they were the ones who had the leadership over the Ummah. Amongst the Ulema was Imam Ahmad, who refused to accept this corrupt doctrine. His uncle asked him to say with his tongue what he did not accept in his heart, to which he responded, “If the Alim stays silent in the face of falsehood when will the truth become manifest?” Imam Ahmad preferred prison to corrupting an aspect of the Islamic Aqeedah. He was prepared to suffer, as Yusuf (as) did, who preferred prison to the fitnah that he was faced with.
Imam Ahmad understood the Hadith that has been declared Sahih by Imam Suyuti, “The one who pleases the Sultan (authority) with that which angers Allah leaves the Deen of Allah.”
Let us remember the example of Imam Abu Hanifah (ra), Imam of Ahlur Rayee, the Mujtahid and Faqih of Kufa and founder of the Hanafi Madhab. He was known for his acute legal mind as a jurist. Imam Abu Hanifah (ra) was summoned to the court of Mansoor, who was Khalifah at the time, and was asked to take the position of Qadi ul Qadaa (or chief justice). He refused, as he did not view the Khalifah as the most just of characters. He replied, “I am not fit for this position!” Mansoor became angry, shouting, “You lie! You are fit!” Abu Hanifah responded, “If I am lying them I am not fit for the post, if I am not then I tell the truth I am not fit for the post!” As a result he was imprisoned and lashed. Abu Hanifah (ra) exemplified how we must wash our hands from tyranny regardless of benefit.
We should realise that even today they are many Ulema who stand up for the truth without fear and are working with all their efforts for the return of the Khilafah
We all know the examples of the Shaheed Syed Qutb and Hassan al-Banna, how they were martyred for standing up for the truth. We also know the example of many Ulema of the subcontinent and how they faced imprisonment by the British such as Sheikh ul-Hind whom we mentioned before and Sheikh ul-Islam Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani. They are many other examples today - look to the prisons of Uzbekistan where thousands of Da'wa carriers including Ulema have been imprisoned for working for Khilafah.
Another example is Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Badri, the author of the excellent book 'Islam baynal Ulema wal hukkam' (Islam - between the Ulema and the Rulers) which is also available in Urdu, was imprisoned in Iraq in the past for working for the Khilafah. In his book he details the lives of various Ulema ranging from Abu Hanifa, al-Izzadin Abdul-Salam, Ibn Taymiyya to Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi and how they stood up for the truth even in the face of hardship.
To conclude:
1) It is Fard Ayn upon all of us to work with all our efforts to change the Munkar and re-establish the Khilafah.
2) To oppose this work is to oppose the Shariah of Allah, we should not oppose it even if we differ in detailed issues and have some difference of opinion. Rather we should stand against those who oppose it
3) We must support this work with all of our abilities, this means each of us must think about how we can practically contribute to this work and engage in that. We need generate a Khilafat movement like the Ulema of all different backgrounds did in the past.
4) We should not loose hope or become defeated even if they are obstacles around us and even if people don’t initially support this call – because Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw) has already informed us that the Khilafah will return, the Prophet (saw) said “Then they will return the Khilafah on the path of the Prophethood” [Musnad Ahmad]
May Allah (swt) enable us all to stand up for the truth and work to re-establish his Deen upon the earth!
“Verily those who fear Allah from His servants are the Ulema” [TMQ Fatir: 28].
Allah (swt) mentioned the reality of the Ulema in this verse
And the Prophet (saw) emphasised the importance of the Ulema in many ahadith:
The Prophet (saw) said: “The Ulema are the inheritors of the Prophets”
We know that they cannot be the inheritors in Prophethood as this ended with the final Messenger Muhammad (saw), rather it means they are inheritors in the sense of responsibility of spreading the Deen, working to remove munkar and upholding the truth
Abu Nu’aim narrated that He (saw) said: “Two types of people who, if they are righteous, the people are righteous and if they are bad, the people are bad: The scholars and rulers” (Abu Nu’aim narrated it in ‘Al-Hulya’).
Ad-Darimi narrated in the book ‘Al-Muqaddimah’ that he (saw) said: “‘Do not ask me about evil but ask me about good’, saying it three times. He said: ‘The worst of evil is the evil scholars, and the best of good is good scholars’”
Bi’isnillah today I want to discuss the responsibility of the Muslims in general and especially the Ulema in working to solve the vital issue facing the Muslim Ummah
The problems facing the Ummah worldwide cannot be ignored, they are burning issues that must be addressed, as the Prophet (saw) emphasised in many ahadith, for example he said:
The Prophet (saw ) said: “The Believers are like one man, if his eye becomes sore then the whole (body) feels pain, and of his head is in pain then his whole (body) feels the pain.”
How much pain and suffering has the Muslim Ummah felt over the last decades? And how much did we feel? And how much did we work to put an end to this pain? How much do we address it in our khutba’s, in our bayans and in our masaajid?
We have seen all forms of problems afflict this Ummah whether economic, social, political, military, educational or cultural
We have seen the occupation of the land of Isra and Mi’raj by the Jews since 1948, we saw the massacre of the Muslims in Sabra, Shatila, Qana and Jenin – we still witness the ruthless occupation by the Israeli’s who continue to kill our innocent men, women and children in the land of Palestine.
We saw the death of over half a million children due to the sanctions placed on Iraq in the past, we even the saw birth of deformed babies due to the Uranium tipped bombs dropped by the crusaders
We saw the problem of Bosnia where over 60 thousand women were dishonoured by the Serbian Kuffar
We have seen the brutal aggression of Russia against the Muslims of Chechnya, the aggression of China against the Muslims of Xingyang province, the oppression of the tyrant of Uzbekistan against the Da’wa carriers there, the problem of East Timor of Aceh and Ambon in Indonesia, the problem of Darfur in the south of Sudan and many more.
Since September 11th we have witnessed an intensification of the war against Islam, where Islam and the Muslims have become the focus of world attention. We saw the brutal occupation of Afghanistan where the Americans and their allies dropped thousands of bombs upon the innocent people
We saw the occupation of Iraq by the new-age Mongols who dropped more bombs in this latest war against Iraq than in the first and second world war combined. We saw how they treat the Muslims like animals in Abu Ghraib prison the pictures of which were on the front pages of the newspapers world wide, we see how they have caged our brothers in Guantanomo bay even without right to a lawyer and a fair trail.
They have slaughtered over 100 thousand (one lakh) people since this invasion of Iraq according the British medical journal, the Lancet
We were crying when Babri masjid was Shaheed, how many mosques have been destroyed by the US and Britain in Iraq?
In the city of Fallujah alone, over half the mosques in Fallujjah have been destroyed – out of approximately 120 mosques, over 60 are reported to be destroyed
We should not think for one moment that these problems are not our problems, that just because we are sitting in India that these problems are only the problems of the people of Palestine, Chechnya, Iraq or Afghanistan. As Allah (swt) has made us brothers when He (swt) said: “Verily the believers are a brotherhood”
The Prophet (saw) said: “The Muslims are one Ummah, there land is one land and there is one war”
I want all of us here to ask the question to ourselves how many times have really spoken about these issues, addressed them in our bayaans, amongst our gatherings and have we been working for a true solution to these problems
If the Ka’ba was attacked tomorrow, I’m sure all of us would feel it and would be restless, we would not be able to sleep, we would be addressing it with the people, we would strive to save it with all of our efforts. But what value has Allah (swt) placed on the blood of a Muslim?
Whilst the Prophet (saw) was doing Tawaaf around the Ka’ba he said: “Maa a’zamaki” “How great you are” “Wa ma asrhafaki” “How blessed you are” “Wa ma ajmalaki” “How beautiful you are in the sight of Allah, but the blood of the Muslim is worth more than you and all your surroundings” [Ibn Majah]
If this is the value of Muslim blood then surely we must seriously work to protect it. Muslims all over the world feel the pain of these problems and discuss these issues amongst themselves.
The Muslims every where in the world look the Ulema for answers as to how we should achieve that, as they see them as the light that should show us the correct path. Therefore it is an enormous responsibility on our shoulders that we address this issue correctly
Before I address the solution to these problems facing the Ummah from the perspective of the Islamic evidences, I want mention some key points that I want all of us to think about during this event and the rest of my talk:
1) We must have it clear in our minds that the only source of legislation, of guidance of ahkam, of solutions for us are the Islamic sources namely the Quran and the Sunnah and what they have indicated such as Ijma as-Sahaba and Qiyas. The source of legislation, guidance or solutions to our problems are not the writings of an intellectual, the legislation of a parliament, the rule of a King or President, nor own emotions, our own desires, our own interests, our own benefits, our money, or our fears. This is part of our Iman when we say Laa illaha illalah Muhamadur Rasuululah. Allah (swt) says:
"The Rule is for none but Allah: He declares the truth and He is the best of Judges." [6:57]
2)Secondly we must realise that our allegiance and sincerity must be to the Haqq (truth), the Deen of Allah, not to any group, organisation, Ameer, Aalim, government or institution. We should remember the many ahadith warning us about this time:
In the Hadith in Sahih of Bukhari, on the authority of 'Urwa b. al-Zubayr who said: 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As overcame us with proof. I heard him say: “Allah will not deprive you of knowledge after he has given it to you, but it will be taken away through the death of the learned men (Ulema’a) with their knowledge. There will remain ignorant people who, when consulted, will give verdicts according to their opinions whereby they will mislead others and themselves go astray.” i.e. they give Fatwas according to their own opinions which are not derived from the Islamic evidences.
We must remember the order of Allah (swt):
"And do not mix the truth with the falsehood nor knowingly conceal the truth." [Al-Baqarah]
What is the solution to our problems?
In order to understand the solution to our problems, we must actually realise the nature of the problems correctly first. We cannot separate the problems from each other, as they are all interconnected to a root problem just as the symptoms of cancer are connected to the root cancer.
The root problem or cancer today is the absence of the Islamic state, the system which implements the Ahkam that Allah (swt) revealed to us. This state was called al-Khilafah by the Prophet (saw) which has also been reffered to by different names Sultanate, Imamah or Dowla Islamiyya.
The Khilafah is a general leadership of the Muslims. It is a worldly leadership to implement the Islamic Shari’a and to carry the Da’wa to the world. Therefore, it is a public leadership and not a private one. The Khalifah is the Amir (leader) of the believers who succeeds the Messenger of Allah (saw) in implementing Islam and not in conveying it, and thus, it is a worldly leadership and not a religious one. The Khalifah does not communicate a message from Allah (swt), nor has he been personally appointed by Allah (swt), rather he is appointed by the Muslims to represent them in the implementation of Islam within Dar Al-Islam (the land ruled by Islam), and in carrying the da’wa outside it.
For example the great scholar Imam al-Mawardi defined it in this way, he said: "It is to guard the affairs of the Deen, and take care of the world's affairs politics after the prophethood." [Imam Al-Mawardi, Ahkam as-Sultaniya]
Many scholars defined it in a similar manner
It was reported in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal that the Prophet (saw) said, "The knots of Islam will be broken one by one until everyone of them is undone. The first to be undone will be the knot of ruling and the last will be the knot of Salah"
This knot of ruling by Islam had been tied by the Prophet (saw) himself in Madina when he made the Hijra, this Islamic state had begun with the Prophet Muhammad (saws) and had lasted for over 1000 years.
After the death of the Prophet (saw) the ruling by Islam continued and the bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) was given to Abu Bakr Siddique (ra), and after him Umar al Farooque (ra), Uthman ibn Affan (ra), Imam Ali (ra), Imam Hassan (ra) and continued to have ruler after ruler until the last Khalifah in 1924 Sultan Abdul-Majeed.
Many of the rulers or Khulafah’s names may be known to us as they are famous such as Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz, Sultan Muhammad al Fatih, Suleyman al Qanuni, Sultan Abdul-Hameed 2nd and Sultan Murad.
Some of the Khulafah were better than others and some of them were even oppressive, nevertheless the system of Islam remained implemented. Even though some of the rulers misapplied some rules and were oppressive, the Prophet (saw) foretold of this and instructed the Muslims to accept them as Khulafah and obey them as long as they did not implement open Kufr (Kufr bu’ah). It is unanimously accepted by all the Sunni Ulema in history that the Khilafah existed throughout the period of the Khulafah ar-Rashideen, the Ummayids, the Abbasids, the Mamluks and the Uthmanis until the Khilafah was destroyed after the first world war.
These Khulafah ruled by Islam and did not implement Kufr Bu’ah (open Kufr) that is why we find the great scholars of Islam such as Imam Abu Hanifah, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Jafar as-Sadiq and the like accepted that they were Khalif’s but accounted them. In fact the two most famous students of Abu Hanifah who recorded his Fiqh, most of us in India follow the Fiqh they recorded - Qadi Abu Yusuf and Muhammad As-Shaybani were appointed as Qadi al Quda (the chief judge) in state in the time of the Khalifah Haroon ar-Rasheed.
Some of the great scholars wrote books about the history of the Khulafah such as Imam Suyuti known as al-Jalalayn, who died in 1505 CE – he wrote the book Tarikh al Khulafah, ‘History of the Khulafah’. Imam Mawardi who died in 1058 CE who was appointed as a Qadi and later an ambassador by the Abbasid Khalid Al-Qaim bi Amr Allah wrote the famous book, ‘Al Ahkam As-Sultaniya’, about the ruling system in Islam.
Although today some of us including some of the Ulema have forgotten the meaning of Khilafah, at that time the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent including the Ulema cried out in support of the Khilafah and called against its removal. Maulana Mohammad Ali Johar said about the Khilafah:
“The ruler of Turkey was the Khalifah or successor of the Prophet and Amir -ul- Momineen or chief of the believers and the Khilafah is as essentially our religious concern as the Quran or the Sunnah of the Prophet." [Johar, Mohammed Ali, My Life a Fragment pg.41]
Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad wrote a book in 1920 called ‘The Issue of Khilafat’, he stated: “Without the Khilafah the existence of Islam is not possible, the Muslims of India with all their effort and power need to work for this.”
Sheikh ul Hind Maulana Mahmood ul-Hassan who was the head of Dar al-ulum Deoband in his time, who was imprisoned by the British in Malta for 3 years due to him sticking to the truth and not disowning the Uthmani (Ottoman) Khilafah said in his Fatwa published October 29, 1920:
“The Khalifat-ul-Muslimin (Muslim Caliph), who used to unite the entire community on this planet; who as vice-regent of Allah on this earth used to implement the universal law of Islam; who used to protect the rights and interests of Muslims and who used to preserve and ensure that the glory of the words of the Creator of this universe be preserved and implemented, has been surrounded by the enemies and made redundant.”
The Prophet (saw) said as narrated in Sahih Muslim: “Verily the Imam is a shield behind whom they (Muslims) fight and by whom they are protected”.
The Khilafah is the mechanism that Allah (swt) revealed for our protection and to solve our problems
The Fard of having a Khilafah to implement the Shariah of Allah and solve our problems is Qati (definitive) and it is established from evidences in the Quran, the Sunnah and Ijma as-Sahaba and all the scholars in history are unanimous on it. I will quote some of the evidences not all of them due to time constraints
Evidence from Quran
There are many ayat about ruling in the Quran such as:
"And rule between them by that which Allah revealed to you, and do not follow their whims, and beware that they may deviate you away from some of which Allah revealed to you." [TMQ Al-Mai’dah:49]
The speech of Allah to the Prophet (saw) is also a speech to the Prophet's Ummah (nation), unless there is an evidence which indicates this speech is limited to him. In this case there is no such evidence limiting this address to the Prophet (saw). Thus, the verses call upon Muslims to establish the rule of Allah. The appointment of a Khalif does not mean other than the establishment of the rule of Allah and the authority of Islam.
Regarding the authority, Allah ta'ala obliges the Muslims to obey those in authority, i.e. The ruler, which is an indication that the existence of the ruler is obligatory. Allah ta'ala says:
“O you who believe, obey Allah, obey the Messenger and those in authority amongst you” [An-Nisa: 50]
Furthermore many ayat about establishing the Salah, the Hudud, etc is an address to the Ummah – we are sinful if there is no system to enforce these.
Imam Tahawi also narrates a Hadith from Muslim ibn Yasar that the Prophet (saw) said, “The (collection of the) Zakah, the (implementation of the) Hudood the (distribution of the) spoils and the (appointment of the) Jumu.ah are for the Sultan..” (A similar narration has been narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musanaf and also by Imam Narghiyani. They have been deemed acceptable.)
