We believe that the only true philosophy for revival is an ideology (Mabdaa’) that
encompasses both the idea and the method. This ideology is Islam because it is an
Aqeedah (doctrine) from which emanates a system governing all the affairs of the State
and the Ummah, and a solution to all of life’s problems.
encompasses both the idea and the method. This ideology is Islam because it is an
Aqeedah (doctrine) from which emanates a system governing all the affairs of the State
and the Ummah, and a solution to all of life’s problems.
What we believe:
We believe that the fundamental thought for revival is the ideology alone that combines the Fikrah and the Tareeqah together and that this Mabda’ (ideology) is Islaam. When we say Nahdah (revival) we intend only by this statement the intellectual elevation. In order to distinguish between thoughts it is necessary to define the description of the elevated thought so that it can become known. As such we say that the elevated thought is the thought that is distinguished by two attributes: Al-‘Umq (depth) and Ash-Shumool (comprehensiveness). Otherwise the thought would be low, declined or shallow. So for the Fikr (thought) to be elevated it is necessary for it to be deep in terms of the origin of things/matters, their formation and their source. It must also be comprehensive to cover all angles of the issue that is being studied. Therefore when we talk about the fundamental thought for revival we only mean by this the fundamental thought that can be an intellectual basis/leadership for elevated thought i.e. to study all matters with depth and comprehensively so that no matter is left from the study. This means that we study the human from his beginning according to his human description and his living with other than him of living creatures in this wide universe. And it is obvious in this case that the study of the individual (alone) would mean selfishness, that the study of the nation (Watan) would mean a decline in the level of the human and that the study of nationalism (Qawmiyah) would mean a lowering from the level that is fitting for the human as a human. Sufficing the study to manifestations would only mean shallowness in the study. The representation of this transition within the Ummah is revival (Nahdah) and this does not occur except with an ideology (Mabda’) in the case where according to what we have defined the ideology is a rational Aqueedah (Aqueedah Aqliyah) from which a system (Nizhaam) emanates.This is considering that the ideology is what treats matters/affairs and their understanding from the very beginning. It is a ‘Masdar Meemi’ (infinitive) taken from the word Bada’a (to begin) and the beginning from which before it there are no questions and the beginning of what? So our statement ‘Aqueedah’ defines and specifies this in terms of the Aqueedah being the comprehensive idea (Al-Fikrah Al-Kulliyah) about the universe, man and life as it deals with the beginning of this universe, life and humans and the establshment of their reality in terms of them being created by a creator or being eternal, and by explaining their relationship with the one who brought them into existence, i.e. what is before them, and specifying their relationship with what came after them. This matter establishes the reality of the elevated thought with its two attributes of depth and comprehensiveness. The depth explains their connection with their creator or that they are eternal (uncreated) whilst the comprehensiveness indicates that the study as included everything that is possible for the senses to fall upon. Therefore making this basis the fundamental thought and understanding it in this manner generates within man a specific manner of thinking and way of examining/viewing things and events. In this maner the like of this human becomes an elevated human or revived one.
This is what we believe and Islam has come with this and intended for us to be of this elevated level. Islaam is a rational Aqueedah: The Imaan in Allah is rational, the Imaan in the Qur’aan being the speech of Allah is rational, the Imaan in the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) is rational and Imaan in that which has come in the Qur’aan and the Messenger in regards to unseen matters or that which has come in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah in regards to the Ahkaam and systems, the origin of these have all been established by the mind (i.e. rationally). From the Kitaab and the Sunnah systems and laws emanate that cover all aspects of life and treat all human problems, and they have explained the method of applying and implementing these treatments. Similarly it has explained and made evident the method of carrying this ideology and bringing happiness to humanity upon its basis. It has treated the problem of the individual as an individual, the problem of a society as a society and state that takes care of the peoples affairs and looks to save mankind in its entirety.
Although Islam is a universal system, it is not part of its method to start working on
a universal scale towards its implementation. Islam should be propagated universally
while working to implement it must be confined to one or several countries until it
becomes firmly established. Once established, the Islamic State would naturally grow
until it encompasses all the Islamic countries. Then the state would propagate Islam
to the rest of the world, because the Islamic State must convey the Islamic da’wah as
an eternal and universal message for all mankind.
a universal scale towards its implementation. Islam should be propagated universally
while working to implement it must be confined to one or several countries until it
becomes firmly established. Once established, the Islamic State would naturally grow
until it encompasses all the Islamic countries. Then the state would propagate Islam
to the rest of the world, because the Islamic State must convey the Islamic da’wah as
an eternal and universal message for all mankind.
Despite the fact that Islaam is an international (universal) system with its Aqueedah, its system and its view towards man, it is however not part of its method to work for it in an international (universal) manner in respect to the Da’wah (invitation) towards it. It is an international (universal) Da’wah without doubt however the work for it must be focused in one of its regions and this region would be the Majaal (area) of its work and the work according to the methodology of Islaam would commence in it. This is by the founding of an aware Kutlah (structure) that will take upon its shoulders the responsibility of undertaking the burdens of the Da’wah until it reaches its aim. This is followed by the founding of a people or Ummah that accepts for these systems and rulings to be implemented upon them. This is then followed by arriving at a force/strength that is capable of placing these systems and rulings into the position of implementation. Then the Islamic State will be naturally established in that region, it will implement the rulings of Islaam, begin to join the regions of the Islamic world to it and carry the Da’wah to the world. This is the methodlogy of Islaam in relation to its existence and spreading in its consideration as an eternal universal human message.
Islamic lands are Muslims, the Da’wah must start there. Also, since the people in Arab
territories (being part of the Islamic world) speak Arabic, and since Arabic is an
essential part of Islam and its culture, the priority must be given to the Arab
territories. Furthermore, combining the power of the Arabic language with that of
Islam is necessary, because each has the ability to influence, expand and propagate.
Therefore, it is only natural for the Islamic State to be re-established in the Arab
territories, so that it will serve as a nucleus for the Islamic State which will encompass
all Islamic lands.
Though carrying the Islamic Da’wah in the Arab territories is necessary, it is also necessary for the Islamic Da’wah to reach out to the rest of the Islamic world.
Notwithstanding this, initiating the work in the Arab territories does not mean that no
work be done outside Arab territories before unifying the Arab territories in the
Islamic State. The work must be carried out in the Arab territories to re-establish the
Islamic State, then the State will grow and encompass the neighboring territories,
regardless of whether they consist of Arabs or not.
Yes, the world as a whole is suitable for the Islamic Da’wah however as the people in the Islamic lands still believe in the Islamic Aqueedah the Da’wah would commence amongst them for two reasons:
The first reason: To remind these Muslims that the establishing of Islaam in life’s reality, implementing its Ahkaam (rulings) and carrying it to the world is Fard (an obligation) upon them. That this Fard has been suspended due to the absence of the Khilafah and as such returning it is Fard. In addition there still remains in the Ummah many who have Taqwaa and fear Allah.
The second reason: That the Aqueedah of these Muslims still remains alive in their hearts although they it has been restricte to the spiritual Aqueedah. For this reason it is obligatory to begin with them to remind them of the Taqwaa (fear and obedience) of Allah and the obligation to work to return Islaam to the reality of life, to clarify the political Aqueedah in Islaam and to blend it with the spiritual Aqueedah in a way that prevents their separation to ever happen.
And in the case where the Arab lands are part of the Islamic lands and speak the Arabic language, and where the Arabic language is an essential (intrinsic) part of Islaam in its consideration as the language of the Qur’aan, and as a fundamental element from amongst the elements of the Islamic Thaqaafah (culture) whilst considering the Islamic culture as that which the Aqueedah has come with (i.e. the shari’ah texts, the Aayaat and Ahaadeeth) and that which the Islamic Aqueedah was the reason for its study like the sciences of the Arabic language, which leads to the consideration that the Arabic language is a fundamental element from amongst the elements of the Islamic culture, where it is not possible to understand that which the Aqueedah has come with in respect to the Aayaat and Ahaadeeth except with the Arabic language, then for this reasoning it is more appropriate to begin (the work) in the Arab lands. This is the first reason.
As for the other reason; then the beginning (of the Da’wah) happens where the person in whose mind the thought lit up as long as Islaam has not specified the starting point. Therefore had this idea lit up in the mind of one of the inhabitants of India or Persia then it would have started in the place that he was and would not be obliged to move with his Da’wah to the Arab lands. This is conditioned upon the Arab language being the only means to understand this Deen and this Da’wah. And it was necessary to blend the power potential of Arabic with the Islamic power potential so that the Arabic language is united with Islaam as Allah has intended and due to what they both possess in terms of the capability/potency to affect, expand and spread.
As for the potency of the Arabic Language to cause effect and impact; then this is due to the richness contained in its vocabulary that allows the reality to be illustrated in a precise manner that causes an effect and impact as a result. This is by capturing the incident or reality for the person in a way that he can see its true reality. And in the case where the language has put down seventy names for a lion, these names have conceived the lion in every circumstance or scenario and they are not expressions that hold the same meanings (synonyms). This ability and potency to illustrate the realities and events results in the most far reaching of effects. This is because the sensation of the person only comes from what he senses with one of his five senses of a certain thing. So we are not able to perceive the temperature of water except by touching it i.e. through sensation via the sense of touch. So the possibility of capturing the reality with worded expressions (Alfaazh) where it becomes an embodied reality in front of him that he can sense, touch, hear and smell, leads him to be able to conceive it as if it is actually in front of him. This capturing of the reality emblazes the feelings (Mashaa’ir) and stokes/fuels the sensations and as such it effects and impacts. So this is in regards to the angle of Ta’theer (impact/effect).
As for At-Tawassu’ (expansion); then this is due to what the Arabic language contains in terms of principles of Naht (origin), Ishtiqaaq (derivation) , Ta’reeb (Arabizing) and Tashbeeh (metaphor), which makes it expand to address all new arising matters, realities and incidents. The process of Ta’reeb (Arabization) means to take the new things along with their names that they have been named with and then making them submit to the rules of the Arabic forms hence the word becomes Arabic in form, and this is more than sufficient. And is not necessary to Arabize the meaning like some people believe and which many collectors of the Arabic language (dictionary compilers) have wasted a lot of time in doing. So for instance the word telephone remains Telifoon because it is upon Arabic form. It is not correct to express it with the meaning like the naming of it as ‘Haatif’ (Something that calls out). In this way the Arabic language remains with the potential accepting expansion to include all new matters that come in respect to names, worded expressions and meanings. Indeed the Qur’aan Al-Kareem has utilised this style. It is my belief that the Arabic language is the only language that preserves its originality in this Meezaan As-Sarfiy (the rules/principles of word formations) which distinguishes it from all other languages. And after subjecting this word or that to these rules (Al-Meezaan As-Sarfy) derivations of verbs can be made from these words in accordance to the same principles of Arabic derivation (Ishtiqaaq). So it is said: Talfana, yatalfanu, Talfanah for example and so forth with other words.
As for the Intishaar (spreading), then this is due to its connection and linkage to Islaam and the fact that it is the language of the Qur’aan which is not read accept in it and as such it is only natural for it to spread to every region that Islaam reaches. This is all in relation to the Arabic language i.e. in regards to the potency or power of Arabic. Therefore it should not be thought by anyone that the statement ‘At-Taaqah Al-Arabiyah’ (The power/potency of Arabic) means Arabs or Arabism. Rather what is intended by At-Taaqah Al-Arabiyah is the Arabic language and nothing other than that, and for it to mix and blend with the Taaqah AL-Islaamiyah (Islamic power/potency) which means making it the official (main) language of the Islamic Ummah and the (Islamic) State so that it will not be permitted to engage in any Mu’aamalah (societal transaction) unless it is in the Arabic language.
As for the Taaqah Islaamiyah (Islamic power/potency) and what it contains in terms of Ta’theer (effect/influence), At-Tawassu’ (expansion) and Intishaar (spreading) then it is as follows:
From the angle of Ta’theer (influence) we have already explained that it only attained and occurs from the embodying (full comprehension) of the realities, incidents and things in a manner that stirs the emotions of the one listening. It increases his attention and as such is affected by what he hears. Said in another way the emotions and feelings are addressed first and then the Hukm (ruling) is brought upon the reality that has already been addressed by way of the emotions and feelings attached to the reality. So when the bliss of Jannah is described and the good things that are within it in a way that takes the listener to that Jannah so that he lives within its shade, and when the punishment of Jahannum is described, the skin of the listener prickles with Goosebumps as if he can sense its flames. We can notice this in relation to many acts so that the understanding is brought near and the matter fully comprehended.
This is like statement of Allah (swt):
Recite to them the news, which gave him our signs Vanslkh them Votbah devil was of evildoers (175) If we wanted to we offered them, but went to the ground and follow the amateur Like the dog that carries him or leave him gasping breath
And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators.
And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. (Al-‘Aaraaf 175-176).
Or like His (swt)’s statement:
) Such as those who carried the Torah and then did not carry it like donkey carrying books like evil people who deny the revelations of God
The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah (Al-Jumu’ah 4).
How can someone be entrusted with the Qur’aan and then not take it with him?
Or like His (swt)’s statement:
O people, such as recited hit him that those who claim without God would not create Zbaba even met him but something does not rob them of flies Istnqdhuh than twice the student is required
O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and pursued (Al-Hajj 73)
Therefore in this manner it can be noticed that the intended purpose of these examples is to bring the concepts close to the mind, by way of metaphors, so that the reality can be embodied and fully comprehended within the mind of the listener so instigate within him in his sensations that which pushes him towards thinking.
As for the Tawassu’ (expansion), then it is well known that the texts have come with broad guidelines that have treated the fundamentals in the life of the human in terms of him being human. And from these broad guidelines treatments are deduced or extracted to all new matters realities and incidents that occur. And just as the new realities and incidents are always arising, similarly the deduced and extracted Ahkaam (rulings) keep pace with these realities and incidents. This means an extension of the Ahkaam coping in line with every new matter. And the texts that comprise these treatments and fundamental thoughts are Arabic texts encompassing Arabic styles and understanding them and deriving from them necessitates an understanding of the Arabic language in a manner that makes possible the comprehension of its Mafhoom (implied understanding), Mantooq (explicit understand) and Ma’qool (reasonable understanding). In this way the correlation with the capability of expansion is an inevitable matter.
As for the Intishaar (spreading); then it is an obviously known matter than Islaam has come addressing the mind of the human in respect to him being human and without any regard for his colour, race or place of living. The inevitable potential exists therefore for anyone to believe in it because it addresses his powers of reason. Due to this Islaam moves from one region to another and from one human to another in a natural manner. This is because the human remains a human whether he may be. We have witnessed how Islaam was able to spread in less than half a century to cover most of the parts of the known world at that time and in continued to spread with the movement of its sons whether by way of Al-Jihaad, trade or natural movements. We have also seen how Islaam was victorious even when its people were defeated and this happened when the Muslims were defeated by the Mongols and only after a short period the Mongols embraced Islaam and began to spread it is the Far East.
And we have also noticed or it is necessary for us to notice that when Islaam was carried mixed with the power or potency (Taaqah) of the Arabic language, that the lands that embraced Islaam with this mixing then became part of the Arabic lands like those of Ash-Shaam (Greater Syria), Iraq and North Africa. As for those lands in which Islaam was carried separated from the power of the Arabic these were not exposed to the same effect and this reflected a shortcoming from the Abbasids and the ‘Uthmaanis who came after them.
For this reason we state that it is necessary for the Taaqah Al-Arabiyah (Power of Arabic) to be mixed with the Taaqah Al-Islaamiyah due to the power of influence/effect, expansion and spreading that arises from their mixing. Also for these reasons it is only natural for the work to begin in the Arab lands and for the nucleus of the Islamic State to be established within the Arab lands. It will then proceed to make the remaining parts of the Arab and non-Arab lands join to it so that the unity of the Islamic world can be fulfilled in the form of one single state that carries Islaam to the world. However despite it being an inevitable matter that the work begins in the Arab lands, it is also inevitable that the Da’wah will reach the remaining Islamic lands and that work will be undertaken in them to unite the awareness (of the Ummah) upon the obligation of resuming the Islamic way of life and to prepare to be joined and incorporated into the body of the newly founded state which would include the usage of all possible styles that can be used to achieve this.
