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.''

Holding on

Holding onto the Islamic personality in the 21st century


Muslims since the dawn of Islam have faced numerous challenges in holding onto Islam. The early Muslims faced persecution and death if they refused to accept the pagan beliefs of the Quraish. The death of Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم resulted in a number of people turning their backs on Islam and stirring doubt in the minds of other Muslims. As Islam spread and Muslims came into contact with other cultures and customs Muslims faced the challenge of ensuring the purity of Islam and reconciling Islam with the foreign beliefs of other people.


Today a similar battle continues, that of wining the hearts and minds of Muslims around the world and integrating Muslims living in the West into Western societies. Successive governments have outlined policies on integrating Muslims in the West and a number of areas have been highlighted in order to achieve this, in summary these include:

- Promoting the superiority of Capitalism, its institutions, systems, freedoms and civilisation

- Abandoning policies which concentrate on cultural differences (such as multiculturalism) and concentrating on shared values (capitalist values)

- Promoting people and organisations who view Islam in line with liberal values

- Subverting all those who call for political Islam by branding them as extremists

- Corrupting those ideas of Islam which are political and anti-liberal such as one Ummah, Islamic state, Shari'ah, Islam is a system and Islam's applicability in the 21st century

- Branding those who hold onto Islam as backward and traditionalists

For Muslims, holding onto the Islamic personality in the 21st century has become even more important as there is a campaign to corrupt the Islamic personality and to secularise it which means Muslims will view the world from the lens of capitalism rather then Islam. So the question needs to be asked, what is the Islamic personality? How do we build it? How to we maintain and develop it? And how do we ensure it does not become corrupted?



The personality

Various thinkers throughout history have attempted to define the personality similar to the attempts to define the mind and the soul. In Ancient Greece, Socrates his student Plato, and his student Aristotle, attempted to answer the question of what is the personality. Their conclusions were very vague and included elements which were not part of the human makeup and also for them included a combination of one's clothing, speech, tastes etc.

The Muslim philosophers of the 10th century attempted to define the personality, as well as scholars such as Imam Ghazali, and they all mentioned in their respective books the different traits which can constitute the personality.

The Christians defined the personality as the struggle that occurs internally between matter and spirit. With the development of science in the 18th century experiments were carried out on human beings that lead to the study of human nature turning eventually into psychology which became the study of human behaviour. Today psychologists continue to add to the body of research on what constitutes the personality which includes one's traits, genetics and actions.

Communists also had a view on the personality and for them it was nothing more then the reflection of the reality on the mind.

Because the personality is the study of the human then its definition should be perceived from reality and should be applicable on all humans. This is because humans in all times and generations do not change in nature, the human make up, aside from some people born with deformities, humans generally are the same. So we see all people have physical characteristics that usually distinguish them from others. Although the colour of one's eyes, earrings, hair style, clothing, the type of books they read and how much skin they may expose are what we see of other people, these are in reality the result of one's personality. This is because such characteristics would be decided by the beliefs and ideas one carries.

Hence the first part that defines a person is the ideas they carry, in this way matters are judged as good and bad, right and wrong. The second aspect of the personality is one's behaviour. Although all humans have the same instincts we see that people satisfy them differently. We see although all humans have the procreational instinct, some marry, others do not, whilst some marry the same gender. One's behaviour is the manner in which one satisfies their different instincts and this is what distinguishes one person from another.

The way one thinks and behaves defines the type of personality one has. One's behaviour is determined by the ideas one carries hence the one who views drinking alcohol as good would act upon this compared to the one who views it as wrong. So one's ideas would determine one's behaviour and this is why one's beliefs are central to defining the personality.



The Islamic personality

Islam has provided a comprehensive solution for Muslims to create for themselves a particular personality distinct from all others. With the Islamic ‘Aqeedah (creed) Islam treated thoughts of all Muslims by making for humans an intellectual basis upon which all thoughts can be built. So a Muslim's mentality is built upon the Islamic ‘Aqeedah which provides one with a distinct mentality.

At the same time, Islam treats human actions which stem from there instincts and organic needs with Shari'ah rules that emanate from the ‘Aqeedah itself. The Shari'ah rules regulate but do not suppress the human instincts. They harmonise the different instincts together but do not leave them free to be satisfied in any manner. The Shari'ah rules do permit Muslims to satisfy their needs in a way that will lead the human being to tranquillity and stability.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the Qur'an mentioned in a number of ayaat the traits Muslims should be characterised with, amongst the many ayaat the following outlines this very clearly:

وَعِبَادُ الرَّحْمَنِ الَّذِينَ يَمْشُونَ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ هَوْنًا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ الْجَاهِلُونَ قَالُوا سَلَامًا

وَالَّذِينَ يَبِيتُونَ لِرَبِّهِمْ سُجَّدًا وَقِيَامًا

وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا اصْرِفْ عَنَّا عَذَابَ جَهَنَّمَ إِنَّ عَذَابَهَا كَانَ غَرَامًا

إِنَّهَا سَاءتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا أَنفَقُوا لَمْ يُسْرِفُوا وَلَمْ يَقْتُرُوا وَكَانَ بَيْنَ ذَلِكَ قَوَامًا