Hence the obligation of establishing the Khilafah is the obligation upon which many other obligations rest, such as the Hudood (penal codes), collection and distribution of the Zakah, the organising of the main Jumu.ah and it.s Khateeb and other obligations besides these. The removal of Kufr depends upon the resumption of the Khilafah. Establishing Islam in actuality means the establishment of the Khilafah as that is the only method of implementing Islam. Indeed, without the Khilafah the Deen cannot exist in our societies. Hence the whole of Islam depends upon the Khilafah as that is the method that Islam defined to bring it into existence. The current situation of the Islamic Ummah is a testament to this fact. The Islamic penal code is absent and is replaced with that of the European countries. The economic system of Islam has been replaced by that of the Capitalists and today the resources of the Muslim Ummah are the spoils that are distributed by the Kuffar. The Islamic lands are occupied despite the military capacities of the Muslim armies. The absence of the Islamic way of life in our countries is ever affecting the societal fabric with nightclubs and bars arising in the holy lands of al-Quds, as well as many other major cities and capitals in the Islamic world. These stark facts unfortunately clearly illustrate the absence of Islam and the truthfulness of the statements of the Messenger of Allah (saw).
Allah orders us to protect those who are attacked for their Deen – so when Muslims are attacked in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine or anywhere – we are sinful if we are not working to establish the system to protect them.
Evidence from the Sunnah
Many evidences indicating the Fard of having a Khalifah, even specific texts establishing that it is Fard Ayn to have bay’ah on the neck:
Muslim narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (saw) said: “Whosoever dies whilst there was no bay‘ah (allegiance or a pledge) on his neck (to a Khaleefah), he dies a death of jahilliyah.”
To understand this Hadith and the meaning of no Bay’ah on the neck becomes clear when we look at the following Hadith:
The Prophet (saw) said: “The One who dies without an Imam he dies the death of Jahiliyyah”. [Reported on the authority of ‘Umar by at-Tabarani and Abu Nu’aym. The latter declared the hadith as authentic] The Imam in the text means the Khalifah.
Is an obligation more important than the life of the Prophet (Saw):
He (saw) stated to his uncle concerning the Mushrikeen, “....by Allah, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, on condition that I relinquish this matter, I would not relinquish it until Allah has made it dominant or I perish therein..” (Tareekh ut-Tabari by al-Tabari Vol. 6 par. 1179).
Ijma as-Sahaba
After the death of the Prophet (saw) – they did not bury him for 3 days and 2 nights
Imam al-Haythami said, "It is known that the Sahabah (r.a.h) consented that selecting the Imaam after the end of the era of Prophethood was an obligation (Wajib). Indeed they made it (more) important than the (other) obligations whilst they were busy with it over the burial of the Prophet (saw)". (al-Haythami in Sawaa'iq ul-haraqah:17.)
When Umar was on his deathbed: He said to them: "You have this group whom, when the Messenger of Allah (saw) died, he was pleased with them, and he said about them: They are the people of paradise: Ali b. Talib, Uthman b. Affan, Sa’ad b. Abi Waqqas, Abdur Rahman ibn Awf, Az- Zubayr b. Al Awwam, and Talha b. Ubaydullah. Let Abdullah ibn Umar be with them, but let him have only an opinion without having anything in the matter of Khilafah." Umar advised these six people to select a Khaleefah, and appointed to them a three day time limit. After a long talk with them he said: "When I die, consult for three days, and let Suhaib (in these days) lead the Muslims in prayer. Do not let the fourth day come without having an Ameer upon you." He also appointed Abu Talha Al-Ansari to protect the gathering and to encourage them in their task, and he said to him: "O Abu Talha, Allah (swt) has helped Islam by you (i.e. the Ansar) so select fifty men from the Ansar, and urge these (six) people to select one from amongst them." He asked Al-Muqdad ibn Al-Aswad to select the place of the meeting and said to him : "After you put me in my grave, gather these (six) people in a house till they select one man from themselves." Then he asked Suhaib to monitor the meeting and said to him: "Lead the people in prayer three days, and let Ali, Uthman, Az-Zubayr, Sa’ad, Abdul Rahman b. Awf, and Talha, if he came back (from his travel) and bring in Abdullah b. Umar, without allowing him any personal interest in the matter, and stand at their heads (i.e. supervise them). If five agreed and accepted one man, while one man rejected, then hit his head with the sword. If four consented and agreed on one man, and two disagreed, then kill the dissenters with the sword. If three agreed on one man and three disagreed then let Abdullah bin Umar arbitrate. The group which Abdullah b. Umar judged for, let them select one from them. If they did not accept the judgement of Abdullah b. Umar, then be (all of you) with the group in which is Abdul Rahman b. Awf, and kill the rest if they declined to accept what the people agreed upon." Then he asked them to leave the discussion about the Khilafah until he died.
Imam an-Nawawi (rh.a.) said, "(The scholars) had Ijma (consensus) that it is an obligation upon the Muslims to select a Khaleefah". (Sharhu Sahih Muslim page 205 vol 12)
All the Sahaba consented – even though he ordered killing = 3 days 2 nights as a clear time limit – today has been 81 years, we are all sinful until it is established
Appointing the Khalifah in origin Fard Kifaya but becomes Fard Ayn if not established, e.g. Janaza, replying to salam, etc.
Therefore it is Fard Ayn for all the Muslims to work to re-establish this obligation
The Ulema must stand for the truth like Ulema in the past
Today we as Ulema must stand for the issue of Khilafah and create a public opinion for this, utilising all our abilities and influence
We must address the vital issues facing the Ummah and work to build a comprehensive understanding of Islam as the a complete ideology with all the solutions to lifes problems
In this time when the Kuffar especially the West are continuously bombarding the Muslims with their Kufr culture, they are calling for the separation of the Deen from the Dunya, they call for a reformation of Islam, a modernisation of Islam and they use their agents, money and power to spread their corruption every where
The Ulema must respond to this and be the ones who defend Islam, who refute the Kufr concepts such as Democracy, Freedom, Secularism, Nationalism and Socialism which have become the new gods which people worship today instead of Laat, Manaat and Uzza
How can we remain silent in the face of all the Munkar around us? How come most of the Masajid do not address the real issues facing the Ummah and refute the ideas being propagated by the West?
We should be careful today not to fall into those Ulema who have sold the Deen for worldly goods, who are afraid to speak the truth or those who even spread corruption in the name of Islam. Let us take a warning from the words of the Prophet (saw) who said:
Al-Tabarani in Al-Kabeer wal-Bazaar, by the Istinad of the men of Sahih that 'Awf b. Malik al-Ashja'i narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “My Ummah will become divided into some seventy sects, the greatest will be the test of the people who make analogy to the deen with their own opinions, with it forbidding what Allah has permitted and permitting what Allah has forbidden.”
Unfortunately we see this today, people permitting Democracy, Nationalism – like some of the Ulema of Saudi Arabia who permitted the Americans to come onto Islamic land to launch war on the Muslims of Iraq, the Sheikh of al-Azhar who has justified Riba and many more.
Let us look at the example of the Ulema in the past who did not fear anyone except Allah (swt).
Let us consider the example of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (ra), master of hadith, Mujtahid of Makkah and the man to which the Hanbali Madhab is attributed. In his time, Mamoon, who became Khalifah, had adopted the Mu’tazilah belief that man created the Qur’an. Mamoon attempted to force this belief upon the masses - this created trouble with the Ulema, as they were the ones who had the leadership over the Ummah. Amongst the Ulema was Imam Ahmad, who refused to accept this corrupt doctrine. His uncle asked him to say with his tongue what he did not accept in his heart, to which he responded, “If the Alim stays silent in the face of falsehood when will the truth become manifest?” Imam Ahmad preferred prison to corrupting an aspect of the Islamic Aqeedah. He was prepared to suffer, as Yusuf (as) did, who preferred prison to the fitnah that he was faced with.
Imam Ahmad understood the Hadith that has been declared Sahih by Imam Suyuti, “The one who pleases the Sultan (authority) with that which angers Allah leaves the Deen of Allah.”
Let us remember the example of Imam Abu Hanifah (ra), Imam of Ahlur Rayee, the Mujtahid and Faqih of Kufa and founder of the Hanafi Madhab. He was known for his acute legal mind as a jurist. Imam Abu Hanifah (ra) was summoned to the court of Mansoor, who was Khalifah at the time, and was asked to take the position of Qadi ul Qadaa (or chief justice). He refused, as he did not view the Khalifah as the most just of characters. He replied, “I am not fit for this position!” Mansoor became angry, shouting, “You lie! You are fit!” Abu Hanifah responded, “If I am lying them I am not fit for the post, if I am not then I tell the truth I am not fit for the post!” As a result he was imprisoned and lashed. Abu Hanifah (ra) exemplified how we must wash our hands from tyranny regardless of benefit.
We should realise that even today they are many Ulema who stand up for the truth without fear and are working with all their efforts for the return of the Khilafah
We all know the examples of the Shaheed Syed Qutb and Hassan al-Banna, how they were martyred for standing up for the truth. We also know the example of many Ulema of the subcontinent and how they faced imprisonment by the British such as Sheikh ul-Hind whom we mentioned before and Sheikh ul-Islam Maulana Hussain Ahmad Madani. They are many other examples today - look to the prisons of Uzbekistan where thousands of Da'wa carriers including Ulema have been imprisoned for working for Khilafah.
Another example is Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Badri, the author of the excellent book 'Islam baynal Ulema wal hukkam' (Islam - between the Ulema and the Rulers) which is also available in Urdu, was imprisoned in Iraq in the past for working for the Khilafah. In his book he details the lives of various Ulema ranging from Abu Hanifa, al-Izzadin Abdul-Salam, Ibn Taymiyya to Sheikh Ahmad Sirhindi and how they stood up for the truth even in the face of hardship.
To conclude:
1) It is Fard Ayn upon all of us to work with all our efforts to change the Munkar and re-establish the Khilafah.
2) To oppose this work is to oppose the Shariah of Allah, we should not oppose it even if we differ in detailed issues and have some difference of opinion. Rather we should stand against those who oppose it
3) We must support this work with all of our abilities, this means each of us must think about how we can practically contribute to this work and engage in that. We need generate a Khilafat movement like the Ulema of all different backgrounds did in the past.
4) We should not loose hope or become defeated even if they are obstacles around us and even if people don’t initially support this call – because Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw) has already informed us that the Khilafah will return, the Prophet (saw) said “Then they will return the Khilafah on the path of the Prophethood” [Musnad Ahmad]
May Allah (swt) enable us all to stand up for the truth and work to re-establish his Deen upon the earth!
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Shariah
Following the Shariah rules comprehensively
As da’wa carriers it is vital that we all adhere to the Shariah of Allah (swt) completely, as we are Muslims first and then da’wa carriers. Therefore we are all Ibadallah – slaves of Allah (swt) and are obligated to follow all of his commands and avoid all of his prohibitions.
As da’wa carriers we would be hypocrites if we were calling for the implementation of the shariah and not following the shariah ourselves.
The Muslim is commanded to conduct his actions according to the Shari'ah rules. Allah (swt) says:
"No by your God, they shall not have true belief until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decision, but accept it with the fullest conviction." [TMQ 4-65]
He (swt) also says: "Whatever the Messenger brought you take it and whatever he forbids you abstain from it and fear Allah." [TMQ 59-7]
Therefore, the Muslim should in principle abide by the Shari'ah rules. Besides the Shari'ah principle states: “Every action requires a shariah rule and every rule requires a daleel.” In other words, no matter should be given any rule whatsoever before the advent of the rule of Allah pertaining this matter. The Shariah rule is: “The address of the Legislator related to the actions of the servants.” Therefore, anything that has not been mentioned in the address of the Legislator cannot be considered a Shari'ah rule.
If a Muslim wanted to perform any action, it would be incumbent upon him to abide by the rule of Allah (swt) pertaining that action; thus, he must search for that rule until he recognises it and abides by it. This is what the verses and the Ahadith have indicated clearly. Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to undertake any action or to act towards anything in contradiction to the Shari'ah rule; he should rather abide by the Shari'ah rule in every action he undertakes and in every matter. After Allah (swt) revealed:
"Today, I have perfected your Deen for you, completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen." [TMQ 5-3]
And after He (swt) revealed: "And We have sent down to you the Book explaining everything." [TMQ 16-89]
There is not any action left without a Shariah rule and evidences that establish it from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is forbidden for anyone, having perceived these two verses, to claim that some actions and some things or some situations are devoid of the Shari'ah rule, meaning that Shari'ah has completely ignored.
Every action has a hukm either Wajib/Fard, or Mandub, or Haram, or Makruh or Mubah.
In fact the meaning of Taqwa itself is to follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah (swt).
The son of ‘Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have taqwa (al-muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”
‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”
Sometimes it is possible that we may overlook the details of the shariah rules when it comes to our lives and may even be unaware of them. This is unacceptable for the Muslim and especially the da’wa carrier.
So today I want to give some examples which we think are relevant to us in terms of follwing the details of the shariah rules. As many of us come from backgrounds where we are not used to following the shariah rules in many areas. The areas I will focus upon are mainly to do with the social and economic rules.
Mixing between men & women
Islam has restricted the relationship between unrelated men and women and only allowed it in certain circumstances.
This separation is established by the overall Ahkam Shari'ah (divine rules) addressing the man separately, the woman separately, and both of them together. It is also established by the Qur'anic speech to women as women and men as men such as Allah's saying:
"The men and women who give charity and fasting men and women, and the men and women who guard their chastiity and the men and women who remember Allah much..." [Al- Ahzab: 35]and other verses. Such a segregated type of life is also reported as the actual practice in collective form since the days of the Prophet and throughout all the times of Islam.
In Islam, the basic principle of the interaction between men and women is segregation. This means that in all areas of life and in all places whether private or public, contact between men and women is generally prohibited. Many evidences establish the principle of not mixing between the sexes, and there are many ahadith which clarify that this is the case in both public and private areas:
Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "The best row for men is the front row, (furthest to the women's row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men)."
Ibn Umar said, "The Prophet prohibited men from walking between two women." Abu Daud.
Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) saw men and women outside the mosque moving side by side in the crowd. He stopped the women saying, "It is not proper for you to walk in the middle of the path, you had better walk along the walls."
This means that the Muslims should avoid contact with members of the opposite sex, whether Muslim or not, as a general rule. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, where the mixing or interaction between men and women is permitted in certain situations.
For example, it is permitted for men and women who are Mahrem to each other to mix freely for any purpose that Islam permits. As well, there are certain areas where it is permitted for non-Mahrem men and woman to interact with each other, such as for the purpose of Da'awa (invitation to Islam) or trade. However, the type of mixing that can occur here is not free, and is restricted by the shari'ah to be within certain guidelines and boundaries, and the Muslim must be sure to understand these before any type of mixing takes place. The ahkam (rules) to do with mixing also vary with regard to the kind of place in which the mixing takes place.
1) Medicine: It is allowed for men and women to mix for the purpose of seeking medical treatment. The Sahabiyat used to treat the Sahaba and the Prophet (saw) consented to that.
2) Da’wa: It is allowed for men and women to be present in the same class if the purpose of their mixing is learning about Islam or other types of education permitted by the Shari‘ah. The sister of Umar (ra) was being taught from the Quran by Khabab ibn Arrat (ra) with her husband when Umar entered upon them. It has been narrated that Umm Salamah and Aisha (ra) who used to do da'wa to men and women
3) Marriage: If a man is looking to marry a woman then he is allowed to talk to her about issues related to finding out about her and related to the marriage. A man came to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) to ask about marrying a girl and the Prophet (saw) told him to go and see her i.e. see her in her Mahram’s presence.
4) Duress or Compulsion: At times of absolute necessity or emergency, such as earthquakes, war or hurricanes, the necessary mixing is permitted for men and women in order to remove any danger or threat.
5) State arrest: The evidence for this is from Uthman and Umar (ra) said, "O women, cover yourselves we are entering" and he entered a house to arrest someone with his army and there was Ijma of the Sahaba (consensus of the companions) on this.
6) Eating: In Surah Nur Allah (SWT) says:
“The blind is not to be blamed, the crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed, just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from Allah that is blessed and good. Allah thus explains the revelations for you, that you may understand.” [TMQ 24:61]
For men and women to eat together is permitted in the places mentioned in the verse such as the home of your fathers or your friends as it says, “You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals”.
However people should be careful that even though eating together with the women at a friends house is permitted that they should leave once they have eaten and beware of socialisation with the opposite sex which would be exceeding the permit.
7) Silat ar-rahm (maintaing the relationship between kith and kin): It is allowed for non-maharam relatives to sit with their non-maharam (people to whom marriage is permitted) for the sake of silat ar-rahm as long as it is without khalwah (privacy). There exist a number of hadith concerning the keeping of good relations with the relatives.
It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever loves that he be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin". It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah created His creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me)". On that Allah (swt) said: "Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severes your ties?" On that it said, "Yes, Oh my Lord!" Then Allah (swt) said: "That is for you".
However it is not allowed to mix for the purpose of entertainment or just to socialise. For example the Prophet (saw) used to leave when Aisha (ra) friends used to come as it is not allowed to socialise with your sisters or wives friends if they are not related. Another example which is common today is the mixed weddings.
The Mixed party in weddings is haram. This includes the entrance of the bridegroom to the women’s room, sitting on the bridal throne besides his bride, taking photos for and the celebration of the women with him, when they are usually uncovered particularly if they are not mahrem to him. All of such mixing is haram as it mixing for a purpose which Islam did not allow i.e. entertainment. There should be separate halls for men and women or there should be a partition which would stop the women being seen, this should be at least a shoulder height partition.