This is what we believe in terms of the obligation to bring a true revival that is established upon the basis of the Islamic Mabda’ (ideology) and this is by way of the thought that we have explained.
Meaning: A Takattul (party structure) that makes the Islamic ideology the fundamental thought that it goes forth with in the path of generating revival. This ideology with its thought and method is carried and invited to by this Takattul universally (to the whole world) however it works for it in the Arab lands mixing it with the power of the Arabic language until the establishment of the Islamic State is accomplished, then proceeds to combine the remaining Islamic lands to form one state and then carry Islaam to the world.
We have already stated that the real philosophy for revival (NahDah) is an ideology
that combines the idea and the method, and any group that undertakes serious efforts
towards revival must understand both.
Since this ideology (Islam) has now become clear, it is therefore possible to acquire
the proper understanding needed to establish the correct Hizbi structure. The
structure, which emanates from this correct understanding, will naturally be effective,
creative and progressive. The society should fully support this structure and carry its
burden, because this structure fully comprehends its idea, is aware of its correct
method, and understands its mission.
The true Philosophy for the Nahdah (revival):
The true philosophy for the revival, where philosophy means the fundamental thought, is the ideology that combines the thought and the method together. It is essential that this understanding is made clear to every Takattul that aims to go ahead with serious work that leads to revival.
And when we say a Mabda’ (ideology) that combines the thought and the method together after having already defined the ideology to be the rational (‘Aqliy) Aqeedah from which a system emanates, then the Fikrah of this Mabda’ is:
1) The Aqeedah of the Mabda’: Meaning the Imaan in Allah, His angels, books, Messengers and the Day of Judgment.
2) Mu’aalajaat (treatments/solutions): These are the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah that organise (regulate) the life of the human and the problems he has in it (For example: The Ahkaam of the ‘Ibaadaat, the Ahkaam of Al-Bai’ (trading) and the Ahkaam (rulings) of Az-Zawaaj (marriage)).
3) The carrying of the Da’wah: Conveying to the people and inviting them to embrace the Aqueedah (belief) of the ideology.
As for the Tareeqah: It is the Ahkaam that have explained the manner (way) of safeguarding the Aqueedah, the manner of implementing the Mu’aalajaat (treatments/solutions) and the manner of carrying the Da’wah.
In relation to safeguarding (Al-Muhaafazhah) of the Aqeedah: There are Ahkaam Shar’iyah that safeguard the Aqeedah, the most prominent of which includes the killing of the Murtadd and the Ta’zeer (discretionary punishment) for anyone who displays acts that are an offence or demeaning to the Aqeedah like taking the Aqeedah by way of Zhann (speculation) for example.
And the following applies to the implementation of the Mu’aalajaat (treatments/solutions):
The treatment of safeguarding the Nafs (Person/life): The way of safeguarding the Nafs (life) is by killing the killer or by Diyah (Blood money) and what is less than that in accordance to Al-Arsh (form of penalty) and Al-Qasaas (Law of retribution).
The treatment relating to safeguarding the human ‘Aql (mind): This is safeguarded by lashing the drunk and applying Ta’zeer upon the alcohol manufacturer, the one who transports it and sells it.
The treatment relating safeguarding what relates human procreation: This is safeguarded by lashing the Zaani or stoning or that which is less than that.
The treatment relating to safeguarding human reproduction itself: This is safeguarded by imposing Diyah upon the one who gets castrated, sterilized and the like.
The treatment relating to safeguarding human dignity: This is safeguarded by the lashing of the Qaadhif (propagator of false/slanderous accusations related to the woman’s honour) and (punishment) for other than this.
The treatment relating to safeguarding security: This is safeguarded by enforcing the killing or crucifixion or expulsion from the land for the one who causes corruption on the earth (i.e. highway/armed robbery).
Establishing Islam in the reality of life: By giving the Bay’ah to a Khalifah who is deputised on behalf of the Ummah in respect to implementation (of the Shar’iyah rulings).
As for the manner of carrying the Da’wah: Then the Shaari’ has explained many rulings related to this, at the top of which is Al-Jihaad and the organising of the foreign policy for the Islamic Ummah.
And when we say that it is necessary for every Takattul (party structure) to comprehend this then we mean by this: Any group that aims at generating the true revival. So the most obligatory and necessary matter for it to do is tounderstand the ideology with its Fikrah and Tareeqah (thought and method). This is so the thought is not taken without its method otherwise it would turn into philosophical fiction or imagination. So the thought is not taken in isolation to its method but rather it is necessary to tie and bind the thought and method together. Therefore if is known that the method to implement the Ahkaam (Islamic rulings) as a whole and in its details is the Islamic State, that the rulings of the Tareeqah in general can only be implemented by the State and that the majority of these rulings are prohibited for the individual to implement directly themselves, then the understanding (of these groups) have to encompass and include knowledge of the Islamic State. This includes knowledge such as: What is the Islamic State? What are its rulings and mandatory powers/functions in addition to everything that is included within its consideration as the method that implements the ideology? And it is not sufficient to understand the Fikrah (thought) alone but rather it is essential to understand the Fikrah in a clear manner just as the Tareeqah has to be understood. It is essential to understand the rulings that lead to the establishment of the Dawlah (State) considering them as rulings that are included within the Tareeqah (method) and part of them. This therefore means knowledge of the method leading to the formation of the Dawlah which is the Tareeqah (method) to implement the (Islamic) rulings.
In summary I say that this understanding must include the following:
1) Understanding the Ahkaam that treat/solve the problems of individuals and the relationships that exist between them.
2) Understanding the Ahkaam that treat the relationships of Muslims with others.
3) Understanding the Ahkaam that the State is established upon or that lead to its establishment.
4) Understanding the Ahkaam of the State and to have a blueprint laid down for it i.e. putting down a constitution for it.
5) Understanding the relationship of this State with other states.
6) Understanding the basis upon which the State was established for its sake, which is to apply Islaam internally and to carry it to the world.
7) Understanding that if they were to spread Islaam and restrict it to their sons in a general manner without their existing a State, then Islaam in this case would remain suspended in reality in regards to the:
a) Establishment of the Hudood.
b) Protection of the frontiers.
c) Taking care of the citizens affairs.
d) Carrying the Da’wah to the world via Al-Jihaad.
This is what we have meant and intended when we stated that it is essential for there to exist a previous understanding of the ideology for any Takattul that wants to revive the Ummah. This is what we therefore mean in regards to clarity in the Fikrah and Tareeqah and as we have stated one of the main causes for the failure in terms of structuring has come from a lack of clarity in the Fikrah and lack of clarity in regards to the Tareeqah. We have defined in relation to the Fikrah that which we want to and we have purified it from fluidity and oscillation in addition to distancing from it every thought that has not come from it in terms of restricting ourselves to the Ahkaam that have emanated from the Aqueedah whilst making these rulings clear and evident for all to see in regards to the linkage of every Hukm with its Daleel (evidence) that it has been deduced from.
After providing this clear and transparent explanation of the ideology and making it available to every sincere person who wishes to tread the path of revival, then we say that any Takattul that is established upon the likes of this clarity and understanding it must as a result be an effective (Mu’aththir)(influencing) Takatul. This would be reflected by its ability to bring its thoughts down upon the current reality whilst making clear to the Ummah the closeness of that reality or its distance from its Aqeedah and it is capable of moving the flames of Imaan within her.
Similarly it is necessary for the Takattul to be creative (Inshaa’iy) meaning that it follows the events and realities that occur within the Ummah whilst deriving for every incident a new Hukm that treats that reality. It elevates the Ummah in regards to its comprehension between the current reality and the reality that it wants to take her to. It elevates the shallow thinking within the Ummah to a deep thinking that does not stop at the mere apparent displayed reality of matters. Rather the Takattul studies the events, their causes and effects and how to treat them in an attempt to generate within the Ummah aspecific manner of thinking.
If the Takattul proceeds in this direction then it will become worthy of being embraced by the society as it will see that the Takattul is looking after its interests, aware of the conspiracies that are plotted against her and would take care of it and protect it if and when required. This is because the Takattul is aware of what it says so when it puts forth its thought it only does so in a completely clear manner by linking every Hukm with the Daleel that it has been deduced from and indeed it even explains the way that the Hukm was derived. It does this seeking for the Ummah to always ask about the Daleel (evidence) whether this relates to the thoughts, Ahkam (rulings) or opinions. So this Takattul does not desire to lead the blind and does not aim at this. Rather it wants an aware leadership and leading that has come from Wa’ee (awareness) and Baseerah (clear sight). Similarly when it discusses the method it displays its insight and awareness whether by showing how it has come in the Qur’aan and the Sunnah or by showing the understanding of the Prophetic Seerah of Al-Mustafaa.
It is therefore evident from the clarity of this vision and the understanding of the thought that the issue of this Takattul is understood by it and it has made it its vital issue, the issue of the Takattul being the revival of the Ummah and that this will not come except via the resumption of the Islamic way of lifewhich is not possible to achieve except by the establishment of the IslamicState.
However, merely understanding the ideology without establishing the structure is not
enough for a correct revival. The individuals within it must be suitable for this
structure, and the bond (RaabiTah) that binds the members must be correct and
productive. The suitability of the individuals is determined by the structure’s method
of binding its members to the Hizb (Tareeqat ur-rabT). In an ideological Hizb, the
method of binding individuals within the Hizb, is the individual’s absolute adherence
to the Aqeedah, and maturity in the Hizbi culture. Therefore, the suitability of any
person would be determined naturally through the individual being molded into the
Hizb when the Daw’ah interacts with him, and not through ceremonial or
organizational procedures. The bond, which binds these individuals in a group, is the
‘Aqeedah and the Hizb culture emanating from this ‘Aqeedah.
The above relates to the first basis of the Takattul and its course in the path of Nahdah (revival) i.e. in regards to the thought and method. As for the people who are responsible for this Takattul, their awareness, sincerity and the manner by which they are bound together then these are of no less importance to the clarity of the thought and method. Therefore it is necessary to examine the previous movements from this perspective.
Reviewing the movements which appeared in the last century, one finds that their
incorrect structures were a fundamental cause for their failure. Their structures were
not established on the basis of a Hizb that follows a correct understanding. Instead,
they were established either upon an organizational basis or a nominal party basis.
As a result of this examination we have found that the manner of the structuring of the movements that appeared in the last century was corrupted. This is because they were not established upon a Hizbi basis that understood its thought and its method. They were rather formed upon an associative basis or just a Hizb in name. The reason for this can be found by examining the reality of the society at their time and the way it was perceived by the people and what they thought about it. We can divide this into two stages: The stage that camebefore the fall of the Uthmaani State and the stage (or period) that followed that.
Prior to World War One, Muslims knew that they had the Islamic State. Despite its
weakness, decline and the diverse views towards it, the State remained the focus of
their thought and vision. Although the Arabs viewed it as being imposed upon them,
and that it suppressed their rights, they still looked at the Islamic State as their State,
and attempted to reform it with their hearts and minds. However, the Arabs did not
understand the nature of revival or its method. Thus, no structuring occurred
amongst them. This was the case with the majority of the Muslims in the Islamic
world.
As for the period before the fall of the State then the Muslims at that time felt that they had an Islamic State despite the weakness and worn down condition and regardless of their difference in viewing it and understanding its reality after the nationalistic thoughts found their way into the hearts of the people. As such the State remained (at that time) the subject of their study and the centre of their attention and thinking. Therefore the thinking of the people was based upon attempting to reform (correct) that State and each would do that in accordance to their view or vision. The Arabs viewed that the State had swallowed up its rights, oppressed them and treated them badly and this was especially as they believed that it was an Islamic State, that they were Muslims and that Islam does not distinguish between the Arab and ‘Ajamiy (non-Arab). However the presence of the nationalistic thought and its finding a way into the hearts made them view the State from the angle of bad treatment against them in respect to them being considered as Arabs rather than looking at it from the angle of the misapplication of Islaam. This was especially the case after the founding of Nationalistic parties (in Turkey) like Hizb ul-Ittihaad Wa-t-Taraqqi(Union and progress Party)who aimed in its policy and direction from the West to make all Arabs feel these feelings which was exemplified in their adoption of the Tatreek (Turkishization) policy and all that which was associated with it. The spreading of the likes of this idea was aided by the separation of the power of Arabic from the power of Islaam i.e. by not making the Arabic language the official language of the State. As a result, the activity of the politicians and thinkers from the Muslim sons of the Ummah (and particularly Arabs) was directing towardsdemanding reforms (corrections), or just in fair treatment and equality. The likes of this idea spread like wild fire in the breasts of the people under the slogans of: ‘Freedoms, justices and equalities’ whilst hiding a lot of what lay behind them. This all indicates the ignorance of those responsible for this in respect to the revival and achieving it.
By this time, the foreign culture had already invaded Islamic lands. As a result, the
colonialists managed to attract a number of Muslims and recruited them to establish
groups within the Islamic State that were based on the notions of independence and
separation. The colonialists attracted a number of Arabs and gathered them in Paris
to form a bloc to fight the Ottoman State under the guise of Arab independence. The
foreign culture and thoughts, along with patriotic and nationalist emotions, introduced
by the colonialists, were the main forces that brought the Arabs together. With their
thoughts and emotions united, they were brought together by the same process of
thought, which in turn led to a unified aim — independence of the Arabs, since the
Ottoman State disregarded their interests and allowed itself to oppress them and
suppress their rights. This unified aim served as a means of gathering a nominal party,
which led to the Arab revolt, and resulted in the spread of Kufr and Colonialism over
the Islamic countries, especially the Arab countries. The purpose of these parties
ended at that point, and they shared the spoils of their efforts by being appointed as
rulers of some Islamic countries and agents of Colonial powers.
This was the situation of the majority of the Muslims. However at this very time and indeed since the failure of the crusader’s military campaigns, the West continued to think of different styles to fight the Muslims and indeed to fight Islaam. Therefore they resorted to the culturalcampaign and this was especially because the ‘Uthmaani State was most concerned withmilitary strength and did not pay attention to the intellectual aspect existing amongst the people and within the society. This was either the result of ignorance or as a result of being engaged throughout the previous century in continuous wars with the entire world as it was at that time. Despite this nothing from the reality changed and there was one result for both cases. The Islamic world began to deteriorate further into the depths of decline until it reached the levels of ignorance that it reached. This reality made it easier for the cultural invasionwhich came under the guise of medical assistance at times or missionary work at times, whilst at other times it came under the guise of cultural assistance like in the form of printing machines for example amongst others. These were all accompanied with the poisonous calls of nationalism, calls for independence and separation/secession amongst other calls. This is what was happening inside the lands, as far externally then the Europeans had opened the doors of their universities to the sons of the Muslims under the pretext of (sharing) knowledge/science. The truth however was that this was really a programme for brainwashingand a way of transferring the western thought and culture until they were able to prepare a collection of young men who work joined together upon a shared goal. This goal was ‘independence’ and ‘separation/secession’. France and Britain were able to establish from these students party structures (Takattulaat) that gathered together upon this goal and objective and they began to convene meetings in London and Paris whilst Britain and France supervised them in everything that they did. A number of Takattulaat (party structures) then arose in the Arab lands that called for one single goal which was independence from the ‘Uthmaani State. They continued until they were able to create a public opinion for this goal that aided them to achieve the fulfilment of their objective. In fact and in reality this led to the existence of the Arab revolution. Its result was the destruction of the Khilafah and the strengthening of the disbeliever’s foothold to expand their influence and exploits over the Muslim lands.
