How to invite people to Islam

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HOW TO INVITE PEOPLE TO ISLAM

MUHAMMAD QUTB

Translated by: Dr. Chafik Abdelghani

Al-Firdous Publishers, London

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©Copyright: Al-Firdous Ltd.

All rights reserved 2012. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publishers and copyright owner. 2012: First Edition. ISBN : 1 874263 94 9 Published and Distributed by:

Al-Firdous Ltd. 10, Fonthill Road, London N4 3HX

Email:[email protected] www.al-firdous.co.uk Printed by: Mega Print Baha Is Merkezi Haramider, Istanbul

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To my father, who instilled in me the passion for seeking knowledge. May Allah accompany his solitude and alleviate his torment in the grave;

To my mother for her sacrifice. May Allah make her walk;

To my wife Maria Erroujdani for typing the Qur’anic verses and for her endless support throughout the production of this work. May Allah grant her pious children;

To my beautiful princess Wisal (Casawiyya) and to my twin handsome sons, Yasser (Assoula) and Youssef (Habboub Dyal Baba); I love you and I miss you so much.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments ..................................................................... 3 Introduction .............................................................................. 7 Reflections on the Early Life of the First Generation .............. 15 The Exemplary Point in the Unique Generation ...................... 41 The Causes and Effects of Haste in the Contemporary Movement .............................................. 89 The Solid Base ....................................................................... 137 Expanding the Base ............................................................... 281 The Reality and the Ideal ....................................................... 341 Outlook .................................................................................. 355

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INTRODUCTION

Inviting people to Islam, as the following verse implies, has always been this nation’s continuous duty:

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There should arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. It is they who are the successful. (Al-Imran:104) This nation; that is, the Muslim nation (al-Umma al-Islamiyya), has been entrusted with such a task because it is the nation of Prophet Muhammad , the seal of all prophets before him, and it will thus, take over the duty of unremittingly conveying the original Message to mankind until the Day of Judgment. The Message is two-fold: inviting people who do not believe in Islam to follow Islam and have faith (Eeman), and reminding those who believe in Islam of their religious duty in order to strengthen and uphold their faith:

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Simply remind them by reciting the Qur’an, for this will be of benefit to those who believe. (Az-Zaariyaat:55)

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O you who believe! Believe in Allah, in His Messenger, in the Qur’an that was revealed to His Messenger, and in the Torah and the Gospel which were revealed before. (An-Nisa’:136) However, the Muslim nation today is going through some exceptional, perhaps unprecedented, circumstances. Take note: this is the first time in history that the Muslim nation’s knowledge of and acquaintance with Islam has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous; and ridiculous still is the manner of its implementation of and compliance with Islamic teachings. Hence, the task of inviting people to Islam today is more strenuous and demanding than it used to be. Putting it differently, the task of inviting people to Islam today no longer consists of sheer reminders of one’s duty; rather, it is the reconstruction of the currently fragile and shaky Muslim edifice at a time when all nations have ambushed the Muslim nation from every part as the Prophet once metaphorically put it: ‘The nations summon each

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other upon you as you call guests to eat from a plate of food.’ They said, ‘will we be few in number on that day O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘no; rather, you will be many on that day, but you will be like the foam on the ocean. And Allah will remove the fear in the hearts of your enemies and place in your hearts al-wahn’. They said, ‘what is al-wahn O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘love of this world and hatred of death.’”1 We are confident that this edifice will be restored and will stand as high as it used to be, and all indications point to a new phase of Islam, a mighty Islam, despite the war waged against it by the trend of ignorance (al-Jahiliyya). It is the second strange phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya): “Islam began strange and will return to being strange and Tuba (a field of heaven) to the strangers.”2 And it is a mission that entails a considerable effort and a penetrating insight. During its initial strange phase (al-Ghurba al-Oula), Islam was familiar to people, at least in its fundamentals; that is to say, the belief in Allah Alone, the belief in Divine Inspiration (al-Wahiy) and prophethood (an-Nubuwwa), and the belief in resurrection. These fundamentals were known to two types of people: people who embraced Islam from the

1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 Muslim.

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very start, and people who opposed and sacrificed themselves to uproot it. The initial strange phase of Islam was manifested in its survival despite their being only a handful of weak and frail advocates of Islam on one hand, and the scores of strong and mighty opponents of Islam on the other. When Khadija informed Waraqa Ibn Nawfal of the story of Divine Inspiration, the latter said to the Prophet : “I wish I were in my first flush of youth to give you my full backing when your people expel you.” “Are they going to expel me?” the Prophet wondered. “There has never been anyone who tried to guide them, except that he was antagonistically opposed and resisted,” Ibn Nawfal explained.1 A man asked the Prophet : “What is the purpose of your mission?” The Prophet replied: “To invite people to believe in One God (Allah ).” “The Arabs will not let you carry out your mission in peace,” the man insisted. As for the second strange phase of Islam (al-ghurba ath-Thaniyya), it was different. People today find it so strange. If you try to explain it to them or present it to them in the clearest possible fashion, they react indifferently: “Where does this Islam come from? This is not the Islam we know.” 1 See Seera literature.

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When you advise people not to circumumbulate around the tomb of someone who died hundreds years ago and seek his help and blessing because it is an act of polytheism (shirk), their response is “Who has put such a rotten notion in your mind? Do you want to strip Islam of its spiritualism?” When you advise people to implement Allah’s Laws and discard man-made laws, you are given the following negative labels: fundamentalist, extremist, barbaric and reactionary. “Things have changed,” or “this is a type of polytheism that does not strip one of Islam,” they would say to you. When you advise academics in the field of sociology, psychology, education, history and so on and so forth that the Western knowledge they have acquired and the subjects they teach contradict the Islamic principles and in some cases, explicitly violate the Aqeeda, they defensively say “Islam has nothing to do with such knowledge. Do you want to implement Islam in everything? This is knowledge; Islam is a religion, and religion cannot interfere with knowledge.” On this premise, it will be a very difficult task to convince people of the truth about Islam –what has come to us from Allah - and cleanse their minds of the concepts they have formed about Islam. This is just at the level of acquainting people with the precepts of Islam; that is to say, making

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them know Islam (al-Ma’rifa); implementation (al-Mumarasa) per se remains a tougher task. Knowledge alone is not sufficient to know Islam, though it is something necessary and basic. The first word Allah sent to Muhammad via Gabriel

was &t ø%$# Read. (al-Alaq:1), then after a while came

the phrase:

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Know, therefore, that there is no god but Allah. (Muhammad:19)

Knowledge as such (al-Ilm), according to the pious predecessors (as-Salaf As-Salih), was not just getting to know something or getting acquainted with it; rather, it was knowledge that leads to action. Hence, their knowledge shifted from a phase of knowing the truth to a phase of implementing this truth in real life. The Prophet exerted considerable effort to acquaint people with the fine points of the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah (there is no god, but Allah Alone). Put differently, the Prophet’s real efforts, especially in Makka, were to educate the believers who accepted and believed in the truth in accordance with the provisions of the phrase Laa Ilaha

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Illa Allah until they gradually found themselves on the right path. Subsequently, this well-established edifice (the early believers) began to educate others and expand knowledge. Today, in its second strange phase, inviting people to Islam entails both presenting and teaching Islam to people. Presenting Islam to people who only have scant knowledge about it while they profess to know all about it may be difficult, but even more difficult will be the task of teaching. This is due to the multifaceted education required on one hand, and the fact that people do not easily get out of their habits or what is familiar to them, on the other. Hence, people do not promptly and readily respond to changes that require some effort, not to mention that the matter is not simply creating believers, but shaping and producing well-trained Muslims who will shoulder an enormous responsibility. It is crucial in this context to know how to invite people to Islam (Da’wa), especially in the unprecedentedly sordid circumstances Islam is currently facing. Humanity’s need for Islam today is no less than when this religion was first placed in the hands of the Prophet . Unless we adopt insightful and calculated measures during the process, our efforts will go down the drain and we shall never hit our target or attain our goal.

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The issue of inviting people to Islam has preoccupied my mind for a long time and pressing questions such as “how to do it? and “what method should be adopted?” have often crossed my mind, stirring other thoughts in me. For instance, the thought that there are some shortcomings, recklessness and deviation in some aspects of inviting people to Islam necessitates a comprehensive review of more than half the century in this process, in order to bridge gaps, mend and overall learn from past errors in order to build the future. This is a serious matter that every inviter should keep in check during this magnificent and sacred mission. The following pages attempt to list the steps to follow in order to carry out this mission. May Allah make it a successful attempt.

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I only desire (your) betterment to the best of my power; and my success (in my task) can only come from Allah. In Him I trust, and unto Him I look. (Hud:88)

Muhammad Qutb

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Reflections on the Early Life of the First Generation

e need to ponder for a while the uniqueness and distinction of the first generation because it

constitutes a reference point for anyone wishing to invite people to Islam or to push this religion forward. It was unique and distinct because it was raised by the best educator in human history, Muhammad , and supervised by Almighty Allah , as was the case with Prophet Moses :

yìoΨóÁ çG Ï9uρ 4’n?tã û©Í_ø‹tã

...in order that you may be raised under My Eye. (Ta-Ha: 39) This ‘co-education’ process was carried out in the following manner: Every time Allah revealed His Commands to Muhammad through the Qur’an, the latter would in turn, teach his community the purport of each Command in an educator-learner like manner so that those who were once learners would later become educators. It was part of Allah’s Will that this religion should take such a normal, rather than a miraculous course, so that no future generation may indolently sit back or dare to say that “the first generation’s success was the work of miracles and miracles

W

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ceased to exist with the death of Prophet Muhammad .” The only non-human element in this religion is the Divine Inspiration which has been assuredly guarded:

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We have, without doubt, sent down the Message, and we will assuredly guard it (from corruption). (Al-Hijr:9) Allah’s Message to the first generation, this generation and mankind in general has been one: accepting the reality of this religion and accepting the system of life that Allah has decreed for mankind to adopt until the Day of Judgment, a system that is outlined in the Qur’an and elucidated through the words and deeds of Prophet Muhammad :

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And we have sent down unto you (also) the Message so that you may explain clearly to men what is sent to them so that they in turn give thought. (An-Nahl:44)

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Nor does He say of (his own) desire. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him: (An-Najm:3-4)

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Even the participation of angels in the Battle of Badr was not a miracle itself:

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Remember your Lord inspired the angels (with the message): “I am with you; give firmness to the believers. I will instil terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, so smite you above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.” (Al-Anfal:12) The ascension of angels and their assurance to humans was not confined to the Battle of Badr only, for it may happen any time at Allah’s Command:

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In the case of those who say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): “Fear you not!” (they suggest), “Nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), the one which you were promised! “We are your protectors in this life and in the Hereafter; therein shall you have all that your souls shall desire; therein shall you have all that you ask for! (Fussilat:30-31) The miracle; rather, was the believers’ sighting of the angels fighting alongside them:

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And this victory Allah did not make, save for pleasing you and so that your hearts might get rest with it, there is no help except from Allah. (Al-Imran:126)

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Because Allah favoured the participants of Badr over other believers, The Battle of Badr passes in history as an unprecedented universal event. The Battle of Badr wrote history, and history is not written or recorded all at once. Rather, it is the product of events recorded over a period of time.

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On the Day of Testing, the Day of the meeting of the two forces.(Al-Anfal:41) Apart from the miracle of The Battle of Badr, and some unique attributes of the Prophet , Islam has otherwise, taken a normal course: from weakness at the onset, trials and tribulations and patience to gathering momentum and then to firmness, strength and expansion. Hence, the lessons drawn from the experience of the first generation are permanent. They are not valid just for that period, but applicable under similar circumstances because they (lessons) are the product of a normal course of events rather than a specific passing of events. If Allah commands in the Qur’an that to implement His Laws and study history -which is in essence the course of events in real life- then it is incumbent upon us to study the life of the first generation in an attempt to draw lessons and

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adopt it as a guidance for us in any undertaking, and as a parameter for our uprightness or deviation. A number of issues concerning the first generation has captured my attention, especially when I consider our current state and the hurdles hawse have been encountering. The most striking thing was Allah’s Command to the believers not to react during the education stage in Makka, and instead, to stoically endure the hardship and harm:

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Have you not turned your thought to those who were told to restrain their hands (from fighting), and to establish regular prayers and spend in regular charity?(An-Nisaa:77) The Muslims were undergoing severe hardship and difficulties. They had expended practically all their efforts and were utterly exhausted. So intense was the strain that some companions asked Muhammad : “Aren’t we going to fight back?” “We are told not to,” emphasised the Prophet .1

1 See Seera literature.

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Nowhere in the Qur’an or the Sunna would one find the rationale behind such ‘passive resistance’ which means that the matter is still open to exploration, research and speculation by scholars. Perhaps the easiest way to find out why would be to visualise what the aftermath would have been, had the believers got embroiled in a battle with Quraysh at that time or if they had not. Had the believers picked up the first option, they would have been wiped out because they were weak, outnumbered and lacked the necessary ammunition. The Qurayshis in contrast, outnumbered the believers, were very strong and possessed sophisticated weaponry. This means that the believers’ ultimate goal –inviting people to Islam- would have ceased to exist then, perhaps in one battle or a series of battles. People would not have got acquainted with the reality of inviting people to Islam, and ‘expansion’ would have been a thing of the past. Suppose the battle, despite the glaring disparity between the two parties, did not lead to a complete annihilation of the believers. There is another crucial issue which requires our full attention as it is linked to our current state. To whom did legitimacy belong to in Makka at that time? In people’s minds, the legitimacy belonged to Quraysh, and the believers were dissidents who deserved to be disciplined. It is true to say that Quraysh’s punitive measures could reach brutality and some people might get harmed by such brutality and

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would attempt to protect those being tortured. All in all, Quraysh in principle, had legitimacy in people’s minds and it is logical that they had the prerogative to discipline the dissidents. From this point of view, would the war with Quraysh have been of any benefit to the mission of inviting people to Islam under a ‘trend’ where the fingers of blame pointed to the Muslims and where the Muslims were the ‘odd’ ones? Of course, it would not have been of any benefit to the mission. However, note that many things happened when the believers acquiescently complied with Allah’s Command. In the notorious Arab setting, Ibaa Adh-Dhaym, where long and bloody all-out wars would be ignited for trivialities as minor as one’s humiliation, as was the case with the battle of al-Ghabraa and Dahis1. So much so that lines of verse were composed. Antara, for instance, said:

I am worried that I shall one day die, without ending the war with Bani Damdam,

1 The Battle was sparked off simply because Dahis, the horse of Qays Ibn Zuhair, had overtaken that of Hudaiqa Ibn Badr. A man of Asad slapped Qays at the instance of Hudaiqa which made his horse lose the race. Thereafter, the war of attrition started in which a large number of people lost their lives and many had to leave their hearths and homes.

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who disgraced me, but I did not, and who vows to keep on if I don’t respond.

Others said:

We don’t like to be provoked, If someone provokes us, We shall retaliate.

In a setting such as this, it was a departure from the norm when the reputation of men with even nobler pedigree than that of Quraysh got tarnished, and nothing was done in retaliation. In other words, not to react was not the product of the environment at all; rather, it was the product of something else. And why would they not react? Was it for the sake of the tribe’s honour, material gain, or some worldly desires? Simply, it was for the sake of Aqeeda. Also in such a setting, Aqeeda may have been part of customs and traditions to which people strictly and rigidly adhered to and for which they were willing to spill blood, but ‘not to react’ was something totally new in such a setting i.e. the setting of customs and traditions. The hardship took its toll to reach the point of economic and social sanctions and even hunger. People starved to death, yet they never relinquished their Aqeeda. Still, not reacting to harm was something absolutely new in such an environment and even in human nature. So, it must have been something invaluable for which people were willing to

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sacrifice their self, and it must have been something more valuable than their security, comfort, dignity, and even lives. It was the significance of the phrase

(#þθ ’ ä. öΝä3tƒÏ‰÷ƒr& (

Restrain your hands (An-Nisaa:77), which brought al-Ansar (the supporters) from Al-Madina, though it did not cause a great deal of change in Makka. In short, the Makkans (Ahl Makka) kindled the fire, but the Madinians (Ahl al-Madina) used it (the fire) as a beacon, and were thus guided to the Right Path. This was not the only significance al-Ansar drew from the phrase Restrain your hands. ‘Legitimacy’ was another more significant matter in the course of inviting people to Islam. Allah says:

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Thus, We explain Our verses so that the sinners’ way may be manifest. (Al-An’aam:55) It is as if the verse (revealed in Makka) means ‘We (Allah ) shall keep on explaining the verses until the way of the sinners becomes clear.

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That the verse was revealed in Makka has and should have a clear meaning. ‘Determining’ or ‘identifying the way of the sinners’ was intended and made even more explicit by ‘laam

at-ta’lil’ that precedes the verb (⎦⎫Î7 oK ó¡ oK + Ï9 ) (underlined

equivalent of ‘that’ in the target text). Moreover, the revelation of this verse in Makka means that discovering the sinners’ way was one of the goals of Da’wa; in fact, one of the prerequisites of Da’wa at the early stages in the development of the Muslim group (al-Jama’a al-Muslima). So, what was the rationale behind determining or discovering the way of the sinners? Discovering the way of the sinners had two purposes: first, knowing who they were, and secondly, knowing the ‘way’ or path they were adopting for which they became sinners. The questions at hand now are as follows: ‘Who are the sinners?’, ‘What is their way?’, ‘What is the link between explaining the verses and the manifestation of their way?’ The verses clarify the issue of al-Uluhiyya, the most important issue in the entire Qur’an, particularly in the Makkan Chapters (As-Suwar al-Makkiyya). The verses explain in detail that there is only one God, Allah Who has no partner with Him in creation, management of the universe, or anything else. The verses were successively revealed to clarify the Attributes of Allah and reject partnership with Him until the meaning of Uluhiyya

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became very clear, whether for those who believed or did not believe. As a result, it became so obvious for the Kuffar (unbelievers) what the Prophet wanted from them (to know who this God was (Allah ) and to believe in Him) that their reaction was:

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“Has he made the gods (all) into one Allah. Truly, this is a wonderful thing!”(Saad:5) When it became clear that there is One God (Allah ) with no partner, people were commanded to worship Him Alone without ascribing any partner to Him because He is the Only One worth of worship; to reject worshipping false gods; to follow the Command of Allah ; and not to take anything or anybody instead of Allah as their supporters:

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Say O Muhammad ) to those idolaters (pagan Arabs) of your folk:] Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s Sunnah), and follow not any Auliya’ (protectors and helpers who order you to associate partners in worship

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with Allah), besides Him (Allah). Little do you remember! (Al-A’raaf:3) This command polarised the people into two: The believers who believed that there is one God (Allah ) Alone and did not assign any partner to Him and complied with Allah’s Command; and the sinners who refused to believe in Him , worship Him Alone or comply with His Command. So, where does Quraysh stand in this division? Prior to the revelation, explanation and clarification of the verses, Quraysh had the legitimacy, and it was the Muslims who were the defectors and outcasts in the eyes of Quraysh and people. But what was the situation like after the revelation, explanation and clarification of the verses and the subsequent refusal of Quraysh to believe in Allah , worship Him Alone and comply with His Command? Did Quraysh still continue to enjoy legitimacy, and did the Muslims continue to be, in the eyes of the people, defectors and outcasts? Or did the situation change -at least for some- such that Quraysh and its followers became the sinners whilst the Muslims seized the legitimacy? This was a turning point in the course of the Da’wa for people to know who the sinners were and what their way was, and who the righteous were and what their way was. This was a big issue for the Quraysh because of the superior

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status they were enjoying: they were the guardians of al-Ka’ba, a holy shrine for all the Arabs, and were affluent and noble. In a nutshell, the Quraysh had, by Pre-Islamic (al-Jahiliyya) standards, all the essential ingredients for legitimacy mixed up with some distorted remnants of religion by which they professed a pedigree that stretched back to Ibrahim and Ismail’s ancestry. Hence, shaking the edifice of legitimacy for them was not that easy, especially under the circumstances where the defectors and outcasts came from weak, poor and deprived backgrounds. Only the true Aqeeda would shake and then strip these people of their so-called legitimacy, and expose their true self: they were the sinners who refused to believe in, worship Allah Alone, and comply with His Command. Now reverting to the initial question asked at the outset of this chapter, would the sinners have been exposed had the Muslims got embroiled in a war with the Quraysh who had then held the legitimacy? If the Muslims got involved in a war with the Quraysh, bearing in mind that the Quraysh had the legitimacy and the Muslims were the dissidents, would it have been conceivable for anyone –as was the case in the mind of al-Ansar- that the issue carried more weight than just the guardianship of al-Ka’ba, ancestry, affluence, army size, tradition or history? Would it have been conceivable for anyone that the issue was in fact, the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa

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Allah and all that it encompasses: Faith in Allah Alone, worshipping Him Alone and complying with His Command? Would the believers have carried the Truth (al-Haqq) to the hearts of people as they did with al-Ansar had they fought back? Or would the dust of war have blurred the reality of the issue, turning the issue into a win-lose situation, and marginalising the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah? I believe it is very clear now, and Restrain your hands was the answer. It was this phrase which allowed Laa Ilaha Illa Allah –the concern of all prophets from Adam to Muhammad – to emerge pure and crystal clear, and pierce into the hearts of people destined for guidance, and the hearts of others who refused faith and openly declared their disbelief. Such is one of Allah’s Customs (Sunnata Allah) in this universe:

š Î=ôγ uŠÏj9 ô⎯tΒ š n= yδ .⎯tã 7π oΨÍh‹t/ 4©z óstƒuρ ô⎯tΒ †yr .⎯tã 7π oΨÍh‹t/

That those who died might die after a clear sign (had been given), and those who lived might live after a clear sign (had been given). (Al-Anfal:42) Discovery, as prompted by the Command restrain your hands, is one of the prerequisites of Da’wa. In other words, without identifying the sinners’ way and the believers’ way using the criterion Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, and without some

30

hiccups in the process, the scope of Da’wa would not have expanded in such a fashion and within such a timescale. When the way of the sinners became clear, there emerged al-Ansar, and when al-Ansar emerged, the scope of Da’wa broadened and a massive change in history took place! But, who were al-Ansar, the people behind this change? Were they zealous members of the public whose enthusiasm was sparkled by admiration of the Prophet and sympathy with a handful of brave men who showed patience in adversity? Or were they soldiers who came forward to display their strong selling points and join al-Mujahidin? It goes without saying that love for Muhammad was planted in their hearts because of his virtues which they had often heard of and seen. He was a unique and an unprecedented example in the history of humanity. Sympathy with the tortured was also something planted in their hearts because of the forms of torture and the forms of patience under torture they had often seen and heard. Nothing stirred them. What really stirred them, initially, was the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah wa anna Muhammad rasulu Allah (There is no God, but Allah Alone and that Muhammad is His Messenger). They believed in Allah as the Lord, Muhammad as the Messenger, Islam as a religion, and then pledged their full allegiance to Muhammad . The Prophet asked them: “Do you protect me?” “Yes, we will protect you from that which we protect our women and

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children from.” They added, “If you want us to cross this desert with you, we will do so, and if you want us to swim across this sea, we will do so.” Total soldiership and utter readiness for a new Da’wa…As for the rest of the populace, the time had not come yet but they would surely set out on their mission at the time prescribed by Allah . Suppose al-Ansar were mere public enthusiasts stirred only by love and sympathy. Would their enthusiasm have endured the hardships of the journey? Would their enthusiasm have endured the clash with the enemy once Allah gave the signal? That the Prophet would be delighted by their conversion to Islam, and that the believers in Makka would be happy to have some brethren in Aqeeda, were two matters beyond any doubt. But doubtful and unlikely would be the Prophet’s drafting these people in Da’wa. This is evidenced by the Prophet’s questioning: “Do you protect me?” This was not a question about their Faith (Eeman), for they had openly declared it already; rather, it was a question about taking a step further: bracing themselves for what might happen as a result of what they believed in and what they knew was the Truth (al-Haqq). The Prophet would not have ventured to take them in had he sensed that they were sheer enthusiasts who would not brace themselves for what the Da’wa mission might bring about…After all, Muhammad

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would not conceive of the expansion of the Da’wa scope with a zealous public who believed in Allah (indeed), but was not willing to bear the costs. When did al-Ansar get ready for the Da’wa? It was stated above that the fire the Makkans lit, the Madinians used (the fire) as a beacon, and came forward to support the Prophet and the new religion. They came through Allah’s Preordainment, but also through one of Allah’s Customs. The presence of a real model to support the new Da’wa is the nucleus around which the masses gather randomly, and the more this nucleus grows in size the more the masses gather around it; a Lordly Custom in the universe and in man’s life. Realistically, the nucleus represents the Muslim group which gathered in Makka around the Prophet . This group was produced by the Divine Inspiration (al-Wahyy), but was educated, refined and shaped by the Great Educator, Muhammad who closely followed their development with patience, endurance, wisdom and insight. Then came a string of trials and tribulations which further refined, strengthened and brought such a group even closer to Allah . It was the phrase restrain your hands which produced this nucleus which then made history! Had the believers engaged in a war with the Quraysh in Makka, the formation of such nucleus and any gatherings around it would have taken a long time, and many of the

33

attributes which the believers had hitherto acquired would have changed, not to mention the blemish which would have affected the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, and shifted it into a winner-loser case. Let us now look at what has happened since the revelation of restrain your hands. In fact, many important things did take place during the Da’wa process. First, it now became clear that the conflict was exclusively over Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. It was not over territory sovereignty, political supremacy (the Prophet was offered power, but he turned it down and the believers in turn never showed any interest in or any greed for power), custody of the Kaaba and providing pilgrimage services for pilgrims or economic power (this was in the hands of Quraysh alone who would fight the believers by imposing severe economic sanctions. The believers however, never aspired to such power). Rather, the conflict was -and it should always be- over the greatest issue in the history of mankind. Who is the One worthy of worship? And the questions that therefore followed: Who is the Dispenser of all affairs? Who is the Law-maker? Who is the Architect of the systems of life? The Qurayshis picked up their whims, fantasies, customs and traditions as potential candidates; whereas, the believers around the Prophet opted for Allah . Secondly, all the endeavours were stepped up to educate the solid base (al-

34

Qaeda as-Salba) upon which the edifice was to be erected.1 Thirdly, the verses were clearly explained to single out the way of the sinners and those worthy of legitimacy. Fourthly, the believers’ base was expanded through the drafting of many soldiers who, guided by the beacon of the fire which was once burned the nucleus (those around Muhammad ), gave this base a real strength for the conflict. The last important thing was total devotion (at-Tajarrud) to Allah . At-Tajarrud is one of, if not, the most important prerequisite for Da’wa; for the base in particular and for those involved in Da’wa in general. This concept was rooted in the hearts of that special group of people (those around Muhammad ) during the early education stages in Makka through the verses of the Qur’an that call for the exclusive worship of Allah , and through the direct lessons they would receive from the Prophet on how such exclusivity should be achieved. What about the Prophet ? Who was his teacher? How did he receive his lessons? It was Allah who taught him in the best manner. From the very moment he set out on his Da’wa journey, the Prophet was very sensitive to people’s rejection of his message, and persistent in his guidance to them because he was himself innately good, and loved good for the people. However, Allah would comfort and alleviate his grief: 1 The education process will be dealt with in a separate chapter.

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ô‰s% ãΝ n=÷è tΡ … çμΡÎ) y7çΡâ“ ósu‹s9 “Ï% ©!$# tβθ ä9θ à) tƒ ( öΝ åκ ¨ΞÎ* sù Ÿω š tΡθ ç/Éj‹s3ãƒ £⎯Å3≈ s9uρ t⎦⎫ÏΗÍ>≈ ©à9$# ÏM≈ tƒ$ t↔Î/ «!$# tβρ ß‰ysøgs†

We know indeed the pain and sadness caused to you by the insolence of the polytheists. However, they consider you truthful; it is not you personally whom they deny with their coarse words and mockery. No, it is the Signs of Allah that they deny. (Al-An’am:33)

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9, øŠ|Ê $£ϑ ÏiΒ šχρ ãà6ôϑ tƒ

And be patient, for your patience is but from Allah. Do not grieve over them nor distress yourself because of their plots. (An-Nahl:127)

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36

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#Y‰‹ Ïè |¹ #·— ãã_

May be you torture yourself with sadness and regret that they rejected you and turned away, leaving nothing but their footprints. It is not by any means a cause for regret. The treasures We have created in the depths of the earth are but glittering ornaments, placed there to test the people so that it might become clear whose deeds are the most righteous. When this trial has come to an end, We will turn those glittering ornaments to dust and scatter them on the wind. (Al-Kahf:6-8)

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37

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tβθ ãè y_öãƒ

And if their turning away is stressful for you, why, if you cannot seek out a hole in the earth or a ladder in heaven, you bring them some sign. Had Allah willed, He would have gathered them to guidance; so, do not be one of the ignorant. Only those who hear will answer. As for the dead, Allah will raise them up, and unto Him they will be returned. (Al-An’am:35-36) Above all, his mission was to convey the Message, nothing else; the outcome will be Allah’s Job:

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ãΝ n=÷æ r& š⎥⎪Ï‰tFôγ ßϑ ø9$$ Î/

It is true you will not be able to guide every one whom you love, but Allah guides those whom He will, and He knows best those who receive guidance. (Al-Qasas:56) It is important to underline in this respect that during the education stages in Makka, the Prophet was never, as a person, promised victory, though he was reminded that:

38

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š ø‹n= tã à≈ n= t6ø9$# $ uΖ øŠn= tæ uρ Ü>$ |¡Ïtø: $#

Whether we shall show you (within your life-time) part of what we promised them or take to ourselves your soul (before it is all accomplished). Your duty is to make (the Message) reach them; it is Our part to call them to account. (Ar-Ra’d:40) Nevertheless, the Prophet was certain that Islam would triumph. “We complained to the Prophet when he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Kaabah. We said to him: “Why don’t you ask Allah to help us (grant us victory)? Why don’t you pray to Allah for us?” He said, “A man from the people before you would be placed in a hole dug for him, then they would bring a saw and cut his head in two, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. They would use an iron comb to drag the flesh and nerves from his bones, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. By Allah , this matter will be completed (i.e. Islam will be perfected and will prevail) until a rider travelling from Sana' to

39

Hadramawt will fear nobody but Allah or the attack of a wolf on his sheep, but you are too impatient.” 1 It was through the directives of Divine Inspiration (al-Wahyy) that submissiveness to Allah took roots in the Prophet’s heart, and it was in this fashion that He kept on training those followers around him until their hearts were filled up with submissiveness to Allah and until exclusive worship of Allah became their sole preoccupation. Once Allah knew what was in their hearts (submissiveness to Allah ), He granted them sovereignty and gave them the signal to take on the enemy:

tβÏŒé& t⎦⎪Ï% ©#Ï9 šχθè= tG≈ s) ãƒ öΝßγ ¯Ρr' Î/ (#θ ßϑ Î=àß 4 ¨βÎ) uρ ©!$# 4’n?tã óΟ Ïδ ÎóÇtΡ

íƒÏ‰s) s9 ∩⊂®∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# (#θ ã_Ì÷zé& ⎯ÏΒ Ν ÏδÌ≈ tƒÏŠ Î ö tó Î/ @d, ym Hω Î) χr&

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1 Al-Bukhari.

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:” Èθ s) s9 î“ƒÌ“ tã ∩⊆⊃∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# βÎ) öΝ ßγ≈Ψ©3Β ’ Îû ÇÚö‘F{$# (#θ ãΒ$s%r&

nο 4θ n=¢Á9$# (#âθ s?#u™uρ nο 4θŸ2“9$# (#ρ ãtΒ r&uρ Å∃ρ ã÷è yϑ ø9$$ Î/ (#öθ yγ tΡuρ Ç⎯tã

Ìs3Ζ ßϑ ø9$# 3 ¬!uρ èπt6É)≈ tã Í‘θ ãΒ W{$#

To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; verily, Allah is Most powerful for their aid. (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right (for no Cause) except that they say, ‘Our Lord is Allah. Had not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques where the name of Allah is commemorated in abundance. Allah will certainly aid those who aid His (cause); verily, Allah is full of strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will). (They are) those who, if we establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong. And with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs. (Al-Hajj:39-41)

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The Exemplary Point in This Unique Generation

t is widely believed that the peculiarities of the early generation during the phases of education in Makka are

not appropriate for our present time; therefore, these can only be drawn upon for history’s sake, but in no way to follow as an example or draw lessons from them. This ‘divorce’ needs clarifying because it is the dividing line between the Islamic undertaking (al-‘Amal al-Islami) at the present time. And unless the issue is completely and objectively clarified, the trends in the Islamic undertaking will continue to clash without reaching a unified or homogeneous stance, at a time when the enemies of this religion have been striving to destroy the Muslim nation as was the case in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Kashmir, Chechnya and elsewhere. Are we in the Makkan era where society is undoubtedly bonded, and the believers are those few who embraced the new religion and who are thus the outcasts, managed by what this society dictates? Or are we a Muslim society that does not comply with the teachings of Islam, and tries to remedy the situation by putting it back into its correct Islamic frame? Or what are we, precisely?

I

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Due to its seriousness, the controversy it has triggered and the division it has caused, this issue needs careful study in order to arrive at a clear picture without being geared by emotions or prejudice. Realistically, this is not the Makkan era and we - those working in the field of and responsive to the Da’wa, fast and perform pilgrimage (Hajj) [bearing in mind that fasting and pilgrimage were imposed in Madina] - do what is permissible and shun what is impermissible without being tied up by the Makkan revelations concerning what is lawful and unlawful. It is equally true that this is not the Madinian era, and the Da’wa does not have a stronghold in the land, nor is the Shari’a the applied law in the majority of the Islamic world. Those carrying the mission of Da’wa are either imprisoned, on death row or hindered from carrying out their mission. So, where do we precisely stand? And which method is appropriate for us? Is it the one commanded by Allah and adopted by Prophet Muhammad in Makka? Is it the one commanded by Allah and adopted by Prophet Muhammad in Madina? Or is it something else of our own making? It goes without saying that there are obvious differences between us and the Makkan society which many find as a pretext to deepen the chasm between the two eras. During

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the Makkan era, people would absolutely reject the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, so much so that the Qur’an describes their utter amazement at what Muhammad had to tell them:

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“Has he made the gods (all) into one god? Truly, this is a wonderful thing!” (Saad:5) In contrast we, in the Islamic world over, assert that there is no god, but Allah Alone, and reject that there are other gods. People during the Makkan era would completely reject the notion of resurrection to an extent that the Qur’an describes their utter amazement:

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«! $# $ ¹/É‹x. Πr& ⎯ ÏμÎ/ 8π ¨ΖÅ_

The unbelievers say (in ridicule): “Shall we point out to you a man that will tell you, when you are all scattered to pieces in disintegration, that you shall (then be raised) in

44

a new creation? “Has he invented a falsehood against Allah, or has a spirit (seized) him?” Nay, it is those who believe not in the Hereafter that are in (real) penalty, and in farthest error. (Saba’:7-8) By contrast and with the exception of a few, we generally believe in the resurrection, reward and retribution, paradise and hell. People during the Makkan era would reject the notion of Muhammad as the conveyor of Allah’s Message. The Qur’an both expresses and reports their complete surprise, respectively:

(#þθ ç6Ågx”uρ βr& Μ èδ u™!%y Ö‘É‹Ζ •Β öΝ åκ ÷]ÏiΒ ( tΑ$ s%uρ tβρ ãÏ≈ s3ø9$# #x‹≈ yδ ÖÅs≈ y™

ë>#¤‹x.

So, they wonder that a warner has come to them from among themselves! And the unbelievers say, ‘This is a sorcerer telling lies!’ (Saad:4)

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“What! Has the Message been sent to him (of all persons) among us?” (Saad:8)

45

With the exception of a few, we believe in Muhammad as the conveyor of Allah’s Message, the Qur’an as the word of Allah revealed to Muhammad. These are all facts, but let us look at the other side. Islam came to eliminate and reject any intermediary between Allah and His Servants, breaking any barriers between Allah and His Servants and making the relationship a direct one:

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When My Servants ask you concerning me, I am indeed close (to them); I listen to the prayer of every supplicant when he calls on Me. Let them also, with a will, listen to My Call, and believe in Me so that they may walk in the right way. (Al-Baqara:186) Sufism; however, personifies the Sufi Sheikh in the sense of al-Murid (disciple) so that he becomes an intermediary between the servant and his Lord (Allah ). Accordingly, unless the Sufi follower has permission from this so-called intermediary, he will not be able to supplicate to Allah using one of his Beautiful Names (Asma’ Allah Al-Husna). The Sheikh has ‘access’ to the hearts and decides

46

what Name best suits which heart, and also specifies the duration for which such Name is used. In this way, the authority of the Sheikh remains established in the hearts of the Murid even for one thousand years after his death. In fact, death does not come between the spiritual authority and the hearts. Stroking and kissing the tombs, making supplications thereat, seeking refuge in the dead and bearing offerings are all manifestations of the Murid’s loyalty to the Sheikh, which are also in the mind of the Murid the means of coming closer to Allah . This is no different from what the idolaters profess:

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“We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah. (Az-Zumar:3) Islam rejects man-made law and imposes Allah’s Law, tying it up to the core of Al-Aqeeda

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Whoso judges not according to what Allah has sent down, they are the unbelievers. (Al-Maida:44) and making disapproval of such law, a hypocrisy which invalidates faith:

47

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$ uΖ÷èsÛr& uρ 4 y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&uρ ãΝ èδ tβθßsÎ= øßϑø9$#

They say, “We believe in Allah and in the Messenger, and we obey”, but even after that, some of them turn away. They are not (really) believers. When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that He may judge between them; behold some of them decline (to come), but if the right is on their side, they come to Him with all submission. Is it that there is a disease in their hearts? Or do they doubt, or are they in fear that Allah and His Messenger will deal unjustly with them? Nay, it is they themselves who do wrong. The answer of the believers, when summoned to Allah and His Messenger, in order that He may judge between them, is

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no other than this: they say, ‘We Hear and we obey’. It is such as these that will attain felicity. (An-Nur:47-51) Accordingly, Islam considers implementing other than Allah’s Law as taking other than Allah as Lord, or worshipping other than Allah .