We know that in reality today many weddings contradict these ahkam and even before the weddings such as mixed mehndi parties where the women and her friends play tricks on the groom to be and his friends. I know many brothers look for the halal alternatives – so when they attend their relatives weddings they ask to sit in a separate room or place which is physically segregated from the women. This creates problems with some relatives and families who do not follow and understand the shariah rules. But as Muslims we must understand that life is a test – in these are part of the tests from Allah (swt).
In some places the da’wah carriers are tested with their lives through torture, removal from their jobs, arrest and harassment of their families and they stick to the Deen. So who are we, if we cannot stick to the shariah rules just due to upsetting some people or our relatives?
Khulwa - Seclusion
Khulwa relates to the presence of a non-Mahrem man and women being on their own together without the presence of a Mahrem or any other person. This could happen in a private place, or a public place. In either case Khalwa is forbidden from Islam, and both the man and women involved are sinful.
Khalwa in a private place: This could occur in any place that requires permission for entry, such as a house or bedroom in a residence building.
Khalwa in a Public Place : This could occur in any public place whose nature is that no other person people would be likely to pass by or come there. Such a place would be in a forest or an isolated room in a university or at work.
Muhammad (saw) said, "If a man and a woman are alone together in an isolated place, then the third is Shaitan."
Responsibility to family
Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6].
This Ayah makes it obligatory upon us to maintain ourselves and our direct family such as our children, wives, brothers and sisters abide by the ahkam shariah and avoid the hellfire.
There are different shariah rules dealing with the different types of direct relations. I will address some aspects of these rules which we feel are relevant:
Children: It is our Fard to culture our children with the understanding of the Deen and to encourage them in following the shariah rules.
Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud that the Prophet (saw) said: ‘Order your children to pray at the age of 7 and beat them when they are 10 (if they do not pray) and separate their beds.’
This means that we have to order our children to pray – we are responsible for this. They should pray at 7 years old and if they do not by 10 years we should beat them lightly, this does not mean that we beat them heavily in a haram way. The scholars said that the beating meant here is by a miswak and not harshly – it is more for the psychological effect.
It is not allowed to leave our children to be cultured by the Kufr society around us such that they are left for ours absorbing the corruption from Zee TV and the bollywood movies – without refuting such corruption and working to build the Islamic personality within them. It is not acceptable for them to start imitating the practises of the Kuffar while we do nothing, for example – when children participate in school events like Valentines day or celebrating the festivals of the Mushriks and Kuffar. The Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them”.
If we spend so much time trying to ensure that our children get good education then how can we ignore their culturing with Islam?
How do we fulfil this duty? The Prophet (saw) said, “Each one of you is a guardian and he is responsible…The man is a Shepard and he is responsible over his family”. The Prophet (saw) also said, “If you see a munkar change it with your hand, if you cannot then with your tongue and if you cannot then hate it in your heart and that is the weakest of Iman”.
So if we are capable and the shariah has given us the right to stop a munkar by our hand then we are obliged to do so. So for example for our daughters we can prohibit them from leaving the house if they do not wear the Hijab and Jilbab as we are their fathers and shariah has given us this right. Also we can make our children pray.
However the meaning of changing the munkar means that we should attempt to change their thinking and behaviour – not just to prohibit them in a robotic manner but to change their concepts and criterion for action. This means we must make the attempt to engage in da’wa with them.
Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Teach your children and teach them properly”. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Act upon the obedience to Allah and avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and order your children to abide by the commandments of Allah and to avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and by that you protect yourself and them from the Hellfire.” [Ibn Jurayr]
Allowing children (under the age of puberty) to be sent to schools where Kufr is taught to them is haram.
There are general texts regarding seeking knowledge. He (saw) said: ‘Seek knowledge’. This is general (‘aam) and includes all types of knowledge. So it is allowed for the Muslim to learn any discipline/science but if these sciences lead to a harm (Darar) then learning such sciences would be forbidden and the other sciences would remain permitted in accordance with the Shari’ah principle which states: ‘If any aspect of a permitted thing leads to a harm, then that aspect is prohibited, but the thing remains permitted’. Hence learning something, which causes one to deviate from the beliefs (‘aqaa’id) is considered a harm and learning such harmful ideas will weaken and effect children easily. Therefore, it is forbidden to send children to schools of the Kuffar, which teach the Kufr thoughts and beliefs on the primary level. This is because children are affected by what they learn at this level, and the family is ordered to protect its family members from the Fire of hell. Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6]. Protecting their children from the fire would be by not sending them to the schools of the Kuffar that teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts.As for the existing schools of the Kuffar in the Muslim lands which teach the same curriculum taught in Muslim schools, it is not forbidden to send ones children to them. This is because their reality differs from the schools of the Kuffar in Kafir countries, which teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts. Also, just because one of the teachers is a Christian does not mean it is forbidden to study in this school, because the education is linked to the curriculum taught. So if Kufr beliefs and thoughts are not taught in a primary school and the lessons are from the general sciences then it is allowed for children to study there, whether the teachers are Muslims or if one of them is a Christian. If the one who teaches Kufr beliefs and thoughts is a Muslim it is Haram for the children to learn this from him. The fact that the teacher is a Muslim does not make the children’s study of Kufr thoughts and beliefs from him Halal.
Wives:
Allah (swt) said: “The man is the guardian of the woman”
This means that the man is the Amir and guardian of the household but not the master as people conventionally portray. Guardianship means responsibility. Similar to our children we have a duty to embed Islam within our wives. When many of us came into the da’wa we may have already been married for a number of years and our wives may not have been practising Islam fully. However this does not mean that we become da’wa carriers and we leave our wives as they are and make minimal attempts to change them and make them Islamic personalities and da’wa carriers as well.
We are not absolved from the duty to build Islam within our wives and making them adhere to the shariah rules just because we are da’wa carriers. We cannot just leave our wives to be cultured by the Bollywood movies and kufr propagated in the media and society. We should aspire to make our wives like Aisha (ra), Khadija (ra) and the other wives of the Prophet (saw).
Economic issues
We have to be careful of being affected by secularism such that we separate Islam from our lives such as our economic dealings. We must seek the hukm shari before undertaking any actions.
In this area there are many issues which can be overlooked. I will not go into the issue of Riba as it is well known that it is haram in all its forms whether giving, taking or being part of the transaction of Riba even as a witness. I have selected issues that sometimes may be overlooked.
Rishwah (Bribery)
The system of Rishwah or bribery is very common in most of the third world for example bribing the police, government officials such as for getting planning permission for building or maintaining electricity or water supplies, education officers and the like.
Bribery is basically when someone in any position takes an action which is not obliged upon him by his contract in exchange for money or another benefit. So as an example you get stopped by police for something and you pay them to let you go. Bribery is not a wage, as the wage is defined according the legitimate shariah contract.
Bribery is forbidden by the explicit texts. Ahmad and Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi and ibn Majah narrated from Abdullah bin Amur who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Allah cursed the briber (rashi) and bribe-taker (murtashi).” Ahmad narrated from Tawban who said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed the briber, bribe-taker and the mediator meaning the one who walks between the two.” These ahadith are general covering all bribery whether it is seeking a right or something null whether it is seeking to repel a harm or gain a benefit, to remove imposing injustice; all are forbidden. There is no illah or shariah reason for why bribery is haram. It is haram in all its forms, full stop as the texts are absolute on this issue.
Insurance
Today many forms of insurance exist such as insurance on property such as houses, life insurance, vehicle insurance and the like.
Insurance whether on life, goods, property or any of its numerous types is a contract. It is a contract between the insurance company and the insuring person in which the latter asks the insurance company to give him a promise (ta’ahud) that it will compensate him for that thing (‘ayn) which is spoilt or destroyed or for its price with regard to goods or property, or a certain sum of money with regard to life and the like. This takes place if the specified accident/incident (haadith) occurs within a defined period, in exchange for a certain amount of money (premium); and the (Insurance) company accepts this.
All forms of insurance are haram. Insurance is haram due to different reasons. One of the main reasons is:
It is a contract because it is an agreement between two parties, and it includes offer and acceptance, where the offer is from the insuring party and the acceptance is from the company. So in order that this contract be legitimately valid from the Shar'a (divine revelation) point of view, it must contain the Shar'a conditions of the contract. If it contains such conditions it becomes valid, otherwise not. From the Shar'a point of view, the contract should apply upon an object (‘ayn) or a benefit. So if it did not apply upon either a thing or benefit it would be invalid, because it would not apply upon a matter that makes it a legitimate contract. This is so because the legitimate (Shar'a) contract applies either to a thing/object in exchange (for something else) as is the case with selling, company and the like, or it applies upon a thing without an exchange like the gift. Or it applies upon a benefit in exchange for compensation like leasing, or to a benefit without compensation like lending. Thus the legitimate contract must apply upon something.
The insurance is not a contract that applies upon an object or a benefit; rather it is a contract that applies upon a pledge i.e. guarantee (dhamana). The pledge or the guarantee does not represent an object for it cannot be consumed (istahlak) nor its benefit used; nor does it represent a benefit, because no benefit derives from that guarantee itself either by leasing or by lending. As for obtaining money based upon this pledge/promise, this is not considered its benefit; rather it is a result of a transaction. Therefore, the insurance contract is not considered to apply upon a thing or a benefit, and it does not include all of the conditions required by the Shar'a in a legitimate contract, so it is void.
Public Limited Companies (PLC)
Today many Muslims are involved in buying and selling shares in PLC companies on the stock markets. PLC companies are basically companies which float on the stock exchange to generate capital by selling shares, however when people buy these shares they do not have any liability on the company such as being liable for its debts or the business it engages in.
Islam prohibits Public limited companies and prohibits the stock market. There are many evidences from the Quran and Sunnah for this. E.g. Islam does not allow people not to pay their debts and if they are partners in a company they must repay the debts which the company owns therefore having the current share system is prohibited because the owners of the shares and not liable for any of the debts of the company. The Prophet (saw) said:
“He who takes money from people with the intention of paying it back, Allah will pay on his behalf, and he who takes it with the intention to waste it Allah will waste him.”
Other examples
There are many other economic ahkam that we may break due to ignorance, I will not go into their details – however we can read about them in our culture like in the book the Economic system of Islam and you can ask about them in the question and answer session.
For example:
Prohibition of transporting haram goods
If the prohibited goods which one wants to transport is alcohol then moving it is Haraam due the hadeeth mentioned regarding it. If its other goods such as canned meat of animals not slaughtered according to the Sharee’ah way or pork; if one is moving them to destroy them or discard them in refuse containers then it is allowed. However, if they are moved in order to benefit from them or take a wage for doing that such as the worker in shops. If he is hired to stack them or move them then this would be Haraam because this comes under benefiting from the Haraam.
· Selling things you do not have is haram
· The 5 types of company structures in Islam
· The rules of currency exchange
· The rules of contracts
In conclusion, we must stick to the Shariah of Allah (swt) and not deviate from it at all:
The Prophet (saw) said: “Any action done not in accordance with what I have brought it is rejected”
May Allah (swt) give us the strength to fulfil his commands and be of the Mutaqoon.
As da’wa carriers it is vital that we all adhere to the Shariah of Allah (swt) completely, as we are Muslims first and then da’wa carriers. Therefore we are all Ibadallah – slaves of Allah (swt) and are obligated to follow all of his commands and avoid all of his prohibitions.
As da’wa carriers we would be hypocrites if we were calling for the implementation of the shariah and not following the shariah ourselves.
The Muslim is commanded to conduct his actions according to the Shari'ah rules. Allah (swt) says:
"No by your God, they shall not have true belief until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decision, but accept it with the fullest conviction." [TMQ 4-65]
He (swt) also says: "Whatever the Messenger brought you take it and whatever he forbids you abstain from it and fear Allah." [TMQ 59-7]
Therefore, the Muslim should in principle abide by the Shari'ah rules. Besides the Shari'ah principle states: “Every action requires a shariah rule and every rule requires a daleel.” In other words, no matter should be given any rule whatsoever before the advent of the rule of Allah pertaining this matter. The Shariah rule is: “The address of the Legislator related to the actions of the servants.” Therefore, anything that has not been mentioned in the address of the Legislator cannot be considered a Shari'ah rule.
If a Muslim wanted to perform any action, it would be incumbent upon him to abide by the rule of Allah (swt) pertaining that action; thus, he must search for that rule until he recognises it and abides by it. This is what the verses and the Ahadith have indicated clearly. Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to undertake any action or to act towards anything in contradiction to the Shari'ah rule; he should rather abide by the Shari'ah rule in every action he undertakes and in every matter. After Allah (swt) revealed:
"Today, I have perfected your Deen for you, completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen." [TMQ 5-3]
And after He (swt) revealed: "And We have sent down to you the Book explaining everything." [TMQ 16-89]
There is not any action left without a Shariah rule and evidences that establish it from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is forbidden for anyone, having perceived these two verses, to claim that some actions and some things or some situations are devoid of the Shari'ah rule, meaning that Shari'ah has completely ignored.
Every action has a hukm either Wajib/Fard, or Mandub, or Haram, or Makruh or Mubah.
In fact the meaning of Taqwa itself is to follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah (swt).
The son of ‘Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have taqwa (al-muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”
‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”
Sometimes it is possible that we may overlook the details of the shariah rules when it comes to our lives and may even be unaware of them. This is unacceptable for the Muslim and especially the da’wa carrier.
So today I want to give some examples which we think are relevant to us in terms of follwing the details of the shariah rules. As many of us come from backgrounds where we are not used to following the shariah rules in many areas. The areas I will focus upon are mainly to do with the social and economic rules.
Mixing between men & women
Islam has restricted the relationship between unrelated men and women and only allowed it in certain circumstances.
This separation is established by the overall Ahkam Shari'ah (divine rules) addressing the man separately, the woman separately, and both of them together. It is also established by the Qur'anic speech to women as women and men as men such as Allah's saying:
"The men and women who give charity and fasting men and women, and the men and women who guard their chastiity and the men and women who remember Allah much..." [Al- Ahzab: 35]and other verses. Such a segregated type of life is also reported as the actual practice in collective form since the days of the Prophet and throughout all the times of Islam.
In Islam, the basic principle of the interaction between men and women is segregation. This means that in all areas of life and in all places whether private or public, contact between men and women is generally prohibited. Many evidences establish the principle of not mixing between the sexes, and there are many ahadith which clarify that this is the case in both public and private areas:
Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "The best row for men is the front row, (furthest to the women's row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men)."
Ibn Umar said, "The Prophet prohibited men from walking between two women." Abu Daud.
Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) saw men and women outside the mosque moving side by side in the crowd. He stopped the women saying, "It is not proper for you to walk in the middle of the path, you had better walk along the walls."
This means that the Muslims should avoid contact with members of the opposite sex, whether Muslim or not, as a general rule. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, where the mixing or interaction between men and women is permitted in certain situations.
For example, it is permitted for men and women who are Mahrem to each other to mix freely for any purpose that Islam permits. As well, there are certain areas where it is permitted for non-Mahrem men and woman to interact with each other, such as for the purpose of Da'awa (invitation to Islam) or trade. However, the type of mixing that can occur here is not free, and is restricted by the shari'ah to be within certain guidelines and boundaries, and the Muslim must be sure to understand these before any type of mixing takes place. The ahkam (rules) to do with mixing also vary with regard to the kind of place in which the mixing takes place.
1) Medicine: It is allowed for men and women to mix for the purpose of seeking medical treatment. The Sahabiyat used to treat the Sahaba and the Prophet (saw) consented to that.
2) Da’wa: It is allowed for men and women to be present in the same class if the purpose of their mixing is learning about Islam or other types of education permitted by the Shari‘ah. The sister of Umar (ra) was being taught from the Quran by Khabab ibn Arrat (ra) with her husband when Umar entered upon them. It has been narrated that Umm Salamah and Aisha (ra) who used to do da'wa to men and women
3) Marriage: If a man is looking to marry a woman then he is allowed to talk to her about issues related to finding out about her and related to the marriage. A man came to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) to ask about marrying a girl and the Prophet (saw) told him to go and see her i.e. see her in her Mahram’s presence.
4) Duress or Compulsion: At times of absolute necessity or emergency, such as earthquakes, war or hurricanes, the necessary mixing is permitted for men and women in order to remove any danger or threat.
5) State arrest: The evidence for this is from Uthman and Umar (ra) said, "O women, cover yourselves we are entering" and he entered a house to arrest someone with his army and there was Ijma of the Sahaba (consensus of the companions) on this.
6) Eating: In Surah Nur Allah (SWT) says:
“The blind is not to be blamed, the crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed, just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from Allah that is blessed and good. Allah thus explains the revelations for you, that you may understand.” [TMQ 24:61]
For men and women to eat together is permitted in the places mentioned in the verse such as the home of your fathers or your friends as it says, “You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals”.