Therefore we say that this grouping was able to assist the West in establishing a specific thought which was the thought of independence and to build upon this a specific culture which was the Western culturenb whilst uniting everyone upon a goal which was the establishment of an Arab State and remove the hegemony, oppression and tyranny that according to their opinion the Arab peoples had suffered under. So it was upon this basis there were Takattulaat Hizbiyah (party structures) in name and I mean that they formulated the fundamental elements of the Takattul. However they were vague bases or semi-vague despite being capable of uniting between their thoughts and emotions with a Western culture and the feeling of spite against the ‘Uthmaani State due to the oppression and upon nationalistic thoughts and patriotic emotions that were unified upon a single goal which brought those people together. For this reason they were Party Structures in name.
After destroying the Islamic State, the colonialists took control of the Islamic lands,
by directly ruling the Arab countries, and extending their influence over the entire
Islamic world. They physically occupied the Arab countries and established a foothold
in every part of the Arab world through covert and malicious styles and means. The
most effective of these styles and means were the colonialist culture, money and their
agents
And then when the West had achieved its aim through the existence of these structures and parties it shared the spoils of war, the distribution of positions and chairs amongst them in addition to appointing its people as rulers for the Ummah who would manage the Ummah and shape her in accordance to the plans that the West had drawn out for her.
And this stage of the life of the Ummah ended with this painful result that we are still to this day suffering from.
As for the second stage which is the stage that occurred after the first world war and the destruction of the Khilafah then it has been characterized by a completely different trait than the first stage. So structures and political parties came into existence that differed completely from those that preceded them in relation to their ideas and objectives despite not differing from them in the structural perspective. They remained upon the same model and they did not take into account a singles basis from the bases that we discussed previously. So they remained upon their general invitations, stumbling in their method (Tareeqah), people took over responsibility of their affairs despite not being of the level required to undertake them whilst immediate and selfish interests joined them together. As such the disease remained in both of these stages. This is in addition to this stage or period being characterised by the disbelieving domination (hegemony) and direct control over the State and the Ummah. They began to implement their system whether directly or by way of their men who they had appointed as rulers over the Ummah. They attempted to build a society and Ummah upon thebasis that they viewed fit by making their Aqueedah, culture and view point in life the basis upon which the society is built which was done in a blatant and dirty way sometimes and undercover and hidden at other times using money and agents to achieve their aims.
The foreign culture had the greatest effect in establishing and maintaining the colonial
influence. It contributed greatly towards obstructing the revival, and towards the
failure of all the movements, organisations and parties that attempted to revive the
Ummah. Such a pervasive effect occurred because of the impact that culture has upon
the thinking of the human being, which directs his life. The colonialists implemented
educational and cultural curricula based upon a firm philosophy, which reflected their
outlook on life - the separation of matter from spirit and religion (deen) from state.
The colonialists made their personality as the sole basis of our culturing (thaqafah).
They also made their culture (HaDarah), concepts, people, history and lifestyle the
primary source of our thoughts. As if this was not enough, the colonialists would
intentionally distort their personalities and present them as models for us. They would
selectively choose certain aspects and concepts, and emphasize them, while concealing
the true face of Colonialism, again using malicious means. They even intervened in
the minute details of the curricula, to ensure that not even a slight deviation would
occur from this general policy. As a result, the Muslims were educated with a corrupt
culture, which taught us how others think, making us incapable of learning how to
think. This was because our thought was separated from our environment, our
personality and our history, and was not derived from our ideology. Thus, we became
(as intellectuals) individuals, alienated from the people, and unaware of our situation
and its needs.
Consequently, the emotions of the intellectuals became separated from
their thoughts, and the intellectuals themselves became separated from the Ummah
and its emotions. Naturally, a thought, severed from emotions, or devoid of them,
would fail to achieve a correct understanding of the situation and the needs of the
Ummah. Nor would it lead towards a correct awareness of the method for revival.
Moreover, such a foreign thought would naturally fail to lead towards a correct
structure, arising from a correct understanding, because it is a foreign thought carried
by a person with Islamic emotions. The effect of the foreign culture was not limited
to the intellectuals. In fact, the thought of the entire society became separated from
its emotions due to the influence of the foreign culture, complicating the problems of
society even more. Hence the challenge of revival facing the correct Hizb structure
multiplied in comparison to what it was before World War One.
And as a result of the Kaafir comprehending fully the effect of culture and its thoughts upon human behaviour and so they concentrated most of their efforts upon this aspect to the extent that they did not leave an area from the fields of culture and knowledge except that their viewpoint in life was made the basis for it. And it is known that the culture is: A collection of knowledges that the human attains by way of indoctrination/prompting or by being informed followed by taking note and derivation. And built upon that culture the Aqliyah (mentality) of the human is shaped by which he understands matters and events in a specific way i.e. the manner in accordance to which he uses criteria and principles to measure matters. If these principles and criteria are the same principles and criteria that they have impressed upon our cultured/educated people then it is inevitable that a generation will arise that thinks in the way that the controlling Kaafir wants. In this way they would have built a society upon the way and path that they desired as the product and result of this thinking will shape the concepts by which the behaviour of the people and their actions in life will proceed in accordance with.
And in order to achieve this aim they (the West) made their principles, criteria and bases (i.e. their philosophy and viewpoint in life) that which are returned to in the process of thinking. This is summarised in the statement: Separating the material from the spirit and separating the Deen from the Dawlah (state). This means making the people and cultured/educated people specifically believe in their Aqueedah in an underhanded way so that they do not perceive that this Aqueedah is an Aqueedah of Kufr strengthening this with the slogan: ‘The Deen belongs to Allah and the nation belongs to all’ and that the Deen is the relationship between the individual and his creator. As for the regulation of the relationships existing between the people and regulating the life in society then these matters are handled by the thinkers from amongst the people. They would use the statement of the Messenger (saw): <You are more aware of your Dunyaa (worldly/life matters)>> and that these matters are affairs of the Dunyaa and not affairs of the Deen.
This is the basis upon which the education curricula were based as the educational curricula had to be extracted from this principle or be built upon this basis. This was in addition to making their (western colonial) personality the basis from which culture is taken. All this means that we would look at and view realities and events just as the westerner would including how he would treat and deal with matters, how he would interact with incidents and events in addition to how he would take stances and positions in relation to a certain issue. So freedom for instance is the cornerstone in relation to the behaviour of the individual and as such it is not permitted to prevent anybody from any manner of acting. Therefore free speech, freedom of belief and personal freedoms are sanctified matters to the westerner and it would then become inevitable for us (also) to sanctify them. Look at how the world has become dominated by these principles and bases and as such it is necessary for the cultural books to contain within them hundreds of examples about the like of these realities and how they were treated and dealt with. Similarly the books of history and geography had to be comprised of their history and it was necessary to study history, the beginning of their revival and the bases upon which their civilisation was built, beginning from the 13 century and what they call the Magna Carta (the document that restricted the mandatory powers of the king). It was necessary for them to lay down all of this in the heart of historical matters which explains the extent of the effectiveness upon the Ummah and the people in terms of when they decide any matter. Similarly they made the French revolution the guiding light and the words of Abraham Lincoln the standard for all nations. In addition they their language the official language of the state splitting lessons between this language and Arabic. They also made any job positiondependent on the job seeker’s knowledge of the foreign language so in addition to the foreign language becoming the means to a job and a living it also became a symbol of progress and being civilised. As a result you would even find the illiterate person attempting to memorize afew foreign words as if he wanted to be elevated by them. This was so that he could be labelled as being cultured and he would be measured in terms of how cultured he was by the amount of words that he had memorised and even if this person was an ‘Aalim, Faqeeh and Khateeb in the large Masaajid as this status did not suffice him from needing to possess some of knowledge of the foreign language. As for the geography of the foreigner’s land then it was only natural that they would be provided with enough knowledge and that specific books would be given to them that would explain the foreign lands to them and what they contained in terms of goodness and characteristics that made them distinguished in addition to the climate that Allah had provided them with which had a big effect upon the dispositions of its people. This would reach the extent that they would say that the colder lands make its inhabitants more intelligent, quick to act and consistent in their work and efforts. This was in contrast to the hot countries as the people there were distinguished by idleness, laziness and sick dispositions. We then started to repeat these statements and conclusions as if they reflected a true reality that had been revealed by the Qur’aan Al-Kareem and we began to have more knowledge about the goodness these lands contained than knowledge we had about our own lands and environment. Indeed we began to attain more knowledge about their lands than even they possessed which led to some believing that Allah had bestowed these blessings upon them and naturally favoured these people over all others. This was some of what the Kaafir paid special attention and strove to fill our minds with and if we wanted even more than this then it was necessary to study Greek philosophy and Roman and French law. It was also necessary to become knowledgeable of their great stars within the field of philosophy beginning with Socrates and ending with Descartes in addition to their personalities in the fields of literature, poetry and music etc...
In addition to this underhanded deliberate attempt to provide a shining image of its personality they also made the claim that it only fought against the ‘Uthmaani State because it was anoppressive despotic State that wanted hegemony over other peoples in order to suck theirblood. They only came to rid the world of these evils and that they were supporters of the weak and downtrodden peoples and helper to the poor nations in addition to being the teacher and culture of people. That they did not come to our lands except to remove the oppressionand suppression from us firstly and then secondly to teach us how we can go on to rule ourselves and only guides us to that which is good for us and in our interest. They would then establish with us relations of mutual affection and respect and after that return to where they had come from. They did not covet anything that we had but rather they would spend money and exert efforts, and bring in scholars and experts so that we could revive. Therefore they rushed to build schools, learning institutions and hospitals in every city, town, village and district. This made the general public and indeed the public opinion as a whole look to them with a high and glorified status and made them the high example that it was necessary for the people to follow. This was particularly the case at the time when the society was at the end of its decline and when ignorance in the society has spread over the land. This was in addition to the corrupt economic situation which was the result of many causes including the engaging of the State in continuous wars, ineffective administration, misapplication of the system, arbitrary taxes arising from corruption in the system and rampant unemployment. In addition to this were causes that were outside of their control like drought and natural shortages that continued for many years which led to famine in many of the lands. And when the disbeliever came to the lands whilst being aware of what the people were suffering from, they attempted to lessen and lighten these crises with actions which appeared on the outside to be with good whilst in reality inside they were designed to make the people accept them and to prefer them to those who had been in authority before them. An example from these underhanded actions was the granting of financial rewards to those who did well in certain areas or acts. So if a farmer did well in his harvest he would be granted a financial reward and the one who made the foundations of the earth so that the binds are not washed away would be given a financial reward. Whilst the one who treated his donkey bad and overburdened it with what was beyond its capacity would be penalised just as the farmer who did not treat his injured camel would be fined. This applied to a number of realities that were eye-catching and areas which had the greatest effect upon the Ummah to impress her. In this way the Kaafir was able to hide his true face and in its place portray the face of the one who has come as a saviour bringing goodness wherever he may be.
The subject and issue of education curricula and programmes remains an affront to those who are responsible for it until this day and the face of colonialism still remains hidden behind it or even it appears in a clear and prominent way sometimes. The Kaafir has been dominant in setting these curricula to make sure that no part is left from it and found it necessary to examine every detail of it whether it was large or small and this was because of the effectthat culture has in the lives of people. Then if they fail to produce generations that carry their Aqueedah and who believe in that which they believe in, then in the least they would have brought generations who were ignorant, with conflicted minds without an intellectual basis or specific method of thinking. As a result these generations would remain a fertile soil to sow their culture and to be directed in the direction that they desire for them and even if they (eventually) wanted to release their grip after realising their true objective. They would be the ones who draw out for them the path of struggle so that they would fall once again under their grip albeit in a new or different form.
The issue after World War One is no longer how to revive the Islamic society, rather, it is how toharmonize
the thoughts with the emotions amongst the intellectuals, in addition to generating
harmony between the individuals (especially the intellectuals) and the society. The
intellectuals became fascinated with the abstract foreign thought, which was devoid of
emotions. This led them to feel alienated from the society, to scorn it, to distance
themselves from it and to face it with apathy. It caused them to develop an attachment
to the foreigners, to respect them, approach them and pay more attention to them,
even though they were colonialists. Therefore, the intellectuals could not understand
the situation of the society except by imitating the foreigners in their understanding
of their own situation. The educated individual, when he spoke of revival, could not
think of anything that would revive the Ummah except the emulation of the
foreigners. Thus, the emotions of the intellectuals were not motivated by the ideology,
but by feelings towards the homeland and the people, which were the wrong sources
of motivation. Consequently, they would not even revolt properly, nor would they
sacrifice fully for the sake of the people. They would neither feel the situation that
surrounded them based upon a specific thought, nor would they perceive the needs of
the people. If we assume that they would revolt and call for revival, this would be a
reaction for their personal interests, or an imitation of other peoples revolutions.
Therefore, such a revolt would soon vanish, either when their interests would be
secured, or when their ego would be satisfied, or once this revolution would clash with
their own interests or cause them harm.
Some of the results of the planting of the disbeliever’s culture in the Muslim lands
The result of planting the Kaafir’s culture in the Muslim lands was the following:
The public opinion and the cultured/educated people:
1) As for the public opinion (Ar-Ra’yu-l-‘Aamm): Many incorrect concepts have dominated over it that has led to the condition in the society of the separation of the thought from the feeling. So this society that believes in the Islamic Aqeedah is dominated by feelings that it is anIslamic society and its sensations and emotions are upon the basis of Islam. We find that it regurgitates the concepts of democracy and calls for the implementation of democracy and freedom, or justice, equality and socialism amongst other thoughts of Kufr (disbelief). So sometimes they call for nationalism whilst at other times they call for patriotism and regionalism. This is despite being a committed Muslim believing in his Aqeedah with complete Imaan. How often is that you discuss with these people in an attempt to bind their statements with their feelings or sentiments and you ask him if he would accept that his daughter marries a Christian or Jew or even atheist?! You would see him erupt in repulsion because his sentiments remain Islamic in nature. If you were to ask him if he would accept that hisdaughter moves from one young man on to another to enjoy her freedom?! He would erupt once again. If you then go on to ask him how he accepts the application of the law that protects the rights and freedoms of the fornicator?! He will be silent! Therefore in every issue from amongst the Shar’iyah issues that he believes in he will not accept any attack or encroachment upon it whilst at the same time he calls for the very opposite of it. This is a simple example that clearly demonstrates the separation between the thought and the feelingwhich applies to the general masses within the society.
2) As for the Muthaqqifeen (Educated/cultured people): The separation between the thought (Fikr) and the feeling (Shu’oor) amongst them is even more evident and clearer. Indeed these are those who have assisted in generating this flaw amongst the masses and in the public opinion. They are the result and product of this culture that we have discussed previously above and so their ‘Aqliyah (mentality) has been built upon an Aqeedah which differs from their Aqeedah. They have learnt how others think whilst they have not learnt how they themselves must think. This is because the method of thinking that they took was the same as the disbeliever’s method of thinking and the principles and bases by which realities and events are evaluated were the principles and bases that they studied and they were learnt from their Thaqaafah (culture). It was therefore only natural that the intellectual product represented in them would emanate from those bases and principles. For this reason their thinking was like the thinking of others and not as they should think as Muslims as they did not make the Islamic Aqeedah the fundamental basis for thought and they did not take their history, reality and environment as measurements that they would return to and evaluate the realities and events. Therefore they became incapable of being real thinkers and became in their description as thinkers and cultured people strangers to their society and far away from the reality of its problem and unaware of its needs. Their feelings as such became completelydetached from their thoughts and mentality as in their feelings they are part of the society whether they like it or not. The problems of this society are the problems that they are suffering from between them and themselves and the needs of this society are the same needs that they have. However in their thinking upon these bases they naturally became strangers to the Ummah and strangers to their feelings and sensations. A group naturally became unable to discern the Ummah’s issue and did not understand the situations that existed in the lands. They were not able to comprehend revival and the way that leads to its achievement. So if you found from them someone who wanted to move towards the revival you will see that his activity would not be able to lead to the establishment of a sound structure that is preceded and based upon a correct understanding of Nahdah and this is because the one who does not have something cannot give it to others (Faaqid Ash-Shay Laa Yu’teeh).