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا

يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا

إِلَّا مَن تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُوْلَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَّحِيمًا

وَمَن تَابَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا فَإِنَّهُ يَتُوبُ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَتَابًا

وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الزُّورَ وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِاللَّغْوِ مَرُّوا كِرَامًا

وَالَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِّرُوا بِآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ لَمْ يَخِرُّوا عَلَيْهَا صُمًّا وَعُمْيَانًا

وَالَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا هَبْ لَنَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِنَا وَذُرِّيَّاتِنَا قُرَّةَ أَعْيُنٍ وَاجْعَلْنَا لِلْمُتَّقِينَ إِمَامًا

أُوْلَئِكَ يُجْزَوْنَ الْغُرْفَةَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا وَيُلَقَّوْنَ فِيهَا تَحِيَّةً وَسَلَامًا

خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا حَسُنَتْ مُسْتَقَرًّا وَمُقَامًا

"And the servants of (Allah) most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant (people) address them, they say, Peace! Those who spend the night in adoration of their Lord prostrating and standing. Those who say, Our Lord! Avert from us the Wrath of Hell, for its Wrath is indeed an affliction grievous; Evil indeed is it as an abode, and as a place to rest in; Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold just (balance) between those (extremes); Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred, except for just cause, nor commit fornication, and any that does this (not only) meets punishment; (But) the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in disgrace; Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful; And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion; Those who witness no falsehood, and, if they pass by futility, they pass by it with honourable (avoidance); Those who, when they are admonished with the Signs of their Lord, droop not down at them as if they were deaf or blind; And those who pray; Our Lord! Grant unto us wives and offspring who will be the comfort of our eyes, and give us (the grace) to lead the righteous; Those are the ones who will be rewarded with the highest place in heaven, because of their patient constancy; therein shall they be met with salutation and peace; Dwelling therein, how beautiful an abode and place of rest!" [Al-Furqan: 63-76]

This verse represents a complete whole that elucidates the different virtues, the Muslim character and demonstrates the Islamic personality.



Common misconceptions

There are a number of misconceptions that exist amongst Muslims in regards to the Islamic personality. Some believe the individual with a beard and who wears the Islamic dress with the Islamic hat is an Islamic personality. Some believe it's impossible to be completely Islamic as we can never be like angels.

Such misconceptions only exist because what constitutes the Islamic personality has become blurred in the minds of the Muslims. So those who envisage that only an angel can have an Islamic personality are making a serious misjudgement. The resultant damage they cause to society is enormous, because they look for angelic figures from amongst the people and never find them because they cannot find such a person even amongst themselves. Thus they despair and give up all hope in Muslims. Such thinking helps promote the idea that Islam is utopian, impossible to implement, and is composed of supreme ideals and standards that humans cannot implement or maintain. Many people as a result turn away from Islam or accept their weakness and turn away from implementing Islam completely in their lives because they are rendered too paralysed to act.

Islam was not revealed to the angels, rather to the imperfect humans. Hence Islam recognises that from time to time a Muslim may fall short of his or her adherence to Islam. However this in no way justifies not using Islam as a basis. Islam is realistic and it deals with the realities humans face.

When Islam mentions the pious mumin, it mentions this in the context of the level of the ideal Islamic personality. Those who fall below this are not rendered un-Islamic. Thus the common Muslims who are below this level and who act in accordance with Islam, or those who confine themselves to performing the Fard (compulsory) actions and abstain from performing the Haram (prohibited) are Islamic personalities.

An individual who has a beard, wears the jilbiyah and comes across as pious is not necessarily an Islamic personality. This is because the traits of a Muslim are not the determining factor in deciding one's personality. What decides one's personality in being Islamic is if they have adopted the Islamic Aqeedah as a basis for their views and inclinations. Hence an individual could actually have very little knowledge on Islam but because he always refers to Islam to find the ruling for his actions this would make him an Islamic personality. The type of clothing one wears, their piety and smile indicate that this person does actions which Islam promotes but they in no way prove that the person holds the Islamic Aqeedah as a basis for such actions.



Strengthening the personality

Islam demanded the performing of actions beyond the Fard actions and demanded the avoiding of actions beyond the Haram (forbidden actions) to strengthen one's behaviour. This ensures ones inclinations are capable of deterring any inclination incompatible with Islam. All this is intended to enhance the Islamic personality and set it on the path towards a sublime pinnacle.

However the types of personalities among the people will vary in their degree and strength. What matters in judging whether someone holds an Islamic personality or not is whether he or she takes Islam as the standard for their thinking and inclinations. It is on this basis that the Islamic personality, mentality and behaviour are defined and characterized.

Constant observation of building one's thoughts and inclinations on the basis of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah must be maintained at every moment in life for the individual to remain an Islamic personality. After the initial formation of the personality, work is focused on maintaining it by developing the mentality and the inclinations. The inclinations are developed through worshipping the Creator and drawing closer to Him by doing acts of obedience, and by constantly building every desire for anything on the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. Development of one's thinking is achieved by understanding the Islamic Aqeedah and then by understanding and comprehending all its results i.e. the ahadith, tafseer, fiqh and all the other disciplines.