However people should be careful that even though eating together with the women at a friends house is permitted that they should leave once they have eaten and beware of socialisation with the opposite sex which would be exceeding the permit.
7) Silat ar-rahm (maintaing the relationship between kith and kin): It is allowed for non-maharam relatives to sit with their non-maharam (people to whom marriage is permitted) for the sake of silat ar-rahm as long as it is without khalwah (privacy). There exist a number of hadith concerning the keeping of good relations with the relatives.
It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever loves that he be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin". It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah created His creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me)". On that Allah (swt) said: "Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severes your ties?" On that it said, "Yes, Oh my Lord!" Then Allah (swt) said: "That is for you".
However it is not allowed to mix for the purpose of entertainment or just to socialise. For example the Prophet (saw) used to leave when Aisha (ra) friends used to come as it is not allowed to socialise with your sisters or wives friends if they are not related. Another example which is common today is the mixed weddings.
The Mixed party in weddings is haram. This includes the entrance of the bridegroom to the women’s room, sitting on the bridal throne besides his bride, taking photos for and the celebration of the women with him, when they are usually uncovered particularly if they are not mahrem to him. All of such mixing is haram as it mixing for a purpose which Islam did not allow i.e. entertainment. There should be separate halls for men and women or there should be a partition which would stop the women being seen, this should be at least a shoulder height partition.
We know that in reality today many weddings contradict these ahkam and even before the weddings such as mixed mehndi parties where the women and her friends play tricks on the groom to be and his friends. I know many brothers look for the halal alternatives – so when they attend their relatives weddings they ask to sit in a separate room or place which is physically segregated from the women. This creates problems with some relatives and families who do not follow and understand the shariah rules. But as Muslims we must understand that life is a test – in these are part of the tests from Allah (swt).
In some places the da’wah carriers are tested with their lives through torture, removal from their jobs, arrest and harassment of their families and they stick to the Deen. So who are we, if we cannot stick to the shariah rules just due to upsetting some people or our relatives?
Khulwa - Seclusion
Khulwa relates to the presence of a non-Mahrem man and women being on their own together without the presence of a Mahrem or any other person. This could happen in a private place, or a public place. In either case Khalwa is forbidden from Islam, and both the man and women involved are sinful.
Khalwa in a private place: This could occur in any place that requires permission for entry, such as a house or bedroom in a residence building.
Khalwa in a Public Place : This could occur in any public place whose nature is that no other person people would be likely to pass by or come there. Such a place would be in a forest or an isolated room in a university or at work.
Muhammad (saw) said, "If a man and a woman are alone together in an isolated place, then the third is Shaitan."
Responsibility to family
Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6].
This Ayah makes it obligatory upon us to maintain ourselves and our direct family such as our children, wives, brothers and sisters abide by the ahkam shariah and avoid the hellfire.
There are different shariah rules dealing with the different types of direct relations. I will address some aspects of these rules which we feel are relevant:
Children: It is our Fard to culture our children with the understanding of the Deen and to encourage them in following the shariah rules.
Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud that the Prophet (saw) said: ‘Order your children to pray at the age of 7 and beat them when they are 10 (if they do not pray) and separate their beds.’
This means that we have to order our children to pray – we are responsible for this. They should pray at 7 years old and if they do not by 10 years we should beat them lightly, this does not mean that we beat them heavily in a haram way. The scholars said that the beating meant here is by a miswak and not harshly – it is more for the psychological effect.
It is not allowed to leave our children to be cultured by the Kufr society around us such that they are left for ours absorbing the corruption from Zee TV and the bollywood movies – without refuting such corruption and working to build the Islamic personality within them. It is not acceptable for them to start imitating the practises of the Kuffar while we do nothing, for example – when children participate in school events like Valentines day or celebrating the festivals of the Mushriks and Kuffar. The Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them”.
If we spend so much time trying to ensure that our children get good education then how can we ignore their culturing with Islam?
How do we fulfil this duty? The Prophet (saw) said, “Each one of you is a guardian and he is responsible…The man is a Shepard and he is responsible over his family”. The Prophet (saw) also said, “If you see a munkar change it with your hand, if you cannot then with your tongue and if you cannot then hate it in your heart and that is the weakest of Iman”.
So if we are capable and the shariah has given us the right to stop a munkar by our hand then we are obliged to do so. So for example for our daughters we can prohibit them from leaving the house if they do not wear the Hijab and Jilbab as we are their fathers and shariah has given us this right. Also we can make our children pray.
However the meaning of changing the munkar means that we should attempt to change their thinking and behaviour – not just to prohibit them in a robotic manner but to change their concepts and criterion for action. This means we must make the attempt to engage in da’wa with them.
Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Teach your children and teach them properly”. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Act upon the obedience to Allah and avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and order your children to abide by the commandments of Allah and to avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and by that you protect yourself and them from the Hellfire.” [Ibn Jurayr]
Allowing children (under the age of puberty) to be sent to schools where Kufr is taught to them is haram.
There are general texts regarding seeking knowledge. He (saw) said: ‘Seek knowledge’. This is general (‘aam) and includes all types of knowledge. So it is allowed for the Muslim to learn any discipline/science but if these sciences lead to a harm (Darar) then learning such sciences would be forbidden and the other sciences would remain permitted in accordance with the Shari’ah principle which states: ‘If any aspect of a permitted thing leads to a harm, then that aspect is prohibited, but the thing remains permitted’. Hence learning something, which causes one to deviate from the beliefs (‘aqaa’id) is considered a harm and learning such harmful ideas will weaken and effect children easily. Therefore, it is forbidden to send children to schools of the Kuffar, which teach the Kufr thoughts and beliefs on the primary level. This is because children are affected by what they learn at this level, and the family is ordered to protect its family members from the Fire of hell. Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6]. Protecting their children from the fire would be by not sending them to the schools of the Kuffar that teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts.As for the existing schools of the Kuffar in the Muslim lands which teach the same curriculum taught in Muslim schools, it is not forbidden to send ones children to them. This is because their reality differs from the schools of the Kuffar in Kafir countries, which teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts. Also, just because one of the teachers is a Christian does not mean it is forbidden to study in this school, because the education is linked to the curriculum taught. So if Kufr beliefs and thoughts are not taught in a primary school and the lessons are from the general sciences then it is allowed for children to study there, whether the teachers are Muslims or if one of them is a Christian. If the one who teaches Kufr beliefs and thoughts is a Muslim it is Haram for the children to learn this from him. The fact that the teacher is a Muslim does not make the children’s study of Kufr thoughts and beliefs from him Halal.
Wives:
Allah (swt) said: “The man is the guardian of the woman”
This means that the man is the Amir and guardian of the household but not the master as people conventionally portray. Guardianship means responsibility. Similar to our children we have a duty to embed Islam within our wives. When many of us came into the da’wa we may have already been married for a number of years and our wives may not have been practising Islam fully. However this does not mean that we become da’wa carriers and we leave our wives as they are and make minimal attempts to change them and make them Islamic personalities and da’wa carriers as well.
We are not absolved from the duty to build Islam within our wives and making them adhere to the shariah rules just because we are da’wa carriers. We cannot just leave our wives to be cultured by the Bollywood movies and kufr propagated in the media and society. We should aspire to make our wives like Aisha (ra), Khadija (ra) and the other wives of the Prophet (saw).
Economic issues
We have to be careful of being affected by secularism such that we separate Islam from our lives such as our economic dealings. We must seek the hukm shari before undertaking any actions.
In this area there are many issues which can be overlooked. I will not go into the issue of Riba as it is well known that it is haram in all its forms whether giving, taking or being part of the transaction of Riba even as a witness. I have selected issues that sometimes may be overlooked.
Rishwah (Bribery)
The system of Rishwah or bribery is very common in most of the third world for example bribing the police, government officials such as for getting planning permission for building or maintaining electricity or water supplies, education officers and the like.
Bribery is basically when someone in any position takes an action which is not obliged upon him by his contract in exchange for money or another benefit. So as an example you get stopped by police for something and you pay them to let you go. Bribery is not a wage, as the wage is defined according the legitimate shariah contract.
Bribery is forbidden by the explicit texts. Ahmad and Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi and ibn Majah narrated from Abdullah bin Amur who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Allah cursed the briber (rashi) and bribe-taker (murtashi).” Ahmad narrated from Tawban who said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed the briber, bribe-taker and the mediator meaning the one who walks between the two.” These ahadith are general covering all bribery whether it is seeking a right or something null whether it is seeking to repel a harm or gain a benefit, to remove imposing injustice; all are forbidden. There is no illah or shariah reason for why bribery is haram. It is haram in all its forms, full stop as the texts are absolute on this issue.
Insurance
Today many forms of insurance exist such as insurance on property such as houses, life insurance, vehicle insurance and the like.
Insurance whether on life, goods, property or any of its numerous types is a contract. It is a contract between the insurance company and the insuring person in which the latter asks the insurance company to give him a promise (ta’ahud) that it will compensate him for that thing (‘ayn) which is spoilt or destroyed or for its price with regard to goods or property, or a certain sum of money with regard to life and the like. This takes place if the specified accident/incident (haadith) occurs within a defined period, in exchange for a certain amount of money (premium); and the (Insurance) company accepts this.
All forms of insurance are haram. Insurance is haram due to different reasons. One of the main reasons is:
It is a contract because it is an agreement between two parties, and it includes offer and acceptance, where the offer is from the insuring party and the acceptance is from the company. So in order that this contract be legitimately valid from the Shar'a (divine revelation) point of view, it must contain the Shar'a conditions of the contract. If it contains such conditions it becomes valid, otherwise not. From the Shar'a point of view, the contract should apply upon an object (‘ayn) or a benefit. So if it did not apply upon either a thing or benefit it would be invalid, because it would not apply upon a matter that makes it a legitimate contract. This is so because the legitimate (Shar'a) contract applies either to a thing/object in exchange (for something else) as is the case with selling, company and the like, or it applies upon a thing without an exchange like the gift. Or it applies upon a benefit in exchange for compensation like leasing, or to a benefit without compensation like lending. Thus the legitimate contract must apply upon something.
The insurance is not a contract that applies upon an object or a benefit; rather it is a contract that applies upon a pledge i.e. guarantee (dhamana). The pledge or the guarantee does not represent an object for it cannot be consumed (istahlak) nor its benefit used; nor does it represent a benefit, because no benefit derives from that guarantee itself either by leasing or by lending. As for obtaining money based upon this pledge/promise, this is not considered its benefit; rather it is a result of a transaction. Therefore, the insurance contract is not considered to apply upon a thing or a benefit, and it does not include all of the conditions required by the Shar'a in a legitimate contract, so it is void.
Public Limited Companies (PLC)
Today many Muslims are involved in buying and selling shares in PLC companies on the stock markets. PLC companies are basically companies which float on the stock exchange to generate capital by selling shares, however when people buy these shares they do not have any liability on the company such as being liable for its debts or the business it engages in.
Islam prohibits Public limited companies and prohibits the stock market. There are many evidences from the Quran and Sunnah for this. E.g. Islam does not allow people not to pay their debts and if they are partners in a company they must repay the debts which the company owns therefore having the current share system is prohibited because the owners of the shares and not liable for any of the debts of the company. The Prophet (saw) said:
“He who takes money from people with the intention of paying it back, Allah will pay on his behalf, and he who takes it with the intention to waste it Allah will waste him.”
Other examples
There are many other economic ahkam that we may break due to ignorance, I will not go into their details – however we can read about them in our culture like in the book the Economic system of Islam and you can ask about them in the question and answer session.
For example:
Prohibition of transporting haram goods
If the prohibited goods which one wants to transport is alcohol then moving it is Haraam due the hadeeth mentioned regarding it. If its other goods such as canned meat of animals not slaughtered according to the Sharee’ah way or pork; if one is moving them to destroy them or discard them in refuse containers then it is allowed. However, if they are moved in order to benefit from them or take a wage for doing that such as the worker in shops. If he is hired to stack them or move them then this would be Haraam because this comes under benefiting from the Haraam.
· Selling things you do not have is haram
· The 5 types of company structures in Islam
· The rules of currency exchange
· The rules of contracts
In conclusion, we must stick to the Shariah of Allah (swt) and not deviate from it at all:
The Prophet (saw) said: “Any action done not in accordance with what I have brought it is rejected”
May Allah (swt) give us the strength to fulfil his commands and be of the Mutaqoon.
Saturday, 17 October 2009
How to establish public opinion?
It is noted that governments in general fear public opinion and give it a great deal of attention; they value public opinion highly and realise its effect, this is why they tend to monitor it closely.
In times of war and disturbances, the control of public opinion becomes all the more significant, and governments move swiftly to quell any public opinion against them. In times of peace their control of public opinion becomes more relaxed; however if they felt that some concepts which may damage their credibility were being spread they at once move to quell them and prevent them from provoking a public opinion against them, also if they sensed that some concepts or news items may trigger a public opinion against them, they would soon take the initiative to combat such items and prevent it.
In the Second World War, we witnessed the warring governments controlling public opinions closely, preventing the spread of opinions and concepts which would threaten them and become a potential unfavourable public opinion; and in the wake of the Second World War, when an agreement between the U.S. and Russia was struck about spreading the concepts of freedom, independence and progress in the colonised countries; Russia had meant eradicating colonialism and the U.S. meant changing the style of colonialism. In order to resist this, the other colonial powers took steps towards fighting those concepts by either resisting and suppressing them or by attempting to implant them and give them an erroneous significance and a reality contradictory to their essence.
When Hizb ut-Tahrir came on the scene, carrying the concept of the Islamic state, all the governments consented that it should be resisted and that its opinions should be stopped in their tracks lest they turned into a public opinion against them. And when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was sent, Quraysh did not budge at first, however when she sensed that his Message threatened to turn into a public opinion, she soon moved to resist it and prevent it from turning into a public opinion. Therefore, almost as a rule, every government tends to fight any concept or opinion or news item that could potentially turn into a public opinion against it.
So what is the method which these governments adopt in fighting the public opinion?
In answer to this, it is noted that governments tend to concentrate their efforts in combatting the concepts and opinions which could potentially become public opinions, this is done by banning these concepts and opinions from being broadcast in public places, whether by way of direct talk such as oratory or ordinary talk, or by way of indirect contact such as writing in newspapers, magazines and books. The government’s work is concentrated chiefly in preventing public debates; as for the private talks, the governments do not make an issue of it. It is true that in some cases they tend to clamp down on private meetings, but this in fact happens rarely and it is usually taken up by regimes which do not realise the meaning of rule, and such cases are actually isolated and do not form part of the government’s strategy; therefore they are not considered part of the government’s work designed to combat the concepts which could turn into a public opinion.
As far as a political party is concerned, governments tend to prevent the party from holding any public activity; they ban the leaflets, magazines, newspapers, books, speeches and public talks whether in the streets, mosques, or cafes etc... As for the study circles and talks in private places, governments have never made it their business to ban them, however it is known that there were some isolated cases which took place in certain countries and these were very rare and not in fact based on governments’ initiatives and directives, thus they do not form part of the governments’ drive in combatting the concepts which could become public opinions. In reality, no attempts have been made to ban the activities taking place in private places such as study circles and talks; if the governments had wanted to ban the circles in the way they banned the speeches and public talks they would have been able to do so, in the same way they managed to ban leaflets. If they did not do so, this is because they did not make it the focus of their attention and because their method of preventing the concepts from turning into public opinion is by banning the spread of the concepts, opinions and news in the public places.
This is also noted in the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), Quraysh was very anxious to prevent the Messenger of Allah (SAW) from talking in public places; the disbelievers used to first send someone to counter the talk of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), they then resorted to harming and persecuting him in order to prevent him from talking to people in public places; they also used to prevent Abu Bakr from praying in his mosque which he built by his house.
This indicates that the method which the rulers used to prevent the concepts is to ban the public talks; this also indicates that the effective way of bringing about a public opinion is by talking to people in the public places.
Therefore, the method of generating public opinion would be by talking to people in public places. However, the talk in public places could be conducted privately with one or several persons, such as talking to persons in a cafe while sitting at an isolated table in a way that would not enable other persons to come and listen to the talk, or such as talking privately to a patient in a hospital; this type of talk would not help generate a public opinion, the talk must be open so that it is heard by whomever wants to listen. Also, one could talk in the streets or the mosque or the cafe in way that enables anyone to listen, however, the speaker may give some general and vague concepts and he may attempt concealing what he really wanted to say, this would also not generate public opinion for the listener and whoever wanted to listen may not be able to realise what the talk is about and therefore he would not be able to pass it on to others; the talk must therefore be frank and clear.
Furthermore, the speaker could be delivering a clear and frank talk, and when he sees a government agent he keeps silent, or when he reaches a point which he knows that the listener does not agree with, he abstains or avoids the subject; this also does not establish public opinion, the talk should not contain any reservations so that the concept is conveyed clearly and completely as it stands, in order to enable it to be spread in full and in detail.