This is the reality that existed following the disbeliever’s occupation of the Muslim lands and the result of what we have reached due to the hegemony and domination of the disbelievers over us and their directing of the public opinion and their enforcement of their education curricula. So the problem facing those who desire to rectify and revive the Ummah from the tyranny it lives under became more complicated. So in the case where the problem was initially the revival of the Muslim society upon the basis of the Islamic Aqeedah it has now become more complicated. This is because it has now become necessary to remove theschizophrenia within the personality and bring harmony between the thought of the Ummah and its sentiments or feelings. And to generate harmony between the thought of the educated and cultured with their feelings in addition to establishing harmony between the Ummah and its sons from amongst the educated people who have become alien to them. Yes indeed they have become alienated from them and the reason for that is due to these educated people dedicating themselves to the foreign thought, even if it is empty of its sentiments, which has led them to feel that they are strangers and alien to the society. Indeed they have even begun to sneer at the society and view it in contempt whilst living isolated from it and resentful to the life that is attached to this society. You will see them whenever any economic, social or political problem strikes returning to Europe is they are able and if this is not possible they remain bemoaning and lamenting. You see that they do not care about that which afflicts the society in terms of pestilence and calamities if they are not already watching in a miserable state. And we can see in front of our eyes today the extent of the people’s desire to emigrateand go to these foreign lands and to leave their lands and societies whilst complaining of the bad political, economic or socials situations whilst not being concerned with that which theUmmah is suffering from in terms of calamities, disasters and general realities in which political oppression dominates and their rulers are tied to the foreigners and working with them.
The infliction has become widespread now and after the issue being restricted to the educated and cultured people it has now become a reality of the general masses. So you see an entirefamily emigrating to Germany, Sweden, Austria or other places within the European lands. This is from one angle and from another the respect of the foreigner within the breasts is noticeable whether this has come from the poison that is carried in the media or from what comes from meeting him in the streets, shops, homes or any other area of life. It as if meeting with him or conversing with him alone earns that person a high standing. This is also not restricted to the educated and cultured people but rather goes beyond them to include the general public.
Oeptgon have pride, the pride of God all
Are they seeking honour with them? For verily the honour belongs to Allah in its entirety (An-Nisaa 139).
Are they seeking honour with them? For verily the honour belongs to Allah in its entirety (An-Nisaa 139).
This is the condition of the society and the condition of the educated or cultured people. How is it possible for those in this state and condition to envision the situations within their lands, understand their true realities and know how it is possible to revive them? So when he regards the situations within his land he only does so in a way that is an imitation to how the foreigner views these situations. He is unable to distinguish between his land that lies under the rule of colonialism and its direction and the colonial land in which its best rules and strives to expand its control and influence over others. If a discussion is initiated about revival and the styles and paths to move with the Ummah to a better situation, they repeat the phrases that have been dictated to them. So you find him saying that the disease of the society is poverty, ignorance and disease. This is what has been said to him so he repeats this and states that the reasons or causes of backwardness that we suffer from lies in the curbing of freedoms and the lack of applying democracy and socialism. He pays lip service to imperial and reactionary worded expressions without being aware of their real meanings and indications. As for the sensations then he does not move upon the basis of the ideology where I have not said that he does not know of an ideology as he moves for the sake of ideology. I will now provide a simple example of this reality: The town of Ar-Ramthaa in Jordan is only a few kilometres away from the town of Dar’aa in Syria and they both belong to the same ancestral people and tribe in origin. However if a town in Syria like Latakia was attacked by the Jews for example then the sentiments of the people of Ar Ramthaa do not move towards this place whilst the sentiments and feelings of the people of Dar’aa flare up. If on the other hand Israel attacked Ar-Ramthaa this would not shake the feelings of the people of Dar’aa and vice versa. If on the other hand the aggression was against Turkey, Indonesia or another Muslim land then the issue will not concern them greatly. And there is even worse than this as an aggression of the disbelievers against the nation or people could stir the feelings and move the sensations whilst an attack upon the Mabda’ (ideology) does not bother them. Even when they are stirred for the sake of the nation or people there revolution is not asound one and their sacrifices are not complete. And if we were to examine the revolutions that activated and moved the Ummah after colonialism enforced its subjugation upon the land then we would not find a single revolution that was fully aware of the situations or circumstances that were present or existing. Despite there being sincere revolutions from amongst them due to the lack of awareness in relation to what they desired to achieve anddue to lacking a true sensation in regards to the need of the people, all of these failed As for the uprising movements that called for revival, these were reactions to a shock that happened or to a decision that had been made or due to an interest of theirs being hit or in imitation to other nations and peoples that they had seen. Therefore this revolution would not last long before disappearing either due to the fading away of the effect of the shock when the enthusiasm dies down or through bleeding out the enthusiasm through screaming and shouting or by expressing himself by throwing a rock, insulting an official or chanting a slogan amongst other childish acts. Or it could disappear as the result of being given an employment that is fitting to his stature in the society or by his appointment in an institution that pleases him or by providing him with a delegation or interest that brings him a certain benefit or profit. The revolution could also clash with his egoism or his interest when he feels a danger upon his interest or self or that a harm could befall upon him like imprisonment for example and as a result he takes a permanent break. Indeed it is even possible for one of them to become a pillar of the standing regime and its supporter or become a spy against those who stood by his side in the revolution.
The correct structure cannot be built from such individuals, before generating
harmony between their thoughts and emotions, by culturing them from the beginning
with an ideologically correct culture - the Islamic culture. Taking them through this
culturing process requires that each one of them assumes the role of a beginner
(student), whose mind has to be reshaped anew. After generating harmony in the
individual, the next task would be to generate harmony between the individual and the
society. Had it not been for the foreign culture, the problem of reviving the society
would be much easier.
Whoever is in this condition cannot possibly establish upon it a sound Takattul as he is not qualified or suitable to take on the responsibility. Therefore it is necessary that he is treated fundamentally by generating harmony between his thought and feelings firstly by culturing him with a sound ideological culture. And this means that the harmony between the thought and the feelings only comes about by the feelings emanating from the Aqeedah so that it represents an intellectual sensation and real (true) feelings. This is because when the thought becomes focused in the person feelings and sensations inevitably emanate from it that are in harmony with that thought which is focused in the person. And there is absolutely no stronger thought than the one that has a fundamental principle that can be built upon like the Aqeedah. The process of culturing him with this culture is not an easy process where he is merely prompted with knowledge and concepts that do not have a real effect upon him. Rather it is necessary to assume that he is empty of any thought and then proceed to shape his Aqliyah (mentality) from anew in other words a specific manner of thinking needs to be established in him. This is by establishing in him a complete conviction with a collection of principles andcriteria (measurements) that emanate from or are built upon his Aqeedah. This is on condition that obscurity and vagueness is removed from him related to the thoughts of the Aqeedah and what is attached to them in terms of blurriness. This is so that his Aqeedah becomes Yaqeeniyah (certain) and the thoughts that are attached to it become real and truthful and honest which naturally and inevitably leads to a true sensation and feelings that are in line and harmony with the Aqeedah. And in this way the harmony between his thought and feelings is achieved and from there he moves to the next stage of bringing harmony between him and his society.
As for the subject of bringing harmony between him and the society, then the clarity of the concepts and thoughts that emanate from this Aqeedah make him believe that he is anindividual from this Ummah and a member from amongst the members of this society. Similarly concepts emanate from the Aqeedah that make it inevitable for him to take part in the work to revive this Ummah and to work to elevate her. This is done by explaining the texts that the Aqeedah has come with such as the statement of the Messenger of Allah (saw): <<Whoever spends a night and was not concerned for the affair of the Muslims then he is not from them>> which is one of many texts that provide this meaning and which oblige the work to revive the Ummah. In this way the solution to the problem of reviving the society is made eased and had it not been for the foreign culture and the people who had been imprinted with it, the revival would not have been as burdensome as it is right now.
Thus, it is impossible for a correct Hizbi structure to coexist in society with this foreign culture. Nor is it possible for the correct Hizbi structure to emerge on the basis of this foreign culture.
This is in relation to the two matters that we have discussed which are the Fikrah (thought) and Tareeqah (method) and their lack of clarity and their affect upon the society, in addition to the manner of binding between the members of this Takattul.
This is in relation to the two matters that we have discussed which are the Fikrah (thought) and Tareeqah (method) and their lack of clarity and their affect upon the society, in addition to the manner of binding between the members of this Takattul.
So how is it possible to found a correct Takattul upon this corrupted reality in respect to the not understanding the thought and the method or in the very least the misunderstanding of the thought and the method? Sometimes the matter was restricted upon a general thought, unifying the aim and nothing more. As for the people and the method of binding, then we have explained the kind of people who were the intellectuals or cultured people of the Ummah and the kind of society in which the foundations upon which it is established had been destroyed.
For this reason it is impossible to bring a correct Takattul in the presences of this foreign culture or to bring a correct Takattul upon the basis of this culture in addition. This means that in the presence of this culture in the society and the distortion of the people’s concepts about life within it, that the existence of a correct Takattul within such a society that has separatedits thought from its feelings would not occur. In addition the presence of this culture is not suitable for the establishment of a Takattul upon its basis as the culture is in opposition to theAqeedah of the Ummah and the pure values that she still holds centrally attached to her Imaan.
The colonialists were not content with the mere implementation of their culture. They
also poisoned the Islamic atmosphere with several political and philosophical ideas
and opinions, which corrupted the correct view-point held by the Muslims. Thus, the
Muslims’ thoughts in all aspects of life became confused, which caused their alertness
to lose its natural focus. The colonialists turned every attempt of awakening the
Muslims into a muddled and confused movement, which resembled the convulsions
of a wounded animal as it approaches its inevitable death. This crippled movement,
therefore ended in stagnation, desperation and defeat. The colonialists exploited the
fact that their personality had become the focus of culture and attention in the
political aspects. They made the seeking of foreign assistance, as well as dependence
upon them, the focus of contemporary politicians, who viewed politics as a career,
rather than a responsibility. Therefore, most of the groups attempted unconsciously
to seek foreign help. Those who sought the assistance of foreign states did not realize
that any such help, and advocating any idea of dependence upon the colonialists,
regardless of their origin, would mean that they are contaminated by foreign poison,
and it would constitute a betrayal to the Ummah, even if the intention was good. They
did not realize, that linking our cause with any other people would constitute political
suicide. Therefore, any movement whose thought was poisoned with the idea of
relying upon or advocating foreign assistance was doomed to failure.
The colonialist did not find this culture enough by itself but rather worked to corrupt the general atmospheres and poison them with certain thoughts and philosophical and political opinions. Through these they corrupted the viewpoint of the Muslims and corrupted the Islamic atmosphere and caused clear confusion amongst the Muslims in different areas of life.
As for the poisoning of the atmosphere with thoughts and philosophical and political opinions they corrupted the correct viewpoint of the Muslims. They spread the principle: ‘The changing of the rulings with the changing of the times is not rejected’, the thought: ‘That which does not go against Islaam is from Islaam’, the thought: ‘The Deen is to Allah and the nation is to everyone’, the thought: ‘Politics is fraud and deceit’, the thought: ‘Islaam has prohibited political parties (Ahzaab)’, the thought: ‘The rulers are a reflection of you’ in addition to other thoughts and opinions like: ‘Democracy is from Islaam or in the least is not in opposition to Islaam’ and similar statements about ‘Freedom’ using the statement of ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab (ra) when he said: ‘When did your despotism against the people arise from when their mothers had given birth to them as free people?!’. This is in relation to the poisoning of the atmospheres and the corrupting of the viewpoint. As for causing confusion in the thought then thoughts that were spread included the like of: ‘Jihaad is a defensive war’, ‘Islaam did not initiate the declaration of war but rather it was only in protection’, ‘Democracy is Shuraa’, ‘Shuraa is the ruling system (in Islaam)’, ‘Zakaah is the economic system in Islaam’, ‘The way of righteousness is the return to Allah’, ‘Reform yourself and the society will be reformed’or ‘The individual, the family and then the society’. The statements even reached the extent of: ‘Going to the just disbeliever for judgement and accepting his rule is permissible and indeed it is better than the rule of the unjust Muslims’. Some of the helpers of the disbelievers like Muhammad Abduh gave Fatwaa declaring the halting of Al-Jihaad and the obligation of assisting the British State against its enemies because it represents the closest of nations to Islaam and because it is a just nation and as such helping them is obligatory. This is in addition to the thoughts of independence and liberation in which the people were pushed toundertake actions that the disbelieving occupier was (easily) able to control and direct towards the direction that it desired. As long as the centre of attention of the Ummah has been distanced and lost her ability to envisage her own issue and whilst the idea of establishing the Islamic State has been distanced from her, then in this situation it was necessary to busy the Ummah with itself and push her into actions that would drain what she possessed of enthusiasm and zeal so that it would move like an slaughtered animal that that does not have to wait long until all of its strength, vitality and life would be completely lost. Anexample of this was the declaration of war against the European bowler hat and removal of the foreign troops so when the Ummah rushed into the likes of this direction the bowler hat disappeared behind the headdress and the headband whilst the Muslim soldier or policeman was delegated to implement what the English wanted to be implemented on their behalf.
By making the disbelievers personality the high example for the Muslims and due to thecompetition between the disbelievers to drain the blood of the Muslims, seeking help from the disbeliever became a natural matter and consequence and indeed it became (in their eyes) and essential indispensable) matter. The French took up aiding the Palestinians in their revolution whilst the English did the same in respect to the Syrians and Lebanese in their revolution and so on. It became a matter of certainty for the politicians that they were unable to achieve any goal or any objective without relying upon the foreigner’s help. It was as seeking help and reliance upon the disbeliever had become a ruling from amongst the rulings of the (Shar’iy) method! This was exactly the same as the propaganda stating that it is not possible for a person to become a Minister, parliamentary member or authority in a large company unless he was a Free Mason. This then drove the people who held ambitions to look into free masonry and its gatherings hoping that this will allow them to achieve their ambitions.
The same applied to the agents as they became certain that they could not arrive at theposition or ruling or attain a seat in ruling or achieve a great interest unless they relied upon the foreigner. This led to most of the Takattulaat (Party structures) to seek and rely upon help of the foreigner whatever the foreigner’s nationality was and regardless of their covetous desires and ambitions. The media began to propagate and call for this without giving consideration to or comprehending that this represented the greatest of treacheries and highest of betrayals or that tying their issue with others necessarily meant politicalsuicide. This would be the case if we actually understood that we do indeed have an issue of our own or understood what our issue actually was. In any case it would be considered political suicide and the reason for this is that suicide means that the person intends to kill himself. The group, party or person that places their issue into the hands of someone else is as if they have committed political suicide i.e. killed themselves politically. This is because my issue is my issue alone and it is only natural that it would be in opposition to and contradict with the issues of others. Placing it in the hands of others means that I will never be able to arrive at the achievement of my issue and the foreigner would never be able to help me in my issue at the top of which is the aim of expelling the foreigner! Is it conceivable that the foreigner would aid me and ease the way towards accomplishing the achievement of the issue that includes within its fundamental aims his expulsion from the land?! It is for this reason that we say placing the issue in the hand of the foreigner can only mean political suicide and a death sentence for the Takattul (Party/group) or its failure or treachery to the Ummah. Therefore any Takattul that is poisoned by the idea of reliance upon the foreigner or propagates this idea will never be successful.
In addition, Colonialism poisoned the society with ideas such as patriotism,
nationalism and socialism, as well as regional attitudes, and made these concepts the
focus of any immediate attempts for revival. It also poisoned the society with the idea
that establishing the Islamic state and unifying the Islamic countries is impossible
because of the cultural, racial and linguistic differences, ignoring the fact that all
Muslims constitute one Ummah, bound together by the same Islamic ‘’Aqeedah from
which her system emanates. Furthermore, they also poisoned the society with a host
of erroneous political concepts, such as “Take and demand (the gradual approach)”,
“The Ummah is the source of authority”, “Sovereignty belongs to the people”,
“Religion belongs to Allah and the homeland belongs to all (separation between the
state and religion (deen))”, “We are united by our sufferings and our hopes (not united
by thoughts)”, “Homeland is above all”, “Glory is to the homeland,” and others. In
addition, they introduced in the society many defeatist reactionary opinions such as
“We take our system from our reality”, “One must accept the status quo”, “We must
be realistic”, and similar expressions.