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They have taken their rabbis and their monks as Lords apart from Allah, and the Messiah, Mary’s son and they were commanded to serve but one God; there is no god but He; glory be to Him, above that they associate. (At-Tawba:31) What has secularism (al-‘Ilmaniyya) contributed to human life? How many governments in the Islamic world implement Shari’a? What do secularists think of Shari’a? With the above in mind foregoing, how are we going to assess this state of affairs in the Islamic world? The problem

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with this assessment lies first in the flagrant contradiction between what people claim is their Aqeeda and what people do in actual life; that is to say, what people believe in and what they practice in real life. Secondly, there is a division in assessing such contradiction. Does such contradiction classify one as a non-Muslim (Takfir) or not? Put differently, the issue is assessing people. In my view, this issue should not divert our focus from the process of Da’wa nor should it trigger controversy and then division. People, with some exceptions, have undoubtedly fallen in the pit of polytheism (Shirk), be it polytheism in terms of belief, worship or legislation. Nevertheless, judging them as polytheists is a completely different matter. Not anyone who falls in polytheism is considered a polytheist, unless there are certain conditions and compelling evidence to issue such a judgment. Ibn Taymiyya said: “I would explain to them that statements by predecessors concerning the issue of Takfir (classifying a person as a non-Muslim) were true. However, we should appreciate the difference between what is general and specific, the first disputable issue among Muslim scholars concerning the serious issues of fundamentals. The issue of al-Wa’eed (threat); that is, ‘whoever does so shall have...’ and the likes in the Qur’an; for instance, are broad as in: Those who wrongly usurp the orphans’ wealth… and

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correspond to what predecessors said: “Whoever says shall have...” However, a person may annul such a threat through repentance, good deeds which wipe out bad ones, expiating misfortunes or granted intercession. Takfir is part of this threat. However, if a man is a new convert or living in a remote place, he should not be classified as a non-Muslim unless there is concrete proof. This is because he may not have heard such texts (verses on threats), or he may have heard them, but it may not have been confirmed to him, or it may be that such texts are opposed by someone else, though he may be wrong.”1 “The texts concerning threats in the Qur’an and Hadith, and statements by scholars concerning the classification of a person as a non-Muslim are only applicable where there is sufficient proof, with no difference in the fundamentals and branches.” “There are two views as to the classification of people as non-Muslim and their abode in hellfire, both of which are reported by Imam Ahmad on al-Khawarij (extremists) and Rafida (rejectors)2 etc... It is true that the claims made by

1 Majmu’ al-Fatawa, Vol.3, pp.230-231. 2 Broadly, Shi’ite Muslims who reject (rafd) the caliphate of Muhammad’s two successors Abu Bakr and Omar.

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these religious sects violate the Prophet’s Message and are thus considered as part of disbelief, and so are their deeds similar to those of the non-Muslims. However, we cannot classify a person as non-Muslim, and thus claim that his abode will be in hellfire, unless certain conditions are fulfilled. On this premise, the statement concerning promises (al-Wa’d), threats (al-Wa’eed), classification of a person as non-Muslim (Takfir) or as deviant (Tafsiq) are general, but a person does not enter in such judgment unless there is enough proof.”

This is the key issue in Da’wa and the approach adopted by the Muslim movement. People, with some exceptions, have fallen in a polytheism similar to that of the pre-Islamic era (al-Jahiliyya) though they do not all necessarily fall under the label of ‘polytheism.’ What is of paramount importance in Da’wa is to reveal the reality of faith (Eeman), what invalidates faith, inviting people to discard any polytheistic act they may be committing -regardless of whether or not they are polytheists according to Allah’s Law- and to embrace the true Islam and implement it in real life rather than in their hopes and dreams.

It is not our concern to brand people as polytheists, but to remind them –nicely and kindly- that what they are doing is part of polytheism which they should denounce, and ‘get

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into’ the reality of Islam. This is the reality in which people live and our duty toward them.

On the other hand, the status-quo in the Islamic world indicates that there is some resistance to the Da’wa. The Du’at are; in fact, prevented from showing the complete reality of faith and what invalidates it, particularly the implementation of other than Allah’s Law. Long-term prison sentences, death penalty, and any other forms of punishment or torture are awaiting anyone wishing to show the true reality of the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah as revealed by Allah .

What is the most appropriate approach to the Da’wa? What do we invite people to? What shall we focus on? And what mediums should we use to reach or come close to our target? If we envisage the real circumstances and resolve; and at the same time, the problems, which result from issuing judgments on this generation without possessing enough proof; we will find ourselves closer, if not, similar to the Da’wa in the Makkan era, though not completely, due to some differences here and there. Such differences will prompt differences in judgment, yet they do not affect judgment on the circumstances. In fact, it is the circumstances which decide the approach to be adopted in the Da’wa and also the quickest means to attain goals.

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From this standpoint, following in the footsteps of the early generation is broader than it seems at first. We need, using our insight and intelligence, to refer to a host of issues in that era for inspiration, and arrive at an appropriate approach for our Da’wa mission. If we –properly- study the state of the Islamic nation across history, we will find that many distortions have taken place during the last 1400 years and gradually distanced people from the reality of Islam until Islam is reduced to the stage of al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya (the second strange phase) which Muhammad long informed us about: “Islam began strange and will return to being strange and Tuba (a field of heaven) to the strangers.”1

If we closely examine these distortions –and we should do so because we need to diagnose the disease- we will find that they were not confined solely to behaviour, but also to concepts. All concepts about Islam, even that of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, have been distorted: worship (al-‘ibada), fate and divine decree (al-Qada’ and al-Qadar), this life and the Hereafter, civilisation, education, Jihad, and so on and so forth.2

If this is the case, how shall we start? Shall we start correcting the misconception about Laa Ilaha Illa Allah? Is

1 Muslim. 2 Consult the author’s Mafahim Yanbaghi an Tusahhah (Misconceptions Which Need Correction).

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it possible to correct people’s life on an Islamic base without correcting first the misconception of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in people’s minds and hearts? The function of the mind is coming to grips with reality; whereas, the function of the heart is translating this grasp into practical behaviour. Hence, this is the road to reform. Let us now look at what has happened to the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah.

Laa Ilaha Illa Allah has become an empty word that does not carry any weight for –with few exceptions- people, a mere reiteration that has no influence in real life. In fact, the phrase no longer prevents some people from falling into polytheism, be it polytheism of belief, worship or legislation. The difference between our society and that of the pre-Islamic era at the time of Prophet Muhammad’s mission is that people at that time would openly practice their polytheism, and would at the same time refuse to utter the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. In contrast, people in the present time –with few exceptions- do utter the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, but fall in one or all types of polytheism. We therefore, need an approach very similar to that of Prophet Muhammad in Makka in order to show to people the reality of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and translate it into real life for those who embrace this religion. This is in my view an arduous task, no less than the hardship endured during the first phase of Islam to remove the estrangement Islam underwent at first (al-Ghurba al-Oula).

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Perhaps the second strange phase (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya) will be more onerous to remove than the first one, where Prophet Muhammad was present physically, setting a vivid example and providing a source of inspiration. The hardship in the first phase originated from contention; in addition to the strict adherence of people to ancestral traditions:

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So have we made the (Qur'an) easy in your own tongue so that with it you may give glad tidings to the righteous, and warnings to people given to contention. (Maryam:97)

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When it is said to them “Follow what Allah has revealed”, they say ‘Nay! We shall follow the ways of our fathers.” What! Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance? (al-Baqara:170)

As for the second phase, we will not find it difficult to force people to utter Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. They already utter it day and night. The difficulty; however, lies in assuming that by mentioning Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, they have become Muslims whatever their practical conduct and whatever their violation of the provisions of this phrase in real life. Another potential obstacle is that if you tell people that Laa Ilaha Illa Allah has certain conditions which must be fulfilled before one is given the name ‘Muslim’, they will attempt to refute your claim, asserting that they have never heard their ancestors mention anything like it.

Most of these people carry the blemish of al-Fikr al-Irja’i (Irja’ Doctrine) which claims that whoever says Laa Ilaha Illa Allah is a believer though he never performs any Islamic act, that faith (Eeman) is belief (Tasdiq) or belief and acknowledgment (Iqrar) (action is not included in faith), and that all forms of violations are simple sins, stressing that “a sin does not affect one’s faith.”

Uprooting this blemish from people’s lives and steering them toward the correct concept of Eeman which says that Eeman is both belief and action, and which the pious predecessors

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wholeheartedly embraced is the real mission of some people (al-Ghuraba’) whom Muhammad gave the following glad tiding: “Islam began strange and will return to being strange and Tuba (a field of heaven) to the strangers.”1 The first port of call in our mission will be to define Laa Ilaha Illa Allah whose meaning became unclear or unknown in the second phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya). Defining Laa Ilaha Illa Allah should not be in the form of a lecture, lesson or advice; rather, it is a real and continuous endeavour with subsequent follow-ups of cleansing people’s souls of the stains implanted by the Irja’ doctrine as well secularism. Both trends are an ‘acid’ that is eating away the pillars of Aqeeda, depleting it of its vital content and wasting away its full force which it once cherished when it was first revealed by Allah . Therefore, hastiness in this matter (Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) under the pretext that it is obvious and does not require any effort, that the efforts already exerted in this matter are sufficient, or that there are other more important issues to be dealt with than defining Laa Ilaha Illa Allah will not serve the Da’wa or produce the desirable results. The exemplary people in this respect are the unique generation. We need to ponder the Qur’an as well the Sunna’s concern with clarifying this issue (early generation 1 Muslim.

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being exemplary in Da’wa), not to mention education which took up the lion’s share in the Da’wa years. If we assume that the reason the Qur’an focused on this issue in the Makkan chapters (As-Suwar al-Makkiyya) was to address the polytheists first, then we should bear in mind that today we are faced in our Da’wa mission with people who have fallen in polytheism, though they are not necessarily all polytheists, a polytheism in terms of belief, worship and legislation, similar to the one Arabs fell into. However, we equally need to recall that focus on this issue does not always mean that the addressees are polytheists; rather, the believers, too, need continuous reminders. This is evidenced by the fact that reference to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in the Qur’an has never ceased even after the formation of the Muslim group, its establishment in the land and embroilment in the wars for the supremacy of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah:

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öà õ3tƒ «!$$ Î/ ⎯ Ïμ ÏFs3Í× ¯≈ n= tΒ uρ ⎯ Ïμ Î7çFä.uρ ⎯ Ï& Î#ß™â‘uρ ÏΘöθ u‹ ø9$#uρ ÌÅzFψ$# ô‰s) sù

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O you who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He has sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denies Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgment, has gone far, far astray. (An-Nisa’:136) Subsequent verses were revealed in Madina, tying the political, economic and social directives to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and its conditions:

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O Lord! Lord of Power (and rule), You give power to whom You please, and You strip power from whom You please. You endue with honour whom You please, and You bring low whom You please. In Your hand is all good. Verily, over all things You have power. You cause the night to gain on the day, and You cause the day to gain on the night. You bring the living out of the dead, and You bring the dead out of the living; and You give sustenance to whom You please, without measure. Let not the believers take for friends or helpers the unbelievers rather than believers. (Al-Imran:26-27)

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O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger. If you do believe in Allah and the Last Day, that is best, and most suitable for final determination. (An-Nisa’:59) So, Laa Ilaha Illa Allah is not a lesson or a lecture delivered and then forgotten; rather, it is a lesson that is delivered and studied time and again, and should constitute the ‘buzzword’ of Muslims until the Day of Judgment. What is the rationale behind defining Laa Ilaha Illa Allah? As defined by Allah , it is wisdom and beautiful preaching:

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Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching, and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious, for your Lord knows best

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those who have strayed from His path and who receive guidance. (An-Nahl:125) We need to realise that wisdom and beautiful preaching do not mean turning a blind eye on people’s errors and deviations in order to earn their satisfaction. Prophet Muhammad was the most aware of Allah’s Goal because he directly (verbatim) received Allah’s Message. How did he convey the Message? Did he overlook people’s polytheism? Did he avoid facing them with their reality, whilst he was the one who was commanded to fearlessly express the Truth (Al-Haqq):

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Therefore, expound openly what you are commanded. (Al-Hijr:94) The polytheists complained to Abu Talib (the Prophet’s uncle) about Muhammad’s shattering their hopes and dreams, scolding their gods and branding their forefathers as non-Muslims. Prophet Muhammad’s confrontation with Arabs was carried out through pure wisdom. And wisdom was ‘restraining the hands’ and passive reaction approach at that time, without causing any provocation which might make their hostility against us a justifiable cause. This brings about one of the most important issues of our time.

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Consider; for instance, the exemplary point in the early generation (restraining your hands). Is it wise for us to get embroiled in the present time in an armed struggle with people of power? Hostility from any regime that does not implement Allah’s Law is something we always expect because it is part of Allah’s Laws (Sunan Allah ). It has never occurred before that a pre-Islamic regime accepted the invitation (Da’wa) of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah or accepted a truce if approached to do so. When Shu’ayb said to his people:

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And if there is a party among you who believes in the message with which I have been sent, and a party which does not believe, hold yourselves in patience until Allah decides between us, for He is the best to decide. (Al-A’raaf:87)

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They did not accept the truce. They instead persisted in ousting the believers or forcing them to abandon their religion:

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The leaders, the arrogant party among his people, said: “O Shu'ayb! We shall certainly drive you out of our city, you and those who believe with you; or else you (you and they) shall have to return to our ways and religion.” He said: “What! Even though we do detest (them)?. (Al-A’raaf:88) In the modern regimes which call themselves ‘democratic’, freedom is given to all the sects/groups and all invitations (Da’waat), except the group which calls for LaaIlaha Illa Allah. What happened in Algeria is a sufficient case in point. When the Islamists in Algeria went by the rules of the regime –regardless of whether that is right or wrong- by going through the electoral process and eventually winning the polls, the regime changed the rules of the game (betrayed

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them) and violently opposed the winning party. This was the ‘warm welcome’ they received: “Accept things as they are or you will be driven out.” There is no need to ask if there is another approach to use in Da’wa without incurring the wrath of the regime, because it is obvious, but the question we should ask is: Is it wise for us to get embroiled in the present time in an armed struggle with people of power? To answer this question, we need to revise the lesson learnt from the history of the early generation dealt with in the previous chapter. First, we should ask the following question: “When did Allah permit the Muslims to fight back:

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To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged, and verily, Allah is Most powerful for their aid. (Al-Hajj:39) The permission came after the achievement of some goals; for instance, resolving the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, the issue of legitimacy, establishing a solid base (Muslims), expanding the base with the arrival of al-Ansar, and educating the base with absolute submission to Allah .

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Now let us look whether these have been achieved in our present time? Has the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah been resolved not only for the public but for the Du’aat themselves? Do the Du’aat now realise that implementing other than Allah’s Law is a form of polytheism that drives the user out of faith (Eeman) and that contentment with this man-made laws is also a form of polytheism that drives the user out of faith (Eeman)? Or is the controversy still going on over this issue? Recall that assessing people here is another matter that should not preoccupy us at this stage at the expense of our mission, which is showing the true reality of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. They are –and they should be- two different issues. One is educational; that is, showing people the facts; facts which many people ignore due to the second strange phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya). It is the Message which Allah has entrusted us with (Amana) and which we should convey to people however unfamiliar it may seem to them. The second is practical, and practice should be preceded by evidence first. There should be an exhaustive explanation of the issue only, without confusing people by raising other issues which may divert people’s attention and put them off. Is the issue of implementing other than Allah’s Law clear for the Du’aat –ignoring the masses- or is Ibn Abbas’s statement “Kufr duna kufr…” still confusing for them? Ibn

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Abbas’s statement does not imply implementing other than Allah’s Law; rather, it is judgment on a specific issue on implementing other than Allah’s Law out of ignorance, misinterpretation, fantasy and bribery without making such judgment a law that contravenes Allah’s Law. For example, a judge who does not implement Allah’s Law concerning drinking alcohol because he accepted bribery from the family of the guilty person is a corrupt judge, but his corruption does not mean he is Kafir. However if he one day says that drinking alcohol is not a crime or is not a punishable offence, and comes up with another punishment, then he is, according to Muslim jurists (Fuqaha’), considered as Kafir because he has ‘invented’ a law that contravenes Allah’s . The Tsars (at-Tataar) once implemented a concoction of laws, some taken from the Qur’an, some from the Bible, some from the Torah, and others enacted by Genghis Khan, a mishmash of laws. In his interpretation of the following verse:

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Do they then seek after a judgment of (the days of) ignorance? But who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah? (Al-Maida:50) Ibn Kathir commented on the Tsars’ act, stating: “Allah condemns any law that does not comply with His Law. Allah’s Law contains all the good, forbids evil, and is fairer than any other views or laws made by man without drawing upon Allah’s Shari’a. A case in point is the Tsars who preferred their King’s concoction of laws over Allah’s Shari’a and adopted them as the regulator of their affairs, instead of the Qur’an and Sunna. So, whoever implements such laws is a Kafir who deserves the death penalty, unless he returns to Allah’s Law and Sunna.”1 Because of his scholarly knowledge of jurisprudence issues, Ibn Kathir knew very well the meaning of Ibn Abbas’s statement, and the difference between issuing judgments other than Allah’s on an issue, and implementing other than Allah’s . In his thesis entitled Tahkim al-Qawanin al-Wad’iyya (Adopting Man-Made Laws in Judgment), Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Ibrahim Ibn Abdullatif Al Sheikh, who is noted for his scholarly knowledge and outspoken character, says: “Note the tags of Kufr (disbelief), Zulm (injustice) and Fusuq (deviation) Allah attaches to those who implement other than Allah’s Law. And it would be wrong to think 1 Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol.2, p.68.

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that Allah would brand one as a Kafir whilst he is not. A person who implements other than Allah’s Law is a Kafir. His Kufr may either be in terms of belief which invalidates one’s faith (Eeman) or be in terms of action which does not invalidate faith. Kufr in terms of belief are six types: First, the judge disagrees with Allah’s Law and Muhammad’s Sunna, and this is the meaning of Ibn Abbas’s statement. According to scholars, whoever disagrees with one of the fundamentals of religion or a branch of it, or rejected one of the words in the language of the hadith, is considered as a Kafir, a Kufr that invalidates one’s faith. The second implies that the judge does not disagree with Allah’s Law and Muhammad’s Sunna on the grounds that these two are valid. However, he believes that a law other than that of the Prophet is more comprehensive and appropriate for people involved in disputes, or for new circumstances. This is undoubtedly a type of Kufr because it gives preference of fallible man-made laws over Allah’s Perfect Law. More to the point, Allah’s and Muhammad’s Laws do not change with the change of time and circumstances. There is not a case, but that it has its corresponding judgment in the Qur’an and Sunna...

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Third, the judge does not believe that his judgment is better than Allah’s and the Prophet, but believes that it is similar. This type is similar to the previous two types in that it invalidates faith because it places the Creator and the creature on an equal footing. Allah is above this according to a number of verses:

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And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers. (Al-Maida:44) Fourth, the judge does not believe that ruling by man-made laws is similar to ruling by Allah’s Laws; however, he uses man-made laws in judgment. This type is similar to the previous one because it allows the implementation of other than Allah’s Law.

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Fifth, this is the type which explicitly, arrogantly, intentionally, formally, loyally, referentially and disputably disagrees with Allah’s Laws in all aspects. Just as legal courts have their judgments set up by the Qur’an and Sunna, these courts have a concoction of legal references derived from different legal systems such as the French, British, American legal systems. Sixth, this type consists of laws used by heads of tribes and clans, mostly derived from ancestors’ tales and traditions which they call ‘Sawalif’ (precedents). The other category is Kufr in terms of action which does not invalidate faith. This category does not invalidate faith. This is the kufr duna kufr” which Ibn Abbas refers to in his interpretation of the verse: And whoever does not rule by what Allah has revealed, such are the disbelievers. (Al-Maida:44) It is so called because it is a judgment passed on a case out of fantasy or desire. The person who passes such judgment does not refute the validity of Allah’s Law and the Prophet’s Sunna, and admits his mistake and deviation from the Right Path. It is true this Kufr does not invalidate one’s faith, but plunges one in one of the most serious sins such as fornication, drinking alcohol, theft, al-yamin al-ghamus (the oath that drowns one in sin), and so on and so

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forth. A sin which Allah refers to as Kufr in the Qur’an and is more serious than the one He does not refer to as Kufr. Is the issue now clear for the Du’at themselves or are some Du’at still confused, sometimes by the purport of Ibn Abbas’s statement and sometimes by the influence of Irja’ doctrine which separates Faith and action, though such action explicitly violates the provisions of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah; for instance, implementing other than Allah’s Law? If some Du’at are still confused by the issue, what about the masses? How much work is needed to clarify the issue in people’s minds so that they can see the ‘Divine Truth’ (al-Haqq ar-Rabbani)? Al-Hakimiyya (adopting Allah’s Laws in judgment) is not the only issue that desperately needs clarification concerning Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. In fact, resolving the issue entails first liberating it of the Arab nationalism and social justice, and other similar issues which crept in during the course of Da’wa. There were several issues before the Prophet Muhammad which he could have raised to increase the masses. The Arab Peninsula was occupied by the Persians and the Romans. Prophet Muhammad could have ‘stirred’ the Arab nationalism to attract the masses, and then easily instruct them to say Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. There was also the social issue in question. Whereas the rich grew richer, the

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poor grew poorer. And no one thought of ever putting a limit on the rich’s affluence by eliminating usury -at least- and transferring the excess of wealth from the rich to the poor. He could have raised this issue, earn the approval of the deprived masses, and then gather enough momentum to confront Quraysh. Driving home the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah amidst the dust of war would have been so much easier. There were equally, other general issues, which by their nature, constituted a material useful enough to win the voices of the masses. However under the ‘Divine Directives’, Muhammad never raised any issue of this nature during the educational phase in Makka. Rather, he raised and defended the issue which incurred the antagonism of the ‘superiors’ and subsequently that of the masses. He , despite all the antagonism, remained steadfast in his mission until Allah opened up the hearts of the unique generation for the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. This does not mean that other issues were unimportant. The Islamic Movement dealt with them one by one, but the most urgent and crucial issue in the ‘Divine System’ is Laa Ilaha Illa Allah upon which depends man’s life in this life and his destiny in the Hereafter. Moreover, all life issues –in the Divine System- ought to emanate from and be tied to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah so that they take on the virtues of honesty, loyalty and submission. That is why it was necessary to resolve the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah first, ‘cleansing’ it

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of any ‘haziness’ during the development phase so that worshipping Allah is for the sake of Allah and for the sake of earning Allah’s Satisfaction. Once Laa Ilaha Illa Allah is settled well in the hearts, other life issues will be achievable without fear of confusion in those hearts, because if fear persists during the phase of development and confusion crops up in early stages, then the Satan finds his way in easier. Is the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, now pure and clear in the hearts of Du’aat –ignore the masses for the time being- ‘uncontaminated’ with nationalistic and social justice issues. Have the Du’aat steered clear of talking about ‘Islam Communism’, ‘Islam Democracy’, and ‘Islam Pluralism’ to attract the masses? Has now the issue of legitimacy been resolved, not for the masses, but for the Du’aat themselves?

But how do we define the concept of legitimacy? During the second strange phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya), especially after the phasing out of Islamic Shari’a as a valid source of judgment in most Muslim countries, we overlooked our Islamic standards and superseded them with Western ones, particularly in the field of ‘Legitimate Politics’ (As-Siyyasa ash-Shar’iyya). To the West, the criterion for legitimacy is victory in the elections; that is to say, a landslide victory means leadership. This was not the

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case when the Islamists reached this level in Algeria! We have become well acquainted with the ‘Great’ West for playing double standards …in any issue that relate to the Muslims, because it adamantly believes in values, principles, respect for others and respect for human rights! Now forget about the West and its values, and let us ask the Islamists the following question: Is this the Islamic criterion in this issue? Suppose an individual, party, body or any political type has a landslide victory in elections, say, 100% of voices, but does not implement Allah’s Law. Can we say that such individual, party or body has legitimacy in Allah’s religion? We have been confused in this second strange phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya) by two different issues: the way of selecting the ruler, and the legal system. When Islam was the ruler in the Islamic land, scholars of legitimate politics talked about the conditions a ruler should fulfill prior to leadership, free allegiance, consultation (Shura), and other issues related to the conditions of leadership. They also talked about Fiqh Ad-Darura (the legal rules of necessity) and the possible concessions on some conditions through necessity, stating that obedience is to the majority. It never occurred to them, though, that a ruler may adopt other than Allah’s Law and still be the legitimate ruler over Muslims.

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The fundamental prerequisite of legitimacy in Islam is that the existing legislation must be the Divine Law. It stated above, according to Ibn Kathir, that a ruler who does not implement Allah’s Laws will automatically implement other laws that contradict those of Shari’a. With the foregoing in mind, has now the issue been resolved for the Du’aat first –forget about the masses? Or is it that our speech is all about elections; that is to say, selfish questions such as are the elections free or rigged? How many voices have we secured? And how much effort is needed to increase our share of voices? The belief that securing the majority of seats in parliament will pave the way for us to implement Allah’s Laws is very naive; what happened in the Algerian elections suffice as an example. Opting for this way –on principle- in order to attain leadership, and then implementing Allah’s Laws on this premise is illegal because it makes people the reference in selecting the legal system they find fit for them (not to mention here the selection of the leader). If they choose Islam, then it is Islam which should rule, and if they choose other than Islam, then it is what they have chosen that should rule. Is this Islam? Where do we stand in terms of the verse which says

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It is not fitting for a believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision. If any one disobeys Allah and His Messenger, He is indeed on a clearly wrong path. (Al-Ahzab:36) Abiding by Allah’s Laws is not related to people’s choosing or not choosing what legal system is suitable for them so long as they are Muslims. Rather since they are Muslims, then automatically it is Allah’s Law which rules them; otherwise, their faith (Eeman) is invalidated if they oppose or reject Allah’s Law and seek other legal systems, even if they pray, fast and claim to be Muslims:

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They say “we believe in Allah and in the Messenger and we obey”, but even after that, some of them turn away. They are not (really) believers. When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that He may judge between them, behold some of them decline (to come). (An-Nur:47-48)

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But no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction. (An-Nisaa:65) It is true to say that Islam, in reality, would not be able to rule were in not for a handful of believers who insist on implementing Allah’s Law and reject any other laws in the belief that accepting other than Allah’s Law as a legal system invalidates one’s religion. This type of Muslims is very rare in society, and is weakened and undermined by the intrigues of al-Jahiliyya. This is a fact, but we should keep on inviting people to Islam and show them the reality that

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one’s faith is invalidated if he accepts other than Allah’s Law. We should keep on educating people the provisions of such reality until the base of the believers gathers momentum and takes the lead. This is the mission of the Da’wa at present however long that may take to achieve, instead of sending people to the polls and asking them whether or not they wish to be Muslims! Is the issue now clear in the mind of the Du’aat, not to mention the masses, or have they unconsciously slipped into the criteria of democracy, which make the masses–at least seemingly1- the ones who have a say in the type of legal system they see appropriate for themselves, rather than Allah Who

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Is it not His to create and to govern? (Al-A’raaf:54) This is the dividing line between al-Jahiliyya and Islam. Has the base now been founded on strong grounds? If the issues of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and legitimacy have not been

1 In a democratic scenario, the masses believe that they are the ones who rule, but it is in fact capitalism which rules. From an Islamic perspective whether power is in the hands of the masses or capitalism, in both cases such system is other than Allah’s Law.

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‘digested’ at least by some of the Du’aat, how will the base meet the required specifications? The required base –which consists mainly of the Du’aat trained to diffuse the call at a larger scale- is based on two main principles: a full understanding of Islam and a thorough awareness-raising on the requirements of this religion. It is mentioned early on that a profound understanding of Islam still has some shortcomings in two main issues of Islam: Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and legitimacy, not to mention of course other issues which will be dealt with concerning the approach adopted by the movement. As for education, this issue is more serious, and its shortcomings devastating. During the Makkan phase, Prophet Muhammad’s prime concern was to provide the base with an education based on solid grounds in all the fields: faith, morals, behaviour, existence and practice. There may never be a generation similar to that of the companions of the Prophet ; every generation is unique. Nevertheless, it is Important to stress in this respect that the exemplary point in that unique generation is the base (the foundation). In instilling the principles of Aqeeda in people, the base possessed outstanding potentials because it is the base which usually carries the Da’wa. This generation should follow in the same way. More illustratively, members of the base will set the

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example and the movement should capitalise on their efforts. In other words, the outcome of the movement will largely depend on these efforts in removing the strangeness in the second phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya), just as the mission of removing the strangeness over the first phase of Islam (al-Ghurba al-Oula) was assigned to the first group. The subject of education will be dealt with in a separate chapter, but we should note here that the current phase for the base is very demanding. It is a special mission, with extraordinary obstacles, and strong antagonism which require a high level of tactics to surmount such obstacles and deal with such antagonism. Despite the obvious hardship to reach the required level, it is something inevitable for the Muslim nation which, through its lethargy, has been an inviting target. So, there should be some extraordinary efforts to compensate for that lethargy which lasted for more than two centuries, during which the enemy managed to stomp on the nation’s ‘chest’ and refuse to move. If the first the generation, including Muhammad who was receiving and conveying the Divine Message, exerted some extraordinary efforts to remove the strangeness which surrounded the first phase of Islam (al-Ghurba al-Oula), we, who do not enjoy such presence of Muhammad (physically) need to multiply our efforts, seeking the Support of Allah to bless our efforts to remove the strangeness

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which surrounds the second phase of Islam (al-Ghurba ath-Thaniyya). The area which desperately requires hard work is the creation of the base. The downsides we see today in the work of Islamic movements are proof enough that there have been some hastiness which overlooked the issue of education; in fact, we sometimes do not realise that one issue or another requires education and training. Has now the scope of the base been expanded to the required extent needed for the present phase? If it is the base of the masses, it goes without saying that this base has been expanded through the continuous efforts of the Da’wa for more than one century, through the sacrifice of martyrs, the insanity of al-Jahiliyya in imprisonment, torture and spilling the blood of Muslims. This is one of Allah’s Laws in this universe (Sunna Rabbaniyya) which tyrants often tend to ignore; that is, the Da’wa for which blood is spilt will not perish. Tyrants often believe that if they imprison torture, evict and kill a large number of Muslims, they will put an end to the Da’wa, and will make this as an ongoing challenge they must take on; whereas, Allah makes this (Da’wa) itself and anything that this may incur as His Preordainment to bless and pardon the believers, and to deprive the disbelievers of such blessing:

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So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith. If a wound has touched you, be sure a similar wound has touched the others. Such days (of varying fortunes) We give to men and men by turns so that Allah may know those that believe, and that He may take to Himself from your ranks Martyr-witnesses (to Truth). And Allah loves not those that do wrong. Allah's object also is to purge those that are true in Faith and to deprive of blessing those that resist Faith. (Al-Imran:139-141) The base of the masses has indeed mushroomed to include the entire Islamic world. Thousands of youth, though born

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into and grown in non-Islamic systems, jumped on the bandwagon, influenced by both the activities of the Da’wa and the insanity of the pre-Islamic era (al-Jahiliyya). After all, it is Allah Who chose for them the Path of Islam. But, what is the weight of the masses concerning the movement? As for the Du’aat, there is no doubt that they were pleased with the expansion of the base in this fashion. However whether or not such masses have braced themselves for the Da’wa as the Ansar did upon the call of Prophet Muhammad is something questionable. The first question that springs to mind is: Would these ardent masses remain steadfast when tyranny strikes, attacks, terrorises and expels the Muslims? Suppose the Muslims seize power in a country and are fiercely challenged by the Crusaders or Zionists, and suffer under some economic sanctions imposed. Would the masses remain patient and endure suffering in order to establish Islam as a system or would they wane and start looking for a means of subsistence? Suppose that the Muslims assume power in a country and are not challenged militarily or economically, but they simply prohibit music, indecent TV programs, impose Hijab, and so on and so forth. Would such masses remain so zealous or would some of them wane and dismiss such prohibitions as fanatical?

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Wouldn’t it be wise first to educate such masses and prepare them for the obligations of Islam so that they are better equipped when challenged by the enemy or when Islam as a system is established in the land? Who would teach such masses whilst the base itself has not yet completed its education and is not yet fully ready for the rapid expansion of enthusiastic and excited masses? Submission to Allah is a thorny issue, and it is not appropriate to point the fingers of blame to anyone, for Allah Alone knows what is inside the souls:

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(Allah) knows of (the tricks) that deceive with the eyes, and all that the hearts (of men) conceal. (Ghafir:19) However, suffice it to say that the divisions, conflicts and discord which are besetting the Islamic world carry certain significance: There are shortcomings in teaching those involved in the Da’wa the issue of ‘Islamic brotherhood’ and in real submissiveness to Allah . Conflict is not a flaw in itself though it should be controlled to avoid producing fanatics stirred by their own desire, love for individuals or parties. Unsurprisingly, the companions of Prophet Muhammad (As-Sahaba) did argue and dispute

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over some matters, but were not divided. Hence, this is the crux of the matter: When we dispute over a matter and we are all submissive to Allah and to the Truth (al-Haqq), surely the conflict will diminish, and so will the phenomenon of partisanship creeping into the Islamic world and prompting on its way fanaticism of opinion, thought, leadership, group and method. At the same time, agreement over something incorrect or untrue is not desirable because it will not serve the objectives of the Da’wa. Rather, absoluteness in showing the Truth is more inviting to create affection amongst the hearts than pretending to correct what is wrong and show the correct thing. In short, there is some hastiness in our action and there is still a long way we need to cross so that Allah empowers us. After all, He has shown us the way through which we can attain that superiority:

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It is He Who has strengthened you with His Aid and with (the company of) the believers, and (moreover) He has put affection between their hearts. If you have spent all that is in the earth, you would not have produced that affection, but Allah has done it, for He is Exalted in might, Wise. O Prophet! Sufficient unto you is Allah, (unto you) and unto those who follow you among the Believers. O Prophet! Rouse the Believers to the fight. (Al-Anfaal:62-65) The verse implies four successive conditions to be fulfilled before attaining victory: the existence of true believers, affection amongst the believers, absoluteness in worshipping Allah , and readiness for war as the conditions for Jihad allow. If we look at the reality of Da’wa in the light of these conditions, we will find that we have crossed some distance, but with haste!

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The Causes and Effects of Haste in the Contemporary Movement

here are three causes of haste. First: inaccurate estimate of the extent of the nation’s distance from the reality of

Islam. Second: deception by the overzealous masses and the belief that the mission, though arduous, is accomplishable. Third: miscalculation of the enemy’s response. Clearly, when the Da’wa started more than half a century ago, the state of the Muslim nation was not completely uncovered from all its sides. There were some remains of Islamic signs still apparent for the observer who would think that the good was still there…The intellectual battle had not yet got hold of the nation as it does now, and the remains of the traditions were covering the pit that lurks behind these Islamic signs and were thus hiding the real image. As for the intellectual battle, it began when the Islamic world fell prey to the hands of the West, and was ‘seduced’ by the scientific advancement of the West; the Muslims felt inferior and backward in all the fields. The educational methods and media strengthened this invasion and thus produced generations which gradually stripped themselves of Islam and joined in the process of Westernisation. However, when the Da’wa began more than half a century ago, Westernisation was not yet ripe as only Aristocratic women

T

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would appear in their swimsuits in the sea. Middle-class girls were still shy, though tempted by images in newspapers and magazines. Girls of the lower class were disgusted and condemned such act, and ‘innocent’ relationships between boys and girls took place under an extreme sense of shyness and secrecy. A girl caught in the act would be branded as a whore. The Western ideas were published in newspapers and books, either with an acknowledgment of the original author if the writer is trustworthy or without acknowledgment. In most cases, authors would attribute such thoughts to themselves without acknowledgment. The stage, cinema, television and radio all worked for the intellectual battle; however, its leaders were limited and its impact was still thriving. In a nutshell, the transition was not as swift as it would be later on, precisely after the Second World War, when it made giant leaps. On the other hand, some remains of traditions were still existent and appeared to the observer as solid in resisting the intellectual battle as had been the case approximately half a century ago. There were some youths who regularly go to the mosque, even in large capitals where the intellectual battle was concentrated. During Ramadan, both children and adults would fast, and nobody would dare to openly eat or drink, even if exempt from fasting for medical reasons or otherwise. Marriage would take place with both parents’ knowledge and consent, and, in most cases through them.

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The family members were tied with a strong bond, where the father had the final say and the children had to comply with the general traditions. Whoever violated such traditions would incur people’s rejection and contempt. As for the countryside, life was as it had always been since time immemorial; it condemned the corrupted life in the city and yearned for the past. In circumstances such as these ones, the observer may easily have overlooked many facts! Islam had already been heavily impregnated with a set of traditions, and at a certain period in the life of a nation, people’s adherence to a set of traditions may be so strict that people start to believe that such traditions are the real religion. Traditions; however, lose their ‘flavour’ after a while when they do not receive their lifeline which pumps life into and revives them. In the absence of such a lifeline, traditions would freeze on one hand, and disintegrate on the other. Traditions may persist for centuries if no drastic change takes place in society, though they will eventually break because of the intellectual ‘erosion’ factors, if we may say so. When drastic changes do take place in society, traditions cannot resist for certain. What happened in the Islamic world is that the instruments of destruction – the intellectual battle – were very vicious and designed to destroy Islam itself, not to mention its apparent traditions. Under such destructive instruments

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which strive night and day, traditions will rapidly disintegrate. Within half a century, things changed dramatically, as if the early nation was superseded with another completely different one (similarity in name only); corruption, which they labelled ‘Renaissance’ began to take its toll. The ‘virus’ of such corruption was no longer confined to the circles of Aristocratic girls who show up in their swimsuits on the beach. Rather, the ‘virus’ travelled down to infect the middleclass girls, and then the lower class (countryside) girls. Relationships between boys and girls whether innocent or not have now became something common in society; in fact, part of its fundamentals. The ‘family’ lost its sense of unity; the children had absolute freedom to manage their own affairs and parents no longer possessed authority over them. Religion, in general, became a token of stagnation, backwardness and inability to cope with change and progress. Adherence to something and refusal to change became an insult, because things must change and must not remain fixed. Within half a century, all this took place and was attributed to progress, renaissance, keeping up with the developed world, technology and the communication revolution. It was of course impossible for Islam to remain outside this wave, but another scenario would have been possible had Islam

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been ‘alive’ in the hearts of Muslims, and had not simply been a set of soulless traditions. Scientific and technological progress does not pose a problem for the Muslim; in fact, Muslims ‘assimilated’ all the scientific movements that existed and introduced some dramatic changes to it, most important of which was the implementation of pragmatics in scientific research. Add to that the scientific discoveries which constitute the core of the present development. So, the Muslim’s Aqeeda is not shaken at the acquisition of knowledge nor is his belief in Allah and the Last Day, because his is a balanced disposition where the instincts of faith and knowledge harmoniously coexist:

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Those truly fear God, among His Servants, who have knowledge. (Fatir:28) Discord took place in Europe as a result of the defect in the religion they were embracing and the defect in the disposition inherited from such religion. This is not because religion innately contradicts knowledge or because knowledge may take the place of religion. Had Islam been ‘alive’ in the souls of Muslims and had not been a mere set of soulless traditions, the Muslim nation would have

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certainly been a civilisational paradigm, different from the Western one. It would have developed from defect to defect, focusing during its process, on only one side of man: the spiritual side or physical side, either the side which works for the Hereafter and discards the worldly life or the side which works for this life and discards the Hereafter. In either case, it is unable to focus on man as a single entity and an integral part created by Allah :

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Behold, your Lord said to the angels “I am about to create man from clay. When I have fashioned Him (in due proportion) and breathed into Him of My spirit, fall you down in obeisance unto Him.” (Saad:71-72) The Muslim nation’s inability to acquire the scientific and technological progress and its inability to present a distinguished and sophisticated civilisational model had some significance which those involved in the Da’wa should not miss. The significance is that the ‘burning flame’ of this religion in the souls of Muslims doused or weakened somehow to an extent that it became unable to interact with events as it had done before with the events of history. This

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weakness was obviously caused by certain other factors, but not by the nature of this religion which is full of life and which worked miracles throughout man’s life when people sincerely believed in it and steered it in different directions in the real world. The heart must have been infected with some diseases, and so was the entire body: “There is a lump of flesh in the body, if it is sound the whole body is sound. It is indeed the heart”1 If such diseases had been diagnosed by the Du’aat from the very start, they would have treated them before setting out on their journey. If it appeared to them that all the forms of scientific, materialistic, political, military, civilisational and cultural backwardness which Muslims had fallen into was caused by Aqeeda backwardness, which they particularly suffered recently, they would have set up a method for the Da’wa other than the one they have adopted, and their vision in seeking ways of treatment would have been different. It goes without saying that the reality of the Muslim nation’s distance from the true image of Islam was crystal clear. But the extent of this distance and its nature were concealed behind the ‘crust’ of deceptive traditions, which made it appear to the observer that the base under it was still intact or that it did not need refurbishments here and there. 1 Al-Bukhari

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The Da’wa should have closely examined the base to see if it was still intact or bound to collapse during the successive shake-ups the Muslim nation had been experiencing. By doing so, a decision would be reached on what should be done first: is it refurbishing the structure or rebuilding the base? The corruption which gripped the nation was not confined to behaviour only, but it involved concepts, and a corruption in concepts is more serious and more difficult to deal with than corruption in behaviour. When the conduct of an individual, group or nation is corrupt whilst the concepts are correct, reform –however arduous it may seem- is easier to achieve than if the concepts have been corrupted. In that case, a great deal of effort is necessary; the effort to correct the misconceptions, which is the hardest, and the effort to correct behaviour. At the beginning of the Da’wa, all the concepts were already corrupt, as hinted early on, even the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. As a matter of fact, corruption started in the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, turning it into a sheer utterance, then moved to some rituals performed by some people as a slavish imitation rather than as a conscious act which links man to an integral system of life which comprises all aspects of life: worship and work, politics and economy, and social and intellectual relations.