Therefore, to bring about a public opinion, the talk must be held in public, openly, clearly, frankly and without any reservations, and this could be carried out in two ways:
1 - The indirect contact by way of newspapers, leaflets and books.
2 - The direct contact such as through speeches and conversations.
The indirect talk would generate a public opinion but it does not initiate a public awareness nor does it help the building of a popular base.
The public opinion which we aim to generate is the one that emanates from a general awareness, and the one which we aim to build, upon a popular base. And this cannot be brought about unless the contact is direct and personal.
Therefore, the public opinion which we aim at generating is the one carried out by way of talking personally to people in the public places openly, frankly and without any reservations. And this is what is known as the popular contact. Therefore, the method of generating the desired public opinion is to conduct the popular contact.
However, it should be known that the meaning of popular contact in this context has no link with the slogans which are being trumpeted nowadays such as the popular leadership and popular reaction etc, it is rather a specific term which has been put to indicate a certain reality.
And what is nowadays being repeated is merely a group of terms which have been taken from what the Westerners have written in the books of psychology and sociology about the groups, their establishment and their formation. These terms convey the wrong meaning for two reasons: One is because when the psychologists and sociologists wrote about these issues they did so on the basis that those events were partial, then they erred when they made general analogies with all the events; therefore, what they wrote formed part of the general analogy and that was wrong. Besides, some of what was written was based on logical deductions and not a sense of reality; the logical deduction is prone to error, for it is a host of theories which have been logically deduced and then taken as principles, to base actions upon these would be wrong without any doubt, therefore it would be wrong to consider them.
The second is because those who repeat such slogans try to implement them on events which are different to the one they had been theoretically designed for. Therefore they go wrong when they attempt to implement them, thinking that the theories are correct, they therefore contradict themselves, they sometimes say : “The shallow minded masses”, other times they would say: “The masses have become aware”. Awareness contradicts shallow mindedness, therefore, what is being said about the masses by those affected by the western culture should be disregarded, a look at reality would be the appropriate approach.
In fact the masses mean the group that is gathered permanently. The various groups are usually found in public places, it would be very rare to come across various groups in private places, although a group would be gathered in a private place, however such group cannot be called masses. And what is meant here is to talk or communicate with the groups that are gathered permanently. Therefore the right term to describe the popular contact would be talking to the people in the public places.
Attention should here be drawn to a couple of matters:
1 - The popular contact does not mean talking to the group or the groups, but talking to people in the places where the groups i.e. the masses are to be found, regardless of whether the talk is to one person, or to a group or groups, this means talking in the public places; therefore, talking to a group in a private place, as for instance talking to a group in a house would not be regarded as popular contact, on the other hand talking to one single person in a well frequented shop or in the streets would be considered popular contact and this could generate public opinion, thus that which is of consequence would be the place where the talk is held and the situation of the talk, not the group or the individual.
Therefore, when the governments decide to prevent a public opinion they tend to ban the talks in the public places even to one person, whereas they do not attempt to ban the talks held in private places even if it were to a group; the house raids which take place during a state of emergency to ban a meeting are a rare occurrence and isolated cases which do not form part of a method or a strategy, this type of ban is in fact to prevent a conspiracy and not to prevent a public opinion.
2- The popular contact is not talking to society, thus it would be inappropriate in this context to monitor the type of existing relationships between people, it is rather talking to people with the aim of conveying to them concepts or opinions or news which the people would in turn talk about and transmit and spread, thus the aim would be to get them to talk about those concepts and opinions. Therefore, no difference should be made between a town and a village, nor between a rich area and a poor area, nor between a Muslim and a non-Muslim area, nor between a capitalist society and an Islamic one; the same path should be tread in any place and with every group, as long as the talk is taking place in a public place regardless of any other consideration.
This is the nature of the popular contact: To talk personally, openly, frankly, clearly and without any reservations to people in public places.
This contact would be in various situations, some of which are:
-To talk openly in the streets.
-To talk openly in the cafes.
-To talk openly in the mosques.
-To talk openly in the hotels and the offices.
-To talk openly in the governmental departments.
-To talk openly in the well frequented public baths and not the deserted beaches or river banks.
-To talk openly in the car, train, plane etc..
-To talk openly in the hospital and the doctor’s surgery.
-To talk openly in public parks.
-To talk openly at radio and television stations and using loud speakers.
All these are situations where the popular contact could take place and where one can choose the situation he wants or the one that could be made available to him. As for the types of popular contact they are confined to what could be actually spoken, for instance the oratory is one type, the other type would be ordinary talk which includes debates, discussions and lectures; all these types are widely available to everyone, if one could not make a speech he could hold an ordinary talk and if one cannot give a lecture he could take part in a debate or a discussion.
As for the styles of popular contact, these are not restricted, but they are determined by the nature of the contact; a person for instance could use the style of opposition to an action or an opinion, or he could ask about an action or an opinion or something, he could also draw attention to something or to an action or to an opinion; and there are numerous other styles where the originality could reap tangible results and shorten the time of generating a public opinion.
This is the method of generating the desired public opinion, which is to carry out the popular contact in any of its various situations and in any of its types and in styles where originality is apparent.
In times of war and disturbances, the control of public opinion becomes all the more significant, and governments move swiftly to quell any public opinion against them. In times of peace their control of public opinion becomes more relaxed; however if they felt that some concepts which may damage their credibility were being spread they at once move to quell them and prevent them from provoking a public opinion against them, also if they sensed that some concepts or news items may trigger a public opinion against them, they would soon take the initiative to combat such items and prevent it.
In the Second World War, we witnessed the warring governments controlling public opinions closely, preventing the spread of opinions and concepts which would threaten them and become a potential unfavourable public opinion; and in the wake of the Second World War, when an agreement between the U.S. and Russia was struck about spreading the concepts of freedom, independence and progress in the colonised countries; Russia had meant eradicating colonialism and the U.S. meant changing the style of colonialism. In order to resist this, the other colonial powers took steps towards fighting those concepts by either resisting and suppressing them or by attempting to implant them and give them an erroneous significance and a reality contradictory to their essence.
When Hizb ut-Tahrir came on the scene, carrying the concept of the Islamic state, all the governments consented that it should be resisted and that its opinions should be stopped in their tracks lest they turned into a public opinion against them. And when the Messenger of Allah (SAW) was sent, Quraysh did not budge at first, however when she sensed that his Message threatened to turn into a public opinion, she soon moved to resist it and prevent it from turning into a public opinion. Therefore, almost as a rule, every government tends to fight any concept or opinion or news item that could potentially turn into a public opinion against it.
So what is the method which these governments adopt in fighting the public opinion?
In answer to this, it is noted that governments tend to concentrate their efforts in combatting the concepts and opinions which could potentially become public opinions, this is done by banning these concepts and opinions from being broadcast in public places, whether by way of direct talk such as oratory or ordinary talk, or by way of indirect contact such as writing in newspapers, magazines and books. The government’s work is concentrated chiefly in preventing public debates; as for the private talks, the governments do not make an issue of it. It is true that in some cases they tend to clamp down on private meetings, but this in fact happens rarely and it is usually taken up by regimes which do not realise the meaning of rule, and such cases are actually isolated and do not form part of the government’s strategy; therefore they are not considered part of the government’s work designed to combat the concepts which could turn into a public opinion.
As far as a political party is concerned, governments tend to prevent the party from holding any public activity; they ban the leaflets, magazines, newspapers, books, speeches and public talks whether in the streets, mosques, or cafes etc... As for the study circles and talks in private places, governments have never made it their business to ban them, however it is known that there were some isolated cases which took place in certain countries and these were very rare and not in fact based on governments’ initiatives and directives, thus they do not form part of the governments’ drive in combatting the concepts which could become public opinions. In reality, no attempts have been made to ban the activities taking place in private places such as study circles and talks; if the governments had wanted to ban the circles in the way they banned the speeches and public talks they would have been able to do so, in the same way they managed to ban leaflets. If they did not do so, this is because they did not make it the focus of their attention and because their method of preventing the concepts from turning into public opinion is by banning the spread of the concepts, opinions and news in the public places.
This is also noted in the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), Quraysh was very anxious to prevent the Messenger of Allah (SAW) from talking in public places; the disbelievers used to first send someone to counter the talk of the Messenger of Allah (SAW), they then resorted to harming and persecuting him in order to prevent him from talking to people in public places; they also used to prevent Abu Bakr from praying in his mosque which he built by his house.
This indicates that the method which the rulers used to prevent the concepts is to ban the public talks; this also indicates that the effective way of bringing about a public opinion is by talking to people in the public places.
Therefore, the method of generating public opinion would be by talking to people in public places. However, the talk in public places could be conducted privately with one or several persons, such as talking to persons in a cafe while sitting at an isolated table in a way that would not enable other persons to come and listen to the talk, or such as talking privately to a patient in a hospital; this type of talk would not help generate a public opinion, the talk must be open so that it is heard by whomever wants to listen. Also, one could talk in the streets or the mosque or the cafe in way that enables anyone to listen, however, the speaker may give some general and vague concepts and he may attempt concealing what he really wanted to say, this would also not generate public opinion for the listener and whoever wanted to listen may not be able to realise what the talk is about and therefore he would not be able to pass it on to others; the talk must therefore be frank and clear.
Furthermore, the speaker could be delivering a clear and frank talk, and when he sees a government agent he keeps silent, or when he reaches a point which he knows that the listener does not agree with, he abstains or avoids the subject; this also does not establish public opinion, the talk should not contain any reservations so that the concept is conveyed clearly and completely as it stands, in order to enable it to be spread in full and in detail.
Therefore, to bring about a public opinion, the talk must be held in public, openly, clearly, frankly and without any reservations, and this could be carried out in two ways:
1 - The indirect contact by way of newspapers, leaflets and books.
2 - The direct contact such as through speeches and conversations.
The indirect talk would generate a public opinion but it does not initiate a public awareness nor does it help the building of a popular base.
The public opinion which we aim to generate is the one that emanates from a general awareness, and the one which we aim to build, upon a popular base. And this cannot be brought about unless the contact is direct and personal.
Therefore, the public opinion which we aim at generating is the one carried out by way of talking personally to people in the public places openly, frankly and without any reservations. And this is what is known as the popular contact. Therefore, the method of generating the desired public opinion is to conduct the popular contact.
However, it should be known that the meaning of popular contact in this context has no link with the slogans which are being trumpeted nowadays such as the popular leadership and popular reaction etc, it is rather a specific term which has been put to indicate a certain reality.
And what is nowadays being repeated is merely a group of terms which have been taken from what the Westerners have written in the books of psychology and sociology about the groups, their establishment and their formation. These terms convey the wrong meaning for two reasons: One is because when the psychologists and sociologists wrote about these issues they did so on the basis that those events were partial, then they erred when they made general analogies with all the events; therefore, what they wrote formed part of the general analogy and that was wrong. Besides, some of what was written was based on logical deductions and not a sense of reality; the logical deduction is prone to error, for it is a host of theories which have been logically deduced and then taken as principles, to base actions upon these would be wrong without any doubt, therefore it would be wrong to consider them.
The second is because those who repeat such slogans try to implement them on events which are different to the one they had been theoretically designed for. Therefore they go wrong when they attempt to implement them, thinking that the theories are correct, they therefore contradict themselves, they sometimes say : “The shallow minded masses”, other times they would say: “The masses have become aware”. Awareness contradicts shallow mindedness, therefore, what is being said about the masses by those affected by the western culture should be disregarded, a look at reality would be the appropriate approach.
In fact the masses mean the group that is gathered permanently. The various groups are usually found in public places, it would be very rare to come across various groups in private places, although a group would be gathered in a private place, however such group cannot be called masses. And what is meant here is to talk or communicate with the groups that are gathered permanently. Therefore the right term to describe the popular contact would be talking to the people in the public places.
Attention should here be drawn to a couple of matters:
1 - The popular contact does not mean talking to the group or the groups, but talking to people in the places where the groups i.e. the masses are to be found, regardless of whether the talk is to one person, or to a group or groups, this means talking in the public places; therefore, talking to a group in a private place, as for instance talking to a group in a house would not be regarded as popular contact, on the other hand talking to one single person in a well frequented shop or in the streets would be considered popular contact and this could generate public opinion, thus that which is of consequence would be the place where the talk is held and the situation of the talk, not the group or the individual.
Therefore, when the governments decide to prevent a public opinion they tend to ban the talks in the public places even to one person, whereas they do not attempt to ban the talks held in private places even if it were to a group; the house raids which take place during a state of emergency to ban a meeting are a rare occurrence and isolated cases which do not form part of a method or a strategy, this type of ban is in fact to prevent a conspiracy and not to prevent a public opinion.
2- The popular contact is not talking to society, thus it would be inappropriate in this context to monitor the type of existing relationships between people, it is rather talking to people with the aim of conveying to them concepts or opinions or news which the people would in turn talk about and transmit and spread, thus the aim would be to get them to talk about those concepts and opinions. Therefore, no difference should be made between a town and a village, nor between a rich area and a poor area, nor between a Muslim and a non-Muslim area, nor between a capitalist society and an Islamic one; the same path should be tread in any place and with every group, as long as the talk is taking place in a public place regardless of any other consideration.
This is the nature of the popular contact: To talk personally, openly, frankly, clearly and without any reservations to people in public places.
This contact would be in various situations, some of which are:
-To talk openly in the streets.
-To talk openly in the cafes.
-To talk openly in the mosques.
-To talk openly in the hotels and the offices.
-To talk openly in the governmental departments.
-To talk openly in the well frequented public baths and not the deserted beaches or river banks.
-To talk openly in the car, train, plane etc..
-To talk openly in the hospital and the doctor’s surgery.
-To talk openly in public parks.
-To talk openly at radio and television stations and using loud speakers.
All these are situations where the popular contact could take place and where one can choose the situation he wants or the one that could be made available to him. As for the types of popular contact they are confined to what could be actually spoken, for instance the oratory is one type, the other type would be ordinary talk which includes debates, discussions and lectures; all these types are widely available to everyone, if one could not make a speech he could hold an ordinary talk and if one cannot give a lecture he could take part in a debate or a discussion.
As for the styles of popular contact, these are not restricted, but they are determined by the nature of the contact; a person for instance could use the style of opposition to an action or an opinion, or he could ask about an action or an opinion or something, he could also draw attention to something or to an action or to an opinion; and there are numerous other styles where the originality could reap tangible results and shorten the time of generating a public opinion.
This is the method of generating the desired public opinion, which is to carry out the popular contact in any of its various situations and in any of its types and in styles where originality is apparent.
Monday, 15 June 2009
Science
Islamic Civilisation and Science
For the last two centuries the world has witnessed unprecedented leaps in science and technology, the development of railways, aeroplanes, nuclear technology, the internet, IVF, genetically modified food, penicillin, cloning and the development of nanotechnology. Such developments have taken place in parallel to the development of the West, reaching levels unheralded in history. The West today has monopolised technological and scientific progress and consider the adoption of liberal values a pre-requisite for development.
Most thinkers, scientists and philosophers claim Islam has no place in the world today, a view which itself is built upon the premise that none of the Muslim countries have produced anything in terms of scientific research or technological advancement. The West claims that progress in science and technology occurred when the West rid itself of the authority of the church and separated religion from life. For them the church stifled the development of science and reason, as religion is inherently built upon faith and superstition and, only with its removal from the public sphere, did the West manage to launch an industrial revolution and then flourish in Science. Today's liberals claim it is they who invented science as we know it, laid its foundations and created its numerous branches.
Such a narrative omits a number of historical developments that are not Western and shows how the West continued to view its history as the history of the world. Such a narrative also conveniently omits what the West took from previous civilisations and especially the Islamic civilisation. Historically all civilisations have been characterised with some form of technological and scientific development, the West has documented the contributions the Romans made to science and medicine, whilst the Islamic world in the 8th - 10th century translated the works of the Greeks in the area.
Science in essence is the study, research, and experimentation into the observable parts of the universe. The development of automobiles was due primarily to the development of the combustion engine; this is where the burning of fuel in an engine acts on the pistons causing the movement of the solid parts, eventually moving the automobile. This was possible due to the British Empire which originally used steam and then coal to drive pistons and then eventually to generate rotary (motion) to move machines. Such developments where based upon Al-Jazari's work in the 12th century where he invented the crankshaft, and created rotary motion through the use of rods and cylinders. He was the first to incorporate it into a machine.
The above example and a number of other examples show that no civilisation can lay claim to science belonging inherently to them but rather they made a contribution to this universal area. The fact atoms and molecules are subjected to the rules of the universe, which can be manipulated will not change if one is a Muslim, Christian or a liberal; this is something that is universal and not affected by ones belief. The real debate is therefore which civilisation made significant contributions to science and what exactly drove them to excel in the field.