Due to this poisoning, the societies in the Islamic countries, including the Arab
countries, were not conducive to produce a correct Hizbi structure. These parties that
were established did not have the deep thinking that leads to organized planning and
preparation, rather they were established without any basis, hence it was no surprise
to see all these parties fail.
Similarly the society was poisoned with Wataniyah, Qawmiyah (Nationalism) and socialismin addition to being poisoned by narrow regionalism whist making the here and now the focus of the work. They were also poisoned with the idea of the impossibility of establishing an Islamic State and the impossibility of unifying the Muslim lands. This is due to theanimosity that they cultivated within the breasts between the people of the Islamic world in terms of regional, patriotic and nationalistic hostilities or in terms of what they claimed existed in relation to differences in civilisation, race and language despite all of thembelonging to one single Ummah who are bound by the Islamic Aqueedah from which a System (of life) emanates. They also poisoned them with false political thoughts and ideas like: ‘Take what you can get’, ‘The Ummah is the source of the authorities’ and ‘The sovereignty belongs to the people’. This was despite the fact that it was obligatory to be clear and for it not to be absent from the mind for even an instant, that the sovereignty belongs to the Shar’a (Islamic legislation) and does not belong to the people. It is essential to focus in the minds that the sovereignty belonging to the people is a Kufr idea. It turns the people into a deity (Ilaah) that legislates the systems of life and laws for the people. The sovereignty to the people is the capitalist Aqueedah (belief in life) and it is also practised by communism. So the people in communism or the representatives of the people are the ones who put down the legislations and laws. Similarly in the capitalist system, the parliament which is called the legislative authority is the body that lays down the systems and enact the laws.
As for what the Islamic Aqueedah has come with, then the Tashree’ (Legislation) or the placing down of systems and laws and the way that the life of the individual and society proceeds, all of this is only from Allah. The role of the human is only to understand that which has come in the Kitaab of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw) to extract the rulings that explain the systems and make clear the laws by the Ahkaam Ash-Shari’ah which a Muslim cannot do without.
Allah (swt) stated:
What was a believer and no believer if Allah and His Messenger is to have a benevolent whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger have strayed error indicating
It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter] have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error (Al-Ahzaab 36).
If this thought was clear in the minds and occupied the focus of the Imaan of the Ummah then the Ummah would have rejected any legislation that were placed down by any man whether this was done in the Parliaments or any other direction or entity. However the poisoning of the thoughts of the Ummah with the like of this thought has made her far away indeed from her Islaam and her Imaan in it.
They also poisoned the Muslim with other erroneous false thoughts like: ‘The Deen is to Allah and the nation is to everyone’ and ‘We are united in our pains and sufferings’ and ‘The Nation is above everything’ and ‘Honour (might) belongs to the Nation’ in addition to similar thoughts.
They also poisoned the mind of the Muslim with pragmatic and reactionary thoughts like: ‘We take our system from our reality’, ‘Accept the reality’ and ‘We need to be realistic’amongst other similar thoughts.
As for stating pragmatic and reactionary thoughts then the wordings: (Raj’iyah) reactionary, reactionary thinking, they are reactionaries, those reactionaries etc... All of these are misleading and taken away from their true meaning and those who relay them today are only referring to the old ideas that are buried in the past and by this they mean Islaam and accuse the Muslims of being reactionaries. They mean that the Muslims in their beliefs, solutions, systems, viewpoint in life are only returning to the past and referring to it and as such are Raaji’oon (reactionaries) by way of this returning back. This is what those who mislead and have been misled have intended and as such it is necessary to define the meaning of this word and clarify its true reality and meaning. As for the true meaning, Raj’iyah means: ‘Proceeding in life in accordance to instinctive reaction and placing down systems and solutions based on the instinctive reaction’. So who provided the freedom to the instincts and made Freedom his fundamental law from which he would extract all the laws that govern life. This is the person who is Raj’iy (reactionary) because he has regulated his life in accordance to the instinctive reaction and left the sovereignty to the instinct that takes control over life and he viewed happiness as attaining the largest amount of sensual gratification and pleasure i.e. the satisfaction of his instincts. This is the true meaning of the word: ‘Raj’iyah’ (reactionary) and as for the view that they have gone with stating that it is the return to the backwardness of the past to organise and regulate the present, and by this they intend to cast doubt upon Islaam and the Muslims. Then in regards to this we will return to the past and the time before Islaam so that we can examine the life of the human being in that time and how he regulated it?
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Before Islam the individual used to go forth to satisfy his instinctual hungers as much as he could without any limits or paying attention to a law. Therefore he used to undertake and utilise his complete freedom in a way which is exactly what those people are calling for today and as such it represented a Raj’iy (reactionary) manner via instinctive reaction (or returning to the instincts to regulate the behaviour).
Islaam then came and took hold of the human and distinguished him through his worship to Allah and made all of his actions restricted to the commands of Allah (swt) and His prohibitions. His life was organised and regulated by systems, Ahkaam (rulings) and Qawaaneen (Laws) that had been legislated for him. He was therefore took a huge step forward by this and was saved from worshipping and being led by his instincts (or mere instinctive impulse). Islaam provided him with the right to practise his will and explained and made clear to him the sound and upright path that would lead to the achievement of happiness and contentment in addition to attaining the pleasure of His master, Laa Ilaaha Illaa Huwa Al-‘Azeez Al-Hakeem.
Example: The young woman who displays her adornments used to brazenly exercise her intimate relations as she liked. This remained the case and situation of the tribes and peoples that had yet to embrace Islaam or other revealed Deens that gave the human dignity. Then Islaam came and provided honour and dignity to this woman and high status. It raised her to the level of a mother, the head of the house and she was an honour that had to be maintained and safeguarded. It was enough for her pride and honour that Islaam permitted for the Muslims to kill or be killed in defence of her honour and dignity and it provided a punishment resembling killing for the one who accuses her with a mere accusation of infidelity or being unchaste.
Today those who claim to be advanced describe Islaam with Raj’iyah (reactionary or returning to the past) whilst they themselves are returning back to a time that was from an era that preceded Islaam and they are dedicated to proceed upon the path of instinctive reaction or mere instinctive impulse. As such the woman became a product of enjoyment for the men and no restriction was placed upon her that would prevent her from practising her will in anything that satisfied her instinct as long as she had reached a certain age and was not forced into it against her will. So which of these two paths is more worthy of bringing stability? Which of them is reactionary or going back into the past? This therefore is what the word Raj’iyah (reactionary/going back) means and what reactionary ideas are.
As for the word ‘Waaqi’iyah’ (realism) which is used in the statement: ‘We must be realistic’ or ‘We take our system from our reality’, then this only means that the reality becomes the source of thinking instead of being the subject area of the thought. Yes indeed Islaam is realistic as it is not imaginary of mere fiction just as it is not restricted to one era or time in exclusion to others. It is practical rulings that solve and teat the present or existing reality. It is only for the ‘Aalim (Knowledgeable person/Scholar) to understand the reality, to understand and have precise knowledge about it which is followed by a study of the texts that are related to this reality and then from this a treatment is extracted to address and solve the reality. This is what we mean when we say that Islaam is realistic as it has made the reality the subject of the thinking and thought. As for the source of thinking then this a collection of texts that have come from the Aqueedah and the Usooli (Jurisprudence) principles that emanate from it, in addition to a collection of thoughts that have been built and based upon that Aqueedah. As for the realism that has been mentioned here then it is the type that makes the reality the source of the thinking and thought. So according to this realism Ahkaam (rulings) are taken from the reality and it and its conduct are shaped according to the reality. This realism does not strive to change the reality but rather conduct changes in accordance to the reality. Unfortunately the statement ‘Accepting the reality’ has become a fundamental principle in the minds of the people and they regard it as being progressive and they argue that the American policy is based upon accepting the reality i.e. pragmatism. Based on this they define politics as being the art of possibilities which means dealing and interacting with the reality to find the best angles from within it. This is whilst we see that the reality is not in fact the art of possibilities but rather it is the choosing of the best possibilities. It is effective efficiency within the possibilities to achieve the aimed or what we want irrespective of it being the lightest, easiest or most difficult course of action or decision making. This is where dealing with the reality proceeds along the lines of changing it to that which we want. We would therefore then not accept or be content with the reality in the best of cases if it went against that which we wanted it to be.
This is what they mean when they say that we should be realistic or be content and accepting to the reality or state of affairs or that we should take our systems from the reality. All of this means one thing and that is that the reality has become the source of their thinking.
As for what it is necessary to be then it must be to make the reality the subject area of the thought and thinking. Islaam only engages with the reality in order to change it into a form that Islaam has come with. From this angle we say that Islaam is realistic meaning that it contains practical rulings that have been revealed upon the reality to change it to the form that Allah (swt) has commanded. So its rulings are not taken from the reality and they are also not idealistic treatments and solutions that do not have a reality for them to be applied upon. Rather its rulings are practical treatments and solutions and it is necessary for the reality to change in accordance to them.
This is the meaning of the statement: ‘Realistic thoughts’. As for what the like of these thoughts lead to and cause as a result of their existence then this is despair, surrender and acceptance of the status quo and current reality. This is like the destruction of the Khilafah and viewing the return of the Islamic State as a far off matter or accepting the division of the Muslim lands amongst other thoughts.
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It was also natural for the parties established in the Islamic world, particularly in the
Arab world, not to be coherent, because they were not based upon an ideology. A
study of these parties leads us to realize that some of them were established as a
reaction to some events, or circumstances that necessitated their existence. When
these circumstances changed, the parties also disappeared, or weakened and withered
away. Others were established based upon personal friendship amongst individuals. As
this friendship harmonized between them and became the basis of their structure,
they ended up revolving around themselves. Still others were established based upon
instantaneous and personal interests. Therefore, the individuals who gathered on such
foundations lacked an ideological Hizbi bond. Not only was their presence devoid of
any benefit, they were in fact harmful to the Ummah. In addition to their preventing
or delaying the emergence of correct parties, they created despair in the masses, filled
the hearts of the common people with gloom and doubt, and aroused suspicion about
every movement, even if it was a correct one. Moreover, they sowed amongst people
the seeds of personal bitterness and family feuds. With their styles, such parties taught
the people to be inconsistent, and to revolve around their own interests. In other
words, they spoiled the pure nature of the masses, and increased the burden on the
correct party structures that would inevitably rise from amongst the masses.
As a result of this the society in the Islamic world including the Arab countries became upon a condition that did not enable a sound Takattul to be established from it. It was natural that all of the movements and party structures in name would fail because they were notestablished upon the basis of a deep thought which would lead to a precise organisation and a preparedness that could be trusted in and counted upon. And it is unfortunate that even to this day they have not attempted to establish a basis for themselves despite the confirmation of failure. It was also natural that these movements and structured parties would be disjointed or disconnected because they were no established upon an ideology(Mabda’a). Whoever follows them will see that they were established in occasions ofemergency in which circumstances dictated the establishment of structured parties. These circumstances then disappeared and so these political parties disappeared as well or theyweakened and faded away. The examples for this are many and I will present as an examplewhat happened in Jordan in 1956 as circumstances dictated at that time the opening up of room for political parties to work as a result of the prevailing circumstance from the spread of Nasserism and the raising of the degree of freedom and liberation in the land. So the State permitted the work of the political party and as a result seven political parties were permitted legally. Then when the circumstance that was the reason for their establishment came to an end due to the fabricated conspiracy by the officers who were agents of the palace (Ali Al-Hayaariy and Ali Abu Nawaar) which resulted in the imposition of the martial law and the freezing of political activity which was then followed by the end of thepolitical parties or their weakening or fading away. And what happened in Jordan also happened continuously in all parts of the Islamic world. So not long ago Zia Al-Haqq the President of Pakistan announced the cancellation of the martial law and permitted the work of political parties. As a result a large number of political parties were formed including 10 that were officially permitted, most of which had not previously existed. So how were they formed so quickly had they not been established for temporary and selfish interests? Or they were established between groups of people who were connected through friendship or benefits that they wanted to achieve by way of a political structure. For this reason a correct structural bond did not exist amongst these people and their structuring was not upon an ideological basis.
The effect of the previous Takattulaat (Party structures):
These party structures despite their large number, the progress of their presence and what they expended in terms of effort and activity, their presence was not only completely free of a benefit but were in fact a harm that afflicted the Ummah.
This was because:
1)
Their presence in the society prevented the existence of the correct party structure ordelayed its coming in the very least. This is because the Muslim with his nature andAqueedah would incline towards the Takattul, collective work and activity. So when these Takattulaat sprung up in front of them they engaged with them, got affected by their atmospheres and their energy that drove them to engage in work was drained from them. As a result they ended up at a point that was worse than that they had begun with and started to disbelieve in political parties and structures until it prevailed over the minds of the general masses that the existence of political parties was a terrible harm upon the Ummah and the hearts of the people was filled with doubt.
2)
The people began to beware of every party movement and even if it was correct. It becameeasy to cast an accusation upon any party structure that appeared in the society and this was a result of what the people had experienced from the previous political parties and structures.
3)
The result of the establishment of these political parties upon the bonds that we havementioned and the nature of their work in regards to competing over interests and securing demands or their establishment upon tribal, regional or nationalistic thoughts meant that they would inevitably clash leading to feuds and grudges. This was because none of them had a specific culture of specific thoughts by which they would engage with others and struggle for. The natural result of this was the existence of feuds and grudges.
4)
As long as these political parties were established for the sake of realising benefits and attaining gains, then it was only natural for these thoughts to be transferred to theirmembers and as a result to the society in which they were established. And when you see the individual in the society moving from one party to another based on a goal that he wants to achieve or a position that he desires to have, then the presence of the ideas of hypocrisy, revolving around interests and fluctuations in respect to the work, are a natural result of the existence of this type of political party.
Due to all of the above they corrupted the natural purity of the masses and imbedded in them negative thoughts that became a new burden upon any correct Takattul that appeared in the like of this society. As we have said, as long as the Aqueedah of the Muslim pusheshim towards the party structure, collective work and forbids him from complacency, then it the inevitable presence of a correct structure is just a matter of time and it is inevitable for this correct party structure to appear.
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page 14
In addition to the Islamic, nationalistic and patriotic movements, many Communist
movements based on materialism were also established to revive the Ummah. These
movements depended upon, and were directed by the Communist movement in the
Soviet Union. Their method was to sabotage the existing system, and to create
anarchy. Their objective, apart from introducing Communism to the countries, was to
disrupt the Western Colonialism in favour of the Eastern Bloc, for those in charge of
these parties acted as agents to the Eastern Bloc. These movements neither responded
to the needs of the Ummah, nor had any significant impact. They naturally failed,
because they were against human nature, and were not in harmony with the Islamic
’Aqeedah. These movements exploited patriotic feelings of the masses to achieve their
aims. The Communist movements further complicated the problems in society.
Alongside the Islamic, nationalistic and patriotic movements, communist movements wereestablished and they were established upon the basis of matter. These movements followed the communist movements in Russia and were directed by them. Their method was destruction and subversion or sabotage. Its objective, other than establishing communism in the country, is to disrupt the western colonialism in favour of the eastern bloc by describingthose who are in charge of the lands as agents of colonialism. It is not the place here to examine communism being established upon materialism or matter however I will briefly state that communism was established upon the Aqueedah of materialism i.e. that there is no deity (creator) and that life is matter. This means that they believed that matter is eternal and that all that exists has come into being by way of material evolution. This includes the existence of the human and other creatures which were in their view the result of the evolution of matter and its transforming from one condition or state to another better one. Therefore for them matter is the basis of everything and the ‘Aql (mind) is merely one condition from amongst the conditions of the matter and indeed it represents the highest evolution of matter. The systems of the human in life and his laws are only a result of matter. This then is the meaning of the statement that communism is established upon the thought of matter.