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Several factors had an impact on corrupting the essential concepts of Islam in people’s minds. People were no longer aware of the true image of Islam as once revealed by Allah , and as once understood and assimilated by the first generation and subsequent ones. For instance, Al-Fikr al-Irja’I (Al-Irja’I doctrine) already excluded action from the concept of faith (Eeman), claiming that Eeman is belief (Tasdiq) and affirmation (Iqrar), and nothing else, and that whoever says Laa Ilaha Illa Allah is a believer even if he does not perform any act of Islam. Sufism, in its turn, transformed Islam into a concoction of Azkar (recitation of Allah’s Names). Mystic and imaginary as it is, Sufism remains utterly divorced from the real world. Sufism does not enjoin what is good, does not forbid what is evil, and does not call for Jihad, not to mention the defects in worshipping tombs and deceased clerics, and in bearing offerings to other than Allah . The political tyranny beginning with the Umayyads, followed by the Abbasids, the Mamluks and then the Ottomans diverted people’s attention from focusing on public issues. Rather, people were concerned with personal matters only, and the concept of worship was confined to rituals and individual merits which do not interfere with the concerns of the group.

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Consequently, at-Tawakkul (seeking Allah’s Assistance) changed into negative Tawaakul (reliance) without taking into account the causes of things. More to the point, the Aqeeda of al-Qada’ wa al-Qadar (Divine Preordainment) changed from one of audacity and daring in dealing with circumstances into one of deception and lethargy:

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šχθ ÝÁ În/utI •Β

Say, “nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us; He is our protector, and on Allah let the Believers put their trust.” Say, “can you expect for us (any fate) other than one of two glorious things (martyrdom or victory)? But we can expect for you either that Allah will send his punishment from Himself,

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or by our hands. So wait; we too will wait with you.” (At-Tawba:51-52) It was this change which divided the path into two: one path leads to the worldly life and the other leads to the Hereafter, after it had been only one path, beginning with this life and ending with the Hereafter:

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“But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this world.” (Al-Qasas:77)

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It is He who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse you through its tracts and enjoy of the sustenance which He furnishes, but unto Him is the Resurrection. (Al-Mulk:15)

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Instead of taking the path of the worldly life which would give them knowledge and power, some Muslims indulged themselves in what they believed would bring them closer to Allah such as Halaqaat Az-Zikr (recitation of Allah’s Names circles). Others indulged in the pursuit of life’s splendours, tyranny, oblivious to the Day of Resurrection and Judgment. They spread corruption in the land, and were not challenged. All these diseases which scraped out religion of its ‘vitality’ and ‘sterilised’ Laa Ilaha Illa Allah of its effective dose should have been diagnosed first. This is to say that the first thing to begin with was correcting the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and educating the base before attracting or gathering the masses. If the remains of the traditions which existed in society at the beginning of the Da’wa deceived the Du’aat on the reality of the disease which had hit the Muslim nation in its Aqeeda, the enthusiasm of the masses in receiving the Da’wa only deepened their deception toward the real status-quo. The masses welcomed the Da’wa with unbridled enthusiasm, and within a few years, approximately half a million people, mostly youth, gathered around Al-Imam Ash-Shahid (Hasan al-Banna). The figure is shocking given that the Egyptian population at that time did not exceed twenty million, and given that the figure does not include women, children and

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the elderly who would not get concerned with a public issue or welcome anything new. There is no doubt that the spiritual copiousness Al-Imam Ash-Shahid possessed and his outstanding ability to stir up people’s emotions had a considerable impact on their burning enthusiasm to welcome the Da’wa. Only a person with such a formidable talent would attract this huge number of followers and within such a short time. But, for what cause were they attracted in particular? These masses found what would quench their spiritual ‘thirst’ in an enlightening fashion, dissimilar to the Halaqaat Az-Zikr (recitation of Allah’s Names circles) held by Sufi leaders which the public would frequent to satisfy their spiritual desires. Intellectuals condemned these circles, but they had no enlightening alternative. Therefore, when Al-Imam Ash-Shahid appeared on the scene, these intellectuals immediately abandoned these circles because they now found the enlightening alternative in Al-Imam Ash-Shahid and his eloquent diction. He would surely quench their spiritualism and at the same time safeguard their intelligence. People now found who would revive their hopes of revitalising Islam after the acute relapse which gripped the nation soon after the removal of the Caliphate (al-Khilafa). People now found who would raise them above the forms of filth, which had been polluting society and

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place them on the plane of noble ideals and good behaviour. All these aspirations were risk-free; all people had to do was to attend and listen. ‘Easy come easy go’. These masses, which were easily attracted and gathered, easily dispersed into thin air when dangers loomed on the horizon. They went and never came back. They never thought that attending and listening would pose them any danger, nor were they ready for any danger. Had they known this from the very start, they would have never come or even thought of coming. Only those who were closely educated by Al-Imam Ash-Shahid and received his ‘true’ potentials and genuine efforts did remain around him. Was the gathering of these masses which fled at the first hint of danger an asset for the Da’wa or one of the hurdles? The answer to this question will be dealt with later on, when we present the enemy’s reaction. However, the following question is worth considering: What made the Da’wa target the masses at an early stage? It was a good-intentioned move. It was believed that people had a defect in their behaviour, and that persuasive language was the solution to the problem. It would bring them back to the Right Path and turn them into ‘loyal instruments’ that would serve the Da’wa and steer it toward the desired goal.

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It did not appear to those involved in the Da’wa that the defect was not confined to behaviour only, but also to the concepts, especially those related to the implementation of Allah’s Law, and that the issue needed considerable effort to convey the truth to the masses. This became clear later on…1 after the Da’wa had gone a long way in addressing the masses on the basis that they would -through persuasive and emotionally charged language- be suitable as loyal instruments for the Da’wa or at least be a ‘raw material’ for it. This also became clear after such concern with and gathering of the masses in this manner and steering them toward the political platform, had sparked the enemy’s expected and unexpected reactions. When the masses move, the local authorities worry; when the movement is Islamic, both local and world authorities worry, and perhaps the world authorities’ worry is worse. To come to grips with the reality of this issue, we need to go back to history.

1 In 1948, Al-Imam Ash-Shahid published a series of articles entitled Ma’rakat al-Mushaf (The Battle of the Qur’an) in which he clarified that the conditions of the Umma were not Islamic and that they would not be so unless Allah’s Law was implemented. This meaning in particular was not very clear during the first part of the Da’wa process, but was the beginning of a new phase of guidance. The publication was discontinued due to the Palestinian war. Al-Imam Ash-Shahid was assassinated in February 1949 before his followers could assimilate the new trend.

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In the last two centuries, the decline of the Islamic world in all the fields was noticeable…The Ottoman state, which Europe had once feared, began to deteriorate. Under the Czar rule, Russia began to attack the Ottoman state and usurp its wealth without any challenge. The Balkans rebelled under the instigation of European states and minorities rebelled inside the Islamic world. In short, the Ottoman state plunged into turmoil. The Muslim nation was no less in trouble, for it was already enveloped in backwardness, poverty, ignorance and so on and so forth…a golden opportunity for Europe to destroy its old enemy. European states began their plot to bring the entire Islamic world under the control of European ‘imperialism’. The European Crusaders were soon joined in by a new member, the Jews, who had their own agenda to set up a Jewish state in Palestine, but of course with the full assistance of the European Crusaders. When Sultan Abdul Hamid turned down the Jews’ request to set up a Jewish state in Palestine, the Jews’ interests and the Crusaders’ interest now became one, and so did the conspiracy against the Muslims, though each party had its own interest eventually. The conspiracy was very well-calculated in every aspect, and the execution was fairly easy for the Crusaders and the Zionists because the Muslim nation was deteriorating. It had lost its Islamic consciousness and also, its Islamic will which Allah had warned it to keep:

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So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith. (Al-Imran:139) The most dangerous weapon, which these two enemies used to fight Islam was -after things went well militarily and politically- the ideological battle (al-Ghazw al-Fikri) which aimed to kill the spirit of resisting the Crusader-Zionist invasion, by killing the Aqeeda inside the hearts and producing generations which would acquiescently accept servitude to the West. Well-aware that the Muslims would one day wake up from their slumber and attempt to reject this subjection and seek independence, the Crusaders and the Zionists began planting the seeds for national (wataniyya) and nationalistic (Qawmiyya) trends. They set up leaderships around which the masses would gather, but under the ‘hidden’ supervision of Imperialism. This way if any revolution against Imperialism broke out, the conditions as well as the goals of such revolution would be limited. For instance, the revolution would seek military independence -if capable, or military and political independence –at least apparently, but in no way think of intellectual, cultural and spiritual independence. Hence, subjection to the West would persist

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through the national and nationalistic regimes and ‘liberation revolutions’, whilst the masses, in their ignorance, applaud and hail the show. In short, what the Crusades and Zionism feared and strove to prevent by any means was the birth of as-Sahwa al-Islamiyya (Islamic Revival). This is an uncompromising ‘trend’, and the enemies knew very well the degree of danger that this would pose to their interests:

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The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons. (Al-Baqara:146) When the Islamic movement was launched by al-Imam ash-Shahid, the Crusaders and Zionists worryingly watched biting fingers in an attempt to come to grips with its danger. In his Modern Trends in Islam (1st edition appeared in 1936), the British Orientalist Gibb highly praised the movements by Jamaluddine al-Afghani and Muhammad Abdu, but commented in one of the footnotes, stating: “After that emerged a new group known as al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun (Muslim Brothers) led by Hasan al-Banna, and we may anticipate judgement on this group, though an apparent judgment, that it is exclusively dangerous.”

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We may infer from this comment the extent of worry and fear, and the desire to destroy this uniquely dangerous group. The more people gathered around this ‘new Da’wa’ geared in the name of Islam, the more this unique danger grew in the eyes of the Crusaders and Zionists. However, the Crusaders and Zionists did not yet know what was going on inside the group; that is to say, preparing for the worst and training men ready to die for the sake of Islam at the push of the button. The bomb; however, went off in 1948 in the most dangerous spot and at the most dangerous time: in Palestine, during the preparations for setting up the Jewish state...The blast was more powerful than what those involved in the Da’wa had estimated. It was very obvious that the Du’aat knew the Crusaders and Zionists’ hostility towards Islam, the desire to destroy it, and hatred to see people ‘reverting’ to Islam because it is a self-evident reality. As soon as a Muslim person reads the following verses of the Qur’an,

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Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with you unless you follow their form of religion. (al-Baqara:120)

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If aught that is good befalls you, it grieves them, but if some misfortune overtakes you, they rejoice at it. (al-Imran:120)

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You will find that the strongest among men in enmity to the believers are the Jews and Pagans. (al-Maida:82)

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Quite a number of the people of the Book wish they could turn you (people) back to infidelity after you have

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believed, out of selfish envy after the truth has become manifest unto them. (al-Baqara:109), He will realise that such hostility is existent and will not go. Knowing the extent of such hostility and going into the details of its brutality is another matter. According to the course of events, an estimation of all this was not accurate enough. The Zionist conspiracy, fully assisted by the Crusaders, was well worked out in preparation for the establishment of the Jewish state. Ever since Sultan Abdul Hamid declined the Jewish ‘mouth-watering’ and time-bombed offers (a bribe of 5 million golden pound sterling to go into his own pocket (a huge wealth then), a promise to intervene and prevent Russia, Britain and France from instigating the minorities (a political problem for the state), a promise to provide long-term loans to boost a debt-laden Ottoman economy (a economic problem for the state)), the Jews drafted a fifty-year policy as decided by Theodor Hertzl in his Zionist Conference held in the Swiss city of Bal in 1897. Abdul Hamid was forced out of the Throne and the First World War was arranged to unite Europe against the Ottoman state in a concerted attempt to eliminate it. Now the Crusaders and Zionists dubbed the Ottoman state as the ‘sick man’ and divided its wealth amongst Britain and

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France, the Jews’ two friends then (and even now with a shift of central responsibility from Britain, the then leader of the ‘Liberal World’, to America, the current leader of the ‘Liberal World’). Next, they placed Palestine –a future battle scene- under the British Mandate to pave the way for establishing the Jewish state under the patronage of Belford’s statement: “Her Majesty’s government is looking forward to the establishment of a national state for the Jews in Palestine.” This ‘vicious’ strategy went further to divide the land surrounding Palestine into small and weak states with no weight in the world of war, politics and economy, not to mention the rampant border and nationalistic disputes amongst these states. Next in the agenda was the youth. In every nation, the youth constitutes a great potential if rightly guided to deal with big issues. So, the enemy thought of diverting the youth’s attention first from the real issues; that is, from the concern with serious matters to trivialities. This way, the youth would not pose any danger to the enemy. Prophet Muhammad said: “Allah loves what has high status.”1 The Jews did so by introducing the cinema, radio and theatre (the television had not yet appeared nor had the Jews transmitted their soccer madness worldwide). Next, they 1 At-Tabarani, al-Mu’jam Al-Kabir.

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inundated the youth with the issue of women’s emancipation to involve boys and girls in innocent relationships which would turn later into non-innocent relationships. Later, the Jews gradually injected the youth with the venoms of political party fanaticism, ‘culture’ fanaticism and ‘art’ fanaticism; these were all trivialities, a waste of time and a diversion from the real issues! When the time came; that is, 50 years after the Hertzel Conference which called for the necessity to establish the Jewish state within fifty years, the Jewish state was now declared, thus igniting ridiculous rather than serious wars between the enemies and Arab armies. The armies moved forward in all directions and stopped at the dividing line already agreed upon by all parties. At this juncture and at this most frustrating moment in the enemy’s conspiracy, the ‘bomb went off and caused an enormous blast.’ When the Muslim fighters pierced through the battlefield, the Jews and the Crusaders discovered the reality of Muslims. The blast was more enormous than what those involved had estimated, so much so that the entire world was shaken! When the clash with the Muslim fighters began, the Jews realised that they were in a situation totally different from before and that the men that stood before them were of a higher calibre than that of those men who had come to ‘act on stage’ in those ridiculous wars. They were men of

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Aqeeda, stirred up by their Aqeeda to fight these wars and die for Allah’s Sake…In short, the Jews realised that those Muslims were an example of that ‘special category’ of men they had known before in history. That is why they were shocked, because they had never thought that such an example of men would ever come back…and, to their greatest surprise, from Egypt where the intellectual battle during the French Expedition (al-Hamla al-Faransiyya) strove to scrape the Egyptians of their religion and nationalism under the banner of Egypt for Egyptians which heavily implied ‘no room for nationalism or Islam’. They were extremely worried, if not terrorised, and would flee the scene upon hearing the announcement of the phrase Allah Akbar Wa Lillahi al-Hamd (Allah is Great, and Praise is Due to Him), leaving behind their belongings. At this juncture, the Jews realised that there was no way of ever establishing the state of Israel, not to mention the execution of the expansion program drafted before if the Islamic movement remained alive. They equally realised that the Islamic movement must be destroyed from the root if Israel wished to live in peace and security. In response, the command to dissolve the Muslim Brothers (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin) group was issued by the Crusaders and Zionists and shortly afterwards its leader, Hasan al-Banna, was assassinated in daylight, thus changing the course of history.

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The Islamic movement was violently suppressed, more violently than expected. Of course, those involved in the Da’wa were aware that the movement was not safe at all from harm, but not to the extent that such harm would be so savage and inhumane, as to shoot the leader in cold blood and in daylight; leaving him to bleed to death; and threatening local hospitals not to treat him. And what followed was no good news at all. Scores of youth were arrested and tortured. This also was not at all expected, and nothing of course would justify such barbarism, which the government considered to be ‘stepped up’ security measures to contain disorder or put an end to fitna. These claims do not conceal anything in this life and on the Day of Judgment

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On that Day Allah will pay them back (all) their just dues, and they will realize that Allah is the (very) truth, that makes all things manifest. (an-Nur:25) We may also ask ourselves whether the movement itself was going on the right track or did it act hastily; that is, before the right time? No one should ever conceive that the Movement would have been offered a truce had it adopted a different approach. We have seen people’s reaction when

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Shu’ayb proposed to his people to remain patient until Allah decided:

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And if there is a party among you who believes in the message with which I have been sent, and a party which does not believe, hold yourselves in patience until Allah decides between us, for He is the best to decide. The leaders, the arrogant party among his people, said: “O Shu'ayb! We shall certainly drive you out of our city, you and those who believe with you; or else you (you and they) shall have to return to our ways and religion.” He said: “What! Even though we do detest (them)? (Al-A’raaf:87-88)

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Rather, al-Jahiliyya could not bear the call to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, propose a truce or remain patient. And we should not think either that if the Movement had been on the right track, it would have never been inflicted with a harm that reached the point of torture, assassination and so on and so forth. The first generation (group), which was educated by Prophet Muhammad , adopted the most exemplary approach and was gradually guided by the Divine Inspiration, too, did not escape the harm which reached the degree of torture, hunger, expulsion and murder. This implies that adopting the right approach is not a requirement to protect those involved in the Da’wa. Rather, the right approach is required to serve the Da’wa itself in order to carry out its mission in the most perfect way and produce its full fruits. The Movement was violently squashed without finishing off the construction of its solid base. It; however, produced loyal fighters, ready to die in the Cause of Allah and to bravely sustain harm for the sake of the Da’wa…The Movement produced people tied up with a sense of brotherhood for Allah’s Sake that equals, if not, exceeds that of blood relationship. It produced people sincere in their transactions because they feared Allah . It produced positive people, ready to exert efforts. These are all good characters required for the base, but they were not everything, and would not suffice to build the required base…They were not sheer individuals who would purify

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themselves for Allah’s Sake and vow themselves to follow the Way of Allah . Rather, they were the Da’wa...which aimed to rescue the Umma from the catastrophic decline it had fallen into because of its distance from Allah , and this was a very demanding task. Before dealing with the issue of education required for the building of a solid base (next chapter), it is worth mentioning here the causes and effects of hastiness which I ventured to mention early on. The Movement continued to attract the masses before completing the building of the base, guide such masses before building their Islamic awareness, and clash with the authorities in imbalanced battles. The effects of such hastiness did not at all serve the Da’wa. The concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah was re-clouded, if not, contaminated by the political, economic and social issues before it (Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) took roots in people’s hearts –at least the Du’aat’s- that it means the exclusive worship of Allah , regardless of the political, economic or political impact it may have in this life. Then when the turn of all these issues came, they will all automatically emanate from and be linked to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, neither coupled with nor preceding it. And we should not forget that such hastiness in guiding the masses before completing their Islamic awareness had shaken up political parties and secular groups in that it prompted a series of deflections to the Islamic Movement.

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New recruits would face the Movement with challenging questions, asking for a clear manifesto: show us your manifesto which you claim to have and through which you wish to take legitimacy from us. Frustrated, the Movement sought to find its manifesto to deal with the challenge, thus neglecting the prime and real issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. The issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah -during its formation phase- was not linked to results in the mind of those involved or those ‘correctly’ educated. Put differently, the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah was not expected to produce results in this life related to securing power, political stability, economic prosperity, social comfort or affluence…Perhaps none of these results will be achieved, but those involved may end up like the Pharaohs’ magicians who were crucified when they openly declared their belief in Allah or like Ashab al-Ukhdud (the makers of the pit (of fire), who were burnt alive…These people were exemplary, and their sole concern was to please Allah and be amongst the dwellers of a Paradise under which rivers flow. Hastiness in gathering the masses and hastiness in moving ahead with these masses before they were fully-fledged only worsened this haziness around the political issues. In the end, the pillar of the Da’wa insists that implementing Islam would solve all the political, social and economic problems people suffer from today, and later on would search for the

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‘practical programmes’ which will deal with the challenge posed by the secularists! That Islam is the solution is a divine reality which Allah promised:

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If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (all kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth. (al-A’raaf:96) But whether or not this is achievable once the Islamists seize power can not be inferred from the Qur’an or from the events of history. The Muslims experienced a life of hardships after they seized power and set up the Islamic state which implemented Allah’s Laws, and these hardships persisted until the days of Omar’s Caliphate. People showed great patience in the face of adversities because they were believers, aspired to Paradise, divorced the world of pleasures, and vowed themselves to follow Allah’s Way. This is what made the Da’wa take roots and spread its ‘tentacles’ in the horizon.

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Had Prophet Muhammad misled the masses into believing that if Islam seized power, they would solve their mundane matters and live in comfort, they would not have showed that great patience in the face of adversities and sustained the hardships of life which succeeded the establishment of Islamic state and lasted for years subsequently, and the Movement which changed the course of history would have never existed. Would people whose hearts have not yet fully ‘absorbed’ the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah showed patience if we had misled them into believing that their problems would be solved once Islam took power; whereas, their problems were not solved –in fact aggravated by the wars waged against them by the Crusaders and Zionists- whilst Islam was still in power and their problems were not solved? Would people who have not ‘walked in from the door’ of exclusive worship of Allah showed patience in the face of hardships of life or would they have denounced the system for which they had once cast their votes and which had not honoured its promises? The duty of the Da’wa is to show people their obligations toward Allah ; that is, the exclusive worship of Allah , regardless of what results this may achieve in this life, be they profit or loss. The Da’wa should emphasise that people’s aspirations should transcend life’s splendours to the eternal rewards of the Hereafter. It (the Da’wa) should explain to people that Allah will guarantee this Umma

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supremacy and security in this life provided it worships Allah Alone and provided it does not simply go to the polls, win the majority of voices and assume power:

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Allah has promised to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds that He will grant them in the land inheritance (of power) as He granted it to those before them, that He will establish in authority their religion -the one which He has chosen for them- and that He will change (their state) after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: ‘They will worship me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.’ (An-Nur:55) The stress is on quality not quantity. If the Da’wa adopts this approach, it will of course go at a slow pace. It will not be easier to gather huge masses within a very short time, but one thing for sure is that real strength will begin to form in

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accordance with the Divine Approach (al-Manhaj ar-Rabbani) and in accordance with Allah’s Laws, and Allah’s Preordainment will materialise:

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And Allah has full power and control over his affairs, but most among mankind know it not. (Yusuf:21) The confusion further reigned when some factions of the Movement got embroiled in bloody conflicts with the regime, and when other factions joined parliament. The Crusaders’ and Zionists’ worry over the Islamic Movement, along with other accompanying factors, prompted a drastic change in world politics. It is not the place here to go into details, but it is worth mentioning the aspect which concerns the Islamic world. Both Great Britain and France came out exhausted from the Second World War (1939-1945); whereas, America was not, according to history books, considerably affected by the Great War. This deceitfully gave America the impetus to spearhead the ‘Liberal World’ by overthrowing Great Britain and France which once headed this ‘world’, and hold sway among people as a force that could free people from the evil shackles of imperialism. This falsehood seemed logical in

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the aftermath of war, but underneath it, lurked another objective, co-designed by the Crusaders and Zionists: hitting the Islamic movements in the Arab region in particular, in order to secure Israel and give it the opportunity to settle down, get stronger and then expand across the Islamic lands as it pleased. This came after realising that the first strike, in which al-Imam Ash-Shahid was assassinated and many youth were tortured, was not fatal. In fact, it only strengthened the Movement and further fuelled its ‘fire’. In order to achieve this objective, sophisticated leaders were called in. They were all recruited from the military, and not all of the military was suitable for this risky mission. They must possess three main characteristics: ‘power mania’, heartlessness and a hatred of Islam. Kamal Ataturk was the best candidate for this mission! When a person possessed such characteristics, he would automatically attack the Islamic movement with the required violence. Things were not done randomly, but were well planned to destroy the Islamic movements by killing their leaders, imprisoning and savagely torturing its youth. And here comes the ‘wisdom’ behind recruiting the torturers from the military rather than from the civilians. With the military, the reinforcement of military law, military tribunals and violence was possible. In contrast, if the torturers were civilians, they would not be as daring, violent or vengeful.

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Muslims were tortured and slaughtered in every country ruled by the military regime and this was not random either. Rather, it was a well-devised plot to plunge the region in unprecedented forms of torture, with the exception of inspection courts set up in Andalucía, and whose aims were to destroy Islam at the root. Not even a few years (sometimes a few months) went by except that slaughterhouses were set up here and there to eliminate the Muslims and the Zionists applauded and hailed the ‘children’ for success in the mission entrusted to them by their ‘mother’. This sordid and agonizing situation gave birth to two different trends in the movement lines. The first consisted of youth who were stirred up by the savage acts of the military, convinced that armed resistance would crush the violence of the military, forcing it –or its superiors- to change their style. The second consisted of the elderly who were exhausted by the successive strikes. They opted for peaceful means and decided to participate in the ‘democracy’ game to avoid being branded as the proponents of violence. Both trends only heightened that sense of confusion surrounding the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah.

Regardless of the excuses that each trend presented, our concern here is to talk about the effects of hastiness in the movement’s action from the very beginning which were

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more of a hindrance than a help for the movement to forge ahead. Put differently, the effects only added new obstacles to the existing ones, even though, those involved, considered them as positive steps for the movement that would bring them closer to the target. Suppose the current state of the Da’wa is, to some extent, similar to that of the Muslim group in Makka. Violence will not serve the Da’wa. Rather, it will only deepen the confusion surrounding Laa Ilaha Illa Allah instead of clarifying it for people. We should not forget that clarifying the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah is a fundamental part of the Da’wa, be it for the sake of the base or the masses, and the Da’wa cannot achieve real progress unless this issue (Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) is well-developed in people’s mind, both theoretically and practically. When we enter into imbalanced conflicts with the regime, and before the issue of ash-Shar’iyya (legitimacy) is determined, two things may happen, and both of them affect the movement:

The first: The situation may –after a short or long period of conflict- turn into a battle, thus marginalising the principal issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah (i.e. who is worthy of worship? Is it Allah or false gods?), and other sub-issues such as ‘who is the lawmaker (al-Musharri’)? Is it Allah or man? Who sets up values? Who sets up the norms? Who sets up a method for people? These issues have been the source of conflict between Islam and al-

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Jahiliyya and between the proponents of Truth (al-Haqq) and the proponents of Falsehood (al-Batil) since the beginning of humanity and will continue until the Establishment of the Hour (Qiyyam as-Saa’a). It is for these issues that Messengers were sent, Divine Inspiration (Wahy) was revealed and for which the Paradise and Hellfire were set up.

The second: We may give the opportunity to anti-Islamists to claim that they are not fighting Islam, but they are fighting terrorism which Islam condemns, and the masses will believe them sooner or later. This will be a heavy blow for the Da’wa because it will unintentionally ‘conceal’ the real motives of the regimes and will slow down the issue of shar’iyya (legitimacy), one of the principal issues upon which eventually depends the fate of the conflict between Islam and Jahiliyya. Equally, if we enter the game of ‘democracy’, we will suffer a great loss in the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah.

The first loss will be the transformation of what is compulsory into what is optional for the masses:

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It is not fitting for a believer, man or woman, when a matter has been decided by Allah and His Messenger to have any option about their decision. (al-Ahzab:36) Worshipping Allah Alone without any partners, which is the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, means that Allah is the One worshipped in belief (al-I’tiqad), the One worshipped in rituals, the lawmaker, the decider of values, norms and of choice for every Muslim as long as he is convinced about Islam. In fact, it is an issue of compulsion for whoever utters the phrase Laa Ilaha Illa Allah though inwardly hypocrite and hateful towards Islam. And if he opposes Allah’s Law, he will be considered an apostate (Murtadd):

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They say “we believe in Allah and in the Messenger and we obey”, but even after that, some of them turn away. They are not (really) believers. When they are summoned to Allah and His Messenger in order that He may judge between them, behold some of them decline (to come). (An-Nur:47-48)

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But no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction. (An-Nisaa:65)

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When we enter the game of ‘democracy’, the first thing we do is to transform this divine compulsion into a ‘polling station’; that is to say, a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote, thus giving the opportunity for people to say: “You are a minority, and a minority is not allowed to impose its view on the majority…” So, it becomes a matter of opinion rather than compulsion, a matter that looks forward to achieving a landslide before it is affirmed. Regardless of the change in the rules of the game in the Algeria elections when the votes reached the required figure -a lesson, the significance of which none of those who advocate this policy should forget, the issue should be determined on another different base…Implementing Allah’s Laws is a divine obligation rather than a ‘candidate’ running for the elections. People should never have a choice in this matter because they cannot refuse it and remain Muslims! An establishment of Islam –with Allah’s Leave- that depends on a base of believers of a certain size, that possesses the ability to materialise this divine obligation in real life, is different from when such obligation becomes an opinion whether we can achieve it in real life or we cannot due to our weakness as was the case of Muslims in Makka. The mission of the Da’wa is to emphasise to people that it is a divine obligation which all people are required to fulfil, be

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they rulers or ruled, and with or without the existence of a commission or a group that reinforces such requirements. This is because this obligation does not come from a person, but from Allah in the form of a command. This meaning does not exist in people’s minds, or at least loses its effectiveness when we enter the game of ‘democracy’ which stipulates that there is no obligation without a vote. The second loss we incur when we enter the game of ‘democracy’ is the reduction of ash-Shar’iyya into mere acquisition of the majority of votes. This is not a divine requirement; the divine requirement, as stated in a previous chapter, is the implementation Allah’s Laws. There is no Shar’iyya without implementation of Allah’s Laws whatever the majority of votes one (individual, party, etc...) may have, and this is where the road between Islam and democracy divides. When we enter the game of ‘democracy’, it becomes compulsory for us to support whosoever wins the majority of votes though they do not implement Allah’s Laws because this is the rule of the game which we cannot break. By being part of the game, we are automatically violating the provisions of our Aqeeda; that is to say, we are handing over ash-Shar’iyya to something which Allah labels as Kufr: ruling by other than Allah’s Laws.

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Whatever be our secret and open stance that ‘we do not advocate the implementation of other than Allah’s Laws’, we still have to abide by the rules of the game so long as we agreed to play it; in fact, begged in some occasions to play it and protested when we were deprived of such a right. We are now in the game, and it is at this moment when the enemy seized the opportunity to embarrass us, asking: “What will be your position if you participate in the elections, but you don’t win? Instead, the winner is someone who will not implement the Shari’a.” We will say, “We respect the opinion of the Umma.” “What will be your reaction if the Umma vote for someone else?” “We will comply with the Umma’s decision,” we replied...even if the decision contradicts what Allah has prescribed? What a relegation of the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah; the issue of ash-Shar’iyya is even more serious! Despite all this, it is too late, because we are already in the game and we have to be logical with ourselves and accept the rules of the game. However, we will be equally logical with ourselves and the people if we tell them that we will not participate in the game because its rule contradicts ash-Shari’a. It is a ‘catch-twenty two situation’ because if we say so, our enemies will brand us as anti-democrats. Our reply will be simple: “We don’t care if you call us names. We will not accept a system of judgment which gives man the prerogative to implement other than Allah’s Laws. If we

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accept this, we will not be Muslims. After all, it is Islam which has been revealed to us not democracy. Allah commands us to comply with Islam not democracy, and on the Day of Judgment, we will be summoned to task for Islam not democracy:

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The religion for Allah is Islam (submission to His Will) (Al-Imran:19)

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If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good). (Al-Imran:85) There is consultation (Shura) in Islam, but Shura is not democracy. Rather Shura, in its true sense, lies in the implementation of the Qur’an, in individual judgment (Ijtihad) which is not in the Qur’an...1 Democracy, by

1 The boundaries of Ijtihad are known in al-Fiqh al-Islami (Islamic Jurisprudence) and include the following: Those involved in Ijtihad are not allowed to make unlawful what is lawful or what is lawful unlawful, and issue opinions which violate the objectives of the Shari’a. Its scope

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contrast, places al-Hakimiyya (ruling by Allah’s Laws) in man’s hands and refuses to accept it as Allah’s Law exclusively! But there is a huge chasm between their democracy and the Islam’s Shura:



Do they then seek after a judgment of (the days of) ignorance? But who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah? (Al-Maida:50) Had the relegation of the issues of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and ash-Shar’iyya been the only loss incurred in participating in the game, it would have been sufficient as factors to avoid participating in the game whatever the insignificant benefits achieved from entering the parliament or the loss if we had abstained from entering it... Allah forbids alcohol and gambling though, as explicitly expressed in the Qur’an, they are beneficial for people, but He does so, as explicitly expressed in the Qur’an, because there is a great sin in them:

is broad and includes mundane as well as weighty matters of the Umma, but is regulated by the Shari’a.

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They ask you concerning wine and gambling, say “In them is great sin, and some profit for men, but the sin is greater than the profit.” (al-Baqara:219) This is a jurisprudence rule (Qaida Fiqhiyya) which we adopt in the absence of evidence from the Qur’an. The issue of parliament is not outlined in the Qur’an, but an intelligent pondering of the issue plunges us into relegating the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and its provisions, and the relegation of ash-Shar’iyya negatively affects the Da’wa because it tears off the awareness of the masses between these two principal issues of the Da’wa: the first stresses that implementing Allah’s Laws is a divine command and not a consultative matter where implementation rests upon winning the majority of votes. And the source of such command is our being or claiming to be Muslims. The second stipulates that ash-Shar’iyya in Allah’s religion (Islam) has nothing to do with a landslide victory. The majority of votes are related to the ruler elected by the Umma to implement Allah’s Laws, not to the type of law which such ruler uses, and which people cannot dispute, be they rulers or ruled, after the

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Command of Allah and His explicit judgment to invalidate the Eeman of whosoever opposes Shari’a:

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But no, by the Lord, they can have no (real) Faith until they make you judge in all disputes between them... (An-Nisaa:65)

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They are not (really) believers. (An-Nur:47) These are principal issues in the Da’wa, and if the masses do not fully assimilate these concepts and firmly believe in them, a genuine base of masses upon which an Islamic rule stands will not be possible. And because the universal (ignorance) Jahiliyya stands as an obstacle against the attainment of the goal ‘implementing Allah’s Laws in the land’, then there needs to be a firm Eeman to confront such challenge, and bear in mind that any further ‘haziness’ clouding these issues will impede the process of the Da’wa though we may think that they will cut corners for us. The aforementioned is a brief account of the causes and effects of hastiness, and we need to take immediate action to review our approach to remedy the situation. The next chapters will discuss the required education whether for the

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solid base which undertakes the mission of the Da’wa or for the masses which need training so that the movement takes place in the land and attains its goals with Allah’s Assistance. The discussion will shed light on the approach adopted by Prophet Muhammad in the Da’wa which was the starting point in establishing a solid base that sustains the edifice.