The Islamic golden age, which is considered to be between the 8th and the 13th century, saw the Muslims rapidly progress in many fields. During this period, engineers, scholars and traders in the Islamic world contributed to the arts, agriculture, economics, industry, law, literature, navigation, philosophy, sciences, and technology, both by preserving and building upon earlier traditions and by adding to them. Howard Turner, an expert on medieval history mentioned in his book ‘Science in Medieval Islam,' "Muslim artists and scientists, princes and laborers together created a unique culture that has directly and indirectly influenced societies on every continent." There were a number of specific elements within Islam that motivated Muslims to excel in scientific and technological advancement.
The worship of Allah (swt) was one such factor that lead to a number of inventions, the times of the five daily prayers, the direction for qiblah (the direction Muslims face when praying) and the beginning and ending of Ramadan required accurate readings of the positions of the stars and the moon. It was due to this that Muslims began to invent observational and navigational instruments, this is why most navigational stars today have Arabic names, e.g. Acamar, Aldebaran, Altair, Baham, Baten Kaitos, Caph, Dabih, Edasich, Furud, Gienah, Hadar, Izar, Jabbah, Keid, Lesath, Mirak, Nashira, Okda, Phad, Rigel, Sadr, Tarf, and Vega. Muslims made a number of contributions to Astronomy and eventually to the development of the astronomical clock. A mechanical lunisolar calendar with gear train and gear-wheels was invented by Abu Rayhan al-Biruni in the 10th century. Based on such designs Taqi al-din invented the mechanical clock in the 15th century. The need to ascertain the Qibla, lead to the development of the compass, which itself was based upon the findings Muslim astronomers had collated. Muslims developed the compass which displayed the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map and nautical chart. Allah (swt) said in the Qur'an
"and it is He who ordained the stars for you that you may be guided thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea" (6:97).
This motivated Muslims to begin to find better observational and navigational instruments, thus most navigational stars today have Arabic names. Such instruments were used to explore the world, which many Muslim geographers collated into manuals. They were driven by the ayah in the Qur'an where Allah (swt) said
"and we have placed in the earth firm hills lest it quake with them and we have placed therein ravines as roads that happily they may find their way" (21:31).
Early Muslims understood that Islam views all the material matters, which include the sciences, technology and industry, as merely the study of the reality and a study of how matter can be manipulated to improve the condition and living standards of humanity. As many lands came under the folds of the Islamic civilisation, urbanisation led to a number of developments. Muslim engineers were able to overcome the scant water supplies of the Arabian Desert by developing canals from the Euphrates and Tigris. They also managed to drain the swamps around Baghdad and free the city of Malaria. Muslim engineers perfected the water-wheel and constructed elaborate underground water channels called qanats. This led to the development of advanced domestic water systems with sewers, public baths, drinking fountains, piped drinking water supplies and widespread private and public toilet and bathing facilities.
Muslims thinkers, scientists, engineers and experts made significant contributions to science as well as many other disciplines. Many of these contributions were later used by the West who made further contributions to the field. The nature of science as a universal subject means no single civilisation can lay claim to inventing it, but rather most civilisations have documented their contributions throughout history, which acted as previous information when experimentation was carried out by later civilisations. Prior to the emergence of Islam in the Middle East the host population made no contribution to science. When the very same people accepted Islam they made contributions which later generations utilised to invent new items, which today still remain with us. Islam rather then being an obstacle to scientific advancement was the trajectory that drove Muslim contribution to science.
Jared Diamond, a physiologist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book: "Guns, Germs, and Steel," said: "Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe; it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies. It invented windmills, trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather than from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse."
For the last two centuries the world has witnessed unprecedented leaps in science and technology, the development of railways, aeroplanes, nuclear technology, the internet, IVF, genetically modified food, penicillin, cloning and the development of nanotechnology. Such developments have taken place in parallel to the development of the West, reaching levels unheralded in history. The West today has monopolised technological and scientific progress and consider the adoption of liberal values a pre-requisite for development.
Most thinkers, scientists and philosophers claim Islam has no place in the world today, a view which itself is built upon the premise that none of the Muslim countries have produced anything in terms of scientific research or technological advancement. The West claims that progress in science and technology occurred when the West rid itself of the authority of the church and separated religion from life. For them the church stifled the development of science and reason, as religion is inherently built upon faith and superstition and, only with its removal from the public sphere, did the West manage to launch an industrial revolution and then flourish in Science. Today's liberals claim it is they who invented science as we know it, laid its foundations and created its numerous branches.
Such a narrative omits a number of historical developments that are not Western and shows how the West continued to view its history as the history of the world. Such a narrative also conveniently omits what the West took from previous civilisations and especially the Islamic civilisation. Historically all civilisations have been characterised with some form of technological and scientific development, the West has documented the contributions the Romans made to science and medicine, whilst the Islamic world in the 8th - 10th century translated the works of the Greeks in the area.
Science in essence is the study, research, and experimentation into the observable parts of the universe. The development of automobiles was due primarily to the development of the combustion engine; this is where the burning of fuel in an engine acts on the pistons causing the movement of the solid parts, eventually moving the automobile. This was possible due to the British Empire which originally used steam and then coal to drive pistons and then eventually to generate rotary (motion) to move machines. Such developments where based upon Al-Jazari's work in the 12th century where he invented the crankshaft, and created rotary motion through the use of rods and cylinders. He was the first to incorporate it into a machine.
The above example and a number of other examples show that no civilisation can lay claim to science belonging inherently to them but rather they made a contribution to this universal area. The fact atoms and molecules are subjected to the rules of the universe, which can be manipulated will not change if one is a Muslim, Christian or a liberal; this is something that is universal and not affected by ones belief. The real debate is therefore which civilisation made significant contributions to science and what exactly drove them to excel in the field.
The Islamic golden age, which is considered to be between the 8th and the 13th century, saw the Muslims rapidly progress in many fields. During this period, engineers, scholars and traders in the Islamic world contributed to the arts, agriculture, economics, industry, law, literature, navigation, philosophy, sciences, and technology, both by preserving and building upon earlier traditions and by adding to them. Howard Turner, an expert on medieval history mentioned in his book ‘Science in Medieval Islam,' "Muslim artists and scientists, princes and laborers together created a unique culture that has directly and indirectly influenced societies on every continent." There were a number of specific elements within Islam that motivated Muslims to excel in scientific and technological advancement.
The worship of Allah (swt) was one such factor that lead to a number of inventions, the times of the five daily prayers, the direction for qiblah (the direction Muslims face when praying) and the beginning and ending of Ramadan required accurate readings of the positions of the stars and the moon. It was due to this that Muslims began to invent observational and navigational instruments, this is why most navigational stars today have Arabic names, e.g. Acamar, Aldebaran, Altair, Baham, Baten Kaitos, Caph, Dabih, Edasich, Furud, Gienah, Hadar, Izar, Jabbah, Keid, Lesath, Mirak, Nashira, Okda, Phad, Rigel, Sadr, Tarf, and Vega. Muslims made a number of contributions to Astronomy and eventually to the development of the astronomical clock. A mechanical lunisolar calendar with gear train and gear-wheels was invented by Abu Rayhan al-Biruni in the 10th century. Based on such designs Taqi al-din invented the mechanical clock in the 15th century. The need to ascertain the Qibla, lead to the development of the compass, which itself was based upon the findings Muslim astronomers had collated. Muslims developed the compass which displayed the orientation of the cardinal directions, north, south, east and west on a map and nautical chart. Allah (swt) said in the Qur'an
"and it is He who ordained the stars for you that you may be guided thereby in the darkness of the land and the sea" (6:97).
This motivated Muslims to begin to find better observational and navigational instruments, thus most navigational stars today have Arabic names. Such instruments were used to explore the world, which many Muslim geographers collated into manuals. They were driven by the ayah in the Qur'an where Allah (swt) said
"and we have placed in the earth firm hills lest it quake with them and we have placed therein ravines as roads that happily they may find their way" (21:31).
Early Muslims understood that Islam views all the material matters, which include the sciences, technology and industry, as merely the study of the reality and a study of how matter can be manipulated to improve the condition and living standards of humanity. As many lands came under the folds of the Islamic civilisation, urbanisation led to a number of developments. Muslim engineers were able to overcome the scant water supplies of the Arabian Desert by developing canals from the Euphrates and Tigris. They also managed to drain the swamps around Baghdad and free the city of Malaria. Muslim engineers perfected the water-wheel and constructed elaborate underground water channels called qanats. This led to the development of advanced domestic water systems with sewers, public baths, drinking fountains, piped drinking water supplies and widespread private and public toilet and bathing facilities.
Muslims thinkers, scientists, engineers and experts made significant contributions to science as well as many other disciplines. Many of these contributions were later used by the West who made further contributions to the field. The nature of science as a universal subject means no single civilisation can lay claim to inventing it, but rather most civilisations have documented their contributions throughout history, which acted as previous information when experimentation was carried out by later civilisations. Prior to the emergence of Islam in the Middle East the host population made no contribution to science. When the very same people accepted Islam they made contributions which later generations utilised to invent new items, which today still remain with us. Islam rather then being an obstacle to scientific advancement was the trajectory that drove Muslim contribution to science.
Jared Diamond, a physiologist who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book: "Guns, Germs, and Steel," said: "Medieval Islam was technologically advanced and open to innovation. It achieved far higher literacy rates than in contemporary Europe; it assimilated the legacy of classical Greek civilization to such a degree that many classical books are now known to us only through Arabic copies. It invented windmills, trigonometry, lateen sails and made major advances in metallurgy, mechanical and chemical engineering and irrigation methods. In the middle-ages the flow of technology was overwhelmingly from Islam to Europe rather than from Europe to Islam. Only after the 1500's did the net direction of flow begin to reverse."
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Idea
INTRODUCTION
An ideology can generally be defined as a set of related concepts and beliefs that constitutes the basis of the political, economic, social system. Upon further scrutiny of the fundamentals and essence of any ideology and application, one arrives at the understanding that an ideology invariably includes a method or technique by which its ideas can be realised. Hence, we understand that an ideology consists of two main elements: Idea and Method.
In light of this, we must seek to confine all out actions, in the pursuit of the revival, to the method which emanates from our ideology. Failure to do this will result in our carrying out actions which do not emanate from the Islamic ideology, thus negating the Islamic goals and objectives.
In order to comprehend the realm of actions considered as part of the Islamic method, we must understand the nature and distinction of what constitutes Means, Style, and Plans as well as the concept of Strategy and Tactics.
IDEA (Fikrah)
The term Fikrah can be translated as an idea or thought. The most fundamental thought, the doctrine of creed, is termed the Aqeeda. The resultant thoughts and a system dealing with all aspects of life emanate from the Aqeeda.
Thus, the Idea - in the sense of it being one of the two elements of an ideology - can refer to the Aqeeda, and the resultant thoughts.
1. Aqeeda or doctrine itself is the fundamental thought about the universe, man and life.
'' Say, Allah is One.'' ( Al Ikhlas; 112:1 )
This ayah is an idea directly related to the Aqeeda.
2. Resultant rules ( Ahkam ) are derived from the doctrine and used for solving the issues of life in general.
'' ..Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba. '' ( Al Baqara; 2:225 )
This ayah results in thoughts related to specific relationships, i.e. the economy and acts of worship. Other ayat have thoughts related to the conditions for and conformation of the Khalifa, the Islamic viewpoint towards men and women, rules related to business transactions, food, clothing, etc.
METHOD (Tareeqah)
The method is the material manifestation of the idea which seeks to bring the ideology into application. The method addresses the following subjects;
A) Implementation of the solutions.
B) Preserving the Aqeeda ( creed ).
C) Conveying the ideology.
The Islamic method for the implementation of Islam in the society is through the Khalifa. The Khilafa is a complete structure of the state, tasked with over seeing the implementation of Islam in the affairs of life, including the Khalifa, his Executive and Delegated Assistants, the Judiciary, and the rest of the system.
To categorise an action as part of the method, it has to be validated by Daleel or evidence. Additionally, any action which is part of the method has to be validated by a Daleel to categorise it as such. For example, Jihad is a method from which many actions branch off. Each one of them is based on an evidence. For example, initiating combat of how Islam is to be presented to those whom we are to fight with, are all based on evidences. Other evidences specifically describe and clarify the circumstances in which fighting is allowed to be temporarily suspended. It becomes quite clear that these actions are part of the method which have to be adhered to by performing the acts exactly the way they were performed by the Prophet ( saaw ). Hence, it is totally forbidden to modify ( add, delete, or alter ) any of these acts. It is totally forbidden to deviate even slightly from these acts because they all stem from the method.
From the aforementioned, it is clear that the Idea and the Method comprise the Ideology. Therefore, both should be adopted and adhered to with a full and strong conviction because it is forbidden to adopt the Idea and relinquish the Method just as it is forbidden to adopt the Method and relinquish the Idea. Consequently, discarding the Salah is just as forbidden as forsaking the penalty of cutting the hand of the thief, and abandoning the payment of Zakah is just as forbidden as neglecting Jihad, and committing cannibalism is not any worse than conspiring against the Muslims, and drinking alcohol is just as forbidden as the political disunity of the Muslim Ummah. All of these thoughts and concepts are a coherent part of Islam which have to be adopted comprehensively because Allah, The Most High, says:
'' And you who believe is a part of The Book and disbelieve is a part. The punishment of those who do that among you is the humiliation in this life, and they will be subjected to the most severest chastisement in The Hereafter. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.''( Al Baqara; 2:285 )
Thus, Islam clarifies both the Idea and the Method and commands us to uphold and adhere to both of them and prohibits us from abandoning either one.
Now that the Idea and Method have been expounded upon, we will elucidate the Style, the Means, and the Plan of the Aqeeda. These three concepts may sound synonymous in meaning, but in reality they differ from one another. Each one of these terms has to be clearly defined so that we can deliver Islam in the correct manner, and the clarity of these terms has to maintained at all times to safeguard ourselves against any deviation from the correct path. One may question the importance of clarifying the differences amongst these terms and to define them separately.
The importance of realising these differences becomes quite relevant when we look in retrospect to the recent annals of Islamic history, where the Muslim Ummah could not distinguish between technology and culture. The Ummah imported and adopted many cultural elements from the Western civilisation.
The lack of understanding and awareness of the differences amongst the Style, the Means, and the Plan have led Muslims to the weakest and darkest period of their history and the Ummah is still suffering from the consequences of this lack of awareness. The Muslims took from the Western civilisation what Islam prohibited and renounced and left what Islam allowed them to adopt from it. Thus, it is important for the Muslims to fully understand the Style, the Means, and the Plan of the Aqeedah and to clearly distinguish between them.
THE STYLE ( Usloub )
The Style is an act which branches from the Method. However, it differs from the Method in that no Daleel is specifically prescribed for this type of action. In this instance, the Daleel for the fundamental act is considered as an enactment and reinforcement of the Style.
For example, in Jihad, there is evidence that compels us to prepare as much power as possible to fight the enemy.
''...And prepare as much power for them ( the enemy ) as possible. '' ( Al Anfal 8:60 )
This preparation entails many acts of preparation, such as using a specific style for manufacturing weapons, adopting certain military techniques styles and so on. All of these acts are implicitly included within the word 'prepare', so there is no need for evidence to prescribe each act since the general evidence that ordains the preparation is considered adequate for all of the acts.
Similarly, selecting one Khalifah for all Muslims is an act from which branches out several acts such as adopting certain procedures of election and tallying votes. Adopting certain styles to prepare a force against the enemy, and a certain procedure to select the Khalifah are all acts that do not need specifically prescribed evidence. The Style, which is a set of branching acts, assumes the same verdict or ruling as the one for the fundamental act without the need for a specific evidence. Adopting certain martial arts, a certain procedure of tallying votes, a certain traffic system and dividing the military forces into subdivisions are all considered styles adopted to accomplish a certain objective and allowed for adoption. The exception is when a specific style has to be adopted, in which case this specific style becomes obligatory because the legal rule states:
'' That which is required to accomplish the obligation, is itself obligatory.''
From this we can see that no one is obliged to follow a certain style ( except when a specific style is obligatory ) because it is considered to be a natural part of an individual's personality. For this reason, the style may differ from one person to another, such as in writing a letter, a book, or expressing oneself. Styles take on different forms and shapes and are receptive to changes from one situation to another.
Moreover, it is not prudent to be confined to a certain style as a standard upon which all other styles are evaluated. This is because one style may be very successful in a given situation and a total failure in some other situations. The Style is dictated by the nature of the action. For this reason, it is not accepted to be stagnant and depend upon certain styles in refusal of adopting and other style.
Moreover, it is obligatory that we relentlessly search for the most effective styles. In many instances, effective styles led to marvellous outcomes, like the manoeuvring of Khalid Bin Al-Walid when he withdrew his army in the Mut'ah battle. The outcome was that he saved the army from immanent destruction.