This is in regards to its thought. As for its method then they say that everything in existence is established upon contradictions and in order to speed up the evolutionary process it is necessary to stir up the contradictions in life. As such these movements were established upon a thought and a method (Fikrah and Tareeqah) regardless of the validity or falsehood of this thought. Nevertheless we are able to state that they did put down a Fikrah and a Tareeqah. However this thought of theirs was not clearly defined and their method was also not clear. Despite this we do not deny the presence of an ideological thought amongst them and a method that was from the same type of the thought, and that these movements possessed a defined aim which was the establishment of communism within the land. However this aim was a long-term objective and it was preceded by generating disruption against the western colonialism that was present in the Islamic world. Upon this we say that the objective was not evidently clear because it proceeded in accordance to the wishes of Russia and according to its direction and instruction and not in accordance to what the method of the ideology necessitates and what it dictates in terms of thoughts and actions.Destruction and subversion were prominent amongst their actions in addition to generating antagonism and hatred between the workers and their bosses and between the farmers and the land owners. They were very successful in regards to this point specifically and I mean the generation of hostility and hatred between the people in their relationships. They were able on many occasions to mobilise the Ummah against the western thoughts and interests although it was in service to Russia and not an implementation of its thought and its method. As such we able to decisively state that those who were responsible for these movements did not have any feelings or sentiments towards this Ummah because they had become agents to Russia proceeding according to her orders and not according to what the thought and method dictated.
For this reason the Ummah did not respond to these movements and no effect was left that needs to be mentioned with the exception of what we have already indicated. Their failurewas a natural matter and that is for the following reasons:
1) That went against the Fitrah (inherent nature) of the human: This is because the human has been created upon elements of nature that are present within him and dealing a decisive blow against these elements is impossible because they are part of his make-up and composition. The effort to repress or suppress it to remove it will only lead to the misery of the human. And it is noted that this Aqueedah does not accept the existence of the matters that make up the nature of the human. Rather they consider the elements of this nature as matters that are acquired from the society that the human being lives in. So sanctification and religiosity is not part of the nature of the human but rather it is an attribute that is acquired or an idea that he has been indoctrinated with when he was young. Therefore they do not accept its existence and they consider the existence and worship of a deity to be aninvention of the mind. This is in relation to sanctification but the matter did not end with that but rather extended to other instincts that are naturally present within the human like the instinct related to ownership or said differently the manifestation of ownership and possession within the survival instinct. They also say that the love or desire to possess or own is not from the nature but rather this has been dictated to him by the life of people in thecapitalist society and that they thoughts are indoctrinated in the individual from his early days and as a result of that they have taken a form as if they are from the Fitrah (inherent nature). This is despite this statement representing a negation of the true reality and a clear and obvious mistake for all to see. So the child is not indoctrinated with any thought and has not yet acquired any information. We find that he screams when you try to take somethingfrom his possession and he attempts to take possession of everything that catches his attention. Did none of them ever witness their son or brother when they were at this age and how they screamed if we were to remove him from the breast of his mother or milk bottle? Despite all of this they insist that they are acquired thoughts in a display of pure arrogance from them.
2) Because contradicts the Aqueedah of Islaam: In other words it contradicted the Aqueedah of the Ummah and for this reason these political parties were not able to be open abouttheir Aqueedah. Indeed most of the time and if not always they did not address the people with what they held inside of them. They spoke most about socialism and its economicsolutions. They targeted the vulnerability of the youth and some of the people by declaringtheir animosity to the west which was the number one enemy of the people and they would address some of the Russian positions which was in opposition to the west and competing with it to dominate over the lands. As for openly declaring their atheism and their hostility towards Islaam then this was a matter that they did not dare to do. In fact they did morethan that when they made the claim that they respected the religions and accept Islaam. And it was from among the strangest of matters that the communist party in Sudan used to begin their gatherings with the recitation of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem. In this state of affairs it was only natural that these movements would fail.
3) Their adoption of the nationalistic issues: These political parties were not branches of one single political party or communist movement but rather the nationalistic description and the problems facing the region they appeared in was the most prominent characterization or description for every political party. The communist party in Lebanon had an independent leadership as did Syria and in every region from the Islamic lands the communist party had its specific leadership and there was no political relationship between one communist party and another. Each of these parties adopted the national problems and began to work upon their premise and this set up and status quo would obviously not provide it with any influence as a communist party within the Islamic world.
For this reason the presence and existence of communist movements within the Islamic world were a knot that added to the other knots that the society suffered from and which the correct party structure or bloc would suffer from once it came into existence.
Other groups were established on the basis of association. So a host of local and
regional organisations with charitable objectives emerged within the Ummah. They
established schools, hospitals and shelters, and participated in charity work. However,
these movements were heavily influenced by sectarianism. The colonialists
encouraged these organisations and promoted their efforts, until the results of their
work were seen by the people. Most of these organisations were educational and
charitable, and seldom were there any political groups among them.
The associations:
Other Takattulaat (structures) were established upon the basis of associations. So local andregional associations were established in the lands with charitable objectives. They established schools, hospitals and hostels and they helped in acts o kindness and goodness. These associations were dominated by sectarian strains. They were encouraged by thecolonialists so that their charitable acts were manifested to the people. Most of them were cultural and charitable associations and political associations did not exist amongst them except for a very few. In spite of the clear futility of these associations they still attractedthousands of the sons of the Muslims and to their activities. Their harm is still hidden as the people have not comprehended this harm and are still influenced by these associations andconsider what they do as acts of goodness and bricks that help build the society and specifically this is how they consider the cultural and charitable associations. And what happened in this area is the expansion of this sphere until i covered nearly every estate and indeed many estates and villages had more than one association operating within them. It reached the level where every family or clan in a single village had a charitable association and this is not even mentioning the associations that carried Aquaaidiy names like the association of the preservation of the Qur’aan, the association of the memorization of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem and its teaching, the association (Jam’iyah) of Al-Birr and Al-Ihsaan, the association of the Muslim brotherhood and the association of the Muslim Sisters. In Lebanonfor example the number reached 1220 Islamic charitable associations at the head of which was the Maqaasid Al-Islaamiyah association and the Dar ul-Aytaam Al-Islaamiyah (orphanage) association amongst others. All of them undertook charitable actions in actual practice and many of them were established upon partial charitable acts and they obtained revenues and profits from what they collected from the assistances that came to these associations to the point where they became in a lot of times a means for earning and attaining affluence. Many political parties and structures were affected by this style which caused them to establish branches within them that engaged in charitable actions like the opening of medical clinics, schools and hospitals amongst other things. This then is the reality of the associations.
A careful examination of the consequences of these organisations would reveal that
they neither yielded benefit to the Ummah nor anything which could have assisted in
its revival. The damage caused by these organisations was not apparent, and is only
evident to one who scrutinizes the situation deeply. Regardless of their partial
benefits, the existence of these organisations inflicted immense harm upon the
Ummah. The presence of some Islamic thoughts, the application of some parts of the
Shari’ah, and the firmly rooted Islamic emotions due to the influence of Islam, give
the Islamic Ummah the potential to revive. The Ummah has a tendency for goodness
and a natural inclination for collective work because of the collective spirit of Islam.
Had the Islamic Ummah been left alone, this propensity for revival would have
naturally turned into a thought that would have generated a momentum capable of
reviving the Ummah. However, the presence of such organisations prevented this from
happening, as they vented the blazing passion for revival in the Ummah through their
charitable efforts. A member of such an organization would find that he had built a
school, established a hospital, or participated in a charitable act, and would feel
comforted and content with his work. Had this association not existed, the collective
spirit would have driven him towards the correct party structure that would then
initiate the correct revival.
The results and consequences resulting from the associations:
It is necessary to take a close and precise look to these results in order to understand whether they benefit the Ummah with anything which assisted the revival and this is where the subject (that concerns us) is the Nahdah (revival). Did the path that they followed assist the revival? And did the actions of help that they undertook benefit anything to the Nahdah?
This is what must be looked at when considering the results of these associations and ouraim is not to investigate the actions that they undertook like the building of a hospital, Masjid, hostel for those in need or other than these from amongst the actions that appeared to be charitable acts of goodness. This is not the aim but rather our purpose and focus is therevival of the society and the generation of revival within the Ummah. The one examining from this perspective will not find that they benefited or brought anything at all in regards to this.
If this is the case then can it be said that the existence in the end is like their non-existence? No, this cannot be said because their presence was a downright harm however this harm is not perceived except by the one who examines the reality of these associations with scrutiny and what resulted from their existence. If we take out the partial benefit that we indicated above, what then is the harm?
The subject of our study here is the Nahdah (revival) of this Islamic Ummah in respect to the condition that it has reached in terms of backwardness, fragmentation and intellectual decline. It is inevitable for the sons of this Ummah and particularly those who haveawareness and sincerity to study and delve into the factors of revival and the elevation of this Ummah to the high position and status that is befitting for her. And by the judgment that the Ummah as a whole possesses some Islamic thoughts and concepts, and the judgment that she implements some of them even to this day, and by the judgment upon theclarity of her Aqueedah, and by the judgement of her absolute Imaan (belief) that she used to be ahead of all nations for many centuries, and her absolute Imaan in the obligation of Al-Jihaad, then all of this makes her feelings and sentiments overwhelmingly Islamic, and it makes her emotions Islamic emotions, and it makes the sensations for revival constantly andcontinuously present within her. And when there exists a number of texts and acts thatfocus the collective spirit within the Ummah and as such has established within the Ummah the natural inclination to gather together in a Takattul.
This is the reality of the Ummah, an Ummah possessing some Islamic thoughts and concepts, the sentiments within her are Islamic, the collective spirit is focused in her and the sentiments and feelings for revival are activated by the corrupt reality that she suffers from. So this is the state of the Ummah and if she and her affairs were left then her sentimentsand feelings would transform into a thought. This is a natural and logical matter and this thought could produce work that revives the Ummah and guide her towards the manner of achieving revival. However the presence of associations prevented that from happening as it created an outlet for her enflamed emotions and drained or exhausted who potency or energy to engage in the work. They engaged in what they saw to be obligatory upon them and in response to the words of Allah (swt):
وتعاونوا على البر والتقوى
And cooperate in Al-Birr (righteous deeds) and Taqwaa (God fearing acts).
So the member of the association saw he had his built a school, or set up a hospital or taken part in an act from amongst the charitable acts. He would therefore feel at ease and in contentment and be convinced of this act in his belief that he had done what Allah (swt) has commanded him for this Ummah. And you see him saying that if each one of us participatesin accordance to his ability in one of these acts of goodness and kindness, then the Ummah will be saved from that which she is in or that in the very least we would have lightened the pains and sufferings that our Ummah is suffering?!!
Had these associations not been present along with those people who acted as outletslightening the mounting pressure upon the people from their sensation in regards to the obligation of the work, had they not existed then she would have continued upon the searchuntil they established the correct gathered structure (Takattul) that would revive the Ummah upon a sound ideological basis. This is a natural matter due to its reality, its influences and its opposition to what is in the person in terms of Islamic concepts and thoughts, and in contrast and hostile to the Islamic feelings that are latent within the Ummah and the life energy that exists in her, all of which would naturally drive her to study and explore the way of escape and salvation from what she is in. However the presence of these associations and the appearance of its charitable acts diverted the Ummah away from this study and search and it cast into many of her sons that this (the establishment of associations) represented the path of salvation and freeing the Ummah of what she was in.
Therefore the comprehension of the danger of the existence of these associations is a precise issue that requires depth and a careful and close examination. We do not mean thatundertaking charitable and kind acts is a prohibited matter and are not permissible according to the Shar’a. Rather it is the opposite of this as the good act remains a good act,its recompense is reward and cooperating upon a good act is cooperating upon Al-Birr and At-Taqwaa. However we are not examining the issue from this angle and it is only being looked at in terms of it being a path towards revival or not being so? And is it permitted to consider these associations as representing the path for revival and actions from the acts associated with resuming the Islamic way of life? And is their existence and aid or an obstacle for establishing the revival and resuming the Islamic way of life? This is how the issue must be looked at and examined and not from the angle of whether these actions are permissible, recommended (Mandoob) or Fard (obligatory).
This then is the issue of the Jami’yaat Al-Khairiyah (The charitable associations) and their effect upon the establishing of the sound Takattul within the society.
In addition to these educational and the charitable organisations, a host of
organisations preaching ethics and morality were established to revive the Ummah on
the basis of morals. They would preach, givelectures, and distribute leaflets calling formorality, on the assumption that morals werethe basis of revival. These organisations spenta tremendous amount of money and effort,but produced no significant results. Theirboring, stereotyped and repetitive rhetoricmerely served as an outlet for the Ummah’ssentiments. The establishment of suchorganisations was based on a wrong understanding of the Ayah addressing theMessenger
“And you are of a great character [TMQ Al-Qalam: 4],”
which was meant to describe the Messenger as a person and not the society at large. Theywere also established upon an incorrectunderstanding of the hadith in which the
Messenger said
“Truly Allah has sent me to perfect the high moral standards,”
and
“Truly I have been sent to perfect the high moral standards.”
It should be understood that these ahadith, in addition to others, relate to the characteristics of the individual and notof the society. The establishment of these organisations was also influenced wrongfullyby poetic sayings like, “By morality nations
live; once devoid of it, no more they exist.”
Alongside the cultural and charitable associations, moral associations were also established that worked to revive the Ummah upon the basis of morals (Akhlaaq) by utilising exhortation(Wa’zh), guidance (Irshaad), lectures and publications with the consideration that morals represented the basis of revival. They expended effort and wealth into these associations (Jam’iyaat) but they did not produce significant results whilst exhausting the emotion of the Ummah with these boring and repetitive discussions. These associations were established upon an incorrect understanding of the speech of Allah (swt) to his Messenger (saw):
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
And verily you are upon a great moral character (Al-Qalam 4).
In addition to the words of the Messenger (saw):
إنما بعثت لأتمم مكارم الأخلاق
Indeed I have only been sent to complete the noble qualities of the Akhlaaq (morals).
And they used (or misused) the statement of the poet:
<Nations are only the morals as long as they remain..So if they (the morals) go then they (Nations) will cease to exist>.
Their understanding of Akhlaaq taken from the above makes it necessary for us enquire about the meaning of Akhlaaq that they mean. Do they mean by Akhlaaq every act that the human undertakes or do they mean the Akhlaaq (morals) that an individual is described with when he engages in an action or when he speaks?
If they say that the intended meaning of Akhlaaq is: ‘Every action that the human undertakes’. Then this is an incorrect statement and it gives a meaning to the word that is other than the meaning that has been placed down for it. So trade, agriculture, writing contracts and AL-Jihaad amongst other actions are not described as being morals. Rather they are actions performed by the human and are described with specific descriptions when they are undertaken. So when he discusses a matter like when he transfers a reality, a piece of news or gives testimony, then this is an action stands by itself and its judgement is the judgement that the Shar’a has come with. However there is another type of judgement that is attached to the individual when he engages in this action as he could be described as truthful in his speech or dishonest. The Shar’a has made it obligatory upon the individual to be honest when he speaks and has made it permissible for him to lie in certain circumstances or conceal the truth at other times and has made it Haraam to speak the truth in other situations. Therefore Sidq (truthfulness) is a moral characteristic that the individual is described with that the Shar’a has made obligatory whilst the ‘Ahd (covenant) is a contract between two parties and the two contracting parties are described by a specific characteristic that one party could abide to and not the other. This is because the Shar’a has obliged Al-Wafaa’ (trustworthiness) upon the contracting parties (to fulfil their contract) despite some of them could employ deception and trickery. So these are the characteristics that the two contracting parties are described with and so on. Therefore the Akhlaaq are a description of the individual that he is characterized with when he is undertaking the actions and speech in which they (the moral characteristics) are required to be undertaken.
We summarize by stating: ‘The Akhlaaq are part from amongst the components that the individualis made up from and these are the Aqueedah, ‘Ibaadah, Akhlaaq and Mu’aamalaat and theuprightness (Salaah) of the individual occurs by the uprightness (or soundness) of these fourcomponents and his corruption occurs as a result of these four or some of them’.