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The Solid Base

eedless to say, the goal of every Messenger was to convey the Message, and every Messenger should be

the role model for his disciples who should do their best to emulate him in words and deeds and carry out his orders:

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We sent not a Messenger, but to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. (An-Nisa:64)

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So take what the Messenger assigns to you and deny yourselves that which He withholds from you. (Al-Hashr:7)

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You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah

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and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. (Al-Ahzab:21) “If I forbid you from something, avoid it, and if I order you to do something, do as much as you could.”1 It goes without saying that the seal of the Messages was the greatest of them all because it was the one which completed this religion (Islam); the one addressed to humanity in general and not to a specific people as was the case for other Messages; the one sent down to regulate all aspects of peoples’ lives and to draw a road map for the system of life for mankind from the moment of his mission until the end of his life:

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This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. (Al-Maida:3)

1 Al-Bukhari.

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Say, “O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah.” (Al-A’raaf:158)

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We sent you not, but as a mercy for all creatures. (Al-Anbiyya:107)

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É=≈ tG Å6ø9$# $ ·ΨÏϑ ø‹yγ ãΒ uρ Ïμ ø‹n= tã ( Ν à6÷n$$ sù Ο ßγ oΨ÷t/ !$ yϑ Î/ tΑt“Ρr& ª!$#

To you We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came before it, and guarding it in safety, so judge between them by what Allah has revealed. (Al-Maida:48)

This was all, in Allah’s Preordainment, appropriate to seal the Message, and He sent Muhammad as the Seal of all the Messengers:

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$ ¨Β tβ%x. î‰£ϑ ptèΧ !$ t/r& 7‰tnr& ⎯ÏiΒ öΝ ä3Ï9%y Íh‘ ⎯Å3≈ s9uρ tΑθ ß™§‘ «!$#

zΟ s?$ yzuρ z⎯↵ ÍhŠÎ; ¨Ψ9$# ……

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (He is) the Messenger of Allah, and the seal of the Prophets, and Allah has full knowledge of all things. (Al-Ahzab:40)

“There is no prophet after me.”1 And it was equally appropriate that the Seal of Messages incorporates all that mankind needs at the time of its revelation and subsequently in the future and until the Day of Judgment, so that man will never be misguided if he ‘clings’ to it and will never seek other than it in running his affairs2: “I have left amongst you two things that if you hold fast to them, you will never be misguided: Allah’s Book and my tradition (Sunna).”3

1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 New things continuously emerged in people’s lives, and Allah was not unaware of these as He was sending His Message, but He shaped His Law (Shari’a) in a way as to accommodate what is new, assimilate and control it. Scholars in the field exhaustively dealt with these issues. 3 Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

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It was natural, whilst the Seal of Messages was on this image, that the Seal of Messengers, be the most magnificent Messenger, and we are not far from reality if we say that the men Prophet Muhammad educated were, after the Messengers, the greatest men in history. Overall, the values and principles which the system of education adopted and comprised have a great impact on the learners, and the finer the values and principles are, the nobler the conduct of these learners will be. On one hand, the educator has a direct influence on the learner, and the finer he is, the nobler the learner’s conduct will be. On the other hand, the predispositions (al-Fitar, pl. fitra) which the educator conveys to the learner have a great impact on the level of elevation the learner may reach. This means that the purer and healthier these predispositions are, the more elevation the learner will achieve. If we take these three elements into consideration, we will develop an idea about the pillars of the solid base which Prophet Muhammad built, and the nature of this base which changed the course of history. As for the principles, suffice it to say that its starting point and base is Tawhid; that is, Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. It was Tawhed (Monotheism) which built this Umma and brought it to existence as the best amongst the nations:

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öΝ çGΖä. u ö yz >π ¨Βé& ôMy_Ì÷zé& Ä¨$Ψ= Ï9 tβρ âßΔ ù' s? Å∃ρã÷è yϑ ø9$$ Î/

šχöθ yγ ÷Ψs?uρ Ç⎯tã Ìx6Ζ ßϑ ø9$# tβθ ãΖ ÏΒ ÷σ è?uρ «! $$Î/

You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. (Al-Imran:110)

This ‘goodness’ which springs from Tawhid is not manifested through an individual or a thing. Rather, it is manifested in the base which Prophet Muhammad educated during the education phase in Makka, and later in Madina...In its true sense Tawhid, as revealed by Allah , ingrained in the Prophet’s heart and handed down through education to his companions, is the greatest reality in this life and the most effective factor in building the edifice of this universe and in guiding the souls:

ª! $# Iω tμ≈s9Î) ωÎ) uθ èδ ‘ y⇔ø9$# ãΠθ •‹s) ø9$#

Allah, there is no god but He, the living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal. (Al-Imran:2)

The universe is a servant through natural predisposition (Fitra) and so is man, but heavens and earth willingly surrendered to Allah . Some humans surrendered, but others arrogantly declined:

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§Ν èO #“uθ tG ó™$# ’n< Î) Ï™!$ uΚ¡¡9$# }‘ Éδ uρ ×β%s{ ßŠ tΑ$ s) sù $ oλm; ÇÚö‘F| Ï9uρ

$ u‹ ÏKø$# %·æ öθ sÛ ÷ρ r& $ \δöx. !$tG s9$ s% $ oΨ÷s?r& t⎦⎫Ïè Í←!$ sÛ

Moreover He comprehended in His design the sky, and it had been (as) smoke. He said to it and to the earth “Come you together, willingly or unwillingly.” They said, “We do come (together), in willing obedience." (Fussilat:11)

óΟ s9r& ts? χr& ©! $# ß‰àfó¡o„ … çμ s9 ⎯tΒ ’ Îû ÏN≡ uθ≈ yϑ ¡¡9$# ⎯tΒ uρ ’ Îû

ÇÚö‘F{$# ß§ ôϑ ¤±9$#uρ ãyϑ s) ø9$#uρ ãΠθ àf‘Ζ9$#uρ ãΑ$ t7 Ågø: $#uρ ãyf¤±9$#uρ

>!#uρ ¤$!$#uρ ×ÏVŸ2uρ z⎯ÏiΒ Ä¨$Ζ9$# ( î ÏWx.uρ ¨, ym Ïμø‹n= tã Ü>#x‹yè ø9$#

See you not that to Allah bow down in worship all things that are in the heavens and on earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, the hills, the trees, the animals; and a great number among mankind? But a great number are (also) such as are fit for punishment. (Al-Hajj:18) In fact, man is monotheist by natural predisposition according to the Qur’an and Sunna:

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óΟ Ï%r' sù y7yγ ô_uρ È⎦⎪Ïe$#Ï9 $ Z‹ÏΖ ym 4 |NtôÜÏù «!$# ©ÉL ©9$# tsÜsù } $ ¨Ζ9$#

$ pκ ö n=tæ 4 Ÿω Ÿ≅ƒ Ï‰ö7 s? È, ù= y⇐Ï9 «! $# 4 šÏ9≡ sŒ Ú⎥⎪Ïe$!$# ÞΟ ÍhŠs) ø9$# ∅Å3≈ s9uρ

usY ò2r& Ä¨$Ζ9$# Ÿω tβθ ßϑ n=ôè tƒ

So set you your face steadily and truly to the faith (establish) Allah’s handiwork according to the pattern on which He has made mankind, no change (let there be) in the work (wrought) by Allah. That is the standard religion, but most among mankind understand not. (Ar-Rum:30)

øŒÎ) uρ x‹s{ r& y7•/u‘ .⎯ÏΒ û©Í_t/ tΠyŠ#u™ ⎯ÏΒ óΟ Ïδ Í‘θ ßγàß öΝåκ tJ−ƒÍh‘èŒ

öΝ èδy‰pκ ô−r&uρ #’n?tã öΝ Íκ Å¦àΡr& àMó¡s9r& öΝ ä3În/tÎ/ ( (#θ ä9$ s% 4’n?t/ ¡ !$ tΡô‰Îγ x© ¡

When your Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam - from their loins- their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?” (Al-A’raaf:172)

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“Every child is born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magainism.”1 “I have created My servants as Hunafa' (monotheists).” However, part of Allah’s Bounty and generosity, He did not want to repressively impose Tawhid on people as He subdues other creatures. Rather, Allah honoured man and favoured him over other creatures:

ô‰s) s9uρ $ oΨøΒ §x. û©Í_t/ tΠyŠ#u™ öΝßγ≈ oΨù= uΗxquρ ’ Îû Îhy9ø9$# Ìóst7 ø9$#uρ Νßγ≈ oΨø%y— u‘uρ

š∅ÏiΒ ÏM≈ t7 ÍhŠ©Ü9$# óΟ ßγ≈ uΖù= Òsù uρ 4’n?tã 9 ÏVŸ2 ô⎯£ϑ ÏiΒ $oΨø) n= yz

WξŠÅÒ ø s?

We have honoured the sons of Adam, provided them with transport on land and sea, given them for sustenance things good and pure, and conferred on them special favours above a great part of Our creation. (Al-Isra:70)

Part of this honouring is the freedom of choice He gave to man:

1 Al-Bukhari

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<§ ø tΡuρ $ tΒ uρ $ yγ1§θ y™ ∩∠∪ $ yγ yϑ oλù; r' sù $ yδ u‘θ ègé $yγ1uθ ø) s?uρ ∩∇∪ ô‰s%

yx n= øùr& ⎯tΒ $ yγ8©.y— ∩®∪ ô‰s%uρ z>%s{ ⎯tΒ $ yγ9 ¢™ yŠ

By the soul, and the proportion and order given to it, and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right, truly, he succeeds that purifies it and he fails that corrupts it! (Ash-Shams:7-10)

And given that such freedom is a divine honour bestowed by Allah upon man, some predispositions (Fitar, pl. fitra) ‘rebel’ against Allah , using their freedom to disobey Allah and refuse to worship Allah instead of opting for guidance. Hence, people divide into believers and non-believers:

uθ èδ “Ï% ©!$# ö/ ä3s) n= s{ ö/ ä3Ζ Ïϑ sù ÖÏù%Ÿ2 / ä3Ζ ÏΒ uρ Ö⎯ÏΒ ÷σ •Β

It is He who has created you, and of you are some that are unbelievers, and some that are believers. (At-Taghabun:2)

The believers are those whose predisposition remains unshaken, and the more truthful and sincere their belief is, the better position they occupy in the ‘convoy’ heading for the attainment of that noble purpose for which man was initially created:

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$ tΒ uρ àMø) n= yz £⎯Ågø: $# }§ΡM}$#uρ ωÎ) Èβρ ß‰ç7 ÷è u‹ Ï9

I have only created Jinns and men that they may serve Me. (Az-Zariyyat:56)

How does Tawhid affect the souls? We may analogically ask the following question: What happens to an iron bar charged with electrical current? According to physics, its atoms undergo mutations and assume a new electrical magnetic force after it has been a dead force...But, where was this force? It was scattered, inactive and did not have any concrete existence...Now that it is united into a certain pattern, it appears active and imposes itself as a working force. By the same token, when the ‘current’ of Islam mingles with people’s souls; that is to say, when people get acquainted with Tawhid, believe in Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, the souls are united and their direction is determined. But, what causes discordance in the souls? Is it an inherent character, or do souls become disunited when left to their own devices; that is, when given no guidance or care? When man does not look after his soul as it should be according to the verse

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ô‰s% yx n=øù r& ⎯tΒ $ yγ8©.y— ∩®∪ ô‰s%uρ z>%s{ ⎯tΒ $ yγ9¢™ yŠ

Truly, he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it! (Ash-Shams:9-10)

Discord takes place in a myriad of forms. It may for instance, come from worshipping different gods, from the pressure of desires or from a lack of having set goals in life. These are at least three principal causes for discord. Then Eeman comes to the rescue and reinvigorates these souls by pumping life into them. As a result, these souls reunite and become a tremendous force that pushes forward. Arabs in the pre-Islamic era (al-Jahiliyya) used to worship a number of gods some of which were visible such as idols, and some were invisible such as the concept of the tribe and ancestral traditions. Idolatry was so prevalent to the point that people believed that false gods were worshipped more than Allah . However, those who ponder the situation will realise that false gods were not the only ones worshipped other than Allah . Observe how the poet Darid Ibn As-Samma beautifully put it in these lines of verse:

I am just a sheep that follows the crowd If the crowd loses track, I will But if it stays on the right track, I will

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Isn’t this ‘going with the flow’ an act of worship (Ibadatu al-Ittiba’) in itself? The person knew very well that his tribe was on the wrong track, but he would still follow it because in his mind the tribe was a god worthy of worship that should not be disobeyed, be it on the right or wrong track! Ancestral customs and traditions were also considered a type of ‘god worthy of worship’ in the pre-Islamic era (al-Jahiliyya):

#sŒÎ) uρ Ÿ≅ŠÏ% ãΝ ßγs9 (#θ ãè Î7 ®?$# !$ tΒ tΑt“Ρr& ª! $# (#θ ä9$ s% ö≅t/ ßì Î6®KtΡ !$ tΒ $ uΖø‹x ø9r&

Ïμ ø‹n=tã !$ tΡu™!$ t/#u™ 3 öθ s9uρ r& šχ%x. öΝèδ äτ!$ t/#u™ Ÿω šχθ è=É) ÷è tƒ $ \↔ø‹x© Ÿω uρ

tβρ ß‰tG ôγ tƒ

When it is said to them “Follow what Allah has revealed”, they say ‘Nay! We shall follow the ways of our fathers.” What! Even though their fathers were void of wisdom and guidance? (al-Baqara:170)

Ancestral traditions prevented Abu Talib from Islam despite his love and care for his nephew and his protection from the cruelty of the Qurayshis. This ‘stubbornness’ was just for the sake of being branded as someone who relinquished his

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ancestral traditions. Is there any act of worship more serious than this? Men in modern Jahiliyya worship more invisible gods than those in ancient Jahiliyya. Nationalistic interest (al-Maslaha al-Qawmiyya) for example, which superseded the ancient Arab tribes, is more dangerous and more manipulative of its followers. The world public opinion which took the place of ancestral customs and traditions is more violent towards the ‘weak’, throughout the entire world, whilst it is the work of the satans who rule the world openly or behind the scene...Progress is a god, knowledge is a god, secularism is a god, productivity is a god, individual freedom is a god, and the list goes on...not to mention desires. These are all gods in ancient and modern times worshipped instead of Allah . These gods exhaust their servants and then throw them into the fire. Instinctively, these gods seem necessary for the human soul because they pump vitality into it, allowing it to carry out the mission of settlement assigned to it:

øŒÎ) uρ tΑ$ s% š •/u‘ Ïπ s3Í× ¯≈ n= yϑ ù=Ï9 ’ ÎoΤÎ) ×≅Ïã%y ’ Îû ÇÚö‘F{$# Zπ x‹Î= yz

Behold, your Lord said to the angels: “I will create a vicegerent on earth.” (Al- Baqara:30)

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uθ èδ Ν ä.r' t±Ρr& z⎯ÏiΒ ÇÚ ö‘F{$# óΟ ä.tyϑ ÷è tG ó™$#uρ $ pκ Ïù

It is He who has produced you from the earth and settled you therein. (Hud:61)

z⎯Îiƒã— Ä¨$ ¨Ζ=Ï9 =ãm ÏN≡ uθ yγ¤±9$# š∅ÏΒ Ï™!$ |¡ÏiΨ9$# t⎦⎫ÏΖ t6ø9$#uρ

Î ÏÜ≈ oΨs) ø9$#uρ ÍοtsÜΖ s) ßϑ ø9$# š∅ÏΒ É=yδ ©%!$# Ïπ Ò Ï ø9$#uρ È≅ø‹ y‚ø9$#uρ

Ïπ tΒ §θ|¡ßϑ ø9$# ÉΟ≈ yè ÷ΡF{$#uρ Ï^ öysø9$#uρ 3 š Ï9≡ sŒ ßì≈ tFtΒ Íο 4θ u‹ysø9$# $ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# ( ª! $#uρ … çνy‰ΨÏã Ú∅ó¡ãm É>$ t↔yϑ ø9$#

Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons, heaped-up hoards of gold and silver, horses branded (for blood and excellence), and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life, but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to). (Al-Imran:14)

Nevertheless, just as they are a nutritious ingredient for the soul as nutrition is good for the body, they may equally be a lethal venom for it when they trespass the limits. In order to function well, the body needs proteins, salt, starch and vitamins, but if the daily intake of these nutrients exceeds the

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limit, the body starts malfunctioning. It is no longer capable of performing its natural role, and diseases; as a result, strike! By the same token, the soul is like the body. It, too, seeks desires (Shahawaat) or motives which ‘stir’ it up and allow it to perform its function in life. If this soul is lured by these desires (desires tempt people by nature), it, too, will start malfunctioning and will no longer perform its regular tasks, though it in reality performs deviant acts: a cell malfunctions when attacked by cancer; it continues to function of course, but is heading for destruction. This is the point of man’s trial (Al-Ibtila) and it is one of the purposes for which he was created:

$ ¯ΡÎ) $ oΨø) n= yz z⎯≈ |¡ΣM} $# ⎯ÏΒ >π xôÜœΡ 8l$ t±øΒ r& Ïμ‹Î= tGö6Ρ çμ≈ oΨù= yè yfsù

$ Jè‹Ïϑ y™ #· ÅÁt/

Verily, we created man from a drop of mingled sperm in order to try him, so We gave Him (the gifts) of hearing and sight. (Al-Insan:2)

$ ¯ΡÎ) $ oΨù=yè y_ $ tΒ ’n?tã ÇÚö‘F{$# Zπ oΨƒÎ— $ oλ°; óΟ èδ uθè= ö7 oΨÏ9 öΝ åκ š‰ r& ß⎯|¡ômr&

Wξyϑ tã

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That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth in order that we may test them as to which of them are best in conduct. (Al-Kahf:7)

The subject of this trial is the manner in which man deals with the splendours of this life. Is he going to stop at the red line which Allah has drawn because He knows what is beneficial and unbeneficial for His Servants:

Ÿω r& ãΝ n= ÷è tƒ ô⎯tΒ t, n= y{ uθ èδ uρ ß#‹ ÏÜ=9$# çÎ7 sƒø: $#

Should He not know He that created? And He is the one that understands the finest mysteries (and) is well-acquainted (with them). (Al-Mulk:14)

y7ù= Ï? ßŠρ ß‰ãn «! $# Ÿξsù $ yδρß‰tG ÷è s?

These are the limits ordained by Allah, so do not transgress them. (Al- Baqara:229)

y7ù= Ï? ßŠρ ß‰ãn «! $# Ÿξsù $ yδθç/tø) s?

Those are limits (set by) Allah, so do not approach them. (Al-Baqara:187)

Man in pre-Islamic era was ‘drenched’ in desires, indulging in them as much as his social and economic status would allow. He would not see any harm in this overindulgence; in fact, he would take pride in it and boast about it in

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breathtaking lines of verse. So long as eternity was impossible in real life, the ‘logic’ in the pre-Islamic era was that man should run after fantasies as much as he could because it was a golden opportunity that will never show up again. Man in this modern Jahiliyya sees desires in his life as the purpose for which he exists. He works and produces, but his work and productivity are just for the sake of laying his hand on the means that offer him the largest part of pleasure. He who aspires to power, works for it...He who strives for monarchy, exerts considerable effort to obtain it...And then there is he who simply looks for sexual pleasure, a burning pursuit into which this modern Jahiliyya has ‘thrown oil’ to further intensify men, women and children’s sexual desires, be they sane or insane. As for the goal, there is no greater goal for Jahiliyya than the wordly life and the pursuit of its splendours:

(#θ ä9$ s%uρ $ tΒ }‘ Ïδ ω Î) $ uΖè?$ uŠym $ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# ßNθßϑ tΡ $ u‹ øtwΥuρ $ tΒ uρ !$uΖ ä3Î=öκ ç‰

ω Î) ã÷δ ¤$!$#

And they say: “What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us.” (Al-Jathiyya:24)

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÷βÎ) }‘ Ïδ ω Î) $ oΨè?$ uŠym $ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# ßNθ ßϑ tΡ $ uŠøtwΥuρ $tΒ uρ ß⎯øtwΥ t⎦⎫ÏOθ ãè ö7 yϑ Î/

“There is nothing but our life in this world! We shall die and we live, but we shall never be raised up again! (Al-Muminun:37)

óÚÌôã r' sù ⎯tã ⎯Β 4’ ¯<uθ s? ⎯tã $ tΡÌø. ÏŒ óΟ s9uρ ÷ŠÌãƒ ω Î) nο 4θ uŠysø9$#

$ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# ∩⊄®∪ y7Ï9≡ sŒ Ο ßγäó n= ö7 tΒ z⎯ÏiΒ ÄΝ ù=Ïè ø9$#

Therefore shun those who turn away from Our Message and desire nothing but the life of this world. That is as far as knowledge will reach them. (An-Najm:29-30)

tβθ ßϑ n= ôè tƒ #\Îγ≈ sß z⎯ÏiΒ Íο 4θ uŠptø: $# $ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# öΝ èδ uρ Ç⎯tã ÍοtÅzFψ$# ö/ ãφ

tβθ è= Ï≈xî

They know but the outer (things) in the life of this world, but of the end of things they are heedless. (Ar-Rum:7)

When a man’s purpose in life is confined to the worldly life and its attainable goals however far they may seem, he loses

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most of the purpose for which he exists. He loses the moral values which are the real backbone of man’s life:



Behold, your Lord said to the angels: “I am about to create man from clay. When I have fashioned Him (in due proportion) and breathed into Him of My spirit, fall you down in obeisance unto Him.” (Saad:71-72) The pre-Islamic man, his main concern was the tribe and what surrounded it, that is why safeguarding pedigree, pride, satire, and news of the battles was his own world, a world in which he lived and which constituted a ‘hot’ theme of poetry and a source of competition for Arab men. Add to that the competition over begetting the greatest number of children and possessing untold wealth, and indulgence in fantasies. In contrast, the modern Jahiliyya man is more deviant. His indulgence in life’s splendours is worse and his detachment from noble values is farther because the creators of such Jahiliya are adamant about detaching him completely from any human value that elevates man from animal milieu.

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That is why such creators excelled in beautifying life’s splendours by any means. Overall, in all the eras (pre-Islamic and modern), when people’s goals are confined to the worldly life and do not believe in the Resurrection, punishment and reward in the Hereafter, life appears to them senseless and absurd. And values in such life become valueless unless they serve their fantasies and interests in such a limited age. People, as a result, are gripped by a sense of utter confusion which Ilya Abu Madi described in these lines of verse as follows:

Why were we created in this life? I don’t know where I come from, but I came

I saw before me a path and I walked I will carry on walking whether I like it or not

How I came, I don’t know Where I go, I don’t know Why I came, I don’t know

Hence, alcohol was always part of Al-Jahiliyya because it constituted an escape from feeling the absurdity of life, a feeling which was heavy for the soul, just as people indulge themselves in joy to kill time. In pre-Islamic Jahiliyya, drinking alcohol and gambling were the only means of escape; whereas, in modern Jahiliyya, besides alcohol and gambling, drugs, dance clubs and casinos constituted the

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means of escape…And when all the means adopted do not ‘anesthetize’ the feeling against life’s absurdity, new ‘diseases’ such as psychological problems, stress, suicide and insanity strike, and only Eeman will save the soul from disintegrating. Eeman is the conviction that there is no god, but Allah Alone. All other gods, lords and anything worshipped other than Allah is false, though it may be real for the worshipper. And any act of worship for other than Allah is invalid because it is directed to someone who does not possess al-Uluhiyya. It is only Allah Who possesses such Uluhiyya and this means that Allah is the One worthy of worship, the Lawmaker (al-Musharri’) who decides what is lawful and unlawful, and what is good and bad. He is the One Who sets the parameters within which people lead their lives, and the One Who draws a system of life for people. The overall mission of Eeman is the elimination of any factors that may affect the souls and prompt their discord. When there is only one god (Allah Alone), all other gods are discarded. And because each god has different conditions and requirements and all of them seek the fulfillment of these conditions at the expense of one another, the soul is torn apart between this and that god:

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z>u ŸÑ ª! $# WξsWtΒ Wξã_§‘ ÏμŠÏù â™!%x.u à° tβθ Ý¡Å3≈ t±tFãΒ Wξã_u‘uρ $ Vϑ n= y™

@≅ã_tÏj9 ö≅yδ Èβ$ tƒÈθ tFó¡o„ ¸ξsWtΒ 4 ß‰ôϑ ptø: $# ¬! 4 ö≅t/ ÷Λ èεçsY ø.r& Ÿω tβθ ßϑ n=ôè tƒ

Allah puts forth a parable a man belonging to many partners at variance with each other, and a man belonging entirely to one master. Are those two equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah, but most of them have no knowledge.(Az-Zumar:29) When there is only one god (Allah Alone), desires are ‘bridled’ according to the boundaries set up by Allah and turn into a healthy diet for the soul instead of being lethal venom, and an insatiable grief that deprives the soul of peace and tranquillity. When there is only one god (Allah ), goals and any sub-goals are defined. Definition and clarity of goals disperse any absurdity that surrounds life because man now believes in Resurrection, Retribution and Reward. If this is the role of principles in building and producing a solid base, what will be the role of the Great Educator in history, Muhammad ? It will be unfair to talk about the role of the Great Educator in a few pages, but suffice it to quote what Allah says about him:

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y7ΡÎ) uρ 4’n?yè s9 @, è=äz 5ΟŠÏà tã

And you (stand) on an Exalted standard of character. (Al-Qalam:4)

However, we cannot come to grips with the worth of the solid base unless we –at least briefly- delve into the history book of the Prophet’s life and stop at the chapter on the great impact that the presence of Prophet Muhammad amongst people left on the characters of people around him. Tradition has it that followers would usually emulate their leader, be it out of love, companionship or otherwise. This may not take place in full consciousness. Admiration, for instance, may push followers to imitate their leader in words or deeds, and this was the case with the Prophet’s companions who used to have a great love and respect for him more than any followers toward their leader in history. Before his conversion, Heraclius asked Abu Sufyan about the believers’ relationship with Prophet Muhammad , and he replied: “I have never seen someone so loved by people than Muhammad by his companions.” However, bear in mind that it was not the type of admiration which unconsciously impact the followers’ characters. Rather, it was a conscious admiration; in fact, a command from Allah and Prophet Muhammad himself:

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You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. (Al-Ahzab:21)

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So take what the Messenger assigns to you and deny yourselves that which He withholds from you. (Al-Hashr:7)

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It was not fitting for the people of Medina and the Bedouin Arabs of the neighbourhood to refuse to follow Allah’s Messenger, nor to prefer their own lives to his. (At-Tawba:120)

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O you who believe! Give your response to Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which will give you life. (Al-Anfal:24)

“None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself.”1 “Pray as I do.”2 “Perform your rituals as I do.”3 This is because he was not just a leader, but a Messenger who came to convey the Message and to explain it to people. Hence, he had to be obeyed, and obedience in this context is a form of worship to Allah :



1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 Al-Bukhari. 3 Muslim.

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O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and the Last Day; that is best, and most suitable for final determination.. (An-Nisa:59)

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He who obeys the Messenger obeys Allah. (An-Nisa:80) Hence, the Prophet’s followers combined that passionate love for the Prophet and the obligation of worshipping Allah . Put differently, both his personality and principles (dealt with above and will be dealt with in detail later on) had at the same time that great impact on his followers. As for the personality of the Prophet , it was comprehensive. It combined the different virtues of other Messengers: Jesus’s spiritualism, Nuh’s patience, Moses’ firmness, Ibrahim’s kindness and other unprecedented virtues. He thus combined between the political leader who

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would reunite his Umma and place it in the highest rank, the military leader who would train men into brave soldiers ready to participate in ‘noble’ battles, the educator who would not cease to teach his followers noble values, the constant worshipper, the martyr who would not stop fighting in the Cause of Allah , the ideal spouse and the loving father...All these characters exist and interact with one another, striking a balance in the Prophet’s personality. In other words, no trait or character would perform its duty or activity at the expense of others; no wonder why his impact on his people was the greatest among any impact made by other Messengers on their followers, and the greatest in history. We have dealt with the principles required for the establishment of the solid base and the character of the Great Educator who educated and raised the base. Now, the men who carried the solid base on their shoulders may be summarised in the following phrase:

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Allah knows best where (and how) to carry out His Mission.. (Al-An’am:124) There is wisdom behind Allah’s appointment of Muhammad to convey the Message, designation of the

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land from where such Message departs, and selection of the people who ought to receive the Message first. For the Seal of the Messages, Allah appointed the most magnificent Messenger. For the land, He designated a special spot: a desert land that would never be suitable for the establishment of a state, but suitable for the believers to grow and develop away from the intervention and oppression of an external power that would impede their mission. So suitable that when powerful states realised that their danger was imminent and wished to challenge it, it was too late because the believers would have already established their state and gathered momentum to hit back. As for people, Allah singled out those most fit to carry the Message and ‘push’ it forward. It is true to say that such people were idolators, polytheists, and violent arguers, yet their Fitra was purer than any other peoples in the globe corrupted by the corrupted civilisation of al-Jahiliyya as was the case with the Roman and Persian Empires. It goes without saying that the Arab pre-Islamic Jahiliyya corrupted the souls of the Arab polytheists, but it was a corruption that only affected the ‘crust’; it did not spread to the core of the Fitra, for once the new Aqeeda removed the corrupt crust and met with the elements of goodness, miracles took place. With the exception of the non-believers who persisted in their disbelief and fought Islam to their last drop of blood, the response from the souls which accepted

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the invitation to Islam was unprecedented because of the purity of their Fitra that lied underneath that fake crust, of their unswerving loyalty to this religion, and of their bravery and readiness to sacrifice themselves. There is another element worth mentioning here: their readiness to move to any other land and settle down therein. They were not drawn up by or attached to the roots which firmly tie the farmer to his land and make him feel estrangement (al-Ghurba) if he moves to a new place. This characteristic made them spread in the land in an unprecedented manner, carrying guidance and light to mankind. So far, we have dealt with three factors that contribute to the solidity of the base set up by Muhammad : the high principles upon which the base stood, the Great Educator, Prophet Muhammad , and the pure Fitra of those who received those high principles and were influenced by the Greatness of the Educator. The principles may exist – today, these principles exist and are exactly the same as they were once revealed by Allah - but they cannot function by themselves, unless they are planted by the educator in the souls of people, and followed with care and guidance. Equally, the educator may exist, but may not give all his influence unless he exerts a great deal of efforts in the education process. Random influence alone is not sufficient

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to educate the souls, and the crucial role of the educator is his endeavour to ingrain the required values deeply in the souls. As stated above, the belief in Laa Ilaha Illa Allah has a great impact on the souls because it ‘rearranges’ the atoms inside the soul just as an electrical current does to an iron bar. A live soul, with its desires, aspirations, agitations, and so on and so forth, is similar to a dead iron bar which may retain its original state (prior to the charge of electrical current). In fact, the very iron bar, immobile and lifeless, will not keep the state it assumes under the electrical current at all unless there are some elements which protect its atoms from a new dispersion, as was the case before. By the same token the human soul, with its desires, aspirations and so on and so forth, is bound to disperse again if there are no elements that protect it and rearrange its ‘atoms’ whenever there is a risk of disarray... More illustrative, the magnetism of an ‘unguarded’ iron bar will not evaporate, but will surely start diminishing if left unguarded for a long time. By the same token, the soul that has believed, its belief will not evaporate completely if left unprotected for a long while, but will gradually weaken and turn into an ineffective belief incapable of holding together as if it does not exist in reality. It is at this point where the

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need for an education on Eeman rather than just having Eeman, becomes so strong. In its worldly life, the human soul is constantly active and stirred up by desires:




Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons, heaped-up hoards of gold and silver, horses branded (for blood and excellence), and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life, but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to). (Al-Imran:14)

It was stated above that the vitality inside the human soul which urges it to act and behave in a certain manner is the point of trial (Ibtila’) which man suffers from in this life, and

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which distinguishes between one soul and another, and between one behaviour and another:

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That which is on earth we have made but as a glittering show for the earth in order that we may test them as to which of them are best in conduct. (Al-Kahf:7)

The above verse mentions the desires which ‘stir up’ the human soul and goad it to act in a certain way. It is beyond the scope of this work to delve into the world of man’s desires and aspirations as they are countless, as a poet once put it: The living’s needs are endless. Hence, trials are always present and so is the need for education to free it from the yoke of desires and ‘tame’ it until righteousness (al-Istiqama) becomes the norm for it:

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In the case of those who say, “Our Lord is Allah.” And, further, stand straight and steadfast, the angels descend on them (from time to time): “Fear you not!” (they suggest), “Nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of the Garden (of Bliss), the one which you were promised! (Fussilat:30-31)

Despite all this, the soul is not infallible, and no one is safe from the temptations of desires. However, the door of repentance is always open for man to repent for his sins: “Every human being is prone to mistakes, and the best mistake makers are those who repent.”1 And here comes the role of education and man’s need for it. Education is not only required here to ‘restrain’ the soul and its fantasies –though this is one of the fundamentals which we cannot do without, but also required for other levels of conduct and other levels of values vital for this life. There is a diversity of trials (Ibtila’aat) which Allah inflicts upon man in this life. For instance, some of these trials may be inward; that is to say, pressure from man’s own drives, desires and aspirations. Others may be outward; that is to say, pressure from political, economic or social factors. The latter comprises people’s customs and traditions which people comply with though most of them pertain to al-Jahiliyya, and are more of fantasies than reality imposed by

1 Ahmad and Ibn Majja.

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the strong upon the weak or by the superior upon the inferior:

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If the truth had been in accord with their desires, truly the heavens and the earth, and all beings therein would have been in confusion and corruption! Nay, we have sent them their admonition, but they turn away from their admonition. (Al-Mu’minun:71) In order for a life to be upright for man who has been honoured and favoured over other creatures, man should overcome those pressures even if that cost him his comfort. If the soul is left unguarded, unattended and uncared for, it will be an easy prey for the ‘claws’ of the attackers who would exert more pressure and thus earn more surrender. Corruption will prevail in the land:

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Mischief has appeared on land and sea because of what people’s hands have earned. (Ar-Rum:41)

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This earning as inferred from the verse implies tyranny and surrender; forms of corruption which detach life from its balanced and desired image. And here comes another role of education to arm the soul and strengthen it to confront the pressures and challenges. Values and principles are the solid foundations which prevent the edifice (soul) from collapsing at the first shock or first bend under pressure. And the more the soul adheres to these principles and values, the stronger and more solid it will become. This adherence is caused by the true education through its continuous effort, but it does not take effect in the soul until it (the soul) is already used to controlling its desires. Without such control or restraint, the soul will not be solid and sustain the demands of such solidity:

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So hold Thou fast to the Revelation sent down to thee; Verily Thou art on a straight way. (Az-Zukhruf:43)

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And as to those who hold fast to the Book (i.e. act on its teachings) and perform As-Salat (the prayers), certainly. We shall never waste the reward of those who do righteous deeds. (Al- A’raaf:170) Furthermore, education does not end here nor at this level, particularly for the believers. It is part of Allah’s Preordainment that there are different peoples on earth and not one single people (nation):

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If your Lord had so willed, He could have made mankind one people, but they will not cease to dispute, except those on whom your Lord has bestowed His Mercy, and for this did He create them. (Hud:118-119)

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It is He who has created you; of you are some that are unbelievers, and some that are believers. (At-Taghabun:2)

It is also part of the practice (Sunna) decreed by Allah that there is a dispute between the believers and non-believers,

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and between Truth (al-Haqq) and Falsehood (al-Batil) so that the land does not get corrupted through the unopposed and unchallenged supremacy of the people who follow Falsehood:

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And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief, but Allah is full of bounty to all the Worlds. (Al-Baqara:251)

Had Allah willed, He would have annihilated Falsehood and ended this conflict at the push of a button:

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For to anything which We have willed, We but say the word, “Be”, and it is. (An-Nahl:40) But Allah’s Sunna wants that the advocates of Truth destroy the proponents of Falsehood with the Assistance and Support of Allah , and that such conflict and desire to resolve it be part of the believers’ trial, honour and elevation:

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Thus (are you commanded). If it had been Allah’s will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself), but (He lets you fight) In order to test you, some with others. (Muhammad:4)

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It is not you who slew them; it was Allah. When you threw (a handful of dust), it was not your act, but Allah’s in order that He might test the believers by a gracious trial from Himself. And Allah is He who hears and knows (All things). (Al-Anfal:17) This matter; that is, fighting Falsehood and keeping it at bay in order to protect the land from corruption, is at the same time the highest rank man can reach in this life and the

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pinnacle of Islam. The Prophet asked Muaz Ibn Jabal , “Shall I tell you about the most important of things?” ‘Go on O Messenger of Allah’. ‘The peak of the matter is Islam, the pillar is prayer, and its topmost part is jihad.”1 This matter entails a prolonged education and preparation, spiritual preparation before physical and material preparation. This is one of the levels of education that will not be completed unless man passes by the two levels (spiritual and physical). This means that man needs that spiritual solidity which in turn depends on the restraint of desires. In this way, education passes through three levels, beginning with training on how to harness one’s desires and get the soul used to it, passing by the acquisition of solidity through instilling noble values in the soul, and ending in readiness for Jihad and patience in the face of hardships inflicted upon the soul and wealth. There is a final level which is worth mentioning here because it is related to the best generation, the generation of the Prophet’s companions. It is the level of ‘noble’ volunteering which transcends compulsory duties. In other words, this noble volunteering transcends compulsory duties to optional ones and turns what is optional into what is compulsory without any pressure from Allah or His Messenger, Muhammad . This is the pinnacle of that 1 At-Tirmidi.

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generation raised and educated by the Prophet , though there are always great men amongst the believers that could reach that excellent and noble status. If we come to grips with this issue, then we are close to having a clear image of the endeavour made by the Great Educator to elevate the souls to that highest and unparalleled level. Perhaps knowing the instrument the Prophet adopted in educating his companions will be more helpful for us to build that image in our minds on the effort made by the Prophet : Deep ingraining of belief in Allah , the Last Day and leading one’s life in the souls is the necessary instrument in any generation for any education that follows an Islamic approach. Nothing can elevate the soul step by step like that belief. It is the one which safeguards the soul from disintegration and degeneration under the heavy weight of desires. The more man lives and stays in contact with Allah by loving, fearing, remembering Him secretly and openly, and seeking His Satisfaction, and the more he remembers the Last Day, Resurrection, Retribution, Reward, Paradise and Hellfire, the more capable he is of harnessing his desires, to embody those high values and to prepare himself to sacrifice himself for the Sake of Allah .

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A close examination of the verses of remembrance (Zikr) reveals that there is a great emphasis on these issues in particular. As for the definition of Allah , His Beautiful Names, His Attributes, Might, Knowledge, Monitoring, Mercy and so on and so forth, one is better off finding them in the Qur’an which extensively deal with this. In fact, it is one of the most important themes in the Qur’an and lays great emphasis on worshipping Allah Alone, in the heart and in the rituals of prayer, fasting, Zakat, pilgrimage, seeking Allah’s Support, supplication, remembrance, complying with Allah’s Commands and so on and so forth. The Qur’an also deals extensively with the theme of Judgment (al-Qiyyama), and it is important to note that the Madinian chapters (As-Suwar al-Madaniyya) specifically, combine between belief in Allah (al-Eeman Bi Allah ) and belief in the Last Day (al-Eeman bi al-Yawmi al-Aakhir), the Qur’an links these two beliefs to creed (al-‘aqaid, pl. Aqeeda), rituals, conduct and values whether in relation to the believers or the non-believers:

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y‰ΨÏã óΟ ÎγÎn/u‘ Ÿω uρ ì∃öθ yz öΝ Íκö n= tæ Ÿω uρ öΝ èδ šχθ çΡt“ øts†

Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians, any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Al-Baqara:62)

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When you divorce women, and they fulfil the term of their ('Iddat), do not prevent them from marrying their (former) husbands if they mutually agree on equitable terms. This instruction is for all amongst you who believe in Allah and the Last Day. (Al-Baqara:232)

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O you who believe! Cancel not your charity by reminders of your generosity or by injury, like those who spend their substance to be seen of men, but believe neither in Allah nor in the Last Day. (Al-Baqara:264)




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O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger, and those charged with authority among you. If you differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Messenger, if you do believe in Allah and

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the Last Day. That is best, and most suitable for final determination. (An-Nisa:59)

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Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued. (At-Tawba:29)



You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah

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and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah. (Al-Ahzab:21) If the link between belief in Allah and belief in the Last Day is explicit in the Madinan Chapters, it also exists in the Makkan Chapters (As-Suwar al-Makkiyya), though each theme is dealt with separately:

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Your God (Ilaah) is One God (Ilaah). As to those who believe not in the Hereafter, their hearts refuse to know, and they are arrogant. (An-Nahl:22)

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And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant 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 a 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

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penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and He will dwell therein in ignominy unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and 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 salutations and peace, dwelling therein: how beautiful an abode and place of rest! (Al-Furqan:63-76)

The ‘educational’ significance of this issue, that each belief is an independent entity, establishing itself in the depth of the soul but both complementing each other, is the most important instrument in the Islamic education approach which gives its fruits through continuous commitment, alertness and hard work. And this is what Prophet Muhammad achieved in an unprecedented fashion. His continuous work in Makka in particular was to deepen the

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concepts of belief in Allah and belief in the Last Day in the souls of his companions in a way that whenever one remembered Allah , he would spontaneously remember the Last Day with its reward and retribution, and if he remembered the Last Day, he would spontaneously remembered Allah , the Sustainer of this life, the Hereafter and everything in the universe. Observe how the Qur’an vividly describes the pinnacle of the Prophet’s pedagogy in teaching his companions:

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yìtΒ Í‘#tö/F{$# ∩⊇®⊂∪ $ oΨ−/u‘ $ oΨÏ?#u™uρ $tΒ $ oΨ?‰tã uρ 4’n?tã y7Î= ß™ â‘ Ÿω uρ

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Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (with the thought): "Our Lord! Not for naught Have You created (all) this! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire. "Our Lord! Any whom You do admit to the Fire, truly You cover with shame, and never will wrong-doers find any helpers! "Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to Faith, 'Believe you in the Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Yourself our souls in the company of the righteous. "Our Lord! Grant us what You Did promise unto us through Your Messengers, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment, for You never break Your Promise." (Al-Imran:190-194)

This brilliant description by Allah of the zenith these extraordinary people attained tells us that if a brief mention of Allah impacts the soul, what will the impact be like for those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides and in all conditions?