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN THE METHOD AND THE STYLE
Throughout the history of the Da'wah, one can see that there are many circumstances that clarify the differences between the Method and the Style, and that we are obliged to adopt and uphold the Method without any deviation. It should be made clear that we are not obliged to adopt a specific style. The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) is considered to be an inseparable and coherent part of Islam. The Sunnah explains and describes in detail, many thoughts and rules that are ordained in the Qur'an. The explanation and illustration of a certain thought has the same verdict and ruling as the thought itself. For example, how to pray is an illustration and enactment of the order of Allah to pray. Allah, The Most High ordained the performance of prayers and Hajj and its details. All of these acts carry the same verdicts as the thought itself because these acts only illustrate how these thoughts are to be enacted.
However, some of the acts of the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) were not an illustration of a thought. In this case, these acts need to have supporting evidences to prove that they are either obligatory, recommended, permissible, or are exclusively reserved for the Prophet (saaw). To know whether a given act of the Prophet (saaw) is obligatory, recommended, or allowed, rules outline in Usul ul Fiqh need to be considered.
By investigating the acts of the Prophet (saaw) throughout the different phases of the Islamic Da'wah, certain acts are part of the Method and others are part of the Style. The Prophet (saaw) conveyed Islam following a method and initiated some acts through the course of conveying Islam. It is obligatory to follow the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) when his (saaw) acts are considered to be a Method and recommended to follow when his (saaw) acts are only recommended.
For example, the method of the Prophet (saaw) in conveying Islam and moving from one phase of the Da'wah to the next and his initiation in every phase of a new act that was not done in the previous phase, and his persistence and perseverance to carry out the same acts despite the potential dangerous outcomes are all considered to be an abundant number of supporting evidences that these types of acts are obligatory and part of the method. Specifically, the fact that the Prophet (saaw) was relentlessly persistent in concentrating his effort on culturing individuals in sessions and educating the general public and his steadfastness and endurance in this act undoubtedly presents a mountain of supporting evidence that educating the public and the individuals is part of the Method. Consequently, it has to be adopted. The initiation of the second phase of the Islamic Da'wah by the Prophet (saaw) involved two acts which were not initiated in the first phase:
A) Addressing the abominable practices of the society in the manner mandated by Islam as when the Prophet (saaw) attacked fraud, cheating in the scales and burying of young girls.
B) His initiation to uncover the plots of the pagans against the Muslims as occurred during the war between the Romans and the Persians.
All of these acts indicate that uncovering the plots of the non-Muslims and addressing the issues of the society on the basis of Islam are part of the Method. The fact that the Prophet (saaw) initiated these kinds of acts in the second phase of the Da'wah, but not in the first, indicates that these specific acts are necessary and obligatory in that particular phase.
Also, the initiation of the Prophet (saaw) of seeking the protection for the conveyance of Islam and his persistence in doing so and his sending of Mus'ab Bin Umayr to Al-Madina indicates that seeking the protection for conveying Islam is part of the Method as well. Thus, to convey the Islamic Call, it is necessary to implant the Islamic thoughts into the life of the general public in the first phase of the Islamic Call. It was also necessary to uncover the plots of the non-Muslims and address the issues of society on the basis of Islam in the second phase of the Islamic Call. Subsequently it was necessary to establish the Islamic State, which is considered the third phase of the Islamic Call. Additionally, it was required to confront the ideology of the pagans and persevere in doing so. All of these are part of the Method. The persistence of the Prophet (saaw) and the initiation of these acts was to illustrate the obligation of these acts in conveying Islam. The evidence that these acts are obligatory is the ayah:
'' Indeed, there is an exemplary character in the Messenger (saaw) for you.'' ( Al-Ahzaab 33:21)
Following the steps of the Prophet (saaw) is accomplished by the initiating the acts which are performed by the Prophet (saaw) in the exact manner that the acts are carried out. This is an issue that is discussed in detail in the books of Al 'Usool. Imaam Al Qarafi dedicated one chapter in his book Al Furooq, in which he explained that what the Prophet (saaw) did as an Imaam or Qadi cannot be performed by anyone else unless he is an Imaam or Qadi, and what the Prophet did as a Caller to Islam is obligatory upon us as carriers of Islam.
Thus, it is not allowed, when we carry the message of Islam, to initiate any material actions prior to establishing the Islamic State, since only the Islamic State conducts a material struggle. This is because the Prophet (saaw) initiated material actions only when he became the Imaam of the Islamic State. For this reason, the Prophet (saaw) did not initiate any material actions in Makkah because he (saaw) was not ruler in Makkah.
In addition, we find that the Prophet (saaw) initiated some acts when he (saaw) was conveying the Message of Islam. The actions of educating the public took on different forms while the intensified education delivered in the private arena took on the forms of study circles ( like the sessions of Al Khabab). The speech addressed to the general public assumed different styles such as when the Prophet (saaw) invited some people to a meal with the objective of delivering the Message if Islam or when he stood on Al Safa and broadcast the call of Islam.
All these acts are to be considered branches from a fundamental concept, which in this case is public education. Here, the obligatory issue is public education but the but the style that were employed differed, and thus we are not obliged to follow the same styles adopted by the Prophet (saaw). We can speak to the people where people gather, such as the mosque, weddings, or funeral; through the media, such as buses, trains, planes, etc. Similarly, the Prophet (saaw) initiated a number of acts what he (saaw) was seeking protection. He (saaw) sought protection only from Muslim tribes and strong Muslim individuals.
Consequently, we can seek the protection of tribes, military commanders, or the masses as long as they are Muslim. These are classified as styles, which take on many forms and shapes according to the circumstances. Seeking protection from the positions of power does not change but the positions of power themselves may change. In summary, the style is defined as how a given obligatory issue is executed, not requiring a specific Daleel since it is already substantiated by the evidence for the main or root action and objective that may be pursued. For example, the preparation of forces to confront the enemy is an obligatory act that can be accomplished through many styles, that can be effectively used to accomplish the objective.
THE MEANS (Waseelah)
The Means are the physical tool that are permitted for adoption when initiating a particular act. Using a sheet of paper for writing, or a radio station for talk, or the sword as a means of fighting are all classified as a Means. The Qa'idah in 'Usul al Fiqh states that all objects are allowed except those that are specifically forbidden by textual evidence. For example, we can utilise ballot boxes as a means for election, we can adopt certain means of fighting such as possessing intercontinental ballistic missiles, or use satellites as a means for communication. Furthermore, we can address the people through a pamphlet, leaflet, or periodicals. All of these means are allowed. The Prophet (saaw) once sent someone to Yemen to master the manufacture of swords and adopted this new technology.
THE PLAN (Khittah)
The Plan is a general policy directed towards accomplishing a particular goal dictated by the 'Aqeedah and the Method. The Prophet (saaw) viewed this world from a specific perspective. He (saaw) conveyed the Message of Islam to the society at large. The Quraish in Makkah were the first State in Arabian Peninsula and a major obstacle in the path of the Islamic call. For this reason, we find that the Prophet (saaw) engineered the appropriate plan to deal with this obstacle. The plan reveals that the Prophet (saaw) sought to isolate the Quraish from the other tribes. So he (saaw) had the Quraish surrounded with tribes who submitted to Islam or who had peace treaties with the Muslims. Following this, the first task that the Prophet (saaw) performed after he (saaw) settled in Al Madina was to establish a treaty with the tribes who inhabited the are between Al Madina and the Red Sea, such the tribes of Johinah and Bani Doomarah and Ghaffar, and monitored the movements of the Quraish.
As a result of this plan, the battles of Badr, Uhud and Al Ahzaab occurred. Subsequently, when the Prophet (saaw) became aware of the communication between the tribe of Khaibar and Quraish, he (saaw) devised anther plan that established a treaty between the Muslims and the Quraish. This way, the Prophet (saaw) poured all his efforts to subdue Khaibar after he (saaw) could not establish any treaty with them. Then, the Prophet (saaw) initiated acts that would help accomplish the goal of this plan until it materialised in the treaty of Hudaybiah. Then, when he (saaw) subjugated Khaibar, Makkah was next, so he (saaw) engineered another plan that dictated the suppression of the Quraish. As a result, the conquest of Makkah took place.
The Prophet (saaw) devised another plan, to carry Islam outside as a universal Call. He (saaw) sent a letter to the Kings in the Arabian Peninsula and all the Kings of the surrounding lands. Letters were sent to the King of Egypt, Muqawqas; Emperor of Rome, Hercules; and the King of Persia, Kisrah. Thus, we find that the Prophet (saaw) devised plans to accomplish certain goal and changed the plans when the goal changed. In addition, the Prophet (saaw) adopted certain styles to accomplish a certain plan which he (saaw) initiated. Suppressing the Quraish dictated the monitoring of the Quraish and establishing communications with the tribes around Quraish. Also, establishing a treaty with the Quraish dictated certain acts that happened in the treaty of Al Hudaibiya, and certain manoeuvres performed by the Prophet (saaw) immediately prior to and after the ratification of the treaty. When a state implements plans, it does so to accomplish certain goals that are dictated by the policy of the state. When it is needed to change the plans, the state has to change them and it is forbidden not to abandon plans because it is necessary for the Islamic State to function as the leading state in the world.
Abandoning the execution of adopted plans means abandoning the message of Islam, which in turn means abandoning the leadership position which translates into the suppression of the State's power as was characterised by the Ottoman State towards its end. Planning is necessary for the State and for the Da' wah carriers because the Prophet (saaw) laid out plans in Makkah and in Madina. He (saaw) did not abandon planning any at any phase of the Islamic Call. Every phase of the Islamic Call may dictate a certain plan. For example, gaining the public support for the Islamic thought dictates interaction with the society, which in turn dictates living with the society. Living with the society does not happen until we enter the society. For this reason, entering the society is a necessary plan that dictates many styles and public speech and political struggle.
Two additional terms that one ought to be aware of are strategy and tactics. Initially, strategy and tactics were used as military terms. However, today they have a broader connotation. The relationship between the strategy and tactics is similar to the relationship between the plan and style.
THE STRATEGY (Estrateegya)
The strategy is defined as the art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or a group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war. The policies are built on the ideology of the nation. Some people also refer to this as the grand or higher strategy to distinguish it from the original purely military use of the word strategy. Since the war is nothing but an action to accomplish a goal, which the state could not accomplish by diplomacy, it is appropriate to discuss strategy in its broader meaning. The strategy deals with the entire theatre of operations of a state, at the diplomatic, economic, and military level. It is concerned with determining which resources the state will use and to what extent in order to achieve the objective. In other words, the strategy is the global plan to the State.
As an example, the Prophet's (saaw) objective was to carry Islam to the Arabs and non-Arabs. This required a strategy to enable the Islamic State to first, survive in and then dominate the Arabian Peninsula. In the regard, Muhammed (saaw) sought to isolate the major tribe, the Quraish, be entering into a series of treatise with her neighbours. The he (saaw) sought to politically and militarily engage the Quraish. As a result of this engagement, Muhammed (saaw) was able to neutralise Quraish. This enabled him (saaw) to dominate the Arabian peninsula, after which the state continued to carry Islam to the rest of humanity.
The Prophet's (saaw) objective was to carry Islam to the Arabs and non-Arabs. This required a strategy to enable the Islamic state to first dominate the arabian peninsula. First, in this regard, Muhammad (saaw) sought to isolate the major tribe, Quraish, by entering into a series of treaties with her neighbours. Then he (saaw) sought to politically and militarily engage the Quraish. As a result of this engagement, Muhammad (saaw) was unable to neutralise the Quraish. This enabled him (saaw) to dominate the Arabian peninsula, after which the Muslims continued to carry Islam to the rest of humanity.
THE TACTICS (Takteek)
The tactics, in warfare, is the art of fighting battles on land, on sea, and in the air and the execution of movements for attack or defence. In general, it is the art or skill employing available means to accomplish an end. It is concerned with the handling of one or more strategic resources in a specific manner to serve the object of strategy. Similar to a style, the tactics too will be based on what is thought to be effective at a particular time. It does not need a Daleel to make it permissible, unless if a specific tactic or style involves haram actions. If that is the case, then the tactic will be haram, i.e. sitting with people who are drinking wine with the objective of carrying the dawah to them.
The tactic requires creativity, as it will be a function of the situation that one is faced with. It should also be flexible, such that one would be able to adapt to the changing situation. For example, the Prophet (saaw) knew about the communications between the tribes of Khaibar and the Quraish. He (saaw) tried to cut off these communications. This was the tactic he adopted initially. When this failed, the Prophet (saaw) changed to a new plan, which was to establish a treaty with the Quraish. For this, he initiated new tactics, such as the Umrah to Mecca, and the stance he took during the campaign at Al-Hudaibiyah, near Mecca. Thus, the tactic changed during this campaign according to the new plan and circumstances.
For example, the Prophet (saaw) knew about the communications between the Khaibar and Quraish tribes, so he (saaw) tried to cut off these communications. He (saaw) first made contact with Khaibar to establish a treaty, but his attempts were of no avail. The Prophet (saaw) then changed his tactic to establishing a treaty with the Quraish. He (saaw) initiated actions or tactics to accomplish this goal. Thus, the tactic changed according to the circumstances.
These are the conventional meaning of these concepts that should be upheld and advocated by Muslims and especially the callers to Islam. Also, since the callers of Islam are future statesmen, they should develop and increase their awareness of all the issues that are related to these concepts. We should live up to the statement of Umar Bin Al-Khattab (ra), when he said: '' I am not a deceiver and the deceiver cannot deceive me.''
An ideology can generally be defined as a set of related concepts and beliefs that constitutes the basis of the political, economic, social system. Upon further scrutiny of the fundamentals and essence of any ideology and application, one arrives at the understanding that an ideology invariably includes a method or technique by which its ideas can be realised. Hence, we understand that an ideology consists of two main elements: Idea and Method.
In light of this, we must seek to confine all out actions, in the pursuit of the revival, to the method which emanates from our ideology. Failure to do this will result in our carrying out actions which do not emanate from the Islamic ideology, thus negating the Islamic goals and objectives.
In order to comprehend the realm of actions considered as part of the Islamic method, we must understand the nature and distinction of what constitutes Means, Style, and Plans as well as the concept of Strategy and Tactics.
IDEA (Fikrah)
The term Fikrah can be translated as an idea or thought. The most fundamental thought, the doctrine of creed, is termed the Aqeeda. The resultant thoughts and a system dealing with all aspects of life emanate from the Aqeeda.
Thus, the Idea - in the sense of it being one of the two elements of an ideology - can refer to the Aqeeda, and the resultant thoughts.
1. Aqeeda or doctrine itself is the fundamental thought about the universe, man and life.
'' Say, Allah is One.'' ( Al Ikhlas; 112:1 )
This ayah is an idea directly related to the Aqeeda.
2. Resultant rules ( Ahkam ) are derived from the doctrine and used for solving the issues of life in general.
'' ..Allah has permitted trading and forbidden Riba. '' ( Al Baqara; 2:225 )
This ayah results in thoughts related to specific relationships, i.e. the economy and acts of worship. Other ayat have thoughts related to the conditions for and conformation of the Khalifa, the Islamic viewpoint towards men and women, rules related to business transactions, food, clothing, etc.
METHOD (Tareeqah)
The method is the material manifestation of the idea which seeks to bring the ideology into application. The method addresses the following subjects;
A) Implementation of the solutions.
B) Preserving the Aqeeda ( creed ).
C) Conveying the ideology.
The Islamic method for the implementation of Islam in the society is through the Khalifa. The Khilafa is a complete structure of the state, tasked with over seeing the implementation of Islam in the affairs of life, including the Khalifa, his Executive and Delegated Assistants, the Judiciary, and the rest of the system.
To categorise an action as part of the method, it has to be validated by Daleel or evidence. Additionally, any action which is part of the method has to be validated by a Daleel to categorise it as such. For example, Jihad is a method from which many actions branch off. Each one of them is based on an evidence. For example, initiating combat of how Islam is to be presented to those whom we are to fight with, are all based on evidences. Other evidences specifically describe and clarify the circumstances in which fighting is allowed to be temporarily suspended. It becomes quite clear that these actions are part of the method which have to be adhered to by performing the acts exactly the way they were performed by the Prophet ( saaw ). Hence, it is totally forbidden to modify ( add, delete, or alter ) any of these acts. It is totally forbidden to deviate even slightly from these acts because they all stem from the method.
From the aforementioned, it is clear that the Idea and the Method comprise the Ideology. Therefore, both should be adopted and adhered to with a full and strong conviction because it is forbidden to adopt the Idea and relinquish the Method just as it is forbidden to adopt the Method and relinquish the Idea. Consequently, discarding the Salah is just as forbidden as forsaking the penalty of cutting the hand of the thief, and abandoning the payment of Zakah is just as forbidden as neglecting Jihad, and committing cannibalism is not any worse than conspiring against the Muslims, and drinking alcohol is just as forbidden as the political disunity of the Muslim Ummah. All of these thoughts and concepts are a coherent part of Islam which have to be adopted comprehensively because Allah, The Most High, says:
'' And you who believe is a part of The Book and disbelieve is a part. The punishment of those who do that among you is the humiliation in this life, and they will be subjected to the most severest chastisement in The Hereafter. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.''( Al Baqara; 2:285 )
Thus, Islam clarifies both the Idea and the Method and commands us to uphold and adhere to both of them and prohibits us from abandoning either one.