Whatever the high level of the Akhlaaq of the individual and however much he is characterised by the praiseworthy characteristics, they will hold absolutely no value or worth if his Aqueedah (belief) isFaasid (corrupted), so it is not said that the Kaafir has morals. Therefore there are disbelievers and atheists who are described with moral characteristics for example. So he does not lie, he does not betray or let down and yet he is not considered as an upright (Saalih) individual because the basis in his makeup and components is that they are built upon his Aqueedah. With this understanding of the Akhlaaq we return back to understanding the texts that they attempted to use as evidence for their argument. The process of Istidlaal (using and deducing) with a text from amongst the textsnecessitates understanding the reality and gaining knowledge about it and this exactly like the necessity to understand the text itself and what it indicates in terms of wordings and compositions.
The first text was the speech of Allah (swt):
وَإِنَّكَ لَعَلى خُلُقٍ عَظِيمٍ
And verily you are upon a great moral character (Al-Qalam 4).
This is a speech of Al-Baari’ Allah (swt) to the Messenger of Allah (saw) and Allah had made him upon the great moral character. So he embodied within him the praiseworthy characteristics in all of his actions. In addition this address is a description of the person of the Messenger (SAW) and not a description of the society whilst the purpose of our study relates to how we should revive a society? This is because the issue is the issue of revival.
As for the second text which is the Hadeeth of the Messenger (saw) and has two worded versions:
إنما بعثت لأتمم مكارم الأخلاق
Indeed I have only been sent to complete the noble qualities of the Akhlaaq (morals).
And:
إن الله بعثني لتمام مكارم الأخلاق
Verily Allah has sent me to complete the noble qualities of the Akhlaaq.
The intended meaning here is all of the actions of the human and that he (saw) has been sent toexplain all of the Shar’iyah rulings that are obligatory upon the human to adhere to. The issue heretherefore is not the issue of the morals or characteristics but rather the issue relates to the formation of the Islamic personality completely in terms of the Aqueedah, ‘Ibaadah, Akhlaaq and Mu’aamalaat. The subject still remains confines and related to the individual or his components and makeup.
As for the statement of the poet, then there is no room for a deduction to be made from it as theIstidlaal is only done with the Kitaab and the Sunnah. This is in addition to the mistake that the poet has made as the nations are made by their Aqueedah and the thoughts that they carry, the systems that they implement and the political entity that safeguards the Ummah and its unity and establishes a standing for it.
As such the error in understanding has only arisen from an erroneous understanding of the societyand the view that it is made up of individuals. Therefore it is essential to understand the composition of the society to know its components and to then evaluate it upon them.
These organisations did not realize that nations are not established on morals but on
the ’Aqa’id (doctrines) they embrace, the thoughts they carry and the systems they
implement. Also, these organisations misunderstood the society to mean a group of
individuals, whereas the society is actually a whole, composed of human beings, their
thoughts, their emotions and the systems. The corruption of a society stems from
corruption of the thoughts, the emotions and the systems, and not from the
corruption of the individuals. As a result, reforming a society could only occur by
reforming the thoughts and emotions of the people, as well as the systems
implemented upon them.
And by examining the components of the society it is seen that it is made up of a collection of people,thoughts, sentiments and the System. These are the components of any society and the soundness or corruption of the society rests upon the soundness of the thoughts, sentiments and system. This is where the people are the people who are carrying these thoughts and with their soundness and uprightness they are rectified and by their corruption they are corrupted. As for the elements of theindividual then they are as we have explained previously made up of the Aqueedah, ‘Ibaadah, Akhlaaq and Mu’aamalaat (societal transactions). And the uprightness of the individual only occurs by the uprightness and soundness of his elements and his corruption occurs likewise by their corruption. As for imagining or viewing that the society is comprised of individuals (i.e. the society is defined as individuals only) then this is an erroneous view and proceeding to rectify the individual to rectify the society is incorrect and the result of rectifying the society is absolutely not possible to achieve in this way. They are two different paths that will never lead to the same result. The issue here is not in terms of a quicker or longer path but rather the issue is that they are two different paths that do not lead to the same result. (i.e. changing the individual requires one matter whilst changing the society is a different matter).
The misunderstanding also stemmed from the idea that the community is corrupted
by the perversion of the individuals. This idea was firmly embedded in the minds of
many social reformers and ethical scholars. Such ideas suggest that the individual is
built, or is destroyed, by his morals — sound morals make the individual strong,
straight, effective, productive, righteous and reform-minded; whereas, bad morals
makes him weak, lazy, devoid of any value and goodness, and with no concern in life
other than satisfying his desires and pleasing his ego. These organisations believed that
reforming the individual would lead to reforming the community, and therefore they
worked to reform society and revive the Ummah through a moral approach.
The explanation of this is that if we were to reform the individual completely to the extent that the percentage of those who we have reformed reaches 90%. These would be those who have believed in Islaam with an Aqueedah that is certain, clear and enlightened and without added any speculative matter to it. They would be committed to the ‘Ibaadaat in its most complete form including both the obligations and Nawaafil (recommended acts). So in regards to the Salaah he performs the obligatory prayers, the Naafilah Mu’akkadah and the Naafilah which are not Mu’akkadah, he performs the night prayer and he does not perform the Witr prayer until Fajr is near. He spends from his wealth in Zakaah and he gives Sadaqah of more than a third of his wealth whilst not leaving an orphan or a poor person except that he helps him. He fasts the fast of Daawud (as) (every other day) in addition to the blessed month of Ramadhaan and he performs Hajj and ‘Umrah most years of his life. All of this is in respect to the acts of ‘Ibaadah (worship). This is in addition to the recitation of the Qur’aan which is his daily bread and his supplication to Allah when he is standing, sitting and lying on his side. So is there anything remaining after all of this? As for his Akhlaaq (morals) then they are the morals of the Qur’aan where he is characterised by every good characteristic that Allah (swt) has mentioned in His Qur’aan. And as for his Mu’aamalah (dealing) with the people then his measure is the Halaaland the Haraam and as such he never engages in Haraam in his dealings.
If we were to suppose that we had fashioned the majority of the Muslims upon this model would their society then become an Islamic society? This is whilst it still accepts to be ruled by the systemsof Kufr which are controlled and dominated by disbelievers. And there is nobody who will implementthe Hudood (or punishments) upon the Faasiq, Faajir and the one who commits the major sins, and where the lands in which they live are being pillaged by others and where they have no power or force that can be relied upon to carry the Da’wah to the world. So is their society in this condition an Islamic society and is their society considered to be Islamic if they do not have a political entity and State that applies and implements the systems of the society? Would they have an Islamic society whilst they do not have a Khaleefah whom they have deputised on their behalf to implement Islaam internally, to establish the Hudood (proscribed punishments), protect the borders of the land and safeguard its security from any aggression, to prepare and ready the armies and prepare the readiness to carry the Da’wah to the world?
The answer to all of these questions is no and one thousand times over no.
Therefore the society is a collective grouping of people who have permanent relationships between them and the existent of permanent relationships is inevitable within any collective grouping that has agreed to live upon a certain single piece of land upon the earth. However the existence of theserelationships is not established unless they are built upon thoughts that they have agreed upon to regulate and organise these relationships. And by the existence of these thoughts and their commitment to them feelings that are in harmony with these thoughts are generated within the breasts of these people. So they are angered when someone strays outside of these thoughts and are pleased when someone abides by what they have agreed upon.
So when they agree upon the satisfaction of the procreation instinct by marriage you will see the village happy and joyful when one of their sons abides by this thought and the village will engage in celebrations and singing. However if the opposite happened and one of them attempted to violate what they had agreed upon and wanted to satisfy his procreation instinct by other than the manner they had agreed like committing Zinaa (fornication) for example or an inappropriate relationship with a woman, then in this case the village will rise up against him and he may even be killed. This applies in the same way to every thought that the collective grouping has agreed upon so for instance in regards to the exchange of goods, if one of them violates their agreement everyone will be angry and will label him as a Haraami (criminal) and attempt to punish him. However for the sake of keeping the matter orderly and regulated this collective will deputise on their behalf an Ameer, Sheikh, Chief or chosen official who will take responsibility of overseeing the implementation of those thoughts that they have agreed upon. This is the nature of the formation of the societies and there is no other way in which they are formed whereas ifthousands were to be gathered upon the deck of a ship this would not represent a society. This is because they do not subscribe to the same thoughts and their feelings are not unified nor have they agreed upon a single system. Rather they merely submit to the system that exists on the boat and they do not delegate on their behalf someone who will overlook the implementation of what they have agreed upon because they have not agreed upon anything in the first place. We summarise and conclude by saying that the society is a collective group from amongst the people who have permanent relationships between them which are regulated by unified thoughts and unified (or common) feelings upon the basis of which a single system is formed and they delegate or deputise one from amongst them to supervise the implementation of that system on their behalf. From this it has become clearly evident that the components of the society are its thoughts, feelings and the system that emanates from these thoughts in addition to a deputy who is delegated on their behalf to take the responsibility over implementing the system (i.e. a ruler).
Therefore the reformation of this society occurs by the reformation or correction of these components whilst the corruption of the society occurs through the corruption of these components. It can be said that the society represents an ‘Urf ‘Aamm (a general or public custom) as when the thoughts and feelings are deep rooted and focused within the people they form through their unity a general or public custom (‘Urf ‘Aamm) that embodies the power of the law and indeed on many occasions it possesses a more powerful effect than the law itself. It becomes like a watcher and monitor over the conducts of the individuals and the rulers and the ruler fears the ‘Urf ‘Aamm just as it causes fear in the individual.
So when we want to reform and correct a certain society then we must work to reform and correct the ‘Urf ‘Aamm within it by way of correcting the thoughts and emotions that exist in it which would lead to the changing of the systems that are applied and the ruler who implements those thoughts. So the immediate work is the operation of correcting the ‘Urf ‘Aamm and this takes place by making clear the corruption of the present general thoughts, explaining their corruption so that the people are convinced of their corruption and move towards changing them. As a result their view towards the ruler would change and they will move in the direction of his removal. This is the method to change the society and correct it. It is not the method of the individual as the method of reforming the individual differs completely from this method.
Having said this is it necessary for the individuals of the group, Takattul or Hizb that is assuming the responsibility of this process of change to have their own Aqaa’id (beliefs), Ibaadaat (worships), Akhlaaq (morals) and Mu’aamalaat (dealings) reformed. They cannot accept a corrupted element within their ranks because he will not be of their kind. So the process of reforming the individual would only relate to the members of the Takattul or the Hizb whilst the Takattul or Hizb proceeds in its collective capacity upon the method and path of reforming the society.
The lack of clarity of this understanding amongst the associations made them stumble along their path and they did not lead to anything that could possibly accomplish the revival of the Ummah. This is especially because they were affected by what was concentrated in the minds of many of the reformers and scholars of morals in terms of the individual being built or destroyed only by his morals. So the upright morals make him strong, upright, effective and productive in addition to being a worker for the good, uprightness and reform. Whereas the blameworthy morals make him weak and laid back possessing no benefit or goodness whilst giving no importance in his life to anything apart from the satisfaction of his desires and his own selfishness. So where they understood that the collective is only built or destroyed by the individual and the individual is only built or destroyed by his morals then in that case they proceeded upon the path of reforming the individual by the method of reforming his morals.
This wrong understanding held by the scholars of Akhlaaq and the reformers made theirmistake twofold: The mistake of thinking that the society is composed of individuals and themistake of correcting the individual by way of the morals. We have already mentioned and indicated that the Akhlaaq (morals) are a description or characteristic from amongst the characteristics of the individual and that they do not represent the basis of his life and behaviour or conduct. So if there was a person whose morals were like the morals of the Prophets but he was an atheist, would we then consider him to be upright? Or does he remain a disbeliever with no goodness in him? This is because the basis of the human’s life is his Aqueedah and as for the remainder of his actions and characteristics then it is possible to correct them whilst his faults and crookedness within them does not take him outside of Islaam. So if an individual with a sound Aqueedah exhibited a bad moral characteristic or indeed many bad morals, then this would not take him outside of being a Muslim. It is easily possible to correct him as long as his Aqueedah is sound and correct. So the statement that says that the individual is only built by his morals and is only destroyed (brought down) by his morals, is an incorrect statement.
Despite the failure of these movements established on the basis of promoting morals,
many people are still convinced that morals should be made the basis of reform
(iSlaaH), and as a result have established reform societies. It should be emphasized
that, even though the individual is part of the community, the means of reforming the
community differ from the means of reforming the individual. The corruption of the
community stems from the corruption of collective emotions, and from corruption
of the intellectual and spiritual environment. In addition, the corruption stems from
erroneous concepts within the community. In other words, it stems from the
corruption of public traditions. Reforming the community will not occur unless
correct public traditions are established. Such public traditions can not be established
except by reforming the emotions of the community, creating the correct spiritual
environments and the intellectual environments that are linked to the spiritual aspect,
as well as implementing the system by the state. Only when the Islamic environment
is created and the concepts are corrected throughout the entire population, will the
community be reformed, which will in turn reform the individuals. Reforming the
community can not occur through structuring on the basis of association, nor by
making morals, preaching and education the basis for structuring.
And what is a sorry state of affairs is that this thought, the thought of: ‘Reform the individual and the society will be reformed’ and the thought of reforming the individuals by way of the Akhlaaq, it is unfortunate that in spite of the failure of all of the movements that were established upon the basis of this thought, that these thoughts are still convincing to the masses and that many associations are still be set up upon its basis proceeding upon the same methodology and style.
This is despite the reality being that the means (Wasaa’il) to reforming the collectivegrouping are not the same means to reforming the individual and even if the individual is a part of this collective. This is because the corruption of the collective grouping (Jamaa’ah) emanates from the corruption (Fasaad) of the collective sentiments (Mashaa’ir) and from the corruption of its intellectual and spiritual environments. It also comes from the incorrect concepts that the collective holds or said differently, from the corruption of the ‘Urf ‘Aamm (public/general custom).
As for the corruption of the collective feelings or sentiments (Mashaa’ir): This means that its feelings have not become one (unified) so they do not erupt and are agitated when they see Kufr implemented over them and their collective feelings are not agitated when they see their sons sliding into the prohibited matters or when they see that the system that is applied over them is blatantly not from Islaam (i.e. Kufr).
As for the corruption of the intellectual and spiritual environments: This means that we find that the western thoughts or thoughts of disbelief have found a way into their minds. These thoughts have blended into their thoughts (Islamic thoughts) so they called to democracy, freedom and socialism and attempted to blend them together at times and sometimes presented them as they were, generating as a result corrupted spiritual atmospheres. This was because of the absence of linking these thoughts to their Aqueedah and replacing thislinkage with the measure of benefit. They began to look at the Hukm Shari’iy in terms of the benefit that it contained and not in terms of its emanation from their Aqueedah. Indeed they fled from the clear Shari’ah rule if the benefit was not apparent in it according to what their minds found suitable. In addition some incorrect concepts crept in like thepermission of the Kuffaar (disbelievers) being entrusted with the Muslim’s affairs or the possibility of changing the rules of Islaam in accordance to the changing of times in addition to other incorrect ideas that led to the corrupting of the ‘Urf ‘Aamm (Public/general custom). The public custom no longer effected out society and indeedindividualism became absolute within its life and indifference in regards to the life of people became a fundamental thought between them. As such the most prominent customsheld by Muslims were removed and here I mean the duty of commanding the right and forbidding the wrong. So it was not acceptable for anyone to be ordered with the Ma’roof (right) and fornidden from the Munkar (wrong) and you hear a response to those who attempt to perform this like: ‘What’s this got to do with you?’ for example. This therefore is what we mean by the corruption of the ‘Urf ‘Aamm (public/general custom
All these structures that were established on such foundations failed miserably to
create any revival or reform. In addition, the other groups that were established on a
nominal party basis, and not upon a specific ideology, were also doomed to failure.
They neither had the correct understanding, nor did they possess the correct bond
that unites their members.