Those who Commit sins

Many Muslims perform actions incompatible with Islam and many Islamic personalities sometimes display behaviour contradicting Islam. One may think such actions and behaviour are clearly incompatible with Islam and ostracise the person in question from Islam, and would therefore render him or her non-Islamic or even Kafir on some occasions.

A person is not ostracised from Islam unless they abandon the Islamic ‘Aqeedah either by speech or action. One is not divested of their personality unless they no longer take it as the basis for thoughts and inclinations. This is because humans are liable to have discrepancies in their actions - they are not infallible. However if one consistently contradicts Islam then this would bring into question what he takes as a basis. In the situation where one consistently contradicts Islam this is evidence that the person does not take Islam as a basis, however a lapse, which usually takes the form of individual discrepancies, this proves ones weakness but does not mean someone is no longer an Islamic personality.

What needs to be kept in mind is that the associating of thoughts with actions is not a mechanical process where concepts always function in line with ones ‘Aqeedah. It is a social process that can be separated from the ‘Aqeedah or re-associated with it. Hence Muslims will from time to time be disobedient and violate the commands and prohibitions of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in one of their actions. This can be for a number of reasons:

- A person might imagine that it was in his interest to do what he did but then repents and comprehends the error of what he has done.

- A person may occasionally fail to link his concepts to his ‘Aqeedah, because he was reactionary or emotional

- A person may be ignorant of the contradiction between any concepts alien to Islam and his ‘Aqeedah

- Ones heart may be influenced by Satan, causing him to distance himself from his ‘Aqeedah in one of his actions.

A violation of Allah سبحانه وتعالى's commands and prohibitions does not on its own take someone outside the fold of Islam. A disobedient person or a Faasiq (sinner) is not considered Murtad (apostate), but disobedient in the act in which he was disobedient. A person remains a Muslim as long as they embrace the Islamic ‘Aqeedah of Islam. In the instance that the Muslim commits the action of disobedience it should not be said he is a non-Islamic personality, as long as his adoption of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah as a basis for his thoughts and inclinations is intact and free of doubt.

The Sahabah (companions of the Prophet) were involved in various incidents during the time of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم when a companion would violate a command or prohibition. Such violations did not remove the Sahabah from the fold of Islam, nor did they compromise his Islamic personality. This is because they were humans not angels. They are just like all other people and they are not infallible because they are not Prophets.

For example, Hatib ibn Abi Balta'ah رضي الله عنه conveyed to the Quraish of Makkah news of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم's intention to invade them, although the Prophet was careful to maintain the secrecy of the invasion.

The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم twisted the head of Al-Fdl Ibn Al-‘Abbas when he saw him staring with lust and desire at a woman talking to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم.

In the year of the Conquest of Makkah, the Ansar spoke about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and claimed he had abandoned them and returned to his kinsfolk despite his vow not to do so.

The senior Sahabah fled the war at Hunain and left the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم alone with few companions.

These are just a few incidents which the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم never considered as undermining the Islam of the instigators or as a stain upon the personality of the Sahabah concerned. The criterion for judging whether a Muslim holds an Islamic personality is the soundness of his Islamic ‘Aqeedah and the building of his thoughts and inclinations upon it. As long as this occurs the occasional gaps in conduct will not compromise his Islamic personality.



Today's Struggle

It is of utmost importance to build the Islamic aqeedah soundly and correctly as the rest of Islam is built upon this. Any shortcomings in understanding the Islamic aqeedah will result in one compromising Islam and leave one open to adopting from other then Islam. Embracing the Islamic ‘Aqeedah means belief in the entirety of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم's message, and those detailed matters whose evidence is beyond doubt; and the acceptance of all this must be matched with contentment and submission. Mere knowledge is insufficient and refusal to accept even the most minor of matters definitely proven to be part of Islam ostracises the person and detaches him from the ‘Aqeedah. Islam is an indivisible whole as far as belief and acceptance is concerned and relinquishing even a fraction of it is Kufr (disbelief). Hence belief in the separation of the Islamic Deen from life's affairs (secularism) is indisputably Kufr.

Muslims in the West are on the receiving end of a barrage of propaganda against Islam and their non-adherence to Islam effectively places the victory in the hands of the West before the struggle and debate begins. Similar to this are all those who view the Islamic personality as spiritual only, abandoning the worldly life due to its corruption and remaining silent in the face of the propaganda directed at Islam.

Adherence to Islam apart from being compulsory has a number of profound effects.

Adherence to Islam shows to the wider Muslims that Islam can be easily followed and does provide solutions to the various problems humans face.

Adherence also shows to non-Muslims that Muslims have values which are eroding in the West such as looking after elders, treatment of women, respectable youth and the fact Islam represents a value system which people in the West should aspire to.

Holding onto Islam after building the Islamic aqeedah correctly, soundly and rationally will ensure the purity of one's personality and in today's climate is even more critical due to the propaganda directed at it.