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Bear in mind that a soul which is busy searching for or preoccupied with desires is unable to remember Allah . Such is the moment of negligence (al-Ghafla) when man neglects remembering Allah . By contrast, whenever man remembers Allah , he ascends. This means that every moment Allah is remembered is a moment of ascension or elevation…So, what will be the position of those who remember Allah standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and in all conditions? It is a fascinating experience if you ponder the meaning of the verse. Metaphorically, ascent will remain an onerous task for the human soul until it masters it well. Clay from which man was created is heavy and tends to go down, so it requires constant and more lifting in order that the factor of ascent overrides the factor of descent. The fork (the instrument of lifting) exists in man, in the depths of his Fitra:



Behold, your Lord said to the angels “I am about to create man from clay. When I have fashioned Him (in due proportion) and breathed into Him of My spirit, fall you down in obeisance unto Him.” (Saad:71-72)

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This does not mean that the fork will perform its function without some external efforts. And here comes the role of education. Desires, by nature, operate randomly inside man and beautify the pursuit of pleasure in a myriad of forms. The instrument of controlling and steering these burning desires into a certain direction to enable the vital force to ‘climb’ to high values which Allah likes needs some training to perform its duty. It is similar in this sense to an infant who needs training to walk and be able to sustain the heavy weight off the ground, though the ability to walk has been inside him since the moment of his creation. It is dormant, and all it needs is training. If he was not trained to walk, he may walk at a very late time or may not walk at all and become paralyzed:




Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons, heaped-up hoards of gold and silver,

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horses branded (for blood and excellence), and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life, but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to). (Al-Imran:14) Such was the heavy weight of desires and such are the instruments of ascent. The most magnificent characteristic of Islam in this realm is that it strives to elevate man to a point where his pursuit for pleasure is normal and balanced, but not to a zero gravity as did Monasticism (Rahbaniyya), Hinduism and Buddhism. These creeds may easily elevate man so high, but cause him to neglect settlement in the land and protection of the land from corruption by fighting in Allah’s Cause, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil (al-Amr bi al-Ma’ruf wa an-Nahiy ‘ani al-Munkar), all of which are duties assigned to man by Allah Who knows that these are beneficial for life and man. Allah created man, and He knows what is beneficial and unbeneficial for him:

Ÿω r& ãΝ n= ÷è tƒ ô⎯tΒ t, n= y{ uθ èδ uρ ß#‹ ÏÜ=9$# çÎ7 sƒø: $#

Should He not know,- He that created? and He is the one that understands the finest mysteries (and) is well-acquainted (With them). (Al-Mulk:14)

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uθ èδ Ν ä.r' t±Ρr& z⎯ÏiΒ ÇÚ ö‘F{$# óΟ ä.tyϑ ÷è tG ó™$#uρ


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Í‘θ ãΒ W{$#

(They are) those who, if we establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong. With Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs. (Al-Hajj:41)

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O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty? Believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive (your utmost) in the cause of Allah, with your property and your persons; that will be best for you if you but knew! (As- Saf:10-11) And whilst Allah assigns man the duty of settlement in the land and the permission to enjoy the splendours of life, He does not let him overindulge in pleasure because that will corrupt him and weaken his ability to perform the duties of fighting in Allah’s Cause, and enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. In his mind, these duties will thwart his indulgence in pleasure:

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If there had been immediate gain (in sight), and the journey easy, they would (all) without doubt have followed you, but the distance was long, (and weighed) on them. (At-Tawba:42)

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öΝ ÍκÍ5θ è= è% óΟßγ sù Ÿω šχθ ßγ s) ø tƒ

When a Sura comes down, enjoining them to believe in Allah and to strive and fight along with His Messenger, those with wealth and influence among them ask you for exemption, and say: “Leave us (behind). We would be with those who sit (at home).” They prefer to be with (the women), who remain behind (at home); their hearts are sealed and so they understand not. (At-Tawba:86-87)

Islam strives to strike a balance between the clay from which man is created and the soul; that is, the physical and spiritual, in a way that he works for both this life and the Hereafter at the same time:



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It is He who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse you through its tracts and enjoy of the sustenance which He furnishes, but unto Him is the Resurrection. (Al-Mulk:15) This ‘sophisticated tool’ was in the hands of the Prophet , and he used it to instill the belief in Allah , the belief in the Last Day, and constant remembrance of Allah in the souls of his companions, and to get them used to living according to their potentials, keeping contact with Allah . He was their best exemplary figure in everything. Setting an example has a great impact in the process of education…and Allah Who created the human soul knows well that advice alone, however stirring and eloquent it may be, is not sufficient unless it is carried by the heart of a human who first represents and materialises such preaching publicly, and then invites people to follow him after he has demonstrated to them how following is done. Allah could have revealed the Qur’an written on paper, and then inspired the illiterate Arabs to read it, but He knew that the souls would not bear it and would not be stirred up as in the required fashion which will translate itself into a real action that possesses the force of mobility. Rather, He placed it on the heart of a human being who first translated it into real life before people. Whosesoever’s heart is open to Islam will welcome the new religion with

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open arms. Aisha was asked about the conduct of Prophet Muhammad , and she said: “His character was the embodiment of the Qur’an.”1 From this standpoint, we understand what Allah says in this respect:

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The Messenger’s duty is only to preach the clear (Message). (An-Nur:54)

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šχρ ã©3x tG tƒ

And we have sent down unto you (also) the Message so that you may explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought. (An-Nahl:44)

Conveying the message does not simply mean telling the recipients “Your Lord commands you to do so and so…” In other words, conveying the message should not take the form of a lecture, a lesson or a sermon only -though this should be a first step to inform people of what they do not know about

1 Ahmad.

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the new religion. However, translating such knowledge into real life requires that the Prophet puts Allah’s Word into action, through demonstration and illustration so that people can learn the content of the Message through a practical lesson. And this is a lesson for the Du’aat which we will deal with in the next pages. The Prophet was constantly remembering Allah and leading his life in contact with Allah . He would never neglect uttering the Names of Allah . Allah educated him well and endowed him with the power of sustaining such constant contact with Him in all the circumstances. For people, this entails a great deal of efforts. Put differently, ordinary people, even the companions, cannot bear to maintain that leveled elevation in his constant contact with and remembrance of Allah . This was an exclusive attribute which Allah generously bestowed on His Messenger. As for the companions, they were the second best people after the Messengers. They complained to the Prophet that when they were in his company, they were in a certain state (elevation), but when they went their ways, they were in a state completely different (degeneration). He said to them: “By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if your state of mind remains the same as it is in my presence and you are always busy in remembrance (of Allah ), the Angels will shake hands with

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you in your beds and in your paths but, Hanzala, time should be devoted (to the worldly affairs) and time (should be devoted to prayer and meditation).”1 Though the moment in which the companions were away from the Prophet was not literally a moment of degeneration or a negligence of remembering Allah -it suffices that Allah describes them as those who remember Allah in all situations- but the difference between the moment when they were in the Prophet’s company and the moment when they were not is of degree rather than type. Reverting to the brilliant description of the companions by Allah , how would the companions remember Allah sitting, standing and laying on their sides? Is it the type of remembrance which leads to extinction as practiced by the Sufis who see this extinction as the reality of existence? Or is it the type of remembrance which leads to the presence of human potential in real life and its concentration to work for Allah’s Sake? They would remember Allah to ask what Allah wanted from them at that moment. If the request of the moment was Jihad, then remembrance was the impetus behind this Jihad. If the request of the moment was the acquisition of knowledge, then remembrance was the impetus behind the acquisition of such knowledge. If the request of the moment was the quest for obtaining provision 1 Muslim, Tirmidi, Ahmad and Ibn Majja.

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(Talab ar-Rizq), spending in Allah’s Cause, settling down in the land in accordance with Allah’s Laws, then remembrance was the drive behind such a quest. If the request of the moment was treating their wives kindly, then remembrance was the drive behind such a quest, and so on and so forth for the other obligations. They would also remember Allah to see where they stood vis-à-vis Allah’s Approval of their deeds? Were they on the right position to earn that approval? If they felt they were, they would praise Allah and double their efforts to earn more approval by performing deeds that would bring them closer to Allah . If they felt they were not, they would remember Allah to review their deeds and change their conduct accordingly:

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And those who, having done something to be ashamed of or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah? And are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done. For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath, an eternal dwelling. How excellent a recompense for those who work (and strive)! (Al-Imran:135-136) Let us now turn to the aforementioned verse (Al-Imran:191) and examine what led to remembrance:

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tβρ ã¤6x tG tƒuρ ’Îû È, ù= yz ÏN≡ uθ≈ uΚ¡¡9$# ÇÚö‘F{$#uρ

Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth. (Al-Imran:191)

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The request of the moment, we are led to infer, was contemplating the creation of heavens and earth in order to know the truth behind its creation:

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He has created the heavens and the earth in just proportions, and has given you shape, and made your shapes beautiful, and to Him is the final goal. (At-Taghabun:3)

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Not without purpose did we create heaven and earth and all between! That was the thought of unbelievers, but woe to the unbelievers because of the Fire (of Hell)! (Saad:27) They now understand from what Allah taught them and the regular and organized system of divine laws, whether those related to the regulation of the physical world or human life, that everything was created for a purpose and

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that there is a noticeable wisdom in every creature. When their contemplation reaches this extent, they realise that the worldly life is not and cannot be the end of life. There are people who wrong others and they will remain so until the last drop of their blood. If the worldly life is the end, then where is justice? Life in that case, will be absurd and unjust. Remembering Allah and the purpose of creation ‘switch on’ their remembrance of the Last Day with its Paradise and Hellfire and cause them to seek refuge in Allah from the torment of Hellfire:

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(with the thought): “Our Lord! Not for naught have You created (all) this! Glory to You! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.(Al-Imran:192)

Hence, the thought of Hellfire causes them to rush to Allah and seek His Refuge:

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9‘$ |ÁΡr&

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"Our Lord! Any whom You do admit to the Fire, truly You cover with shame, and never will wrong-doers find any helpers! (Al-Imran:192)

It is as if they present to Allah qualifications that will rescue them from Hellfire:

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"Our Lord! We have heard the call of one calling (us) to Faith, 'Believe you in the Lord,' and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Yourself our souls in the company of the righteous. "Our Lord! Grant us what You Did promise unto us through Your Messengers, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment, for You never break Your Promise." (Al-Imran:193-194)

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Without hesitation, Allah responds to this intense submissiveness, but is the response simply to the remembrance? Is it simply to the contemplation? Is it simply to the submissiveness? All of these are required from the sincere believer:

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And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them. (Al-Imran:195)

And here comes the lesson in these verses which begin with a vivid description of who those people are, what they do and what they get in return. It was through this remembrance that the Prophet educated his companions; first, through being a good example, and then through his

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continuous assessment of his companions’ actions until they reached that unprecedented human status. Now let us look at what the Prophet wanted and what was his objective motivating his endeavours to educate his companions. Was it for the sake of having them as his disciples? Was it for the sake of turning them into sincere believers? It was, undoubtedly, a noble purpose, worth the effort. But, was all that effort really needed? Surely, even part of the effort would have been enough to attain such a goal, in the best possible manner, sought by the Prophet , just as it was achieved by Jesus in educating his disciples who were loyal and who spread the religion after him. His companions were the embodiment of mercy, piety and noble values:

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Then, in their wake, we followed them up with (others of) Our Messengers. We sent after them Jesus, the son of Mary, and bestowed on him the Gospel, and we ordained in the hearts of those who followed him compassion and mercy, but the Monasticism which they invented for themselves, we did not prescribe for them. (We commanded) only the seeking for the good pleasure of Allah, but that they did not foster as they should have done. (Al-Hadid:27) Muhammad’s aim was not just to educate a group of believers as it was for Messengers before him. Rather, he aspired toward something nobler: to educate a solid base, which in turn, would create:

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… the best of peoples, evolved from mankind. (Al-Imran:110) The difference between any of the groups of believers educated by the Prophets before Muhammad and the group of believers educated by Muhammad lies in the divine mission. As for the early group of believers, their mission was as mentioned in the Qur’an:

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And they have been commanded no more than this: to worship Allah, offering Him sincere devotion, being true (in faith); to establish regular prayer; and to practice regular charity; and that is the religion right and straight. (Al-Bayyina:5)

For the group of believers educated by the Prophet Muhammad , they were, in addition to the same mission entrusted to earlier believers, exclusively assigned another mission:


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You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. (Al-Imran:110)

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Thus, have we made of you an Umma justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves. (Al-Baqara:143) Early nations were commanded to believe in Allah and ‘mind their own affairs’. This nation in contrast, was commanded to be a model for mankind in uprightness. There is a difference between educating a person to be good for himself and in his own right and educating a person to be exemplary for mankind. The base may be the same: worshipping Allah Alone without associating Him with any partner. However, there is a difference between a base upon which you wish to erect a small and limited structure, and a base upon which you wish to erect a huge structure. Both require expertise and hard work, yet there is a chasm in difference between one base and the other; between the hard work required for one and that required for the other; and between the expertise required for one and that required for the other. We may notice the difference in the Qur’an. Every believing nation (Umma Mu’mina) was invited to believe in Allah

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and the Last Day, but there is no book (Scripture) amongst the books revealed by Allah that extensively deal with these two issues besides the Qur’an. And every believing nation linked the obligations with this essential matter (belief in Allah and the Last Day) which is the basis for everything, but there is no Message where such a link is well-cemented more than the Seal of Messages (Ar-Risala al-Akhira), despite the great number of obligations it contains and its wide scope, which incorporates all aspects of life.1 Furthermore, we notice the difference -in a parallel line in the Qur’an- in the approach the Prophet adopted to educate his companions (whether in his focus on the issue of belief in Allah and the Last Day or in cementing the link between all the obligations related to Aqeeda and conduct), and this essential issue. During the Makkan period, the laws and directives which regulated the political, economic and social life of the group of believers had not been revealed yet. The entire period was allocated to plant the true Aqeeda in the souls and prepare these souls for the requirements of this Aqeeda which would in Allah’s Preordainment come in its expected time.

1 See chapter Muqtadayaat Laa Ilaha Illa Allah fi Ar-Risala Al-Muhammadia of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, Aqeeda wa Shari’a wa Minhaj Hayat.

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Let us now talk about the believers who believed that there is no god but Allah Alone and that Muhammad is His Messenger, and who believed in the Resurrection, Reward and Retribution because those were the solid base which the Prophet educated, but it is worth mentioning in passing that the Prophet suffered a great deal in presenting the issue (belief in Allah and the Last Day) to people. The Qurayshi tyrants stood in the way of the Da’wa and fought against it with all means; and the masses followed suit, because for them such a thing contradicted their habits and because they were, at the same time, enslaved by the tyrants. The concept did not mean a thing to them, whether they understood it or not and whether they liked it or not. This period is quite different; the focus (of the call) was more on the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. Utterance (saying Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) was the apparent sign of Eeman. Only true believers who declared his belief in the presence of the Prophet , endangering his life under the eyes of the brutality of Jahiliyya would utter Ash-Shahadatayn (bearing witness that there is no god but Allah Alone and that Muhammad is His Messenger). Utterance at that time was a proof of Eeman because only a true believer would risk his life through utterance. Was it enough for the Prophet that these people voiced out what was in their hearts? Had that been the case, would the solid base through which, Allah changed the face of the earth, have been erected?

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Why would the Prophet secretly meet them in Dar al-Arqam? Was it just for the sake of asking them to utter the phrase of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah before him? Rather, he would meet with them in order to show them the requirements of this phrase through demonstration and illustration (i.e. being a model example himself). Part of the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in the past, present and future is the display of great perseverance and endurance of harm for the sake of the Truth and for the sake of the true Aqeeda that one believes in. Will a simple utterance (of this phrase) automatically lead to a display of great perseverance under extreme suffering, and at any cost, for the sake of Truth? Or does the matter require a certain effort to strengthen the soul in a way to enable it to sustain pressure? How are people going to learn? Is it simply by telling them that by showing perseverance, their determination will grow stronger, that they will aspire to something higher than the temporal splendours of life, that they will be able to endure suffering and cling to the Truth they believe in? The matter is more than a simple utterance. It is through practice and examples that people learn and a great teacher is the one who teaches, trains and guides. He should first practice what he preaches so that his ‘students’ follow his example.

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The Prophet suffered a great deal. He suffered when he was branded a liar, and how hard it is to brand the truthful and trustworthy (As-Sadiq al-Amin) as a liar! He suffered when he was mocked, and how hard it is to mock a heart which believes in the Truth and knows that it was the truth, goodness, guidance, salvation, success and that the mockers were far astray! He suffered when his enemies tried to tarnish his image in the eyes of his followers. He also suffered physically when he was attacked and stoned until his feet bled and when Abu Lahab and his wife planted thorns on his way. They even threw filth on him as he was prostrating… This only consolidated his adherence to and persistence to follow the Truth. He was offered power and wealth, but he would decline them saying to his uncle to whom people had complained about the Prophet: “By Allah, O uncle! If the sun was placed on my right and the moon on my left in order to abandon this religion, I will not, until Allah makes it prevail or I shall die without it.” (At-Tabari: 1/545 and Seera Nabawiyya: 2/101) It was through practice, through being a role model and setting a good example that the Prophet educated his companions.

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One of the components of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in the past, present and future is the filling of the heart with love for Allah , the feeling of Allah’s Magnificence, His Presence (i.e. the presence of His Knowledge and Support), and making Allah’s Guidance as one’s Guide in every action. Will belief in Allah and utterance of such belief (Laa Ilaha Illa Allah) alone, spontaneously lead to that guidance and that conduct? Or does the matter need education, teaching, instruction, mentoring and guidance? And who will be that teacher and guide, except Muhammad ? He would preach and practice, and his followers would learn from him in the best way because they could figure out the harmonious relationship between theory and practice in their teacher’s (Muhammad ) actions. They would see him at every moment, praying, remembering Allah , and aspiring to His Mercy. Another component of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in the past, present and future is the belief in Allah’s Qada’ and Qadar, belief that Allah Alone manages the universe, controls destiny, does as He pleases, provides for His Servants, cures and harms. Will belief in Laa Ilaha Illa Allah alone impact the souls? Or does the matter require careful education, training and guidance? Will a simple lesson, lecture or sermon instill that belief? This is not a subject which was taught and quizzed upon in the form of

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questions. Rather, it is real suffering that is encountered with every one of the soul’s desires or every agonizing experience which man has faced, and from which he has learnt a lesson. He has not just learnt that lesson by his mind or existence, but also by his nerves, body and soul. Ask any man in the street the question ‘Who gives you provision (Rizq)’, and he will answer you spontaneously, ‘Allah is the Provider.’ However, in times of hardships; that is, when that man does not get enough provision, he will say, ‘That man has deprived me of my provision’ or ‘that man wants to deprive me of my provision.’ What does that mean? It means that what appeared spontaneous at first was not the reality. In other words, if such spontaneity comes from the mind and does not delve deep into real existence, then it is not spontaneity of the heart upon which one’s conduct is based, or upon which sincere emotions are based, and it is sincere emotions that in turn, provide a base for correct conduct. As I was reading Allah’s address to the Children of Israel in Al-Baqara, my attention was drawn to an important issue:

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And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh. They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord. (Al-Baqara:49)

There was torture by the Pharaohs and therein was also infliction of trial (Ibtila’) upon the Children of Israel by Allah ! Would the mind spontaneously respond when it sees or hear torture? Or would the mind only consider the direct agent (of the test)? Man needs some education here in order to know that the agent is in fact committing an act of torture, but behind this torture there is Allah’s Preordainment. Once he comes to grips with this, and the whole thing becomes a matter of belief, where would he go to ask for the lifting of this trial? This is the lesson drawn from guidance. In the mind of the believer, these things follow the course of causes (asbab) without discarding Allah’s Preordainment (al-Qadar). In other words, things that happen are not directly the result of causes only, but also

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the result of Allah’s Preordainment within the boundaries determined by Allah . That is why there is the constant thought of Allah , the Real Manager of events and people in this universe. Another component of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah in the past, present and future is brotherhood in Allah , love and hatred for the Sake of Allah , and loyalty (al-Wala’) and disavowal (al-Bara’). In an Arab environment, and in every pre-Islamic or modern Jahilliyya environment, these characteristics contradict the prevalent traditions of the time. In the Arab Jahiliyya; for instance, blood kinship was considered the strongest and most permanent bond. Any other bond was regarded as either weak or non-existent. In modern Jahiliyya, blood kinship has been superseded by nationalistic bonds in which these Jahiliyyat took pride and boasted in the same manner as would the Arab Jahiliyya boast over blood kinship. There is a difference in scope, but not in the essence. As for love and hatred of someone for Allah’s Sake during Arab Jahiliyya and in every other Jahiliyya revolved around materialistic interests which centered on the ‘I’: ‘Me’, ‘my dignity’, ‘my wealth’, ‘my power’, ‘my people’ and ‘my followers (if I am from the strong)’ or ‘my superiors (if I am from the weak)’:

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Concerning loyalty and disloyalty, it is the equivalent of love and hatred, and has no restriction except according to the interests which arise here and there. This is the way it fluctuates, and today’s friends may turn into foes tomorrow, and today’s foes may turn into friends tomorrow - not for the sake of altering principles or values, but to secure unstable interests. This was the case during all Jahiliyyat. Belief in Laa Ilaha Illa Allah was not a simple utterance, from which you would expect a drastic change of a situation commended by the traditions of al-Jahiliyya and its political, economic, social, intellectual and moral circumstances… though the belief in Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, undoubtedly does prepares the soul for change and accepting change. As for the new standards, new values and new circumstances, they cannot be established randomly or established instantly, though belief may occur in an instant. These are built step by step and block by block until the new edifice is erected, and this is the mission of education. And this is exactly what the Prophet did –with care, guidance and following-up- to achieve those noble principles. Brotherhood in Allah became even stronger in the souls of people than blood kinship. Love and hatred were no longer motivated by worldly interests, but stood in total contrast to them. The landslide victory was for what was done for the Sake of Allah . Loyalty and disloyalty became linked to the values of belief only, for the Sake of Allah .

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Part of the requirements of Allah also in the past, present and future is the set of noble values. Some of these values existed in the Arab environment, but al-Jahiliyya sidetracked and corrupted it. It turned bravery into heat and cant:

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While the unbelievers got up in their hearts heat and cant - the heat and cant of ignorance- Allah sent down His tranquillity to His Messenger and to the believers. (Al-Fath:26)

It turned generosity into conceited spending:

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…like those who spend their wealth to be seen of men, but believe neither in Allah nor in the Last Day. They are in parable like a hard, barren rock, on which is a little soil; on it falls heavy rain, which leaves it (just) a bare stone. They will be able to do nothing with aught they have earned. And Allah guides not those who reject Faith. (Al-Baqara:264) These values need to be ‘mended’ and brought back to their original state (Fitra) so that they are done for the Sake of Allah . Some of them did not exist in the Arab Jahiliyya and could not exist in any Jahiliyya such as preventing people from wronging one another, establishing a life based on justice and equality rather than the law of the jungle, human respect regardless of gender, colour, race, social, political and economic background. This is only possible when the soul exclusively devotes itself to Allah .1 It is not our purpose here to list all the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, but to emphasise that since the moment of their revelation, they had never been ‘only belief and

1 Democracy claims that it was the first trend to set up and implement these principles, giving the ‘other’ the right to exist and express himself! Proof against this is what happened or is happening in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Chechnya, Philippines, Kashmir, Palestine and any country where Muslims live under the rule of the Jews or Christians, which is in total contrast to the justice, equality and tolerance which prevailed under Muslim rule!

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affirmation’ as the Irja’ doctrine claims. Only belief and affirmation, even when they were a sign of true Eeman during the beginning of the Da’wa, and which only the true believers would risk taking, did not do what Laa Ilaha Illa Allah did in the souls of the group of believers whom the Prophet educated. Laa Ilaha Illa Allah worked well when those who embraced it believed in its requirements, were educated on these requirements and implemented them in real life. It is equally not our purpose here to say that education on these requirements is the magnificent work performed by the Prophet for the solid base in particular. This is a requirement from any educator wishing to establish the base for the Da’wa in any part of the globe and at any time until the Establishment of the Hour. The magnificent work carried out by the Prophet was the status he raised his companions to by complying with the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, where preaching and practice met, where optional duties changed in their souls (the companions) into compulsory ones which they would make binding upon themselves without Allah’s Command and the Prophet’s orders. The magnificent work was the degree of their belief in the Last Day and how they lived it every moment as if they saw it and as if it were present and did not see it as distant by a very long time. This is what distinguished the unique generation under the Great Educator , and not mere

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compliance with the provisions of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, which is a requirement from anyone wishing to undertake the task of the Da’wa to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. Afterwards, the scope of the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah expanded gradually to include new aspects of the soul and life which had not been included before, but which Allah revealed later and made binding upon the believers. Hence, the first requirements alone could not achieve Eeman. Abu Abid Al-Qasim Ibn Salam (157-224) said in Al-Eeman1: “If we consider the purpose, for which Allah sent His Messenger and the Qur’an, we will find that He initiated Eeman with the testimony: “There is no god, but Allah Alone and Muhammad is His Messenger” ( Laa Ilaha Illah Allah wa Anna Muhammad Rasulu Allah). The Prophet spent 10 years in Makka inviting people to this testimony (Shahada). This testimony was the only part of Eeman imposed on people at the time, and whoever responded to it positively was considered a believer. People were not required to pay any Zakat, fast or perform any obligations. Scholars considered such ‘light’ obligations as part of Allah’s Mercy towards His Servants because they had just ‘emerged’ from the traditions of al-Jahiliyya. ‘Overloading’

1 Edited by Muhammad Nasir al-Albani, from page 54, Dar Al-Arqam, Kuwait, 1450 A.H.

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them with further duties would have simply put them off; uttering the Shahada was enough to consider a person as a believer. Those who stated the Shahada remained so during their whole stay in Makka and a few months in Madina after the Hijra. When people loved Islam, Allah increased their Eeman by imposing Salat towards the Ka’ba instead of al-maqdis, and with it came the change of Qibla; that is, from al-Maqdis to Makka. If those believers refused to change the Qibla, this refusal would have contradicted their affirmation (Iqrar) because the first act of obedience (ash-Shahada) would have been invalidated by the second act of disobedience. When they accepted Allah and the Prophet’s command to change the Qibla as they had done with ash-Shahada (both affirmation of testimony (al-Iqrar bi Ash-Shahada)) and Salat became Eeman then…They remained in this state for a while before Allah imposed Zakat:

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…be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity. (Al-Baqara:83-110)

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Of their goods, take alms, so that you might purify and sanctify them;. (At-Tawba:103)

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By the same token, if they had abstained from Zakat, but complied with Salat, this would have invalidated both their Salat and affirmation of ash-Shahada. Abu Bakr fought al-Muhajirun (immigrants) and al-Ansar (Supporters) for preventing Arabs from paying Zakat just as the Prophet fought all the polytheists, for there was no difference between any of them in killing, holding captives (Sabiy) and taking booty. Although they abstained from paying Zakat, they did not dispute it (i.e. its obligation). All in all, all Allah’s Laws which subsequently followed were added to the early laws (obligations). All come under the name of Eeman, and people who follow Eeman are called ‘believers’. So, it is erroneous to think that Eeman is only an utterance…” If we examine the solid base which Allah educated, the following question springs to mind: “Why did the Prophet exert such a great deal of effort for thirteen years in Makka and ten years in Madina to produce these great models (Sahaba)? Was it for the sake of having a group of believers who believed in Allah and the Last Day, prayed, paid Zakat and performed other acts of worship? Maybe only some of these considerable efforts would have achieved the goal in real life, but the Prophet , as stated above, aspired to what was nobler than that.

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The mission of the group of believers was not just worshipping Allah in the same fashion as did earlier groups. Rather, its mission was to spread at-Tawhid in the land and to convert mankind from worshipping humans to worshipping Allah . A group of believers such as this one needed special education and training to execute this mission. In the world of trade and industry, people know that the commodity designed for local consumption is not the one designed for export. The former may be manufactured in a way that would serve a certain purpose, but the latter should be (required to be) manufactured with expertise in a way to impose itself in the market as the best commodity (market leader). If this is the code of practice in a worldly trade and industry, such code of practice should be the norm in a nobler trade:


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O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty? Believe in Allah

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and His Messenger and strive (your utmost) in the cause of Allah, with your property and your persons; that will be best for you if you but knew! (As- Saf:10-11) Guiding mankind needed a special, well-trained and well-disciplined group whose conduct was proof enough that this religion is the right religion that should be followed. Guiding mankind needed a special group that would confront al-Jahiliyya, destroy it and erect a new edifice in its place based on strong foundations. And this is what happened exactly through the work (education) of the Prophet . The confrontation was not just with the Arab Jahiliyya, though this was the first Jahiliyya the Da’wa encountered at its inception. In fact, the entire world was plunged in Jahiliyya, whether worshipping idols, fire, devil, stars, tyrants or following a deviant religion. The new religion (Islam), the Prophet and the group he educated had to deal with all these. Now, would a group which just worshipped Allah have been able to deal with these problems and established the new religion? Of course, not! A great deal of literature on Seera talks about this solid base and the significant levels it reached. It is beyond the scope of this work to delve into the lives of the companions, but this work will talk about the specifications of the solid base. I am personally moved by some excellent models, not

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necessarily great companions, but some ordinary people briefly mentioned in the annals of history.

“During the lifetime of the Prophet , a woman suffered from epilepsy, and every time she fainted, she would uncover her body. One day, she went to the Prophet and asked him to make supplication for her. The Prophet replied, “Do you wish that you may endure it and be rewarded with Paradise, or do you wish that I shall make supplication to Allah to cure you?” She said, “I shall endure it.” This woman later became known as one from the people of Paradise.”1

Zayd Ibn Aslam quoted his father as saying: “I went out with Omar to Harrat Waqim, and on our way, we stopped at Sirar, and there was some fire being lit. Omar said, ‘O Aslam, I can see some people over there, and it is already getting dark and cold. Let’s go to them.’ We rushed to them and there was a woman with children, lighting fire and pretending to prepare a meal for her hungry children who had been crying for some time. Omar asked the woman what the matter was and she explained to him what it was and blamed Omar for their misery. Omar asked the woman why Omar was to blame and she said that he was in charge of our

1 Muslim.

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affairs but he was neglecting his duties. Omar asked what was in the cooking pot, and the woman said that there was nothing.’ Omar and I rushed to the store and got some flour and fat and went back to the woman. Omar helped her with the cooking, the children ate of the food and were very happy before they went to sleep. The woman was very happy and said to Omar , ‘You are the one who should be the Chief of the believers not Omar !’ Omar said to her, ‘Say only what’s good, for if you come to the Chief of Believers, I shall be there by Allah’s Will.’”1

There were some fighters who headed for battle, yearning for Paradise. One among them took some dates from his bag and began to eat them. Then he said: “If I were to live until I had eaten all these dates of mine, it would be a long life.” (The narrator said): He threw away all the dates he had with him. Then he fought the enemies until he was killed.”2

And the list goes on…

1 Tarikh at-Tabari (2/568), through a chain of narrators known for relating authentic traditions. Tradition also transmitted by Abdullah Ibn Imam Ahmad (382) in al-Fadhail. 2 Muslim (1901) and Ahmad (3/136-137) with slight modifications.

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Perhaps the best way to present the specifications of the solid base is to refer to the way Allah and His Messenger described them, to the way they received the command and guidance from Allah and His Messenger, and the way they executed that command and followed that guidance:

The Qur’an:

ô‰s% yx n= øù r& tβθ ãΖÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$# ∩⊇∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# öΝèδ ’ Îû öΝ ÍκÍEŸξ|¹ tβθ ãè Ï±≈ yz

∩⊄∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ öΝèδ Ç⎯tã Èθøó ¯=9$# šχθ àÊÌ÷è ãΒ ∩⊂∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# uρ öΝèδ

Íο 4θ x. ¨“=Ï9 tβθ è= Ïè≈ sù ∩⊆∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ öΝ èδ öΝ Îγ Å_ρ ãà Ï9 tβθ Ýà Ï≈ ym ∩∈∪

ω Î) #’n?tã öΝÎγ Å_≡ uρ ø— r& ÷ρ r& $ tΒ ôMs3n= tΒ öΝ åκ ß]≈ yϑ ÷ƒr& öΝ åκ ¨ΞÎ* sù ç ö xî š⎥⎫ÏΒθ è=tΒ

∩∉∪ Ç⎯yϑ sù 4©xötG ö/$# u™!#u‘uρ y7Ï9≡ sŒ y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é' sù ãΝèδ tβρ ßŠ$ yè ø9$# ∩∠∪

t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ öΝèδ öΝ ÎγÏF≈ oΨ≈ tΒ L{ öΝ ÏδÏ‰ôγ tã uρ tβθ ãã≡u‘ ∩∇∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ ö/ ãφ 4’n? tã

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öΝ ÍκÌE≡ uθ n= |¹ tβθ ÝàÏù$ ptä† ∩®∪ y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é& ãΝ èδ tβθ èO Í‘≡ uθ ø9$# ∩⊇⊃∪ š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$#

tβθ èO Ìtƒ } ÷ρ yŠöÏ ø9$# öΝ èδ $ pκ Ïù tβρ à$ Î#≈ yz

The believers must (eventually) succeed, those who humble themselves in their prayers; who avoid vain talk; who are active in deeds of charity; who abstain from sex, except with those joined to them in the marriage bond, or (the captives) whom their right hands possess, for (in their case) they are free from blame. But those whose desires exceed those limits are transgressors; those who faithfully observe their trusts and their covenants; and who (strictly) guard their prayers. These will be the heirs, who will inherit Paradise. They will dwell therein (for ever). (Al-Mu’minun:1-11)

⎯yϑ sù r& ÞΟ n= ÷è tƒ !$ yϑΡr& tΑÌ“Ρé& y7ø‹s9Î) ⎯ÏΒ y7Îi/¢‘ ‘, ptø: $# ô⎯yϑ x. uθ èδ #‘ yϑ ôã r&

4 $ oÿ©ςÎ) ã©.x‹tG tƒ (#θ ä9'ρ é& É=≈ t6ø9F{$# ∩⊇®∪ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# tβθ èùθ ãƒ Ï‰ôγ yè Î/ «!$# Ÿω uρ

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t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ (#ρ çy9|¹ u™!$ tó ÏG ö/$# Ïμ ô_uρ öΝ Íκ Íh5u‘ (#θ ãΒ$ s%r&uρ nο 4θ n=¢Á9$# (#θ à) xΡr&uρ $ £ϑ ÏΒ

öΝ ßγ≈uΖ ø%y— u‘ #u Å Zπ u‹ÏΡŸξtã uρ šχρ â™u‘ô‰ tƒuρ Ïπ oΨ|¡ptø: $$ Î/ sπ y∞ ÍhŠ¡¡9$# y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&

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Èe≅ä. 5>$ t/ ∩⊄⊂∪ íΝ≈ n= y™ / ä3ø‹n= tæ $ yϑ Î/ ÷Λän ÷y9|¹ 4 zΝ ÷è ÏΨsù ©t<ø) ãã Í‘#¤$!$#

Is then one who does know that which has been revealed unto you from your Lord is the truth, like one who is blind? It is those who are endued with understanding that receive admonition; those who fulfil the Covenant of Allah and fail not in their plighted word; those who join together those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, hold their Lord in awe, and fear the terrible reckoning; those who patiently persevere, seeking the countenance of their Lord; establish regular prayers; spend, out of (the gifts) we have bestowed for their sustenance, secretly and openly; and turn off evil with good. For such there is the final attainment of the (eternal) home,- Gardens of perpetual bliss: They shall enter there, As well As the righteous among their fathers,

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their spouses, and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation): "Peace unto you for that which you persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!" (Ar-Ra’d:19-24)

$ yϑ ¯ΡÎ) šχθ ãΖÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$# t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# #sŒÎ) tÏ. èŒ ª! $# ôMn= Å_uρ öΝ åκ æ5θè= è% #sŒÎ) uρ

ôMu‹ Î= è? öΝ Íκ ö n=tã … çμçG≈ tƒ#u™ öΝ åκøEyŠ#y— $ YΖ≈yϑƒÎ) 4’n?tã uρ óΟ Îγ În/u‘ tβθ è= ©. uθ tG tƒ ∩⊄∪

š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$# šχθ ßϑ‹ É)ãƒ nο 4θn= ¢Á9$# $ £ϑ ÏΒ uρ öΝ ßγ≈ uΖø%y— u‘ tβθ à) ÏΖãƒ ∩⊂∪

y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é& ãΝ èδ tβθ ãΖ ÏΒ÷σ ßϑ ø9$# $ y) ym 4 öΝçλ°; ìM≈ y_u‘yŠ y‰ΨÏã óΟÎγ În/u‘

×οtÏ øó tΒ uρ ×−ø— Í‘uρ ÒΟƒÌŸ2

For, believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His Signs recited, find their Faith increased, and put (all) their trust in their Lord; who establish regular prayers and spend (freely) out of the gifts we have given them for sustenance. Such in truth are the believers; they have grades of dignity with their Lord, and forgiveness, and generous sustenance: (Al-Anfal:2-4)

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tβθ ãΖ ÏΒ÷σ ßϑ ø9$#uρ àM≈ oΨÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$#uρ öΝßγ àÒ ÷è t/ â™!$ uŠÏ9÷ρ r& <Ù÷è t/ 4 šχρ âßΔ ù' tƒ

Å∃ρ ã÷è yϑ ø9$$Î/ tβöθ yγ ÷Ζ tƒuρ Ç⎯tã Ìs3Ζßϑ ø9$# šχθ ßϑŠÉ)ãƒuρ nο 4θ n=¢Á9$#

šχθ è?÷σ ãƒuρ nο 4θ x. ¨“9$# šχθ ãèŠ ÏÜãƒuρ ©! $# ÿ… ã& s!θ ß™u‘uρ 4 y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&

ãΝ ßγçΗxq÷z y™ ª! $# 3 ¨βÎ) ©!$# î“ƒÍ•tã ÒΟŠÅ3ym

The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another; they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil; they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy, for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. (At-Tawba:71)

Ç⎯Å3≈ s9 ãΑθ ß™§9$# š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ (#θ ãΖ tΒ#u™ … çμ yè tΒ (#ρ ß‰yγ≈ y_ óΟÏλÎ;≡ uθ øΒ r'Î/

óΟ ÎγÅ¡àΡr&uρ 4 š Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&uρ ãΝ ßγs9 ÝV≡ u ö y⇐ø9$# ( y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&uρ ãΝ èδ

tβθ ßsÎ= ø ßϑ ø9$#

But the Messenger, and those who believe with him, strive and fight with their wealth and their persons. For

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them are (all) good things, and it is they who will prosper. (At-Tawba:88)

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Ö⎯≈ uŠ÷Ψç/ ÒÉθß¹ öΒ

Truly, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array as if they were a solid cemented structure. (As-Saf:4)

(#þθ ããÍ‘$ y™ uρ 4’n< Î) ;οtÏ øó tΒ ⎯ÏiΒ öΝà6În/§‘ >πΨy_uρ $ yγ àÊ ótã ßN≡ uθ≈ yϑ ¡¡9$#

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=Ïtä† š⎥⎫ÏΖÅ¡ósßϑ ø9$# ∩⊇⊂⊆∪ š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ #sŒÎ) (#θ è= yè sù ºπt±Ås≈ sù ÷ρ r&

(#þθ ßϑ n= sß öΝæη |¡àΡr& (#ρ ãx.sŒ ©! $# (#ρ ãx øó tG ó™$$ sù öΝÎγ Î/θ çΡä‹Ï9 ⎯tΒ uρ ãÏ øó tƒ

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∩⊇⊂∈∪ y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é& Ν èδäτ!#t“ y_ ×οtÏ øó ¨Β ⎯ÏiΒ öΝÎγ În/§‘ ×M≈ ¨Ψy_uρ “ÌøgrB ⎯ÏΒ