Now that the Idea and Method have been expounded upon, we will elucidate the Style, the Means, and the Plan of the Aqeeda. These three concepts may sound synonymous in meaning, but in reality they differ from one another. Each one of these terms has to be clearly defined so that we can deliver Islam in the correct manner, and the clarity of these terms has to maintained at all times to safeguard ourselves against any deviation from the correct path. One may question the importance of clarifying the differences amongst these terms and to define them separately.
The importance of realising these differences becomes quite relevant when we look in retrospect to the recent annals of Islamic history, where the Muslim Ummah could not distinguish between technology and culture. The Ummah imported and adopted many cultural elements from the Western civilisation.
The lack of understanding and awareness of the differences amongst the Style, the Means, and the Plan have led Muslims to the weakest and darkest period of their history and the Ummah is still suffering from the consequences of this lack of awareness. The Muslims took from the Western civilisation what Islam prohibited and renounced and left what Islam allowed them to adopt from it. Thus, it is important for the Muslims to fully understand the Style, the Means, and the Plan of the Aqeedah and to clearly distinguish between them.
THE STYLE ( Usloub )
The Style is an act which branches from the Method. However, it differs from the Method in that no Daleel is specifically prescribed for this type of action. In this instance, the Daleel for the fundamental act is considered as an enactment and reinforcement of the Style.
For example, in Jihad, there is evidence that compels us to prepare as much power as possible to fight the enemy.
''...And prepare as much power for them ( the enemy ) as possible. '' ( Al Anfal 8:60 )
This preparation entails many acts of preparation, such as using a specific style for manufacturing weapons, adopting certain military techniques styles and so on. All of these acts are implicitly included within the word 'prepare', so there is no need for evidence to prescribe each act since the general evidence that ordains the preparation is considered adequate for all of the acts.
Similarly, selecting one Khalifah for all Muslims is an act from which branches out several acts such as adopting certain procedures of election and tallying votes. Adopting certain styles to prepare a force against the enemy, and a certain procedure to select the Khalifah are all acts that do not need specifically prescribed evidence. The Style, which is a set of branching acts, assumes the same verdict or ruling as the one for the fundamental act without the need for a specific evidence. Adopting certain martial arts, a certain procedure of tallying votes, a certain traffic system and dividing the military forces into subdivisions are all considered styles adopted to accomplish a certain objective and allowed for adoption. The exception is when a specific style has to be adopted, in which case this specific style becomes obligatory because the legal rule states:
'' That which is required to accomplish the obligation, is itself obligatory.''
From this we can see that no one is obliged to follow a certain style ( except when a specific style is obligatory ) because it is considered to be a natural part of an individual's personality. For this reason, the style may differ from one person to another, such as in writing a letter, a book, or expressing oneself. Styles take on different forms and shapes and are receptive to changes from one situation to another.
Moreover, it is not prudent to be confined to a certain style as a standard upon which all other styles are evaluated. This is because one style may be very successful in a given situation and a total failure in some other situations. The Style is dictated by the nature of the action. For this reason, it is not accepted to be stagnant and depend upon certain styles in refusal of adopting and other style.
Moreover, it is obligatory that we relentlessly search for the most effective styles. In many instances, effective styles led to marvellous outcomes, like the manoeuvring of Khalid Bin Al-Walid when he withdrew his army in the Mut'ah battle. The outcome was that he saved the army from immanent destruction.
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN THE METHOD AND THE STYLE
Throughout the history of the Da'wah, one can see that there are many circumstances that clarify the differences between the Method and the Style, and that we are obliged to adopt and uphold the Method without any deviation. It should be made clear that we are not obliged to adopt a specific style. The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) is considered to be an inseparable and coherent part of Islam. The Sunnah explains and describes in detail, many thoughts and rules that are ordained in the Qur'an. The explanation and illustration of a certain thought has the same verdict and ruling as the thought itself. For example, how to pray is an illustration and enactment of the order of Allah to pray. Allah, The Most High ordained the performance of prayers and Hajj and its details. All of these acts carry the same verdicts as the thought itself because these acts only illustrate how these thoughts are to be enacted.
However, some of the acts of the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) were not an illustration of a thought. In this case, these acts need to have supporting evidences to prove that they are either obligatory, recommended, permissible, or are exclusively reserved for the Prophet (saaw). To know whether a given act of the Prophet (saaw) is obligatory, recommended, or allowed, rules outline in Usul ul Fiqh need to be considered.
By investigating the acts of the Prophet (saaw) throughout the different phases of the Islamic Da'wah, certain acts are part of the Method and others are part of the Style. The Prophet (saaw) conveyed Islam following a method and initiated some acts through the course of conveying Islam. It is obligatory to follow the Prophet Muhammed (saaw) when his (saaw) acts are considered to be a Method and recommended to follow when his (saaw) acts are only recommended.
For example, the method of the Prophet (saaw) in conveying Islam and moving from one phase of the Da'wah to the next and his initiation in every phase of a new act that was not done in the previous phase, and his persistence and perseverance to carry out the same acts despite the potential dangerous outcomes are all considered to be an abundant number of supporting evidences that these types of acts are obligatory and part of the method. Specifically, the fact that the Prophet (saaw) was relentlessly persistent in concentrating his effort on culturing individuals in sessions and educating the general public and his steadfastness and endurance in this act undoubtedly presents a mountain of supporting evidence that educating the public and the individuals is part of the Method. Consequently, it has to be adopted. The initiation of the second phase of the Islamic Da'wah by the Prophet (saaw) involved two acts which were not initiated in the first phase:
A) Addressing the abominable practices of the society in the manner mandated by Islam as when the Prophet (saaw) attacked fraud, cheating in the scales and burying of young girls.
B) His initiation to uncover the plots of the pagans against the Muslims as occurred during the war between the Romans and the Persians.
All of these acts indicate that uncovering the plots of the non-Muslims and addressing the issues of the society on the basis of Islam are part of the Method. The fact that the Prophet (saaw) initiated these kinds of acts in the second phase of the Da'wah, but not in the first, indicates that these specific acts are necessary and obligatory in that particular phase.
Also, the initiation of the Prophet (saaw) of seeking the protection for the conveyance of Islam and his persistence in doing so and his sending of Mus'ab Bin Umayr to Al-Madina indicates that seeking the protection for conveying Islam is part of the Method as well. Thus, to convey the Islamic Call, it is necessary to implant the Islamic thoughts into the life of the general public in the first phase of the Islamic Call. It was also necessary to uncover the plots of the non-Muslims and address the issues of society on the basis of Islam in the second phase of the Islamic Call. Subsequently it was necessary to establish the Islamic State, which is considered the third phase of the Islamic Call. Additionally, it was required to confront the ideology of the pagans and persevere in doing so. All of these are part of the Method. The persistence of the Prophet (saaw) and the initiation of these acts was to illustrate the obligation of these acts in conveying Islam. The evidence that these acts are obligatory is the ayah:
'' Indeed, there is an exemplary character in the Messenger (saaw) for you.'' ( Al-Ahzaab 33:21)
Following the steps of the Prophet (saaw) is accomplished by the initiating the acts which are performed by the Prophet (saaw) in the exact manner that the acts are carried out. This is an issue that is discussed in detail in the books of Al 'Usool. Imaam Al Qarafi dedicated one chapter in his book Al Furooq, in which he explained that what the Prophet (saaw) did as an Imaam or Qadi cannot be performed by anyone else unless he is an Imaam or Qadi, and what the Prophet did as a Caller to Islam is obligatory upon us as carriers of Islam.
Thus, it is not allowed, when we carry the message of Islam, to initiate any material actions prior to establishing the Islamic State, since only the Islamic State conducts a material struggle. This is because the Prophet (saaw) initiated material actions only when he became the Imaam of the Islamic State. For this reason, the Prophet (saaw) did not initiate any material actions in Makkah because he (saaw) was not ruler in Makkah.
In addition, we find that the Prophet (saaw) initiated some acts when he (saaw) was conveying the Message of Islam. The actions of educating the public took on different forms while the intensified education delivered in the private arena took on the forms of study circles ( like the sessions of Al Khabab). The speech addressed to the general public assumed different styles such as when the Prophet (saaw) invited some people to a meal with the objective of delivering the Message if Islam or when he stood on Al Safa and broadcast the call of Islam.
All these acts are to be considered branches from a fundamental concept, which in this case is public education. Here, the obligatory issue is public education but the but the style that were employed differed, and thus we are not obliged to follow the same styles adopted by the Prophet (saaw). We can speak to the people where people gather, such as the mosque, weddings, or funeral; through the media, such as buses, trains, planes, etc. Similarly, the Prophet (saaw) initiated a number of acts what he (saaw) was seeking protection. He (saaw) sought protection only from Muslim tribes and strong Muslim individuals.
Consequently, we can seek the protection of tribes, military commanders, or the masses as long as they are Muslim. These are classified as styles, which take on many forms and shapes according to the circumstances. Seeking protection from the positions of power does not change but the positions of power themselves may change. In summary, the style is defined as how a given obligatory issue is executed, not requiring a specific Daleel since it is already substantiated by the evidence for the main or root action and objective that may be pursued. For example, the preparation of forces to confront the enemy is an obligatory act that can be accomplished through many styles, that can be effectively used to accomplish the objective.
THE MEANS (Waseelah)
The Means are the physical tool that are permitted for adoption when initiating a particular act. Using a sheet of paper for writing, or a radio station for talk, or the sword as a means of fighting are all classified as a Means. The Qa'idah in 'Usul al Fiqh states that all objects are allowed except those that are specifically forbidden by textual evidence. For example, we can utilise ballot boxes as a means for election, we can adopt certain means of fighting such as possessing intercontinental ballistic missiles, or use satellites as a means for communication. Furthermore, we can address the people through a pamphlet, leaflet, or periodicals. All of these means are allowed. The Prophet (saaw) once sent someone to Yemen to master the manufacture of swords and adopted this new technology.
THE PLAN (Khittah)
The Plan is a general policy directed towards accomplishing a particular goal dictated by the 'Aqeedah and the Method. The Prophet (saaw) viewed this world from a specific perspective. He (saaw) conveyed the Message of Islam to the society at large. The Quraish in Makkah were the first State in Arabian Peninsula and a major obstacle in the path of the Islamic call. For this reason, we find that the Prophet (saaw) engineered the appropriate plan to deal with this obstacle. The plan reveals that the Prophet (saaw) sought to isolate the Quraish from the other tribes. So he (saaw) had the Quraish surrounded with tribes who submitted to Islam or who had peace treaties with the Muslims. Following this, the first task that the Prophet (saaw) performed after he (saaw) settled in Al Madina was to establish a treaty with the tribes who inhabited the are between Al Madina and the Red Sea, such the tribes of Johinah and Bani Doomarah and Ghaffar, and monitored the movements of the Quraish.
As a result of this plan, the battles of Badr, Uhud and Al Ahzaab occurred. Subsequently, when the Prophet (saaw) became aware of the communication between the tribe of Khaibar and Quraish, he (saaw) devised anther plan that established a treaty between the Muslims and the Quraish. This way, the Prophet (saaw) poured all his efforts to subdue Khaibar after he (saaw) could not establish any treaty with them. Then, the Prophet (saaw) initiated acts that would help accomplish the goal of this plan until it materialised in the treaty of Hudaybiah. Then, when he (saaw) subjugated Khaibar, Makkah was next, so he (saaw) engineered another plan that dictated the suppression of the Quraish. As a result, the conquest of Makkah took place.
The Prophet (saaw) devised another plan, to carry Islam outside as a universal Call. He (saaw) sent a letter to the Kings in the Arabian Peninsula and all the Kings of the surrounding lands. Letters were sent to the King of Egypt, Muqawqas; Emperor of Rome, Hercules; and the King of Persia, Kisrah. Thus, we find that the Prophet (saaw) devised plans to accomplish certain goal and changed the plans when the goal changed. In addition, the Prophet (saaw) adopted certain styles to accomplish a certain plan which he (saaw) initiated. Suppressing the Quraish dictated the monitoring of the Quraish and establishing communications with the tribes around Quraish. Also, establishing a treaty with the Quraish dictated certain acts that happened in the treaty of Al Hudaibiya, and certain manoeuvres performed by the Prophet (saaw) immediately prior to and after the ratification of the treaty. When a state implements plans, it does so to accomplish certain goals that are dictated by the policy of the state. When it is needed to change the plans, the state has to change them and it is forbidden not to abandon plans because it is necessary for the Islamic State to function as the leading state in the world.
Abandoning the execution of adopted plans means abandoning the message of Islam, which in turn means abandoning the leadership position which translates into the suppression of the State's power as was characterised by the Ottoman State towards its end. Planning is necessary for the State and for the Da' wah carriers because the Prophet (saaw) laid out plans in Makkah and in Madina. He (saaw) did not abandon planning any at any phase of the Islamic Call. Every phase of the Islamic Call may dictate a certain plan. For example, gaining the public support for the Islamic thought dictates interaction with the society, which in turn dictates living with the society. Living with the society does not happen until we enter the society. For this reason, entering the society is a necessary plan that dictates many styles and public speech and political struggle.
Two additional terms that one ought to be aware of are strategy and tactics. Initially, strategy and tactics were used as military terms. However, today they have a broader connotation. The relationship between the strategy and tactics is similar to the relationship between the plan and style.
THE STRATEGY (Estrateegya)
The strategy is defined as the art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or a group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war. The policies are built on the ideology of the nation. Some people also refer to this as the grand or higher strategy to distinguish it from the original purely military use of the word strategy. Since the war is nothing but an action to accomplish a goal, which the state could not accomplish by diplomacy, it is appropriate to discuss strategy in its broader meaning. The strategy deals with the entire theatre of operations of a state, at the diplomatic, economic, and military level. It is concerned with determining which resources the state will use and to what extent in order to achieve the objective. In other words, the strategy is the global plan to the State.
As an example, the Prophet's (saaw) objective was to carry Islam to the Arabs and non-Arabs. This required a strategy to enable the Islamic State to first, survive in and then dominate the Arabian Peninsula. In the regard, Muhammed (saaw) sought to isolate the major tribe, the Quraish, be entering into a series of treatise with her neighbours. The he (saaw) sought to politically and militarily engage the Quraish. As a result of this engagement, Muhammed (saaw) was able to neutralise Quraish. This enabled him (saaw) to dominate the Arabian peninsula, after which the state continued to carry Islam to the rest of humanity.
The Prophet's (saaw) objective was to carry Islam to the Arabs and non-Arabs. This required a strategy to enable the Islamic state to first dominate the arabian peninsula. First, in this regard, Muhammad (saaw) sought to isolate the major tribe, Quraish, by entering into a series of treaties with her neighbours. Then he (saaw) sought to politically and militarily engage the Quraish. As a result of this engagement, Muhammad (saaw) was unable to neutralise the Quraish. This enabled him (saaw) to dominate the Arabian peninsula, after which the Muslims continued to carry Islam to the rest of humanity.
THE TACTICS (Takteek)
The tactics, in warfare, is the art of fighting battles on land, on sea, and in the air and the execution of movements for attack or defence. In general, it is the art or skill employing available means to accomplish an end. It is concerned with the handling of one or more strategic resources in a specific manner to serve the object of strategy. Similar to a style, the tactics too will be based on what is thought to be effective at a particular time. It does not need a Daleel to make it permissible, unless if a specific tactic or style involves haram actions. If that is the case, then the tactic will be haram, i.e. sitting with people who are drinking wine with the objective of carrying the dawah to them.
The tactic requires creativity, as it will be a function of the situation that one is faced with. It should also be flexible, such that one would be able to adapt to the changing situation. For example, the Prophet (saaw) knew about the communications between the tribes of Khaibar and the Quraish. He (saaw) tried to cut off these communications. This was the tactic he adopted initially. When this failed, the Prophet (saaw) changed to a new plan, which was to establish a treaty with the Quraish. For this, he initiated new tactics, such as the Umrah to Mecca, and the stance he took during the campaign at Al-Hudaibiyah, near Mecca. Thus, the tactic changed during this campaign according to the new plan and circumstances.
For example, the Prophet (saaw) knew about the communications between the Khaibar and Quraish tribes, so he (saaw) tried to cut off these communications. He (saaw) first made contact with Khaibar to establish a treaty, but his attempts were of no avail. The Prophet (saaw) then changed his tactic to establishing a treaty with the Quraish. He (saaw) initiated actions or tactics to accomplish this goal. Thus, the tactic changed according to the circumstances.
These are the conventional meaning of these concepts that should be upheld and advocated by Muslims and especially the callers to Islam. Also, since the callers of Islam are future statesmen, they should develop and increase their awareness of all the issues that are related to these concepts. We should live up to the statement of Umar Bin Al-Khattab (ra), when he said: '' I am not a deceiver and the deceiver cannot deceive me.''
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