$ yγÏFøtrB ã≈ pκ ÷ΞF{$# š⎥⎪Ï$ Î#≈ yz $ pκÏù 4 zΝ ÷è ÏΡuρ ãô_r& t⎦, Î#Ïϑ≈ yè ø9$#

Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous; those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity or in adversity; who restrain anger, and pardon (all) men, for Allah loves those who do good, and those who, having done something to be ashamed of, or wronged their own souls, earnestly bring Allah to mind, and ask for forgiveness for their sins, and who can forgive sins except Allah; and who are never obstinate in persisting knowingly in (the wrong) they have done. For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath, an eternal dwelling. How excellent a recompense for those who work (and strive)! (Al-Imran:133-136)

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šχθ ãè Å2≡ §9$# šχρ ß‰Éf≈ ¡¡9$# tβρ ãÏΒ Fψ$# Å∃ρ ã÷è yϑ ø9$$ Î/

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šχθ èδ$Ψ9$#uρ Ç⎯tã Ìx6Ψßϑ ø9$# tβθ ÝàÏ≈ ysø9$#uρ ÏŠρ ß‰çtÎ: «! $# 3 Î Åe³ o0uρ

š⎥⎫ÏΖ ÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$#

Those that turn (to Allah) in repentance; that serve Him, and praise Him; that wander in devotion to the cause of Allah; that bow down and prostrate themselves in prayer; that enjoin good and forbid evil; and observe the limit set by Allah; (these do rejoice). So, proclaim the glad tidings to the Believers. (At-Tawba:112)

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t⎦⎫ÏG ÏΖ≈ s) ø9$#uρ ÏM≈ tFÏΖ≈ s) ø9$#uρ t⎦⎫Ï%Ï‰≈ ¢Á9$#uρ ÏM≈ s%Ï‰≈ ¢Á9$#uρ t⎦⎪Î É9≈ ¢Á9$#uρ

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ÏN≡ tÅ2≡ ©%!$#uρ £‰tã r& ª! $# Μ çλm; ZοtÏ øó ¨Β #·ô_r&uρ $ Vϑ‹ Ïà tã

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For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast (and deny themselves), for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise. For them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward. (Al-Ahzab:35)

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xán= øó tG ó™$$ sù 3“uθ tFó™ $$ sù 4’n?tã ⎯ Ïμ Ï%θß™ Ü=Éf÷è ãƒ tí#§‘–“9$# xáŠÉó u‹ Ï9 ãΝ Íκ Í5

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u‘$ ¤ ä3ø9$# 3 y‰tã uρ ª! $# t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# (#θ ãΖtΒ#u™ (#θ è= Ïϑ tã uρ ÏM≈ ysÎ=≈ ¢Á9$# Ν åκ ÷]ÏΒ

ZοtÏ øó ¨Β #·ô_r&uρ $Jϑ‹ Ïà tã

Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (Being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah; and their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great reward. (Al-Fath:29)

šχρ ãÏO ÷σ ãƒuρ #’n?tã öΝ Íκ Å¦àΡr& öθ s9uρ tβ%x. öΝÍκ Í5 ×π |¹$|Áyz 4 ⎯tΒ uρ s−θ ãƒ

£x ä© ⎯ ÏμÅ¡ø tΡ šÍ× ¯≈ s9'ρ é' sù ãΝèδ šχθßsÎ= ø ßϑø9$#

…but give them preference over themselves even though poverty was their (own lot). And those saved from the

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covetousness of their own souls, they are the ones that achieve prosperity. (Al-Hashr:9)

t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ tβθ ç7Ï⊥ tG øgs† u È∝ ¯≈ t6x. ÄΝøO M} $# |· Ïm≡ uθ x ø9$#uρ #sŒÎ) uρ $ tΒ (#θ ç6ÅÒxî

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t⎦⎫Ïϑ Î=≈ ©à9$# ∩⊆⊃∪ Ç⎯yϑ s9uρ t|ÁtGΡ$# y‰÷è t/ ⎯ Ïμ Ïϑù= àß y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é' sù $ tΒ ΝÍκ ö n= tã

⎯ÏiΒ @≅‹ Î6y™

Those who avoid the greater crimes and shameful deeds, and, when they are angry even then forgive; those who hearken to their Lord, and establish regular prayer; who (conduct) their affairs by mutual consultation; who spend out of what we bestow on them for sustenance; and those who, when an oppressive wrong is inflicted on

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them, (are not cowed but) help and defend themselves. The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree), but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from Allah, for (Allah) loves not those who do wrong. But indeed if any do help and defend themselves after a wrong (done) to them, against such there is no cause of blame. (Ash-Shura:37-41)


So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith. (Al-Imran:139)

ö≅è% ⎯ Íν É‹≈ yδ þ’ Í?ŠÎ6y™ (#þθ ãã÷Šr& ’n< Î) «! $# 4 4’n?tã >οu ÅÁt/ O$ tΡr& Ç⎯tΒ uρ

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Say you: “This is my way: I do invite unto Allah on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah, and never will I join gods with Allah.” (Yusuf:108)

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uθ èδ ü“Ï% ©!$# š‚ y‰−ƒr& ⎯ Íν Î óÇuΖ Î/ š⎥⎫ÏΖ ÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$$ Î/uρ ∩∉⊄∪ y# ©9r&uρ

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He it is that has strengthened you with His Aid and with (the company of) the believers; and (moreover) He has put affection between their hearts: even if you have spent all that is in the earth, you would not have produced that affection, but Allah has done it, for He is Exalted in Might, Wise. (Al-Anfal:62-63)

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O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even against yourselves, or your parents or your kin. (An-Nisa:135)

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O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, for that is next to piety, and fear God, for Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do. (Al-Maida:8)

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öΝ ÎγÎn/§‘ ( y7Í× ¯≈ s9'ρ é&uρ ãΝ èδ šχθ ßsÎ= øßϑ ø9$#

A.L.M. This is the Book; in it is guidance without doubt, to those who fear Allah, who believe in the unseen, are steadfast in prayer, and spend out of what we have provided for them; and who believe in the revelation sent to you, and sent before your time, and (in their hearts) have the assurance of the Hereafter. They are on (true) guidance, from their Lord, and it is these who will prosper. (Al-Baqara:1-5)

The Hadith: - “The example of the Muslims is like a body, if one part of it gets hurt, then all of the body shares that pain [like a body stricken] with a fever and not able to sleep.”1

- “The Believer to another Believer is like a building [or structure].”2

- “Verily Allah has removed from you the stupidity of the Jahiliyya and their boasting of their ancestors. Whether you

1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 At-Tirmidi.

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are Allah-fearing believers or wretched sinners, you are the sons of Adam, and Adam was created from dust.”1

- “The strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.”2

- “Smiling at your brother's face is as charity (Sadaqa)”.3

- “If the Hour comes and one of you has a baby palm (fasila) in his hand, and he can still plant it before he stands up, let him plant it.”4 - “The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : ‘If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.’ If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they will all be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe”.5

1 Abu Daud and At-Tirmidi. 2 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 3 At-Tirmidi. 4 Ahmad. 5 Al-Bukhari.

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- “Allah prescribes kindness in everything. If you have to kill an animal, do it properly, and if you slaughter a beast, sharpen your knife and relieve your beast of the pain.”1

- “Aren’t I the most pious and fearful of Allah amongst you, yet I fast, break my fast, sleep and wake up, and marry. Whoever seeks other than my religion, then he is an outsider.”2

The solid base which the Prophet educated was based on these specifications, but what did it do in real life so that it earned so much merit? At the beginning, it was the center around which the Muslims in the Arab Peninsula gathered the first breeding ground for the Da’wa or, in modern jargon, the breeding ground for the base of the masses (al-Qaeda al-Jamahiriyya) which took the Da’wa ahead. Any Da’wa that operates in real life should have a base for the masses, through which it acts. But such a base will not gather or reach the required size unless there is a good educator and a strong and coherent foundation that can attract the masses. However, members of the Prophet’s community were not all up to the required standards. There were those who were slow to respond to Allah and to the Prophet’s call, those whose Eeman was weak and those

1 Muslim, An-Nasai, At-Tirmidi, Abu Daud and Ibn Majja. 2 Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

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who did not miss anything, and those who were secret or open hypocrites.

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O you who believe! What is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, you cling heavily to the earth? (At-Tawaba:38)

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There are certainly among you men who would tarry behind: If a misfortune befalls you, they say: “Allah did favour us in that we were not present among them.” But if good fortune comes to you from Allah, they would be sure to say - as if there had never been ties of affection

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between you and them – “Oh! I wish I had been with them; a fine thing should I then have made of it!” (An-Nisa:72-73)

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Have you not turned your vision to those who were told to hold back their hands (from fight) but establish regular prayers and spend in regular charity? When (at length) the order for fighting was issued to them, behold! A section of them feared men as -or even more than - they should have feared Allah. They said: “Our Lord! Why have you ordered us to fight? Would you not grant us respite to our (natural) term, near (enough)?” Say: “Short is the enjoyment of this world: the Hereafter is

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the best for those who do right. Never will you be dealt with unjustly in the very least! (An-Nisa:77)

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When there comes to them some matter touching (public) safety or fear, they divulge it. If they had only referred it to the Messenger, or to those charged with authority among them, the proper investigators would have tested it from them (direct). Were it not for the Grace and Mercy of Allah unto you, all but a few of you would have followed Satan (An-Nisa:83)

If these categories of people were present in the Prophet’s community, and if the Prophet was living amongst them while the Qur’an was being revealed to guide people and correct the emotions and behaviour, then it is clear that the base of the masses will not necessarily, rise in its entirety, to the required level or be like those closely observed and cared

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for by the leader…However, history tells us that the solid base which the Prophet educated and gave his full attention was indeed solid, with deeply-ingrained Eeman and sincere guidance, and managed to carry all these categories of people and set out, unimpeded by those who were slow to respond to the call, those with weak Eeman or even the hypocrites and clear enemies. Such is the lesson to draw from finding a solid base with deeply-ingrained Eeman. Without it, the masses will not find anyone to revitalize it each time it is on the verge of declining; or one to bring it back to the right path every time it is on the verge of deviating. The solid base, therefore, is a necessity rather than an ornament. The solid base which the Prophet educated and to which he assigned the leadership of the masses, whether military leadership in war, moral leadership in individual relationships, social leadership in forming societal relationships or intellectual relationship in raising people’s awareness about Islam, was the base which confronted and defeated Al-Jahiliyya in the Arab Peninsula from the root and erected a new structure in its place. It was not an easy task at all. Anyone who follows the events of history and contemplates the verses of the Qur’an which describes the war between the Truth and Falsehood will realize the enormous efforts exerted in that blood war,

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whether the psychological effort to endure the hardship or be psychologically prepared for the war, or the physical effort. There were so many sacrifices, many heroic moments and many great victories. He will equally realise the real status of the Prophet’s direct leadership of that ‘special group of believers’ and his leadership of the masses with the help of that ‘special group of believers’. And finally, he will realize the status of the solid base in all this effort which changed the reality of the Arab Peninsula and the course of history. It was not an easy battle. It was fought against corrupt creeds, corrupt values and souls that had been corrupted by all these (creeds and values), convinced that it was the Truth and the right path. So bloody and fierce was the battle between the Truth and Falsehood that Allah likens it to fire:

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He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure, but the torrent bears away to foam that mounts up to the surface. Even so, from that (ore) which they heat in the fire, to make ornaments or utensils therewith, there is a scum likewise. Thus does Allah (by parables) show forth truth and vanity. As for the scum, it disappears like dross cast out; while that which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth. Thus, does Allah set forth parables. (Ar-Ra’d:17)

It was a real and scorching fire which the believers endured through perseverance, determination and seeking Allah’s Support; firstly, to remove the rot in the hearts of the patient believers so that their souls were pure, and then from the land when Falsehood was defeated and Truth prevailed. The solid base kept pursuing its mission until things were settled down for Islam in the Arab Peninsula. Now the solid base sought expansion. It is true that the Arab Peninsula was the hotbed and the point of departure, but the solid base’s aspiration was the entire land.

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This religion (Islam) was revealed to mankind; and the believers in the Arab Peninsula, led by the Prophet , provided guidance for mankind. In fact, they were the Du’aat who would invite people to the Truthful religion, the teachers who would show people the reality of this religion:



Thus, have we made of you an Umma justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves. (Al-Baqara:143)



There should arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. It is they who are the successful. (Al-Imran:104)

This was not an easy task either. History usually focuses on the battlefields in wars, and it is true they are the ones which decide the result, victory or defeat. However, looking at the

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conflict from this perspective only conceals an important aspect of the conflict: Al-Aqaid (pl. Aqeeda) and values over which wars were ignited. In modern jargon, conflict is civilisational in reality, a conflict between a pure civilisation and a corrupt civilisation; that is to say, a comprehensive conflict between a civilisation of Eeman and a civilisation of Jahiliyya which comprises all aspects of the soul and life, though the warfare is the aspect which would decide the end result after some time! The Tatars were victorious in some periods of time, when they took control of the land, but did not spread any civilisation; rather, they destroyed the existing civilisation and spread tyranny and disbelief until they embraced Islam. The Western armies too, achieved victory and controlled the land, but did not create any real civilisation despite their scientific and technological advancement. They instead, created the ‘law of the jungle’, whereby the strong usurps the weak or removes him from the way and spread an Aqeeda of corruption and moral corruption in the most disgraceful manner that any Jahiliyya had ever known in history. Warfare is not the real conflict or at least, is not alone the reality of conflict. Rather, the reality of conflict is the values for which the armies fight and which its architects will spread once the army wins the fight. And this is the point of difference between the Islamic conquest (al-Fath al-Islami) and all the expansionist expeditions in history. The Islamic

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Conquest was not for the sake of quenching an expansionist desire, of controlling the land or of subjugating the people. Rather, it was for the sake of spreading Tawhid and putting an end to the Jahiliyya and its tyranny so that Allah’s Word is the highest and that the religion is for Allah :

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And Fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and Faith In Allah altogether and everywhere; but if They cease, Verily Allah doth see all that They do. (Al-Anfal:39)

Ibn Amir said to the Persian leader: “Islam has come to liberate man from the worship of man and establish the worship of Allah , to liberate us from the injustice of other religions and establish the justice of Islam, and to liberate us from the narrowness of the worldly life and transport us to the comfort of this life and the Hereafter.” It was a higher civilisational movement which aimed to ‘divert’ man from worshipping Taghut to worshipping Allah , from embracing illusion to embracing reality, to establish justice instead of injustice, and to spread knowledge and

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eradicate ignorance. No movement in history has ever achieved what the Islamic Conquest has achieved… The Muslims’ victory and magnificence did not really come from their expertise in warfare. Ironically, they were a small number compared to the large number of warfare experts that the Romans and Persians had along with their sophisticated munitions/weaponry. Besides Allah’s Assistance, it was only the impact of the true Aqeeda and belief in the Last Day upon their souls; and only the education about the true reality of Aqeeda that enabled those few men with few munitions to reach the Atlantic in the west and India in the east in less than half a century: an unprecedented pace. Magnificence did not come from the art of warfare, though this alone is something great in history. Magnificence came from opening the hearts to Islam and the conversion of millions to the new religion without coercion. Warfare was never a coercive method to force people into embracing Islam:

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Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error. (Al-Baqara:256)

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Warfare was a means to eradicate al-Jahiliyya which comprised wrong systems based on wrong creeds protected by armies which belonged to the Jahiliyya. If these were removed, people would be free to choose what they wanted:

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Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error. Whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks, and Allah hears and knows all things. (Al-Baqara:256) As for the ‘other’ who wanted to safeguard his religion, his life, religion and existence were safe so long as he did not attempt to harm or kill the believers:

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Allah forbids you not with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them, for Allah loves those who are just. (Al-Mumtahana:8) These millions of people who embraced Islam without coercion did so because they saw it embodied in people who had really embraced and implemented its teachings, people who had ‘absorbed’ the reality of Islam and translated it into real life. When others saw this shining image, they opened their hearts to Islam; otherwise, they would not have embraced the new religion in scores and within such a short time, and would not have won the battle. The sword may open the ground, but not the hearts, and if Allah told His Messenger:

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Were you severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you. (Al-Imran:159)

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(This address was to Muhammad,) who was a Messenger, so what about the ordinary conquerors if they do not possess moral conduct? Peoples’ conversion to Islam within a very short period is one of the effects of the Prophet’s education on the solid base which He gave it his full attention and care so that it constituted a ‘guard’ over Allah’s Preordainment:

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It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth that He may proclaim it over all religion even though the pagans may detest (it). (As-Saf:9) Magnificence was not only the conversion of millions within a short period of time, but it was the ideal justice which the group of believers, educated by the Prophet , used in their dealings with the occupants of the conquered land - even with those who were adamant about adhering to their wrong religion. A case in point is the following story: Ibn al-Aas , who was the then governor of Egypt, arranged a horse race in which his own son was also to participate.

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His son's horse lost however to a young, native Coptic. The son, Muhammed Ibn Amr, was enraged and lashed the Coptic boy with a whip, saying, ‘Take that! That will teach you to beat the son of a nobleman!’ The Coptic came to Madina and complained to the Caliphate, who took it upon himself to institute an inquiry. When he found that the Coptic had been beaten unjustly, he immediately sent an emissary to Egypt to summon the governor and his son before him forthwith. When they arrived, he handed the Coptic a whip to flog them, just as he himself had been flogged. In the presence of the governor, the Coptic started whipping his son, stopping only when he was satisfied that the punishment had been severe enough. Then the Caliphate addressed himself to the governor: “O Amr, since when have you enslaved people who were born free?” More to the point, the conversion to Islam of non-Arabs without coercion was a great and an unparalleled experience, because those people forgot their language, even those who preferred to remain with their religions, and adopted the new language (Arabic) in communication, worship and so on and so forth. Last but not least, the intensive education that the Prophet offered to the solid base was to ensure - after Allah’s assurance - the continuity of this approach after the deaths of the Prophet and the Rightly-Guided Caliphate (Al-Khilafa

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Ar-Rashida) and (the continuity of) all the models in all aspects of life that it (the Caliphate) contains. The Rightly Guided Caliphate was indeed an extension of the Prophetic approach after the end of Divine Inspiration and the departure of the Great Leader from this life. It is true this period did not last for a long time, and it was not destined to last; however, its degeneration does not foretell a decline in Islam or the end of it, as the Orientalists (al-Mustashriqun) and the enemies of this religion claim. This period was rather a transcendence to noble volunteering which went beyond the command of Allah . If these people came down after this period to the land of command or approached it, they had not really come down, but their wings were lowered and they landed, and started walking! This came after their sacrifices to spread Tawhid in the land, to offer humanity noble civilisational values, from which Europe kept borrowing until the seventeenth century; that is, ten centuries after the pinnacle of the Islamic civilisation. Despite all that, that period was not a ‘flash in the pan’, for its beacon is still shining, and it is still, with its ideals, an extension of future generations; each generation tries to keep the beacon shining by climbing atop, and even if it cannot, it is better than sitting doing nothing. All the movements of reform and al-Ba’th in the history of Islam are one of the results of that shiny era, and this is why the Orientalists and

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the enemies of Islam at large strive to tarnish the image of that era, in order to put off that beacon and stop its light from reaching the generations which would use it to climb again. However, their attempt is far-fetched, for they are waging a war against Allah’s Preordainment:

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Their intention is to extinguish Allah’s light (by blowing) with their mouths, but Allah will complete (the revelation of) His light even though the unbelievers may detest (it). (As-Saf:8) This brings up an important issue in the Prophet’s education of that solid base: the Prophet’s excessive consultation of his companions. Firstly, we ask the following question: Was the Prophet in need of such consultation whilst the Divine Inspiration was being revealed to him to clarify certain issues, to correct the behaviour of the Muslim group whenever there was a deviation, or even to correct him in certain actions such as his behaviour with Ibn Umm Kultoum and the way he dealt with the prisoners of Badr? Of course, he did not need consultation whilst he was managing the Da’wa and the lives of the group of believers whether in Makka or Madina, but it was a matter of

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education. Educating people to listen and obey (only) produces compliant soldiers, but not leaders. Hence, complying with the Prophet’s command was an act of worship imposed by Allah :

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He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah. (An-Nisa:80)

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We sent not a Messenger, except to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah.. (An-Nisa:64)

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So take what the Messenger assigns to you, and deny yourselves that which he withholds from you. (Al-Hashr:7)

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O you who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. (An-Nisa:59)

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Then let those beware who withstand the Messenger’s order lest some trial befall them, or a grievous penalty be inflicted on them. (An-Nur:63)


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response to Allah’s Preordainment and goal in bringing this Umma to existence:


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Thus, have we made of you an Umma justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves.(Al-Baqara:143) And training on leadership can only be through the leader’s consultation of his subordinates. It is consultation which breeds and develops the sense of perception in them:



Say you: “This is my way: I do invite unto Allah on evidence with clear perception I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah, and never will I join gods with Allah.” (Yusuf:108) It is clear from the verse that perception is an independent characteristic required in addition to Eeman:

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…and never will I join gods with Allah.” (Yusuf:108) Yes, Eeman is required, and so is perception, to move with this religion to the real world so that the movement ripens its fruits and so that all the hard work or even part of it does not go wrong or down the drain. A leader’s consultation of his subordinates gets them accustomed to using their minds in different situations and in different opinions so that they make the right decision. It also accustoms them to taking responsibility. Besides its being a trust, opinion is a responsibility…and when consultation is repeated and the thoughts are repeated and rehearsed, shouldering its responsibility, man becomes prepared to face practical situations when they arise. As a result, he will not panic or fear responsibility. These are the qualities required for a successful leader. Not every man can be a successful leader, but you will not be able to ‘select’ the successful candidate (leader) unless you give the opportunity to a group of people –those whom you teach- so you give them the necessary training. This will allow you to get acquainted with their potentials and recruit the most suitable among them….If you train them only to listen and obey in everything, no one of

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them will acquire the required skills, and when you assign them responsibility they will be confused and will fail. They will not be able to move forward after the departure of the leader, even if they have been loyal soldiers during his lifetime. From this standpoint, it appears that the Prophet was persistent in consulting his followers, though he was not in need of it, because he was preparing them knowingly, for the post of being intelligent leaders after his departure, or at least, consultants so that the mission is never aborted even after the departure of the Great Leader. Now let us move to our status-quo and try to look where the Prophet’s approach in educating the solid base is being implemented. Let us first consider the current state of Al-Jahiliyya. Ibn Taymiyya said: “After the Mission of the Prophet , absolute Jahiliyyah may exist in one country or another. It also exists in the lands of infidels (non-Muslim countries). It may also exist in one person or another. For example, a man prior to his conversion to Islam, was in Jahiliyyah even though he lived in a Muslim country. But there is no universal, or absolute Jahiliyyah after the Mission of Muhammad . There shall always be a victorious band of

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his Ummah (nation) adhering to the truth until the Final Hour.”1 If that was the case in the 8th century A.H, when the Muslims were still holding to a number of their religious matters, though with some negligence on their part, what would Ibn Taymiyya’s reaction be to our status-quo? What would he say about our society where the Bid’a (innovation) of legislation has become widespread in our society? Implementing Allah’s Law has become forbidden in accordance with the constitutions, and calling for its implementation is a felony for which the guilty may be tortured or even sentenced to death. Women without Hijab has become the norm, and wearing Hijab constitutes an inviting target for media libeling. The so-called law now protects the crime so long as there is agreement between the two parties involved. It is as if the two parties are the only ones involved in a dispute; Allah has no concern in the matter and is no longer the One Who can decide what is lawful and what is unlawful. Loyalty and disloyalty for Allah’s Sake has become a ‘despicable fanatic issue’. Thanks to technology, the world has now become a small village where no one has the right to be radical about its (global village) traditions and ideas on any ground, and religion is the most despicable justification! 1 Iqtida’ As-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafatu Ashabu al-Jahim , pp.78-79

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What would Ibn Taymiyya say if he saw the status-quo in the West and in most parts of the Islamic world? “Islam began strange and will return to being strange and Tuba (a field of heaven) is to the strangers.”1 What should the strangers do today? And what is the greatest reward they can expect for this charisma? Any effort made by them to remove the second phase of estrangement will be rewarded by Allah as clearly expressed in the Qur’an:

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1 Muslim.

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Because nothing could they suffer or do, but was reckoned to their credit as a deed of righteousness, whether they suffered thirst, or fatigue, or hunger, in the cause of Allah, or trod paths to raise the ire of the unbelievers, or received any injury whatever from an enemy, for Allah suffers not the reward to be lost of those who do good, nor could they spend anything (for the cause) - small or great- nor cut across a valley, but the deed is inscribed to their credit; that Allah may requite their deed with the best (possible reward). (At-Tawba:120-121) However, this does not mean that they should not have a plan or a strategy to follow, and some priorities that need arranging for the work they do to remove the second estrangement of Islam in our present time. But, will the work be done without a solid base which will transport the Da’wa to the masses? First, we do not really aspire to build a solid base like the one built by the Prophet , whether in terms of the extraordinary group of believers or the masses, yet there are

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still some necessary specifications without which the erection of the edifice will never be possible. We are not asking anyone to ‘fly up’ to the status which the Prophet’s companions flew to strongly and confidently, this not compulsory - though there were still some individuals across the Islamic history whose expansion was not discontinued. We nevertheless, require people to march on the land of compulsion, or even get closer to it so that our deeds are accepted by Allah and earn us a ticket to success. What are the specifications required to build a solid base, which will in turn, create a base of masses, then guide and educate it? Would a simple man who believes in Allah and the last day, prays and pays Zakat and is among the fearful, be a suitable candidate? These are great specifications and are all required, but at which level are they required? Are they the only ones specifically required for the foundation of a solid base? Referring back to the example about the origin of provision (i.e. Ask any man in the street the question ‘Who gives you provision (Rizq)’, and he will spontaneously answer that ‘Allah is the Provider.’ However, in times of hardship; that is, when such a man does not have enough provision, he will say, ‘That man has deprived me of my provision’ or ‘that man wants to deprive me of my provision.’), does this Eeman that Allah is the Provider emanate from the heart,

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upon which any conduct is based? Or does it need further embedding until it is well-established and reaches the degree of absolute belief? Such is the reality that Allah is the One who benefits and harms, the One Who brings creature back to life and the One Who causes them to die:

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Then there are among men such as say, “We believe in Allah, but when they suffer affliction in (the cause of) Allah, they treat men's oppression as if it were the wrath of Allah. (Al-Ankabut:10)

Is this appropriate as a pillar of the solid base which will carry the edifice? Will it remain firm in the face of trials?

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A.L.M. Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, “We believe”, and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false. (Al-Ankabut:1-3)

Trial does not comprise torment only, for this may be endured by so many:

Ν ä.θè= ö7 tΡuρ Îh ¤³9$$ Î/ Î ösƒø: $#uρ Zπ uΖ÷FÏù ( And We test you by evil and by good by way of trial. (Al-Anbiyya’:35) It is the trial of wealth which is worse because people cannot resist the temptations of wealth, power, status, and so on and so forth…Will anyone who remains steadfast in adversity be suitable as a pillar in the solid base, not to mention being part of its leaderships? Here is another example quoted from my book entitled Waqi’una al-Amu’asir (Our Staus-Quo). Brotherhood (al-Ukhuwwa) is one of the beautiful concepts that can develop eloquent and persuasive language. It is one of the original concepts of Islam and one of the pillars of the solid base, which the Prophet instilled, when he created this bond of brotherhood between al-Muhajirun and al-Ansar. We do not

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need to go through the details of this brotherhood, but we can sum it up in one phrase: Theirs was stronger in their souls than blood brotherhood, and more cemented than what the Arab al-Jahiliyya would cement. As I stated in the same book, brotherhood is easy to practice. So long as the road is wide, my brother and I can go side by side, but if the road narrows, allowing only one at a time to go first, what will you do? Will you go first or let your brother go first? There is no need to climb to that noble level where the road narrows and makes it necessary to come to this frustrating dilemma of who will go first. This is not a compulsory level which Allah describes as follows:

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One of the gates through which the Satan gets in to the souls of exceptionally talented people is the temptation of ‘I’, narcissism. When a man is a soldier in the army line, we can say that he is far from the evil of the Satan, but when he starts flexing his talents and occupies a special position, the Satan seizes this opportunity to start his strategy of temptation. The more a man shows off his talents and expertise, the stronger the Satan’s temptation becomes. The temptation reaches its peak when a man prepares for a leadership post. Many souls would get confused at this stage, especially those which have not been educated with At-Tajarrud li Allah . They will get confused about the difference between the Da’wa and the ‘I’ which undertakes the Da’wa. I represent the Da’wa! I am the one eligible for leadership! What harms me harms the Da’wa! What comforts me and what my soul feels comfortable with is beneficial for the Da’wa! Such is the lurking of the Satan, rendering the selves (I) the center of attention. There is somebody who stands in the way of the Da’wa and jeopardizes its journey, and he must be dealt with, if not, expelled from the group if the Da’wa is to continue on its right track; that is, ironically, the track where there is my dignity, my wealth and my power! This is one of the fatal ‘diseases’ which gripped the Islamic undertaking: it led the

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Afghani Jihad to spill the blood of one and a half million martyrs, to ruin the potentials of the Umma, and to dash the hopes of Muslims the world over! This fatal disease is still behind the divisions, partisanship, hostility and conflict within the circles of some groups. When we are armed with at-Tajarrud li Allah , we can accept criticism whether leveled against us, our ideas or actions. Giving this special group of believers as an example does not mean that we believe it will exist in our time. The aim is to see how at-Tajarrud Li Allah impacts the human souls, raising them to that higher status, though they are not, and no one expects them to be angels.

Another rare incident worth mentioning is that on another occasion, during the Friday Sermon, Omar stood up on the pulpit and said, “O people! Listen to what I have to say and obey me!” Salman al-Farisi , a very notable companion stood up and decided to challenge Omar saying, “We will not listen and will not obey.” “Why?” asked Omar . Salman replied, “You are a tall person and your Burd (Jellaba) is made up of two sheets; whereas, only one sheet is allowed. So until you account for the extra sheet which you are wearing in the form of Jellaba, we will neither listen nor obey you.” Omar announced that his son Abdullah Ibn Omar be brought forward. When he showed up, Omar asked him, “Inform the people where I

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got this extra sheet from.” Abdullah duly came forward and testified before the whole people that “I was given one piece of garment from the Treasury (Baytulmaal) which I gave to my father as my father is quite tall and could not make a shirt from one piece of cloth.”

This was Omar , and not an Amir or leader of a group. How many Amirs or leaders of Islamic groups would accept criticism from his followers? And how many Amirs would go back to the Truth when the person who levels criticism against him is one of his brothers in Allah , let alone one of his soldiers?

When we devote ourselves absolutely to Allah , our ‘self’ is no longer the centre of our attention and action. We don’t feel envious if the ‘other’ excels and earns people’s approval nor consider such excellence as a criticism of our status and an antagonistic act directed against us. This also does not entice us to undermine the ‘other’ before our followers so that their loyalty does not shift from us to that ‘competitor’ around whom people gathered. When we devote ourselves to Allah , our loyalty to ourselves, our groups or, more appropriately our ‘party’, is not the criterion for judging the eligibility of others and their merits; that is the task of the Divine criterion:

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Verily, the Most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (He who is) the Most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). (Al-Hujuraat:13) And the manner of judging others should be the one commanded by Allah :


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O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others toward you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, for that is next to piety. (Al-Maida:8) If we are not devoted enough, many things happen in our present time. The second thing we wish to focus on is awareness and perception which is mentioned in the Qur’an:



Say you: “This is my way: I do invite unto Allah with clear perception I and whoever follows me. Glory to Allah, and never will I join gods with Allah.” (Yusuf:108) Perception for the solid base is an indispensable ingredient because it decides the course of this Islamic undertaking: when are we ready? When and how should we move? Shall we get involved in a conflict with the government? Shall we call for a truce? Shall we form an alliance with it? Shall we start by building the foundations of the base or go directly to

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the masses? And if we go to the masses, what shall we tell them? Shall we talk with them about ‘public issues’: earning a living, unemployment and the soaring of prices, or shall we focus on the issues of education and Aqeeda? Shall we flex our muscles before our enemies or avoid them? And who are our enemies, precisely? Are they our fellow men or is it the universal Jahiliyya at large: the Jews, Christians, polytheists and hypocrites the world over? There must be movement as well as political awareness, and there must be perception in tens and hundreds of questions in order –within our ability- to draw a safe road map for the movement that will achieve the best possible results in the present circumstances. Bear in mind that the goal of the safe road map is not to protect our men from harm, for al-Jahiliyya’s venomous tentacles do not stop anyway and cannot bear the call to Laa Ilaha Illa Allah. What we care for is that no harm should be inflicted on the Da’wa due to our actions. It is also not the aim of this safe road map to seize power or even some power at the expense of our principles and values which are part of our religion and Aqeeda, attributing this to the ‘force of circumstances’ or to the fact that this is beneficial for the Da’wa. We should also bear in mind that Allah’s Laws do not change, flatter or favour one over the other, and if we ignore

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them or imagine that we can surpass them, we will not achieve anything in our movement! Perception, or part of it, is acquired through education or acquaintance with Allah’s Laws in the Qur’an and Sunna, history, knowledge of the conditions of the Umma in the present time and the causes of its degeneration, knowledge of the enemies plots and the channels they take to fight Islam and their attempt to destroy the Islamic movement. One part of it (perception) is acquired through the experience the movement is undergoing and its aftermath. The other part is acquired through education, and consultation between the leader and his subordinates and during which views are analysed and tested, rather than the consultation which takes place formally between a limited number of men, under the pressure of listening and obeying, and under the threat of expelling those whose objection is repeated. In the absence of such perception, many things happen in our present time. Our overall goal is not to create a group of believers who believe in Allah and the Last Day, pray, pay Zakat, fast, perform pilgrimage, and then invite people to Islam, though this is a rewarded deed by Allah . This group will not rescue the Umma and will not provide the model that will transform al-Jahiliyya, and this is the goal: rescuing the Islamic Umma from ‘ruin and striving to transform al-Jahiliyya. This goal will not be achieved without the

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creation of a group similar to the early group which the Prophet educated, though such group may not reach that noble status in any of the coming generations…The task entails first the foundation of a solid base, giving it the necessary education, ‘cleansing’ it from any blemishes and then inviting the masses. Our instrument of education is the one the Prophet used: reinforcing belief in Allah and the Last Day, cementing contact with Allah , getting people used to leading their life with the presence of Allah in their souls, training people to have a behaviour full of Eeman in real life, and reinforcing awareness with the necessary means, taking into account that setting an example is the first –and greatest- means in the education process. After this comes advice and lessons supported with care, continuity, follow-ups and patience until the souls respond and then find their way back (the Right Path). It is an onerous task, and being so, it will not ripen its fruits overnight. We should not hasten or contravene it if we are serious about doing a job that will save the Umma from the abyss it is heading for, and transform al-Jahiliyya into a trend that will serve the Umma.

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Expanding the Base

t a certain stage, the role of expanding the base comes through addressing the masses, and this stage was

manifested in the life of the first group, the group of the Prophet , in the conversion of Ahl al-Madina (the Madinians) and those Arabs around them after the solid base was founded by al-Muhajirun and al-Ansar. This is what Allah says about them:


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It was not fitting for the people of Medina and the Bedouin Arabs of the neighbourhood to refuse to follow Allah’s Messenger, nor to prefer their own lives to his. (At-Tawba:120) Those were soldiers and assistants drawn by the magnet of the Da’wa, joined in and ‘armed’ themselves to defend it. They were not just public enthusiasts whom the modern Jahiliyya labels as ‘the street man’. It is a true label, whether this was intended or unintended. ‘The street man’ is a person who does not have specific characteristics, position or

A

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fixed intellectual trend. Islam thus encourages the Muslims to be independent and distinct in both their lifestyles and their outlook on life. It has been reported that one of the Companions, Abdullah Ibn Masud said, “None of you should be an imma’a (imitator), and he was asked, “What is an imma’a?” He replied, “One who says, ‘I am with the people. If they do good, I do good also; and if they do evil, I also do evil.’ Rather, train yourselves to do good when others do good, but if they do evil, to refrain from their evil.” Ibn Masud further explained that an imma’a is one who follows people in their vain desires, forms, styles, speech and deeds.1 It is the man which the media creates2 and after a while comes back to ask him his stance which is exactly the same as it wants. Those (public enthusiasts) were not the instrument of expanding the base during the first stage of building a foundation or at any stage. The base is; rather; expanded by loyal soldiers who offered themselves to the mission of Da’wa. This may trigger certain questions. What is the difference between them and the solid base discussed above?

1 At-Tirmidi 2 The media (T.V, radio and press) is one of the most influential means, and are all deployed to shape the mind of the ‘street man’ and guide his interests.

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Briefly, the solid base is the foundation, the pillars, the leaders and educators. Those people are the invitees, the ones who responded to the Da’wa and were now ready to defend it. What is the difference in the educational approach between training the solid base and those used as instruments of expansion? The difference is one of degree not type. The teacher teaches, for example, a course to everyone in principle, but he gives special attention to the excellent ones because their training is more demanding and their mission is more challenging. Though the end result is success for those who deserve it, achievements vary between ordinary participants and excellent ones. Are there any dividing lines between the two? Will it not be possible that there exists in the expanding base men eligible for leadership, and that there exists in the solid base, men whose potentials paralyse them from fulfilling their obligations? This may happen, and at this point, the talented man rises –as he should- to the status of leading Du’at and educators. Those whose potentials do not push them forward lag behind, and they become ordinary members. This is something estimated by those in charge through their individual judgment (Ijtihad), and they may be right or wrong. What is important here in principle is that the foundation of the solid base should be allotted the maximum effort, concern and care. Establishing the main pillars of it is undoubtedly different from placing the building blocks that

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constitute the main structure, though both required for the foundation of the edifice, and this is a self-evident reality. We wish to focus on an important issue: Expanding the base with the help of obedient subordinates who consider themselves as Du’at comes after the formation of the solid base, because those who joined the Da’wa spontaneously need mentoring, and if we invite them and they respond, who will guide them if we are no longer mentors? Another important issue is that our tools to expand the base –when its time comes- is the general call that addresses all people who are, to use the modern jargon, the masses. The response of the masses to the Da’wa however, varies. Some may, when they receive the pure Da’wa in its true reality, sincerely believe in it, then ‘arm’ themselves for it for Allah’s Sake. Some may have plans related to their own ‘interests’; that is, profit or loss. Put conversely, what will they gain and what will they lose if they join in? Others may just jump on the bandwagon; they would sit and watch from a distance waiting for the moment to jump in. They may even enjoy the show and wait for the news of the conflict. Once the victory of either group is decided, they will follow the majority not out of belief in the winner’s principles or genuine sympathy, but out of the weight of reality in their minds. Put another way, they, in their psychological make-up, are ready to adhere to the status-quo forever which takes

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up a larger space in his mind than what has not yet taken place and which entails a great deal of effort to achieve. The status-quo itself does not require any efforts to follow. This group is not ready to make the effort, especially if what is desirable is risk-laden. As a result, it (this group) only responds to the invitation when the winners become ‘the status-quo’ which does not require any effort to keep pace with and which is risk-free. These groups exist in every society, even in the society where the Prophet lived. The first group pertains to the Madinan society which sincerely believed in Allah and the Message and braced itself for the Da’wa, following in the footsteps and guidance of the solid base which consisted of al-Muhajirun and al-Ansar. It is the group referred to in the following verse:

šχθ à) Î6≈¡¡9$#uρ tβθ ä9ρ F{$# z⎯ÏΒ t⎦⎪ÌÉf≈ yγ ßϑ ø9$# Í‘$ |ÁΡF{$#uρ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$#uρ

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ãΛ⎧Ïà yè ø9$#

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The vanguard (of Islam)- the first of those who forsook (their homes) and of those who gave them aid, and (also) those who follow them in (all) good deeds,- well-pleased is Allah with them, as are they with Him. For them, He has prepared gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein for ever. That is the supreme felicity. (At-Tawba:100) This group included the desert Arabs who sincerely believed in the Message:

š∅ÏΒ uρ É>#tôã F{$# ⎯tΒ Ú∅ÏΒ ÷σ ãƒ «! $$Î/ ÏΘöθ u‹ ø9$#uρ ÌÅzFψ$# ä‹Ï‚−G tƒuρ

$ tΒ ß, ÏΖãƒ BM≈ t/ãè% y‰ΨÏã «! $# ÏN≡ uθ n= |¹ uρ ÉΑθß™ §9$# 4 Iω r& $ pκ ¨ΞÎ) ×π t/öè% öΝçλ°; 4 ÞΟ ßγè= Åzô‰ã‹y™ ª! $# ’ Îû ÿ⎯ ÏμÏFuΗ÷qu‘ 3 ¨βÎ) ©! $# Ö‘θ à xî ×Λ⎧ Ïm§‘

But some of the desert Arabs believe in Allah and the Last Day, and look on their payments as pious gifts bringing them nearer to Allah and obtaining the prayers of the Messenger. Indeed, they bring them nearer (to him). Soon will Allah admit them to His Mercy, for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. (At-Tawba:99)

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The second group was the one which the Prophet united through alms and donations, and through bringing it closer to him:

$ yϑ ¯ΡÎ) àM≈ s%y‰¢Á9$# Ï™!#ts) à ù=Ï9 È⎦⎫Å3≈ |¡yϑ ø9$#uρ t⎦, Î#Ïϑ≈ yè ø9$#uρ $ pκ ö n= tæ

Ïπ x ©9xσ ßϑ ø9$#uρ öΝ åκ æ5θ è=è%

Alms are for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to Truth). (At-Tawba:60) The third group consisted of those who converted to Islam when Islam triumphed in the conquest of Makka, though they had known that the truth was on the Prophet’s side. This is what they used to say:

(#þθ ä9$ s%uρ βÎ) Æì Î6®KΡ 3“y‰çλù; $# y7yè tΒ ô# ©Üy‚tG çΡ ô⎯ÏΒ !$ uΖÅÊ ö‘r&

They say: “If we were to follow the guidance with you, we should be snatched away from Our land.” (Al-Qasas:57)

When guidance (al-Huda) prevailed in the land, they followed it and embraced Islam in scores:

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#sŒÎ) u™!$ y_ ãóÁtΡ «! $# ßx ÷G x ø9$#uρ ∩⊇∪ |M÷ƒr&u‘uρ } $Ψ9$# šχθ è= ä{ ô‰tƒ

’ Îû Ç⎯ƒÏŠ «! $# %[`#uθ øù r& ∩⊄∪ ôx Îm7 |¡sù Ï‰ôϑ pt¿2 y7În/u‘ çν öÏ øó tG ó™$#uρ 4 …çμ ¯ΡÎ)

tβ%Ÿ2 $R/#§θ s?

When comes the help of Allah, and victory, and you do see the people enter Allah’s religion in crowds, celebrate the praises of your Lord, and pray for His Forgiveness, for He is Oft-Returning (in Grace and Mercy). (An-Nasr:1-3)

In contrast, there are the hypocrites who show up after the settlement and stability of the Sultan. Previously, they were onlookers out of dislike and refusal to get involved, or opponents who shunned open confrontation. So, their hypocrisy was out of fear and cowardice. If these groups exist in every society, which group should the Da’wa address in the first phase of expanding the base? Theoretically, we address the Da’wa to all people, but, realistically, we expect the response from a specific group, so we focus on that group or we believe that the pride of the Da’wa and its potential will be achieved by that group.

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If we follow the course of the early group –the Prophet’s - we will find that the Da’wa, since the moment the Prophet commanded that it be openly announced1, was addressed to all people. The focus; however -after the Hijra- was on the Madinans whose response was prompt, and whom the Prophet educated with the aid of the solid base (al-Muhajirun and al-Ansar) and who now became the Du’at and the educators under the supervision of the Great Educator, the Prophet . The Madinans were the ones who endured the hardships of Jihad and were –with al-Muhajirun and al-Ansar- the real pillar of the Da’wa in all its future phases. By contrast, addressing the other two groups came at a later phase…and this is the logic in the course of the Da’wa, the reality of the battle and the nature of the conflict. The conflict between the Truth and Falsehood is inevitable –part of Allah’s Laws- since the moment when men start believing in the Truth and strive to expand it in the land. Al-Jahiliyya cannot in any way follow the Da’wa of Truth nor can it call for a truce, though the Da’wa never confronted it:

1 Allah addresses the Prophet , saying: Therefore expound openly what you are commanded, and turn away from those who join false gods with God. (Al-Hijr:94)

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And if there is a party among you who believes in the message with which I have been sent, and a party which does not believe, hold yourselves in patience until Allah decides between us, for He is the best to decide. The leaders, the arrogant party among his people, said: “O Shu'ayb! We shall certainly drive you out of our city, you and those who believe with you; or else you (you and they) shall have to return to our ways and religion.” He said: “What! Even though we do detest (them)? (Al-A’raaf:87-88) No truce or patience until Allah decides! Instead, there are hostility, expulsion, persecution and harm! Who will respond to the Da’wa during the early stages of that conflict

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between the Truth and Falsehood? Is it those who look for worldly interests and weigh the gain or loss against those interests? Is it those who are, by force of their psychological make-up, goaded by the status-quo? Is it those (the latter) who know the evil embedded therein and refuse to aspire to what should happen, knowing that it is better than their status-quo and that it entails a great deal of effort whilst they do not wish to make any effort nor do they want to take risks? Rather, the response during the early stages of the conflict comes from those who believe in Allah and the Last Day…those who weigh the gain and loss in favour of the Divine ‘scale’ rather than the worldly ‘scale’ which al-Jahiliyya blindly adopts:

ô‰s) s9 $ uΖ ù=y™ö‘r& $ oΨn=ß™ â‘ ÏM≈ uΖ Éit7 ø9$$ Î/ $ uΖ ø9t“Ρr&uρ ÞΟ ßγ yè tΒ |=≈ tG Å3ø9$#

šχ#u” Ïϑ ø9$#uρ tΠθ à) u‹Ï9 â¨$ ¨Ψ9$# ÅÝó¡É) ø9$$ Î/ ( We sent aforetime Our Messengers with clear signs and sent down with them the Book and the balance (of right and wrong), that men may stand forth in justice. (Al-Hadid:25)

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It is the scale which says that life’s splendour is temporal and that the Hereafter is better for those who fear Allah :

ö≅è% ßì≈ tFtΒ $ u‹ ÷Ρ‘‰9$# ×≅‹ Î= s% äοtÅzFψ$# uρ × ö yz Ç⎯yϑ Ïj9 4’s+ ¨?$# Ÿω uρ tβθ ßϑ n=ôà è?

¸ξ‹ ÏG sù

Say: “Short is the enjoyment of this world. The Hereafter is (far) better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly even equal to the Fatila (a scalish thread in the long slit of a date-stone). (An-Nisa:77) It is the scale which says that all life’s splendours, interests and relations do not equal love for Allah , His Messenger and Jihad:

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7Š$ yγ Å_uρ ’Îû ⎯ Ï& Î#‹ Î7 y™ (#θ ÝÁ −/utIsù 4©®L ym š†ÎA ù' tƒ ª! $# ⎯ Íν ÍöΔ r'Î/ 3 ª!$#uρ Ÿω “Ï‰öκ u‰ tΠöθ s) ø9$# š⎥⎫É) Å¡≈ x ø9$#

Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred; the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight…are dearer to you that Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision. And Allah guides not the people who are disobedient. (At-Tawba:24) It is the scale which says that good deeds are better than the attractions of this life:

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î ö yz y‰Ζ Ïã y7În/u‘ $ \/#uθ rO î ö yzuρ WξtΒ r&

Wealth and sons are allurements of the life of this world, but the things that endure, good deeds, are best in the sight of your Lord, as rewards, and best as (the foundation for) hopes. (Al-Kahf:46)

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It is the scale which says that the successful business which saves one from Hellfire is belief in Allah , His Messenger and Jihad in Allah’s Way:


A>#x‹ tã 8Λ⎧Ï9r& ∩⊇⊃∪ tβθ ãΖ ÏΒ÷σ è? «!$$ Î/ ⎯ Ï& Î!θ ß™u‘uρ tβρ ß‰Îγ≈ pgéB uρ ’Îû È≅‹ Î6y™


O you who believe! Shall I lead you to a bargain that will save you from a grievous Penalty? Believe in Allah and His Messenger and strive (your utmost) in the cause of Allah, with your property and your persons; that will be best for you if you but knew! (As- Saf:10-11) Given that the first stages of the Da’wa require efforts and sacrifices, those who seek worldly gains, be they wealth, status, power, distinction, supporters followers, are not suitable as candidates. Those will not be the founders of the solid base nor will the solid base expand through their work when the moment of expansion comes. If we consider our status-quo, we should bear in mind that a number of issues concerning the solid base, the expanded

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base, and even the masses which eventually embrace Islam in scores, and whose Islam needs rectification. The masses must be ‘harnessed’ and not left to their own devices as the modern Jahiliyya does to the ‘street man’, stripping him of his human existence, and at the same time, deluding him that he is one of the pillars of the system. There is no ‘street man’ or ‘street woman’ in Islam. Rather, there are male and female Muslims, all –and they should be- compliant Muslims, at least at the level that makes them Muslims in Allah’s Balance. In an Islamic state, this is the task of the ruler. Whosoever willingly complies with Allah’s Laws, he has then fulfilled his obligations towards His Lord, but whosoever refuses, it is the job of the Sultan to make him comply, as Othman said: “Allah’s Laws are reinforce more through the Sultan than the Qur’an.” From this standpoint, all people should receive the Da’wa, but this should be a piece-meal process as was the case with the early group and according to the Divine Laws which are repeated whenever their circumstances and requirements are repeated. If we look at our status-quo, we will find our Umma, with the exception of some people, plunged in ‘scum’, a state which the Prophet said fourteen centuries ago: “The nations summon each other upon you as you call guests to

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eat from a plate of food.” They said, ‘will we be few in number on that day O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘no; rather, you will be many on that day, but you will be like the foam on the ocean. And Allah will remove the fear in the hearts of your enemies and place in your hearts al-wahn’. They said, ‘what is al-wahn O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘love of this world and hatred of death.’”1 If this was the state of the Umma as an addressee in this Da’wa, whether for the establishment of the solid base, the expanded base or the public, then we should ‘diagnose’ the causes which led to this state in order to find a solution, as a doctor would do when called to treat a patient. He first examines the patient to identify the disease, and then prescribes the medicine. We should never think that the solid base which undertakes the mission of the Da’wa is something divine and flawless. Rather, it is part of this Umma; it lives under the same circumstances and is prone to the same diseases. However, if the Prophet said: “Your best in al-Jahiliyya are your best in Islam if they are learned”2, then we would say “In the insignificant Jahiliyya, which Ibn Taymiyya once said exists in many parts of Islam, there is the elite, which, with the necessary endeavour it makes within itself, may constitute

1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim. 2 Al-Bukhari.

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the nucleus of the moment. Then there is another elite, which, with the effort it exerts within itself, may constitute the expanded base which follows in the footsteps of the solid base. Then comes the role of the masses of which some would respond to the Da’wa and comply, and others would be shaken by the Sultan if they are not shaken by the Qur’an.” Now, let us look at the condition of this generation as an addressee. What pushed it to the ‘scum’ it is plunged in so that we can identify the steps to follow for treatment? There are several viruses which the Umma contracted during its historical journey. Some of these viruses come from within, and some others come from the enemy. It may not be possible to count these viruses, but we believe that there are some apparent diseases which the examiner cannot overlook. The most acute of these diseases is al-Fikr al-Irjai (Irja’I Doctrine) which claims that Eeman is belief by the heart and affirmation by utterance; action is not included in Eeman. That belief by the heart and affirmation by utterance are both required to confirm one’s Eeman is something undisputable, but claiming that actions/deeds are not included in Eeman is a dangerous Bid’a and a serious deviation from the reality of this religion which will not be established without a great deal of effort. The strangeness (Ghurba) which Islam underwent at its early stages would not have been dispelled

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with only belief and affirmation. No system, in fact, even the best of them, can be established in the land through mere belief and affirmation unless there is a certain action that translates the belief of the heart and utterance into real life. Whatever the historical causes which led to the prevalence of the Irja’I Doctrine may be, this doctrine caused enormous damages to the edifice of the Umma since the moment it (Umma) started to ‘skip’ the obligations, and since the moment it was deluded by this Doctrine into believing that there was no harm in ‘skipping’ obligations so long as its heart was full of Eeman. As a result, the Umma gradually skipped its obligations until it fell into clear polytheism, whether polytheism of I’tiqaad (belief), worship or implementation of Allah’s Law. The Irja’I Doctrine keeps misleading people into thinking that they are fine as long as they are still believers! Imagine that students in a school regularly attend their classes, and then start skipping classes gradually until they are told that ‘your absenteeism is all right so long as your intention is to attend because your absenteeism is caused by idleness not dispute, and so long as your names are still in the school register and you haven’t sought withdrawal.’ Can this ‘tarrying soul’ which lives under the ‘anesthetic’ of delusion achieve anything in real life? If nothing can be achieved by this type of soul, can Islam be established by

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this soul whilst it (Islam) came as a comprehensive movement that comprises all aspects of life, the entire universe and all mankind according to the efforts and to Allah’s Preordainment? Can the Fitna which is manifested in corrupt creeds and regimes guarded by armies be eliminated by simple belief and utterance? Can the Fitna that besets man in the Jahiliyya because of this Jahiliyya be eradicated without Jihad?

öΝ èδθè=ÏG≈ s%uρ 4©®L ym Ÿω šχθ ä3s? ×πuΖ÷G Ïù tβθ à6tƒuρ ß⎯ƒÏe$!$# …ã& —#à2

¬! And fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression, and there prevail justice and Faith in Allah altogether and everywhere. (Al-Anfal:39) If this disease –Irja’- afflicts any nation, then it should in no way afflict the Muslim Umma which has been entrusted with the mission of leadership and testimony about the entire humanity:

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(#θ çΡθ ä3s?uρ u™!#y‰pκ à− ’n?tã Ä¨$Ζ9$# 4

And strive in His Cause As you ought to strive, (with sincerity and under discipline). He has chosen you, and has imposed no difficulties on you in religion; it is the religion of your father Ibrahim. It is He who has named you Muslims, both before and in this (revelation); that the Messenger may be a witness for you, and you be witnesses for Mankind! (Al-Hajj:78) Then, in parallel with al-Irja’, emerged Sufism, though in a different way. Whereas Irja’I Doctrine excludes action from Eeman, Sufism focuses on one type of action and excludes any others from the obligations of Eeman. It focuses on worship in its strictest meaning which is confined to worshipping rituals and remembrance (Dikr), and neglected other types of worships which call for settlement in the land in accordance with Allah’s Command, enjoining of what

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is good and forbidding what is evil, and Jihad in Allah’s Cause which are all explicitly outlined in the Qur’an:

t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# βÎ) öΝßγ≈ ¨Ψ©3Β ’ Îû ÇÚö‘F{$# (#θ ãΒ$s%r& nο 4θ n=¢Á9$# (#âθ s?#u™uρ

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Í‘θ ãΒ W{$#

(They are) those who, if we establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong. With Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs. (Al-Hajj:41)

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Let them fight in Allah’s Cause, those who have preferred the Hereafter over this life. (An-Nisa:74)

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öΝ ä3ΖÏΒ zΝ n= ÷è tƒuρ t⎦⎪Î É9≈ ¢Á9$#

So that Allah may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers. Did you think that you would enter heaven without Allah testing those of you who fought hard (in His Cause) and remained steadfast? (Al-Imran:141-142)



It is He who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse you through its tracts and enjoy of the sustenance which He furnishes, but unto Him is the Resurrection. (Al-Mulk:15)

uθ èδ Ν ä.r' t±Ρr& z⎯ÏiΒ ÇÚ ö‘F{$# óΟ ä.tyϑ ÷è tG ó™$#uρ $ pκ Ïù

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Remembrance is required, for there is no worship without remembrance, but it must be the one which Allah refers to in the Qur’an and the one He attaches to the companions:

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Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth. (Al-Imran:191) The Sufis invented a totally different remembrance and confined worshipping therein, claiming it is the one which leads to Allah’s Contentment, not to mention the manifest acts of polytheism such as al-Ittihad (union), al-Hulul (incarnation) and Wahdat al-Wujud (the oneness of being) which they introduced into Aqeeda. Whatever the causes that led to the prevalence of Sufism and made it at certain times the only, or the main, access to religion, Sufism inflicted serious damages on the edifice of the Umma, among which are at-Tawaakul (dependence), negligence of al-akhd bi al-Asbab (considering the causes), of settlement, deviance from the Aqeeda of al-Qada wa al-Qadar (Divine Will and

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Decree), irresponsibility of admitting and correcting one’s mistake, shunning Jihad, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, separation between this life and the Hereafter, between working for this life and working for the Hereafter, and upsetting the fine equilibrium brought about by the true Islam in the soul, prompting man to exert all his efforts in real life whilst his heart is linked to Allah and the Last Day. In other words, it is the disturbance of the fine equilibrium between the unknown world (al-Ghayb) and the known world (ash-Shahada). The mission of this religion is not just to redress individuals, though this is the basis for the foundation of the edifice; however, redressing each individual separately does not create a good society as it may seem to man at first glance. If you imagine an edifice with every block complete in itself, but without cement that ties the blocks together, there will not be a genuine edifice capable of sustaining the shocks of time nor even the gusty wind. Clearly, this religion focused on the Muslim group; in fact, the cemented Muslim Umma, not only on existentialist emotions, but also on actions and obligations. The addressing phrase O you who believe which permeates the Qur’anic discourse does not imply each individual, but all the

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believers as one united group shouldering one common responsibility:

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O you who believe! Do not take the Jews and Christians as helpers. (Al-Maida:51)

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O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble

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towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His Creatures’ needs, All-Knower. Verily, your Helper is Allah, His Messenger, and the believers, those who offer prayers perfectly, and give Zakat and they bow down. (Al-Maida:54-56)


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O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin. Be he rich or poor, Allah is a Better Protector to both (than you). So follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you may avoid justice, and if you distort your witness or refuse to give it, verily, Allah is Ever Well-Acquainted with what you do. (An-Nisa:135)

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Let not the believers take for friends or helpers the unbelievers rather than believers. (Al-Imran:28)



There should arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil. It is they who are the successful. (Al-Imran:104)

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…who (conduct) their affairs by mutual Consultation. (Ash-Shura:38)

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The believers, men and women, are protectors one of another; they enjoin what is just, and forbid what is evil; they observe regular prayers, practice regular charity, and obey Allah and His Messenger. On them will Allah pour His Mercy, for Allah is Exalted in power, Wise. (At-Tawba:71)

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Truly, Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array as if they were a solid cemented structure. (As-Saf:4)

- “The likeness of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship after casting

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lots. Some of them are in its lower deck and some of them in its upper (deck). Those who are in its lower (deck), when they require water, go to the occupants of the upper deck, and say to them : ‘If we make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm you.’ If they (the occupants of the upper deck) leave them to carry out their design they will all be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with their plan), all of them will remain safe”.1 - “All of you are guardians (in trust of something or someone) and are accountable for whoever and whatever is under your guardianship.”2 These and other examples confirm the collective responsibility of the Umma. And the individual, with all his compulsory acts of worship such as prayer, Zakat, fasting, fear and submissiveness, cannot establish a united Umma working for this religion. This religion, in the very image in which Allah revealed it and for the goals Allah wanted, will not be established by individuals though each of them may be as pure as the saints. This is an obligation that cannot be carried out in real life so long as human beings are human beings stirred by their emotions, desires and fantasies, and so long as Allah appoints in every city great sinners to reside there, unless they are challenged:

1 Al-Bukhari. 2 Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

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And thus We have set up in every town great ones of its wicked people to plot therein. But they plot not except against their ownselves, and they perceive (it) not. (Al-An’aam:123) Even if the presence of great sinners is peculiar to al-Jahiliyya rather than to Islam, the ‘global village’ which its proponents claim to bring the world closer through the technology of communication is full of great sinners who are perniciously plotting against Islam. Would individuals –even all of them- with all their acts of worship and commitment be able to confront the wickedness of those great sinners and repel the rising tide of the Fitna flowing from al-Jahiliyya? Or does this rising tide need a united Umma that is shouldering its collective responsibility in which every individual does his share, an Umma which will not be cemented unless each individual shrugs off the sense of self and gives his full attention to the group? Did the Prophet educate his companions individually, and then tell each one of them to ‘mind his own business?’ Or did he educate each individual in such a way as to be a block

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cemented to other blocks by ‘bonded emotions and common responsibility’, two interdependent entities? Collaboration is the duty of whoever is capable of doing his share, yet its outcome, be it positive or negative, falls on the Umma. If the Umma undertakes it (solidarity), then it is a united and loving Umma, but if it does not, then it turns into resentful factions. Jihad is the duty of whoever capable of doing his share, yet its outcome, be it positive or negative, falls on the Umma which, if it does not persevere, falls prey under the pangs of its enemies. Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil is the duty of whoever is capable of doing his share, yet its outcome, be it positive or negative, falls on the Umma. It (Umma) is either blessed or cursed, blessed if it enjoins the good and forbids the evil, and cursed if it neglects its duty:


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Those among the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by the tongue of Dawud and Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they disobeyed and were ever transgressing beyond bounds. They used not to forbid one another from the evil-doing which they committed. Vile indeed was what they used to do. (Al-Maida:78-79) Whatever the causes are of the soul’s negligence of duties and sense of responsibility towards the group, this soul has caused great damage to the edifice of the Umma, the least of which is negligence of the duty of advising the rulers, a duty which the Prophet has made part of this religion. In fact, he said: “The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity)”. We said ‘To whom?’ He said ‘To Allah

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and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.”1

Discarding political affairs and surrendering the matter of ruling to the ruler if he is a just ruler, is a blessing from Allah . If he is a tyrant, no one from the Umma would advise him and repel his tyranny and injustice. What happens is that the hypocrites would gather around him and beautify every act he does. His ears are turned off to hear any advice, and if they ever receive any, the hypocrites would make his heart reject the advice and the people behind that advice. The result of such ‘blindness’ and ‘oblivion’ is the failure of every project that requires collaboration in which every individual does his share, and the dominion of ‘destructive spirit’ in public property, public services and public wealth. Among the diseases which are now gripping the Umma are chaos, improvisation, lack of patience which have been –I believe– born by the environment. When Islam came, it cured these diseases by accustoming people to order, thinking and contemplation before action and during action, and patience which should not wane after the initial enthusiastic steps.

1 Referred to above.

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The Prophet was adamant about these issues which he never considered as trivial or marginal. He was well-aware –He was a divinely inspired Messenger- that an edifice would never be correctly established so long as these flaws existed. The companions said: “The Prophet would line us up for prayer as he would line us up for warfare…” besides submissiveness (Khushu’) and peace (As-Sakina). Submissiveness in prayer is its spiritual component which consolidates the bond between a servant and his Lord. Calling for such a bond is clear, but the Prophet knew that, besides this bond, another component was necessary for the foundation of the edifice: order. Order is a psychological behaviour which is correctly manifested through habit, and that is why the Prophet would, with his own hands, line up people for the prayer and would not start until the lines were straight, an act which signifies the importance he attached to order. It is obvious that order is part and parcel of this religion. Prayer is order and punctuality, whether in setting up time, in straightening the lines or in people following the Imam in prayer in the physical movements he does (his prostrations and standing). Fasting has an appointed time, as have Zakat and pilgrimage, not to mention order in warfare lines. Randomness and improvisation may pertain to the defects in the environment, but Islam corrected them by drawing

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people’s attention to Allah’s Laws which do not change, calling for contemplation of all issues, drawing people’s attention to seeking results instead of contentment with the legality and illegality of action. An issue; for example, may be permissible or even desirable, but becomes forbidden because of undesirable results. To illustrate, Allah forbids the slur of idols because such act results in the polytheists’ slur of Allah :

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And insult not those whom they (disbelievers) worship besides Allah, lest they insult Allah wrongfully without knowledge. (Al-An’aam:108)

Another example is when the Prophet refused to kill Abdullah Ibn Ubay, the open polytheist, so that people would not say that Muhammad killed his companions who at that time either embraced Islam and their Eeman was not yet instilled or waiting and had not embraced Islam yet. A rumour such as this one would impede the course of the Da’wa and dishearten the indecisive. Impatience and waning after this fervent enthusiasm may also be part of the defects in the environment, but Islam

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‘repaired’ them perfectly. In one aspect, it steered people’s aspirations towards transcending all the worldly life to the ultimate goal: the Last Day and all that it stands for. It makes the entire worldly life a safe means to the end (the Hereafter). There is no other goal after that and no aspirations that need hard work by the souls because any decline on the way will hinder the way. In another aspect, the Prophet set the ideal example of perseverance, incessant hard work and continuity of Da’wa in the darkest hours. More to the point, he never gave up and he was never demoralized in the circumstances which cried out for surrender and defeat. Thirdly, he directed the companions and the Umma after them towards perseverance and hard work though the fruits of such hard work was far-fetched, urging them that “If the Hour comes and one of you has a baby palm (fasila) in his hand, and he can still plant it before he stands up, let him plant it”1, and that work, however little, should never stop. He would often seek refuge in Allah from indolence… The fruits of all these directives in the Qur’an and Sunna in the life of the Umma is the continuity of the Da’wa to Allah century after century, the continuity of Jihad in Allah’s Cause, the continuity of great civilisation and the continuity of scientific movement for several centuries.

1 Imam Ahmad.

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Whatever the causes which led to the ‘incarceration’ of the driving spirit in the life of the Muslims and their return to chaos - which hates order, randomness - which hates planning, and enthusiasm - which ignites rapidly and dies out rapidly, all these diseases caused colossal damages to the Umma, the least of which is labelled as, to use modern jargon, ‘civilisational backwardness’, the abortion of useful projects before producing their results, the mind’s adaptation to a number of Aqadi, intellectual, political, social and moral diseases, and lack of serious motivation to cure them. These diseases are part of the immoral things which Allah and His Messenger command us to change, and warn the Umma that if it does not, Allah will devastate it with torment. When all these diseases struck, two serious things that the Prophet had long referred to, happened: Ghurbat al-Islam (estrangement of Islam) and the world’s attack on Muslims. As for Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, the phrase has become a mere utterance, of no significance in the heart and practical conduct. Worshipping is confined to rituals, traditional spiritless acts gradually fading away and turning into mere intentions. The Aqeeda of al-Qada’ and al-Qadar shifted into dependence (Tawakul) instead of independence (Tawakkul) and determination. People use the dichotomy of al-Qada’

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and al-Qadar as a justification of all errors, shortcomings and sins that take place in this life. This life and the Hereafter have been separated in people’s mind to an extent that people aspire to the worldly life at the expense of the Hereafter, and to the Hereafter at the expense of the worldly life. The concept of Jihad has been reduced to a defensive mechanism, and then gradually to an escape from its requirements. Educational programs reinforce rituals and traditions and no longer produce creative minds. The concepts of patience and fear (Taqwa) have become an incarnation of negativity that accepts humility and are unable to remove it. When this enormous confusion in the concepts of Islam took place, ‘backwardness’ hit all the fields: military, political, scientific, intellectual, economic, social, moral and any other fields one might think of because the work flowing to these fields was derived during the period of power from that infinite source: True Aqeeda and belief in Allah and the Last Day.

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When the source was dried out in people’s hearts –with the exception of a few- nothing would feed action into the souls: “There is a lump of flesh in the body, if it is sound the whole body is sound. It is indeed the heart”1 Consequently, the enemies seized this golden opportunity and attacked the Umma:

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Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with you unless you follow their form of religion. (Al-Baqara:120)

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…nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you back from your Faith if they can. (Al-Baqara:217) This time, they came with an agenda: to destroy Islam by the root and not just to defeat it. This goal might not have been new in itself, but one which stirred Heraclius to try and destroy this religion before it

1 Al-Bukhari

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gained ground…one which stirred the Crusaders Middle Ages Europe and one which stirs them today. However, perhaps what is new in the modern crusaders’ attack –which began in reality after the expulsion of the Muslims from Andalusia- is their great confidence and conviction to achieve their goals this time. Several factors make them think like this. There is, to begin with, the prevalent diseases eating away at the Umma. Secondly, the enemy has now developed sophisticated means for conflict, be they military, political or economic. Perhaps the most sophisticated of them all is the ‘intellectual battle’ (al-Ghazw al-Fikri) which strives to tear the Aqeeda by the root from the hearts, a tip which Louis XIX gave them after his release from al-Mansoura prison: “If you wish to defeat the Muslims, do not rely on arms only, for you have seen that reliance on arms produced no results. Fight their Aqeeda, for it is the source of their power and it is the one which poses a danger to us…It is better than what the Jews did when they got involved in the conflict with their full might to establish the state of Israel.” Perhaps, the intellectual battle of the Muslims achieved more results than weapons. The Muslims were defeated more than once throughout history, but the military defeat never impacted them nor did it force them to relinquish their Aqeeda and supersede it with another one.

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They were defeated by the Crusaders and then by the Tatars, but the Divine Call would fill in their hearts and revitalise them:


So lose not heart, nor fall into despair, for you must gain mastery if you are true in Faith. (Al-Imran:139)

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And many a Prophet fought and along with him large bands of religious learned men, but they never lost heart for that which did befall them in Allah’s Way, nor did

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they weaken nor degrade themselves. And Allah loves the patient. All that they said was: “Our Lord! Forgive us our sins and anything we may have done that transgressed our duty. Establish our feet firmly, and help us against those that resist faith.” And Allah gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter, and Allah loves those who do good. (Al-Imran:146-148) They were believers, and to them the battle was Jihad in Allah’s Cause. That is why they soon gathered momentum after a brief decline and braced themselves for the worse. In return, Allah gave them a reward in this world, and the excellent reward of the Hereafter. Even amidst defeat, it never crossed their mind that their enemies were better than them. To them, the enemies were non-believers whereas they were believers, and Eeman is the place of elevation regardless of victory or defeat in the battlefield. This time there is no elevation through Eeman; rather, there was a spiritual defeat before the enemies and the grip of an intellectual battle in an unprecedented fashion. Within one century; in fact, half a century, the Umma underwent a drastic transformation as if it were never Muslim! The source has changed: it is no longer Islam, Allah and the

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Prophet; rather, the source becomes the ‘European civilisation’, the ideal and ultimate goal:



Do they then seek after a judgment of (the days of) ignorance? But who, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah? (Al-Maida:50)

Shockingly, the judgment that the Western ‘civilisation’ is Jahiliyya is considered an act of disbelief in the eyes of those whose intellect has been corrupted by the intellectual battle of the West, those who associate Islam with backwardness, underdevelopment, barbarism, and corruption. The Hijab symbolises darkness and confinement; whereas, uncovered female body parts symbolises progress and development. Paganism, disbelief, and ridicule of the Qur’an and the Sunna become the motto of the ‘freedom of thought’. In short, deflection from Islam to the West has become a status and a model boasted by the servants. Afterwards, there came the ‘intellectual creeds’: national, nationalistic, secular, socialist and democratic to ‘supersede’ Islam on hand, and to tear this Umma apart so that it

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becomes an easy prey for the attack of the enemy that once found it challenging when the Muslim Umma was united under the ‘rope’ of Islam, even though there was not a complete political entity in the true sense. This is the first time throughout its history, the Umma has hit rock bottom, and this is only logical because of the diseases (mentioned above). This is the reality facing the Islamic revival (As-Sahwa al-Islamiyya). As for the revival itself, it is Allah’s triumphant Preordainment over the wickedness of the enemy and its tactics to destroy Islam:


And Allah has full power and control over its affairs, but most people know it not. (Yusuf:21) Nobody expected the revival, be it from the enemies or the Muslims themselves! The enemies were waiting for the Ottoman Caliphate - dubbed the ‘sick man’ - to die, in order to pounce on its inheritance and divide it bit by bit, and eventually destroy Islam by the root. As for the Muslims, plunged into despondency and surrender, their sole hope now was to slip from the grip of the enemy and be left alone to live even at the ‘tail of the convoy’ with their noses in the

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dust. However, Allah’s Triumphant Preordainment and His Constant Promise to send someone who will ‘revive’ our religion have brought a revival despite all the wickedness and the tactics of the enemy. We are optimistic about Allah’s Preordainment and His Promise to make this religion triumph over other religions, and we are certain that the future is for Islam:


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It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth that he may proclaim it over all religion even though the pagans may detest (it). (As-Saf:4) Our point of discussion here; nevertheless, is the method of action to be adopted in this revival, for there should be a course of action by humans so that Allah’s Preordainment is attained. This is not a shortcoming on the part of Allah to execute His Preordainment; rather, it is part of Allah’s Laws (Sunan) which stipulates that there should be humans who act and be a cover for Allah’s Preordainment:

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But if it had been Allah’s will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you one another. (Muhammad:4)

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Verily, never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves. (Ar-Ra’d:11)

What course of action should be taken? Those involved in the Da’wa have a number of instruments in their minds which we wish to list here and assess in the aim of singling out the most appropriate. Among these are advice, spiritual education, emotional charge, intellectual awareness, and Jihad education. It goes without saying that all these instruments are required, but the argument is on the futility of such instruments when deployed individually, not that it is one of the means, but as the method and the way. Let us begin with advice as many people think that it has a very fascinating impact. The adviser believes that the more he is enthusiastic about his advice, the more he believes in it,

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and the more eloquent he expresses it; the more appealing it is to the recipient/listener. And this is an illusion which the reality rejects. How much preaching is being done in the entire Islamic world from the Atlantic to the pacific every Friday? How much has this changed the status-quo of the Muslims from the Atlantic to the Pacific? If you say, ‘yes’, would that be the reality? The use of preaching in Da’wa is a Divine issue:

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Invite (all) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching. (An-Nahl:125) However, Allah does not say that preaching alone is the only means of Da’wa nor does He say that when it is used alone, it will give its fruits. The Divine approach is that He sends along with preaching a Messenger who sets a good example for people to follow so that they assimilate and absorb this preaching first and implement it afterwards. His conduct was the embodiment of the Qur’an. This is how Aisha would describe the Prophet . He was not just a preacher at the pulpit; rather, he was an exemplary teacher, and preaching was one of his tools of sending the Message across. The companions said: “He would from time to time stop preaching lest we should get bored.” Boredom from what? From the Prophet’s preaching. And in whose

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souls? In the souls of the companions who would warmly pick up every word the Prophet said in the belief that it was their passport to Paradise. What about us, ordinary people, whose entire ‘commodity’ is preaching and advice? Are preaching and advice sufficient, to impose on people without causing them boredom? Are they suitable enough to treat those diseases –referred to earlier on- which have been eating away at the Umma before and after the invasion? Are they appropriate to treat the doctrine of Al-Irja, which separates Eeman from action and has been deluding people for centuries into believing that they can be believers without having to perform any act of Islam? Can preaching alone ‘transport’ these people to the plane of materializing Eeman with all its requirements, namely hard work, responsibility, commitment and discipline? If this is possible, why isn’t it happening, despite the fact that our preaching is heard every Friday on every occasion and in the media? Is preaching alone enough to pull out those who have sunken into Sufism, in seeking the blessing of tombs and thresholds, in the belief in the saints to ‘uncover’ the unknown, and in miracles which they label as charismas (al-Karamaat)? Is it suitable to alter people’s practice of chaos, which hates order; randomness, which hates planning; and enthusiasm, which is easily ignited and easily put out?

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Is preaching alone enough to alter the practices of employees’ negligence of duties in the work place and receiving their pay in return for their punctual or late arrival or their punctual or late departure? Is preaching alone enough to change the practice of cheating, embezzlement and disloyalty in performing one’s duties? Can preaching alone change people’s tardiness and teach them the sense of guilt for being late? The preacher would say: “What do we possess except preaching? We do our job, but you do not guide whom you love; guidance is from Allah .” Truly, guidance comes from Allah , but Allah did lay out a method for the Da’wa that is based on setting examples, and education. One of the means of this method is preaching along with setting examples and education, and these will with Allah’s Leave give its fruits. However, we should not say that preaching alone does not give its fruits at all. Preaching alone may succeed in redressing individuals, but may not redress an already corrupt nation or establish a Da’wa which aims to rebuild a disintegrated edifice. Spiritual education is indispensable; in fact, no Da’wa will be conducted without it if spiritual education means strengthening the bond with Allah , softening the heart to worship Him , reminding people of the Last Day and linking their emotions with the state they will be in when

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they meet Allah …This was a prominent and crucial part in the Prophet’s mission of educating his companions, especially in Makka when night prayers (Qiyyam al-Layl) were imposed to further strengthen the bond between them and Allah . However, all this was a preparation for something else, a means in itself rather than end. The revelation of the command for Qiyyam al-Layl in Surat al-Muzammil is a clear indication of forthcoming obligations; that is to say, it paves the way for other commands:

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O you folded in garments! Stand (to prayer) by night, but not all night, half of it or a little, less, or a little more; and recite the Qur'an in slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon shall we send down to you a weighty Message. (Al-Muzammil:6)

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The command is also an indication of Allah’s wisdom in choosing Qiyyam al-Layl as an instrument for the required preparation:

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Truly, the rising by night is most potent for governing (the soul), and most suitable for (framing) the word (of prayer and Praise). (Al-Muzammil:6) It means that rising by the night has a great impact in the soul and trains the souls to bear obligations. To sum up, the bond between man and Allah should be further cemented so that man can bear the obligations imposed by this religion in a perfect way, especially Jihad and perseverance in the face of trials. What would happen if spiritual education is an end in itself or is the last lap in the education process? Man (the trainee in this context) will be like (with a slight difference) a soldier whom you teach the art of fighting, but with the intention of never sending him to the front line, or like the solid base you lay, but with the intention of never erecting any structure upon it. This religion has a magnificent status…it is the Divine style to redress the entire life and create the good man who will undertake the rightly-guided Caliphate in the land…The task

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does not entail mere spiritual ‘swims’ and ‘glows’, however deep such swims are and however radiating such glows are. Rather, it is hard work, Jihad, a fierce conflict with Falsehood and a sound positivism that eradicates Falsehood and establishes Truth…Spiritual education is a source of nutrition for all this and not an end in itself. In the battlefield, man tires out and needs support to keep him standing, and it is here where that spiritual energy stands out to prevent him from illusion and from falling. Man may also feel estranged when the enemies around him multiply. He finds him alone surrounded by weak people like him, and here emerges that spiritual energy which keeps him company and boosts his morale, reminding him of Paradise in the Last Day. This keeps him going…While in the battlefield, man may also miss life’s splendours, family, friends, comfort and the like, and may be gripped by nostalgia and then idleness. And here emerges the spiritual energy that compensates him for such deprivation: Contact with Allah , Allah’s Contentment and Paradise. Will spiritual education alone rescue the Umma from falling into the abyss? In reality, it rescues individuals from deadly loss and shields them against destruction, yet it does not rescue the Umma from loss because it does not push soldiers toward the battlefield nor does it take part in the tug-of-war

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which Allah defines as the Divine means for the protection of the land against corruption:

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And did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed be full of mischief, but Allah is full of bounty to all the worlds. (Al-Baqara:251) Emotional charge is required in the Da’wa. People ought to be enthusiastic about what they believe in, and not like an ornament that does not act. With people like these, the Da’wa will not spread even though they are responsive and committed. Still, enthusiasm alone does not produce any results, and may cause more harm than benefit. Mostly, enthusiasm takes place at the expense of intelligence, true knowledge and expertise, and it is here where it loses many of its advantages and causes a lot of damage, especially if it is turned into fanaticism towards a certain person, group, party, trend or idea. It is then when it shuts the doors of beneficial knowledge in the face of the enthusiast and instills in him the sense of obstinacy. There is a great deal of division, conflict and dispute today, which have emanated from an excess of enthusiasm towards something which the

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enthusiast believes is the truth and all the truth; and that anything else is falsehood. Intellectual awareness is one of the prerequisites of the Da’wa at any time, more in our time than in any others. The darkness which engulfs Islam and its facts in the souls of people during the second strange phase of Islam is extremely inky. In order to remove it, there should be a large-scale sensitization of people of the facts of Islam and its concepts, beginning with the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and a concerted raising of awareness of what Laa Ilaha Illa Allah demands and what invalidates it. This is because the confusion has not hit the concepts of Islam more than it has hit the concept of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, its requirements and what invalidates it, though awareness is equally needed for other concepts, namely worship, al-Qada and al-Qadar, life and afterlife, settlement in land, education and Jihad… Raising awareness is required to come to grips with the status-quo of the Umma and the causes that led to this status-quo. Without this understanding, we will not be able to lay the appropriate method for the Da’wa nor determine ways of treatment. Many people do not realise many of the Umma’s real conditions, though they generally know that the Umma is deviant from the right path and attribute such deviation to being distant from the reality of Islam. The extent of

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distance is unknown to many and the danger of deviation is not properly appreciated by many. Raising awareness is also required to know the pernicious plotting of the enemies to destroy Islam. Many people –even the Du’at themselves- do not keep current with what is happening on the basis of their general knowledge, that the Jews and Christians are enemies and that they will not stop plotting against Islam. This alone is not sufficient. Islamic groups get involved in certain situations which do not serve the purpose of the Da’wa, and this is caused by the ignorance on their part of what the enemies are plotting against them. The enemies, by contrast, know all that the Islamists conceal and reveal, and closely follow the movements and ideas circulating the Islamic world, and plan accordingly. We just sit and receive the ‘punches’. Truly, intellectual awareness is one of the prerequisites of the Da’wa at present, but –by itself- will not lead to anything realistic in the status-quo of the movement unless it constitutes a provision for a true Aqeeda and an intelligent movement whose awareness expands and is alert to the ‘slippery roads’, is tuned on fully and with knowledge. However, when such intellectual awareness transforms into mere ‘culture’, it is an intellectual ‘luxury’ that does not change the reality of the souls.

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Jihad education is one of the requirements of the movement, and lazy souls which cannot bear the demands of the Jihad are not apt to undertake the Da’wa nor are they capable of moving amidst the thorny woods and facing the huge monsters that are waiting with their mouths open and claws stretched to pounce on the Du’aat and devour them. Also, Jihad education alone is not enough to establish the Da’wa or even protect it against the enemies. In fact, Jihad education, if it lacks political and movement expertise, awareness of the reality of the conflict, the true intentions of the enemies, the reality of the effort required for confrontation and the type of effort required for conflict, can in most cases be the cause of the enemies’ fierceness. The riskiest thing that can happen when movements rely solely on Jihad education is their tendency to hastily or gradually embroil themselves in conflict before people grasp the reality of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and before the sinners’ way becomes manifest as mentioned in the Qur’an. As a result of this haste, the movement is violently attacked while people watch, and this gives the opportunity to the tyrants to scoff at the ‘masses’, justifying their cause by the phrase: “We do not fight Islam, we fight terrorism.” For all these reasons, we insist on slow and comprehensive education which begins with the foundation the solid base and expands afterwards even if that takes generations. The diseases which hit the Umma, turned it into ‘scum’ and an

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inviting target for the enemies cannot be superficially treated with preaching, spiritual guidance, emotional charging, intellectual awareness or Jihad education if either of these is used individually on the basis that it will be a quick cure that will rescue the Umma from its sordid reality and transforms it from one condition to another. We are not trying here to reconstruct bits in a structure; rather, we are trying to rebuild a structure on the brink of collapse, and every other reconstruction loses its value and use if the base is not rebuilt. The cornerstone of this religion is Laa Ilaha Illa Allah:

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See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? A goodly word is like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens. It brings forth its fruit at all times by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets

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forth parables for men in order that they may receive admonition. (Ibrahim:24-25) Now, are people –with the exception of a few- aware of the reality of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah? Here is a clear answer: Many Du’aat are still confused themselves about the requirements of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, particularly about what invalidates Laa Ilaha Illa Allah because they themselves have not yet shrugged off the effects of al-Irja’I doctrine which excludes action from Eeman. Moreover, many Du’aat have not yet come to grips with the real problem of the masses and the extent of their distance from the reality of Islam; that is why, they rushed to gather them and push them forward before those masses could even assimilate the reality of the cause, for which they had been called and for which they have gathered. For this reason, we insist that the point of departure should be the foundation of a solid base on the same approach the Prophet adopted to found his solid base though it is impossible to reach the same level. And no generation is required to reach that higher status. The approach is fixed, and education, based on this approach, is a permanent unchangeable duty whatever level the educators and learners may reach. Each receives ranks according to their deeds…

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The first lesson in founding the solid base is Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, both knowledge thereof and education of its requirements in order to train the Du’aat who direct the expanded base when the time to address the Da’wa to the masses comes.

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The Reality and The Ideal

t is clear that the reality is quite different from the ideal. We have seen some of the reasons of this difference

between the reality, which actually took place and the ideal, which should have taken place. We also looked at some of the results of such difference. Haste was the general characteristic of the actions taken by the Islamic revival from its inception. We may say that there was a hasty start in founding the base itself. If we have, from the very start, come up with a good idea about the defect in the edifice of the Umma which prompted the estrangement of Islam (Ghurba) amongst its people and peoples’ attack on the Umma…If we had thought up a constructive idea about the type of Jihad required to repair the enormous defect in the edifice…If we had hit upon a clever idea about the considerable effort exerted by the enemies in plotting and preparing to destroy Islam, we would have lingered a great deal in our action and would have never rushed. Were the required specifications for the solid base clear in our minds when we started the Da’wa? Was it clear in our minds that addressing the Da’wa to the masses before

I

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preparing the solid base would lead us to a difficult situation when the tide of masses was driven by emotional charge and could not find educators because we were no longer the educators who would cater for these masses? Was it clear in our minds that gathering the masses by means of emotional charge without real education would produce disastrous results for the course of the Da’wa? Was it clear in our minds that if the national and world authorities were upset, they would attack and hit back whilst people were not yet ready for the attack nor was the base itself prepared to receive such blows? I believe that from the reality of the process of the Da’wa, these things were not clear enough. The base itself was formed hastily from the unrefined individuals available at that time, and it is self-evident that no movement can at any time start without the existing unrefined individuals. However, these unrefined individuals should be thoroughly cleansed of any impurity before they are assigned the mission of the Da’wa, particularly if the Da’wa is going to be in the same setting of estrangement (al-Ghurba) as was Islam and is going to face the same antagonism it had faced before from the enemies. We do not pin the blame on anyone now, and any act in the Cause of Allah is rewarded, but we wish to show the degree of difference between what did take place and what

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should have taken place. It goes without saying that the pioneer Da’iyya (Hasan al-Banna) made considerable and noticeable efforts to cleanse the impurity of those unrefined individuals. He liberated their souls from the concept of narrow individualism and taught them the spirit of community whose members are bonded by Islamic brotherhood. He steered them away from the preoccupation with individual acts of worship confined to rituals to worship in the broader sense which includes enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and creating a Muslim society which implements Allah’s Law as the Prophet taught them many moral values and sacrifice for the Cause of Allah’s Religion. The reality of the course of the Da’wa, however, indicates that there is a serious lack in political awareness and awareness of the movement, even worse; there is a lack in understanding the reality of the issue and the reality of the goal we strive to attain. We have endeavoured to establish a base of masses which can assist us in seizing power on the basis that once we seize power, we shall implement Allah’s Law - This is a legitimate goal in itself. We should ignore the stance of al-Jahiliyya which stipulates that every human being should strive to reach power…except the Islamists, who –alone- turn into criminals when they aspire to power. Ignore this position, for it has been al-Jahiliyya’s notorious attitude towards the call to the Truth ever since it existed,

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and the Du’aat who call to the Truth is ‘a shanshana ta’rifuha min akhzam’, meaning ‘like father like son.’ The issue, however, does not lie with the legitimacy of the goal; rather, it lies with a fundamental question: Is mere implementation of the Shari’a sufficient to redress the current state of the Umma, or does the matter require more? Had the pioneer Da’iyya (Hasan al-Banna) announced to the group of people he singled out to be the founding committee of his group, what he announced to the masses in 1948 (twenty years after the start of the Da’wa), many things would have been changed along the journey! In an article entitled Ma’rakat al-Mushaf (The Battle of the Qur’an), Hasan al-Banna wrote in 1948: “Islam is both a religion and a state, and there is no doubt about that. This clearly means that Islam is a Divine Law that comes with human directives and social provisions. It is a mission assigned to the believers to protect and to spread, and also to report those who do not believe in it to the authorities; that is, to the ruler who heads a group of Muslims. If the ruler fails to protect these provisions, he is no longer considered a Muslim. If the laws of the state neglect this duty, it is no longer a Muslim state…If the group or the Umma accepts this negligence, it is no longer Muslim however Muslim it may claim to be. Part of the requirements of a ruler is that he himself should comply with the obligations of Islam,

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away from sins and unlawful matters. This alone does not make him a Muslim ruler unless the conditions of his state are binding upon him to protect the provisions of Islam among the Muslims and determining the position of the state towards them on the basis of their (Muslims) attitude towards the call to Islam.”1 Suppose he said this from the beginning. Would that huge number of masses, mostly youth stirred by emotions, have gathered around him while the population of Egypt then did not exceed 19 million? In fact, would the ‘elite’ themselves have gathered as easily, stirred, too, by their emotions towards the great goal? I don’t think so. Would that ‘elite’ have consisted of the same people as was the case or would it have consisted of other people? I do not know! In fact, nobody can justifiably decide on that! However, whatever the type of people from which the base may have consisted of then, they were going to be strong, well-trained, patient and less hasty. They would not have been driven by their emotions nor would they have believed that the goal was attainable in a short period of time - and prepared themselves physically and psychologically, as did many of them, for a short period, in the belief that everything would take place within that short period? They would have

1 Issue 627, the daily Jaridat Ikhwan al-muslimin, 3rd Year, 16 May 1948.

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known that the journey would be very long and that the efforts required would be so enormous…because what was needed was more than mere redecorations here and there of an existing structure, but a reconstruction of the base. As for the masses, I do not think that they would have accepted to be drafted under these principles. They were going to realise that the issue was more than listening to eloquent speeches and emotional charging which they would dub as ‘Ar-Ruhaniyya’ (spiritualism), pleasure in being with family and friends, and indulgence in ecstasy. They were going to realise that it was a conflict with al-Jahiliyya which would pose a danger for man, a danger that a person with a sound mind would not risk taking:

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They say: “If we were to follow the guidance with you, we should be snatched away from our land.” (Al-Qasas:57) At that time, the movement would have started at a slow pace, but following the right approach. The solid base would have been created at a slow pace and consisted of men meticulously elected and intensively trained to undertake the mission with spiritual education, moral education,

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intellectual education, psychological education and valid religious education under the Divine Magnificent approach:

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Restrain your hands (An-Nisaa:77) The base was going to expand when the time for expansion came, after furnishing the solid base with men who have braced themselves for the Da’wa and who were perceptive of the reality of the issue and its conditions; men who possessed true awareness of the state of the Umma and the diseases it was suffering from, and a sound appreciation of the nature of work in every phase of the movement. These should take place before addressing the masses to join in the race for the Da’wa. The ‘political activity’; that is to say, preoccupation with national and social issues and the like was going to be delayed for sometime while true momentum was being gathered for the true base embodied in the true Aqeeda and education on its requirements within the realm of those who had responded to the Da’wa and braced themselves for it (in contrast to the society of Madina in the group of the Prophet ). There was going to be a conflict! It was inevitable according to the Divine Custom which Allah had preordained in the life of humanity. The conflict often starts

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on the part of al-Jahiliyya, when it senses the looming danger of a group of believers, even though they are small in number and even though it (al-Jahiliyya) does not itself wish to enter into a conflict:

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These (Israelites) are but a small band, and they are raging furiously against us; but we are a host all assembled, amply fore-warned. (Ash-Shu’ara:54-56) However, it was expected that the conflict would be delayed, giving a great opportunity for the education of the solid base, and then for the education of the expanded base according to the available amount of education. And when this conflict came to a people commanded to restrain their hands and could not do anything except to say Our Lord is Allah, this would have speeded up the development of the masses’ awareness of the reality of the issue, and would clear up any ambiguous issues in their minds. As a result, it would have been very difficult for the tyrants to subdue the masses through repressive means and through the false media, when the ways of the sinners become manifest through the Divine

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approach and people would know on which basis to decide their positions:

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Thus, We explain Our verses so that the sinners’ way may be manifest. (Al-An’aam:55) Something to the contrary took place. The announcement came twenty years late, and during those years, huge masses joined the movement oblivious to the surrounding dangers. The Da’wa was confused before even reaching Laa Ilaha Illa Allah with a number of political, nationalistic and social issues in the belief on the part of those in charge of the Da’wa that this would enable the Da’wa to expand its popular base and that the masses should take part in the cause by dealing with the issues which preoccupied the masses at that time. All dreams were evaporated in Palestine in 1948: the movement was fiercely attacked. The war on the Da’wa was expected because it is, as stated above, one of Allah’s Customs. Hasan al-Banna used to say to his aides and followers: “Frankly, your call (Da’wa) is still unknown to many. Once people know about it and its objectives, you will notice a bitter dispute and fierce animosity on their part, and you will; as a result, encounter

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many hurdles. It is only then that you will start to follow in the footsteps of the Du’aat.”1 However, the way the war took place was inconceivable; slaughtering followed successively… The Crusader West realised the source of danger: It is the political Islam which is never content with acts of worship and rituals, but aspires to be a system that regulates people’s political, economic, social, intellectual and moral life. Is there anything more dangerous on the face of the earth than this in the eyes of the West? Islam must then be crushed…All forces must be deployed against it…It must be persecuted…Its image must be tarnished so that the youth despise it! Two things fuelled the Zionist Crusades’ grudge: First, the Crusaders were surprised to see, after a 200-year plot to destroy Islam, Islam waking up from its slumber. Second, the world Jews were surprised to see itself, after so much hard work to establish their state on Islamic land, face to face with the danger of Islam. Now, both the Jews and Christians saw the necessity to destroy their common enemy. Would the Islamic movement have been rescued from the hostilities of the Crusader Zionism and its pernicious plot? We believe that this was impossible. However, we believe

1 From letters by Hasan al-Banna, Islamic Establishment for Printing, Press and Distribution, Beirut, Ed.3, 1983, p.108.

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that another scenario would have been possible had things followed the right approach and had the masses which participated in the conflict before the right time been aware of the reality of the issue and the reality of the conflict! Even so, the masses would not have such awareness unless they had been educated before. And they would not receive the required education until the base has been founded on a sound model! The initial lack had a chain reaction… The enemy’s fierce attack on the movement heightened the confusion whether at the level of the base or at the level of the masses; i.e. some Islamic factions joined parliaments and the accompanying confusion of legitimacy and commitment to implementing Allah’s Law, and the involvement of other factions in armed struggle with the government. This marginalized the principal issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah and shifted it into a win-lose situation. Other factions of the Islamic activity got embroiled in bloody battles with people - with the masses - on the basis that they were disbelievers who should be killed because they did not join the Islamic group. This had far-reaching repercussions on the entire Islamic activity. Besides the public disgust at the reactions of these factions which had no justifications in Allah’s Law, the media seized this opportunity to pounce on the Islamic movement by painting the scene of spilled blood by the Islamic movement and by

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describing any Islamic act by the movement as a terrorist act that should be fought and challenged. The world media did not need anyone to draw its attention to seize such opportunity, for it –by means of its hostile stance towards Islam- was ready to grab such golden opportunity and exploit it to the full. The confusion surrounding the issue of Laa Ilaha Illa Allah, whether at the level of the base or at the level of the masses, prompted the doctrine of Irja’ to incessantly defend their trend and diffuse it by any means. In fact, some ‘scholars’ whom people considered as people of remembrance (Ashab Ad-Dikr) were trapped, and went on falsely exonerating people who have in fact fallen in polytheism by conferring upon them ‘certificates of Eeman’. Moreover, these scholars would make this felony –implementing other than Allah’s Law- against Allah seem in people’s minds like a minor sin which should not even be frowned upon! It would have been wise if the issue took a longer process along the educational lane, beginning with the base, and then gradually expanding with the expansion of the base without entering into a struggle with the masses. As a result of all these, the Islamic undertaking was in tatters for many reasons. There was, to begin with, the absence of a strong leadership to contain and unite the Islamic undertaking or; at least, to bring together its different trends.

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Secondly, there emerged novice leaderships, each considering their opinion as the right one dismissing others as wrong. Thirdly, many youths involved in the Da’wa were not brought up within a society that promoted a spirit of brotherhood. Rather, they were brought up on a ‘malleable’ intellectual bond, easily dispersed at the first argument over interpretation and understanding. Fourthly, there was incompetence in religious knowledge which constitutes the necessary regulator of the intellect and behaviour. Fifthly, there was the continuous endeavour of anti-Islamic organs to deepen the conflicts and sever the relations between people. Is there any hope left for reform? Can we expect those who have been hasty in different fields to review their process, rectify their errors and start all over again, following the Prophetic model? What happened was in fact one of Allah’s Preordainments, but we have learnt from the Qur’an and the Sunna that belief in Allah’s Preordainment neither acquits man of being responsible when he errs nor does it prevent him from seeking to correct his error. Can we hope that the Islamic undertaking will rectify the errors and start afresh? Rectification of errors is required, but some probably considers that the enemy would not let the Islamic undertaking rectify its errors; they would wage a war on the Muslims before they could rectify their errors. I say to these

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who think along these lines that the war will not stop, but it will not eliminate the Islamic undertaking. It may be one of the factors of sharpening and increasing people’s awareness of the reality of the battle between Jahiliyya and Islam. And the duty of advice remains a duty at all times: “The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity)”. We said ‘To whom?’ He said ‘To Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk.”1

1 Referred to above.

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Outlook

any people panic when they consider the status-quo. Whether it is the bloody war against the Islamic

movements the world over or whether it is the disarray the movement has been experiencing, people are beginning to despair that the Islamic undertaking has no future and that the sordid reality of the Muslims today will continue as it is or even worsen. We, by contrast, firmly believe that the future is for Islam. We do not build our vision on illusions or dreams, nor do we turn a blind eye on the hurdles that stand in the way of the Islamic undertaking, whether from within or from without, nor do we underestimate such hurdles and their impact on the Islamic undertaking. We strongly believe that it is not humans, be they friends or foes, who preordain; rather, it is Allah , the Manager of affairs Whose Will is the Most Valid and Whose Preordainment is the Most Overwhelming:


And Allah has full power and control over its affairs, but most people know it not. (Yusuf:21)

M

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It is Allah Who preordained that this religion will dominate:


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It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth that He may proclaim it over all religion even though the pagans may detest (it). (As-Saf:9) “…so that this religion will reach where the night and day have reached.”1 Allah’s Preordainment is manifest in His Unchangeable Custom, in His Promise and Threat and in His Absolute Will which says ‘Be and it is’ and which creates the causes by which means things are achieved. If we look at the situation in the light of Divine Customs and in the light of Allah’s Promise and Threat, we will find two conflicting poles: Islamic movements on one hand, and the enemies of Islam (Zionists, Crusaders and their aides) on

1 Ahmad.

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the other. What shall we expect from both poles in the near or distant future? As for the Islamic movements, it goes without saying that they have contributed enormously to the Islamic undertaking. Thanks to (after Allah’s Will) the hard work of the movement for more than half a century; that is, from the fall of the Caliphate up to the present, an Islamic spirit has spread across the Islamic world and the youth have been wildly enthusiastic to return to Islam. However, the negativities in the Islamic undertaking are clear obstacles that are absorbing and dissipating the work energy. Will it continue in this fashion?

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each movement rigidly adhering to its views on the basis that they are the most valid ones and dismissing any others? What will happen if each movement refuses to return on the basis that it has already travelled a few miles (in their current direction)? Will they cripple Allah or will Allah execute His Preordainment whether people like it or not? The instrument of change is always there, as part of Allah’s Custom:

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If you turn back (from the Path), He will substitute in your stead another people; then they would not be like you! (Muhammad:38)

If it is part of Allah’s Preordainment that this religion prevails as He says in the Qur’an and through His Messenger , then the negativities of the current Islamic undertaking will not stand as an obstacle in the way of Allah’s Preordainment and Will; Allah will enforce His Promise and will create the causes for its enforcement:

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…, for Allah will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion. (Talaq:3)

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O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion (Islam), Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His Creatures’ needs, All-Knower. (Al-Maida:54)

As for the Western Crusaders, here is what applies to them in Allah’s Custom:

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So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing. (Al-An’aam:44) This is because they want the worldly life. They work and strive for it, so Allah rewards them accordingly:

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Those who desire the life of the present and its glitter, to them we shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein, without diminution. (Hud:15) This is also in accordance with Allah’s Pre-Will to donate life’s splendours to both the believer and disbeliever, each according to his endeavour. He does not deprive the disbeliever of life’s splendours; in fact, He may give him more so that the disbeliever is drenched in his disbelief:

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Of the bounties of your Lord we bestow freely on all -these as well as those- the bounties of your Lord are not closed (to anyone). (Al-Isra:20)

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And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a disgracing torment. (Al-Imran:178) If the West today controls the world according to Allah’s Customs, such Customs themselves insist that this control is not eternal; rather, it will end at a time appointed by Allah :

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So, when they forgot (the warning) with which they had been reminded, We opened to them the gates of every (pleasant) thing, until in the midst of their enjoyment in that which they were given, all of a sudden, We took them to punishment, and lo! They were plunged into destruction with deep regrets and sorrows. (Al-An’aam: 44-45) However despite the affluence and the filthy richness they live in, they lead a wretched life:

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But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed down, and we shall raise him up blind on the Day of Judgment." (Ta-Ha:124) This wretched life is manifest in the following: anxiety, madness, suicide, psychological and mental diseases, alcohol, drugs, crimes, AIDS, economic, political, military or intellectual crises…This is because the door of blessing and the door of peace do not open to the disbelievers when they abstain from remembering Allah . Remembrance of Allah is a characteristic of the believers which Allah exclusively bestowed upon them in this life in addition to the blessings of the Hereafter:

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If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (all kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth. (Al-A’raaf:96)

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Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah, for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction. For those who believe and work righteousness, is (every) blessedness, and a beautiful place of (final) return. (Ar-Ra’d:28-29) In summary, today the West possesses material power, but does not have the power to continue because it does not possess the ingredients through which Allah prescribes continuity: Belief in Allah and in the Last Day, and doing good deeds. We should not deny that the West has some good deeds such as medical services and facilitating life for man in general; in fact, there is no Jahiliyya in this world but that it has benefited its community in one way or another. However this, on one hand, does not wipe out the trait of Jahiliyya because this trait only goes away if man believes in Allah and in the Last Day, and complies with Allah’s

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Laws. On the other hand, white points dotted on a black garment replete with evil do not save its wearer from the destruction outlined in Allah’s Customs. The paganism the Western civilisation is diffusing, the immoralities the media is spreading, the spiritual vacuum, indulgence in life’s splendours, embellishment of the worldly life, the utter discard for the Hereafter, and being oblivious to the fact that Allah counts every deed and rewards accordingly do not make up a real civilisation for which Allah prescribes continuity, though He , for wisdom’s sake, dictates that people behind this civilisation exist for a period of time. It is not us who say this just to express our emotions or believe our dreams. Years ago, Bertrand Russell said: “The civilisation of the white man has come to an end because he has nothing to give anymore.” Before him, Alexis Carrel: “This civilisation is doomed to extinction.” As a matter of fact, Communism collapsed some years ago, and the Western press –including America- asks the following question: “Has the collapse of America begun?” We are not naïve to think that this will take place tomorrow morning. This Jahiliyya still possesses some components of continuity such as organizational expertise, hard work, dexterity and planning ability, not to mention that no

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alternative civilisation which, if it emerges would lead to the downfall of the existing one, has shown up yet. All these do not alter destiny because it is part of Allah’s Customs. As for the Jews, it is a different matter. Allah prescribes humiliation and misery because of their actions, but He made that an exception or exceptions:

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And we gave (clear) warning to the Children of Israel in the Book, that twice would they do mischief on the earth and be elated with mighty arrogance (and twice would they be punished)! When the first of the warnings came to pass, we sent against you Our servants given to terrible warfare. They entered the very innermost parts of your homes; and it was a warning (completely) fulfilled. Then did we grant you the return as against them. We gave you increase in resources and sons, and made you the more numerous in man-power. If you did well, you did well for yourselves; if you did evil, (you did it) against yourselves. So, when the second of the warnings came to pass, (We permitted your enemies) to disfigure your faces, and to enter your temple as they had entered it before, and to visit with destruction all that fell into their power. It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if you revert (to your sins), we shall revert (to Our punishments). (Al-Isra:4-8)

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Indignity is put over them wherever they may be, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allah, and from men. (Al-Imran:112) They are now at the pinnacle of the exceptions Allah promises them: they control the world, appoint leaders of republics, dictate their policies, overthrow whom they are not happy with and kill whosoever dares to come in their way as they did to Kennedy and others, but this is an exception to the rule:

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And when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection, those who would afflict them with a humiliating torment. (Al-A’raaf:167)

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This is the permanent rule; anything else is an exception, and an exception by definition does not last because it contravenes the rule. Both the rule and the exception come from Allah , but an exception ends and things go back to normal as promised by Allah . We may also not know the wisdom behind Allah’s exceptions that are mentioned in the Qur’an, but they will surely happen whether or not we understand the wisdom behind them. Most importantly is that we should realise that it is an exception to the rule and that it is appointed for a certain period of time. The Jews themselves know this from their Scriptures not from foreign sources. When modern Jahiliyya collapses according to Allah’s Custom and because of the corruption it fosters, humanity will start its quest for an alternative to fill in the vacuum. This alternative is Islam which will redress the balance and cure the land of its diseases:

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O people of the Scripture! Now has come to you Our Messenger explaining to you much of that which you used to hide from the Scripture and passing over much. Indeed, there has come to you from Allah a light and a plain Book. Wherewith Allah guides all those who seek His Pleasure to ways of peace, and He brings them out of darkness by His Will unto light and guides them to a Straight Way. (Al-Maida:15-16) Islam is the perfect model; whereas, those of al-Jahiliyya are imperfect. Today, hundreds of thousands of people flee from darkness (Jahiliyya) to light (Islam) every year not for the sake of following an established model, for the Muslims’ pitiful state today does not embody that exemplary model; in fact, it frightens people away from Islam. Rather, the sense of loss forces some people to seek alternative routes for salvation, and they find Islam as the appropriate route. The lost West possesses knowledge and an outstanding civilisation, but lacks the soul…the soul that is guided to Allah and guided by Allah’s Guidance. It is Islam which owns that soul and does not at the same time make it

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an alternative to knowledge and civilisation. Rather it is the other side of the coin:



Behold, your Lord said to the angels: “I am about to create man from clay. When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall you down in obeisance unto Him.” (Sad:71-72) The handful of clay and the breathing of soul both make up a ‘human being’, that complementary, linked and balanced person; it is the person who settles down in the land with guidance and perception, and aspires at the same time to the Last Day where life is completed:



It is He who has made the earth manageable for you, so traverse you through its tracts and enjoy of the

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sustenance which He furnishes, but unto Him is the Resurrection. (Al-Mulk:15)

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But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, nor forget your portion in this world. (Al-Qasas:77)

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Allah has promised to the believers Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of ‘Adn (Paradise) But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success. (At-Tawba:72)

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Islam is the saviour which possesses all that man needs. The lecture delivered by Prince Charles in December 1966 at the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs justifies what we have said earlier: “Modern materialism lacks equilibrium, and the damages of its aftermath are increasingly far-reaching. The last three centuries –at least in the West- witnessed a serious division over our vision to the world surrounding us. Science managed to stretch its monopoly; in fact, to hold its despotic sway on the way we understand the world. Religion and science divided, and we have become like what the poet Wandsworth said: “We only see little in our mother nature which we own.” Science managed to snatch nature from the Creator and divided the universe into pacts, confining the ‘sacred’ to a forsaken corner of our understanding, and steering it away from our practical existence. It is only now that we have started to appreciate the destructive consequences. It seems that we –the children of the Western world- have lost consciousness of the general meaning of our milieu, of our obligations towards the entire universe created by Allah . This has led us to a total failure in estimating or realizing the heritage and the wisdom of predecessors (As-Salaf), that accumulated heritage across centuries. The truth is that there has been a severe attack on heritage as if it were a repulsive contagious disease.

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In my view, there is a need for a comprehensive confrontation. Science has a done an outstanding job in explaining to us that the world is more complex than we have imagined, yet science in its materialistic modern form is incapable of explaining everything. The creator is not that mathematician whom Newton imagined, nor is he the first creator of the clock.1 The separation between science/technology and values and moral and sacred criteria has startlingly widened. A case in point is the manipulation of genes and the aftermath of scientific ‘arrogance’ manifested in its grisliest image in the mad cow disease (BSE). I have often realised that heritage in our life is not the work of man; rather, it is an instinct which Allah has given us to realise the rhythm of nature and the essential harmony brought about by the union of scattered opposites manifested in every aspect of nature. Heritage reflects the eternal system of the universe and ties us to the awareness of the magnificent secrets of the open universe in a way that we can –as the poet William Blake said- see the whole universe in an atom and see eternity in an instant…

1 According to Newton, Allah created the universe in the form of a universal clock, and there is no need to pray for the god who created such an enormous clock because he himself cannot control its movement even if he wants that. (Quoted from The Emergence of Modern Thought, Bernton, p. 151, Translated Version)

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Islamic culture, in its heritage form, has striven to preserve this spiritual and complementary vision of the world in a fashion we ourselves haven’t been able to lay hands on across recent generations in the West as suitable for implementation. There is so much we can learn from the vision of the Islamic world in this context. We –the children of the West- need Muslim teachers to teach us how to learn with our hearts as much as we do with our minds. The approach of the year 3000 may be the impetus which will push us to discover this relationship, and I hope that we will not miss the opportunity to rediscover the spiritual aspect in our vision to our existence as a whole.1 Islam is the saviour and it is, with Allah’s Leave, the imminent alternative! It is true Allah’s Preordainment pertains to the unknown, yet there are some indications. If Allah’s Preordainment were the elimination of this religion from the globe, then the Crusaders’ evil would have been sufficient to do the job when it overthrew the Ottoman state and eliminated the Caliphate. The Zionist Crusade thought then that it at last got hold of its bitter enemy. Allah’s Preordainment proved otherwise: the birth of Islamic revival.

1 Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper, Issue 6592, dated 15/12/1996.

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Furious at this revival, the Zionist Crusade began to hit it with whatever means of torture available, thinking this was the way to get rid of the enemy who was still alive after the deadly punch. Allah’s Preordainment proved otherwise: the Islamic revival was mushrooming. Still, the indications portend that Islam is the imminent alternative which will repair what al-Jahiliyya has damaged. Islam is coming from whichever way it came, either through the peaceful, slow route which we love and recommend though that takes several generations, or the violent route fed by the madness of the West and Israel. The Zionist Crusade which controls the world today is using a backfiring policy. By using violence against the Islamic movements, it (the Zionist Crusade) is creating generations of Islamic undertakings, stronger, more perseverant, more conscious and firmer than those it is fighting today. Its intellectuals know this and warn people about it; but the rancour in their hearts gouge their eyes from seeing this reality, and plug their ears from listening to advice even if it came from their intellectuals themselves. This is achieved through Allah’s Preordainment and in accordance with one of His Customs:

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öΝ çGΨs3y™ uρ ’ Îû Ç⎯Å6≈ |¡tΒ t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# (#þθ ßϑ n= sß óΟ ßγ |¡àΡr& š⎥⎫t6s?uρ

öΝ à6s9 y# ø‹x. $ uΖù= yè sù óΟÎγ Î/ $ oΨö/u ŸÑuρ ãΝ ä3s9 tΑ$ sVøΒ F{$# ∩⊆∈∪ ô‰s%uρ

(#ρ ãs3tΒ öΝèδ tò6tΒ

And you dwelt in the dwellings of men who wronged their own souls; you were clearly shown how we dealt with them; and we put forth (many) parables for you! Mighty indeed were the plots which they made. (Ibrahim:45-46)

The greatest explosions in history which always happen when the tyrants’ oppression tightens around the neck of an emerging trend to squash it only leads to an explosion, and the victim is always the tyrants! What the Zionist Crusade –foolishly- is committing today will only lead to an explosion. Three things happen at the same time when Allah’s Preordainment strikes once: First, the Muslim Umma gets punished for its negligence of Allah’s religion. Allah has assigned this Umma a mission which He has never assigned to any nation before, when He honoured it to be the Umma of the Seal

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of Messengers. By doing so, Allah has favoured this Umma over other previous nations:


šχöθ yγ ÷Ψs?uρ Ç⎯tã Ìx6Ζ ßϑ ø9$# tβθ ãΖ ÏΒ ÷σ è?uρ «!$$ Î/ 3 You are the best of peoples, evolved for mankind, enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong, and believing in Allah. (Al-Imran:110)



Thus, have we made of you an Umma justly balanced, that you might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger a witness over yourselves. (Al-Baqara:143) However, this Umma neglected its mission for some time and forgot about its duty not only towards humanity, but towards itself. It was then when Allah prescribed that its enemies should attack it as the Prophet warned:

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“The nations will summon each other upon you as you call guests to eat from a plate of food.” They said, ‘will we be few in number on that day O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘no; rather, you will be many on that day, but you will be like the foam on the ocean. And Allah will remove the fear in the hearts of your enemies and place in your hearts al-wahn’. They said, ‘what is al-wahn O Messenger of Allah ?’ He said, ‘love of this world and hatred of death.’”1 Just as Allah prescribed punishment of the Umma by its enemies, He empowered these enemies in the land according to His Custom on forgetting what they have been reminded of…so that another preordainment comes which is their destruction at the appointed time for their opposition, corruption and tyranny in addition to their preordained destiny on the Day of Judgment:

(#þθ è= Ïϑósu‹ Ï9 öΝ èδu‘# y— ÷ρ r& \' s#ÏΒ$ x. tΠöθ tƒ Ïπyϑ≈ uŠÉ) ø9$# ô⎯ÏΒ uρ Í‘#y— ÷ρ r& š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$#

Ο ßγ tΡθ= ÅÒ ãƒ Î ö tó Î/ AΟ ù=Ïã 3 Ÿω r& u™!$ y™ $ tΒ šχρ â‘Ì“ tƒ

Let them bear, on the Day of Judgment, their own burdens in full, and also (something) of the burdens of those without knowledge, whom they misled. Alas, how grievous the burdens they will bear! (An-Nahl:25) 1 Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

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Ÿω uρ ¨⎦t⎤|¡øts† t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# (#ÿρ ãx x. $yϑ ¯Ρr& ’Í? ôϑ çΡ öΝ çλm; ×ö yz öΝÍκ Å¦ àΡX{ 4 $ yϑ ¯Ρ Î)

’ Í? ôϑ çΡ öΝ çλm; (#ÿρ ßŠ#yŠ÷”z Ï9 $Vϑ øO Î) 4 öΝçλm; uρ Ò>#x‹tã ×⎦⎫Îγ •Β

And let not the disbelievers think that Our postponing of their punishment is good for them. We postpone the punishment only so that they may increase in sinfulness. And for them is a disgracing torment. (Al-Imran:178) This takes place at the same time as Allah proves the believers:

}ÈÅcsyϑ ãŠÏ9uρ ª!$# t⎦⎪Ï% ©!$# (#θ ãΨtΒ#u™ t, ysôϑ tƒuρ š⎥⎪ÍÏ≈ s3ø9$#

So that Allah may test (or purify) the believers (from sins) and destroy the disbelievers. (Al-Imran:141) And just as Moses’ test took place in Pharaoh’s palace through Allah’s Preordainment, today a new generation will be born through Allah’s Preordainment, a generation after the ‘scum’, through the enemies whose wickedness against Islam never stops:


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And Allah has full power and control over is affairs, but most people know it not. (Yusuf:21) That will not be a stroll for the Muslims; rather, that will be achieved through sacrifices, spilling of blood, tears, torture and suffering, trials and tribulations, and continuous efforts:

zΝ n= ÷è u‹ Ï9uρ ª!$# š⎥⎪Ï% ©!$# (#θ ãΖtΒ#u™ x‹Ï‚−G tƒuρ öΝ ä3ΖÏΒ u™!#y‰pκ à− 3 …that Allah may test those who believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. (Al-Imran:140) The Muslims must pay a heavy price for the negligence of their duty towards Allah’s religion, and a great deal of effort must be exerted in order for them to go back to the right track. However, their consolation as they sacrifice martyrs, endure torture, sacrifice blood and shed tears is the fact that they fight in the Cause of Allah to make Allah’s Word the highest and to be the cover for Allah’s Preordainment, which will make this religion triumphant. Their consolation is that they will abide in Paradise and earn Allah’s Contentment:

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y‰tã uρ ª! $# š⎥⎫ÏΖ ÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$# ÏM≈ oΨÏΒ ÷σ ßϑ ø9$#uρ ;M≈ ¨Ζ y_ “ÌøgrB ⎯ÏΒ $ yγ ÏGøtrB

ã≈ yγ ÷ΡF{$# t⎦⎪Ï$ Î#≈ yz $ pκ Ïù z⎯Å3≈ |¡tΒ uρ Zπ t6ÍhŠsÛ †Îû ÏM≈ ¨Ζ y_ 5βô‰tã 4 ×β≡ uθ ôÊ Í‘uρ š∅ÏiΒ «! $# çt9ò2r& 4 y7Ï9≡ sŒ uθ èδ ã— öθ xø9$# ÞΟŠÏà yèø9$#

Allah has promised to the believers Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever, and beautiful mansions in Gardens of ‘And Paradise. But the greatest bliss is the Good Pleasure of Allah. That is the supreme success. (At-Tawba:72)

How to invite people to Islam

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