The failure of all these groups was also inevitable due to their membership. Due to
the absence of the correct idea and the method, such groups while establishing their
structures, did not take into account the individual’s suitability to the group. Instead,
they established themselves on the basis of the individual’s social status and the
immediate benefit from his presence in the party or the association.
A member would be selected on the grounds of being either prominent in the community or wealthy, or by holding an influential position such as a doctor or a lawyer, regardless of his suitability. As a result, these groups were predominantly affected by a lack of coherence and by class orientation. Themembers of these groups and associations were engrossed with an inner feeling of beingdistinguished from the rest of the people, not only in terms of their wealth and social status, but alsoby being members of the party or the association. Because of these sentiments, no interaction orcontact occurred between them and the rest of the people, which made their very existence anotherproblem that further burdened the society.
Page 19
A fundamental principle for the success of any Takattul from the structural angle in its work to generate revival and reform is that it is necessary for the Takattul to be built upon a specific ideology. This has to be preceded by a correct understanding of this ideology in terms of its Fikrah (thought) and Tareeqah (method) and for the bond between the members of the Takattul to be a correct bond that brings them together. The joining and membershipneeds to be measured in accordance to the awareness of the member in regards to the party structure’s culture and his sincerity towards it. In addition the member so that he can become a member of person of responsibility must be capable of undertaking its responsibility and be prepared to make sacrifices.
By examining the Takattulaat (structures) that were established upon the associative basis, or upon the basis of a certain party name, we find that their failure was a natural outcome due to not being established upon a specific (or defined) ideology. Before their establishment they did not possess a correct understanding of this ideology in regards to itsthought and method, and the grouping together of its individuals or the bond that connected them was not a correct bond.
On top of this, their failure resulted also from the angle of its individuals. The member was not looked at from the perspective of his suitability for undertaking the work. Hismembership was not based upon his firm and certain belief of the idea that the Takattul was established upon or his awareness of this thought, nor was it based upon his sinceritytowards the work and his preparedness to sacrifice in its path. Rather the individual was chosen based upon his societal standing and due to the possibility of him being able to bring quicker benefits to the structure due to his presence within it. The member was chosen on the basis that he was prominent amongst his people, wealthy amongst his peers, a lawyer, a doctor or someone possessing standing and influence. This was regardless of whether he was suitable for this structure that he had been chosen for or not suitable for it. For thisreason difference and fragmentation was dominant between the members of these structures in addition to a lack of harmony. A class aspect also dominated over them leading the members of the political party or association to secretly view and see themselves as being privileged and distinguished above the rest of the people. This was not due to their wealth or personal standings but this feeling also came from the fact that they weremembers in a certain association or political party. For this reason real interaction and the development of closeness between them and the people did not happen.
Therefore the selection of members upon this basis of social standing brought a great harmto these party structures and upon the societies that they existed in as well. As for the harmthat was brought to the structure itself whether it was a political party or an association then fragmentation and lack of harmony between them was only natural and the possibility of members leaving it and moving to a another party or association was also a natural and obvious result. On many occasions his remaining within a certain association was dependentupon the satisfaction of his ego or in order for him to realise some ends or so that his personal or societal standing could be enhanced. I have seen within the political offices of some of these organisations twelve carriers of Doctorates (PHDs) whilst the head of the structure is virtually illiterate and when the benefit and use of their membership no longer remained they were quick to disperse. A head of another organisation once told me in plain and simple words: ‘Our funds today are one and a half million Lira and I know that they (the members of the political office of the bloc) have only come to attain material gains. So I wish for you to take this amount because if they were to take it then by Allah it would be a crime’.
This is the reality of the Takattulaat (party structures) and this is the danger of selecting members upon the basis of societal position and standing.
In regards to the danger that is brought upon the society, this is due to the society always pinning its hopes upon every ray of hope that appears upon the horizons and sees that the presence of any Takattul within the Ummah could possibly lead to its salvation and in the very least the improvement of their dire situation. When the Ummah then sees and comprehends the true reality of these structures and sees that their only concern is thebenefits that they can gain or an increase in wealth and position, and particularly when they witness them held up in their offices and only meeting and contacting the people when they need something from them, like at the time of elections for example, or to collectdonations and so forth... When the society comprehends this then they begin to do Takfeer(i.e. cast out) all of the party structures as a whole and then they do not allow for any structure to enter within it or to be sincere to her. This represents an insurmountableobstacle in the face of any correct structure that appears within the society. So in actuality these structures with their conduct and behaviour were not able to enter into the societyand they were unable of interacting with it. Indeed closeness did not result them and the structures remained isolated from the society. Therefore this reality made the situation worse, it represented an extra weight that could not be lifted and it was a new distress and affliction added to an already obstinate disease.
Careful examinination and survey of all the groups and parties clearly establishes the
fact that not a single correct structure, that aimed towards revival of the Ummah was
established in any of the Islamic countries during the past century. The Ummah cannot
be revived without a structure or an organization, yet all structures which materialized
eventually failed, because they were established upon an incorrect basis. The question
that needs to be addressed now is what is the correct structure that will revive the
Ummah.
We are therefore able to say after studying most of the Takattulaat and associations that were established in the entire Islamic world and after having acquired knowledge about the bases that they were established upon, the circumstances in which they came into being and the conditions which were accommodated between its individuals, an after contemplating the concepts that they were pushing, some of the thoughts that they led to its formation and the effects that they left behind. After studying most of these movements and following them from their birth through to their establishment and then their deaths or by studying its life if it still exists, and by studying all of the Islamic regions whilst seeing that they still suffer from the decline and backwardness and that colonialism still has complete control over them whether this control is cultural, economic or political. And there are no signs of glad tidings or revival or the presence of thoughts that are leading towards the revival or even capable of leading towards it. After this study and contemplation we are able to say with complete certainty that throughout the entirety of the last century not even one single correct structure or bloc emerged that led to thecorrect revival. And we can say that all of the structures and movements that arose failed and the evidence of this is the fact that the Ummah has remained upon its condition or we could even say that its condition has got worse day after day. And the reason for this is that these Takattaulaat and Harakaat (movements) were all established upon a false and incorrect basis.
The Ummah however will not revive without a Takattul. It is noticeable that the individual work does not work and cannot possibly lead to any real result at all. If someone wanted to revive the Ummah upon a clear basis he would inevitably find himself working to establish a Takattul. This is because when he calls the people as individuals and groups to the Da’wah that he carries and to the basis he wants the Ummah to revive upon, an individual or individuals could respond positively to him. It will then be necessary for him to culture them with the culture that he has prepared or to clarify the aim that he is striving to achieve. Then when these individuals go out with what they have learnt and what they have believed in, and call the people to their idea and their objective, they will inevitably remain in contact with the one who first called them to this Da’wah. He would direct them according to what he sees fit and will draw out for them a plan of work and its accompanying styles. He will provide answers to them in response to the questions that arise from the people or to their own questions and enquiring about some matters. In this situation, this person will find himself leading a specific Kutlah (party structure) whether he wished it or not. This is whilst assuming the sincerity of this person (and this is the original position). If we were to suppose other than that in respect to him being tied to another’s interests or that he was an agent, then his individual work will not lead to a result and nobody will respond positively to him. In addition it will be work that fails and unreliable. For this reason we say that any work for change within the Ummah cannot be accomplished by an individual by himself but rather it is essential for a Takattul to be established to undertake it. How could it be any other way when this work of change aims at reviving the whole Ummah? It is therefore necessary for a Takattul to be established. So what is this correct Takattul that is capable of causing the revival of the Ummah? This then is what we need to explain and make clear.
The correct structure that will revive the Ummah cannot be established upon an
association type organization, which leads its members only to engage in specific
work, talk or both. This kind of structure must not be encouraged within the Ummah
that aims to be revived, nor should non-ideological parties be encouraged, like the
parties that have been formed in the Islamic world since World War One.
The Correct Takattul:
We have discussed two types of Takattul: The associative and the Hizbi. As for theassociative kind we have already explained its corruption, which can be summarized by saying that the associative system is only established upon specific bases i.e. they are established upon actions and statements/speech, or actions alone or statements/speech alone.
The associations that are established upon actions and statements/speech are like those that undertake work related to building schools and hospitals. At the same time they undertake campaigns of exhortation, giving guidance and teaching the Qur’aan amongst other activities or actions based on speech. This type of association is widespread and plentiful in supply and includes those who have undertaken these acts as a means to earn riches.
As for the associations that were established upon acts alone, then these are those that were established to build Masaajid, Schools and other similar projects. They restricted themselves to this without engaging in spoken acts.
There are also associations that are established upon spoken bases and undertake the acts of ‘Wa’zh (exhortations) and Irshaad (instruction and providing guidance) and actions and activities revolving around speech, like the convening of seminars and distributing publications amongst other actions.
It is not allowed to encourage the presence of the like of these associations within the Ummah that wishes to revive. This is due to the reasons that we have previously mentioned which stated that they cause despair within the Ummah due to their repetitive failure. This is from one angle and from another; they divert the people and specifically those who haveenergy and life within them from looking for the correct party structure.
This is in respect to the associations and now we will examine the Takattulaat that are established upon a Hizby basis i.e. those which are political Takattulaat like those established in the Islamic world since the First World War and until our present day. These Takattulaat are not permitted to be encouraged within the society and they are no lessdangerous than the associative Takattul. This is particularly the case after their mentalitybecame dominated by the thought of depending and relying upon the foreigner, in addition to other deadly thoughts that they have adopted. It is also due to what they have left behind within the Ummah in terms of erroneous and false concepts.
The correct structure is an ideological Hizb based on Islam. In this structure, the idea
would constitute the soul of the Hizb as well as its nucleus and the essence of its
existence. The first cell of the structure would be a person who embodies the idea,
and a method which is of the same nature as the idea, until he becomes a person of
the same quality as the idea in his purity and clarity, and like the method in his
distinctness and straightforwardness. Once these three elements come together - the
profound idea, the clear method and the sincere person - the first cell comes into
existence. Soon the cell multiplies into other cells to form the first circle of the Hizb,
or “the leadership” (qiyaadah). Once the first circle is formed, the Hizb group (Kutlah
Hizbiyyah) emerges.The group then requires a Hizbi bond to bind the individuals who
have embraced both the idea and the method. This Hizb bond is the ‘Aqeedah, from
which the outlook of the Hizb and the culture that characterizes the Hizb’s concepts
emanate. The Hizb group will thus proceed in the mainstream of life once it is
formed. During this process, the Hizb will encounter many situations, face many
obstacles, and be exposed to many different environments. In other words, the
circumstances around it will fluctuate from hot to cool. Sometimes the Hizb would be
stormed upon very strongly, and sometimes mildly. At other times, the Hizb will pass
through a situation where it can see its path clearly, and sometimes the situation will
be cloudy. If the Hizbi group manages to withstand these conditions, then its idea will
become crystallized, its method clarified, and the group will have succeeded in
preparing its members, and strengthening the bond of the group. It will then be able
to take the practical steps in the Da’wah and the activity. At this point, it moves from
being a Hizbi bloc to a fully-fledged ideological Hizb working towards revival. This is
the correct structure, whose nucleus and essence of its existence is the idea.
The sound and correct Takattul is only the one that is established upon the basis of anideological Islamic Hizb. This is on the condition that it avoids the errors that we have indicated and which were the reason and cause for the failure of those previously mentionedTakattulaat. Therefore it is essential that this Hizb is established upon an Islamic ideological basis, as we have said. The thought in it is the soul (Ruh) of the body of the Hizb; it is its nucleus and the secret of its life. Its first cell would be a person in whom the thought (Fikrah) is embodied and the Tareqah (method) would be of the same kind as the thought. This is so that the person would be of the same kind as the thought in respect to his purity and clarity and like the method in respect to clarity and straightness.
In respect to what we have said in regards to it being an Islamic ideological Hizb in which the thought is the soul of the body of the Hizb, its nucleus and the secret of its life. Then it is well known that the ideology is an intellectual Aqeedah from which a system emanates. This is a System that regulates the life of the individual and the society, and it explains the manner of implementing this System i.e. it is a Fikrah and Tareeqah. As such, the Aqeedahof this ideology and what emanates from it is the soul (Ruh) for the body of this Hizb. So the Islamic Aqeedah and what emanates from it in terms of solutions and carrying it to the world, in addition to the manner of safeguarding it, implementing its solutions and carrying it to the people, all of this is the Fikrah (thought) that represents the secret of the life of this Takattul. This however does not mean that we only place down the six fundamentals of the Aqueedah: ‘Imaan in Allah, His angels, Books, Messengers and belief in the Day of Judgement and that the Qadaa and Qadr their good and bad is from Allah Ta’Aalaa’ and then say that the Aqeedah is what joins and brings together the members of the Takattul. This is because the Ummah as a whole believes in this Aqeedah, it runs in the veins and blood of its sons and no change has happened in this regard throughout the ages, despitesome cloudiness occurring in some of its thoughts. In addition the individuals of other Takattulaat like the associations and political parties (Ahzaab) believe in this Aqeedah. Therefore benefit is not found and it is not viable to make this alone the bond that binds together the members of these structures. Indeed what is meant by the Fikrah (thought)(i.e. the Aqeedah of the Mabda’ (ideology)) is the understanding of this Aqeedah and understanding what this Aqeedah came with in terms of solutions, systems and objectives. This is in addition to solidifying it as a Thaqaafah (culture) for this Takattul so that themembers of this Takattul are built upon the basis of this culture and their suitability for membership and taking responsibility is evaluated in accordance to their awareness of this culture and their sincerity towards it.
In this way it will be a bond between the members of the Takattul based upon Imaan andIkhlaas (Belief and sincerity). So when this culture has been established and founded, in addition to what it has made clear in regards to the method that leads to the achievement its objective and realising its aims, then the nucleus of the Hizb would have come intobeing. It would then really be the Ruh (soul/spirit) of the Hizb and the secret of its life. This is the only matter that brings together its individuals and as such the lack of conviction of any individual in respect to a fundamental thought from this Aqeedah, would move thatindividual away from the Hizb and even if he was a member of it. Also his lack of Imaan in a Hukm (ruling) from amongst the Ahkaam of its method would lead as a result to the moving away of that individual from the body of the Hizb, and even if he was one of those who had been given a position of responsibility. This is the meaning of our statement that this Fikrah(thought) and this Tareeqah (method) represents the nucleus of the Hizb and the secret of its life.
This is from the intellectual angle as it is laid out on paper i.e. upon the basis that it is meant to be upon. As for the existence of the first cell then this is only represented in aman who is from the same kind and type as this thought in respect to his purity. This means that he believes in it alone and that his thought has not blended with a collection of thoughts that have been mixed with impurities. Therefore, just as this Aqeedah has a single source alone which is the Wahy (divinely inspired revelation) then similarly this person must also have a single basis for his thought. This basis is the Aqeedah and what it came with in terms of texts and nothing other than this. His mind is there only to comprehend thisAqeedah and to understand its texts and he does not take any basis or text from other than this source. This is what we mean by his purity, the purity of the Fikrah (thought) where the thought does not have except one source which is the Wahy and it refuses for any other source to participate with it. Similarly this human (the first cell) does not take any source for his thinking except for this thought.
As for the statement that he is like the Tareeqah in its Istiqaamah (uprightness and standing by a matter), then it is well known that the Tareeqah came from the Aqeedah and that theMessenger of Allah (saw) implemented it for the sake of Allah without fearing any consequences. And this is made clear by the response of the Messenger of Allah (saw) to his uncle and people when they came to make a deal and bargain with him:
يَا عَمُّ ، وَاللهِ لَوْ وَضَعُوا الشَّمْسَ فِي يَمِينِي وَالقَمَرَ فَي يَسَارِي عَلَى أَنْ أَتْرُكَ هَذا الْأَمْرَ حَتَّى يُظْهِرَهُ الله أَوْ أَهْلُكَ فِيهِ مَا تَرَكْتُهُ
O Uncle, even if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left for me to abandon this matter, until Allah makes it dominant or I perish in its path, I will not leave it.
And this is also evident in his statement to those who wanted to intercede on behalf of the woman from Bani Al-Makhzoom who had stolen, when he (saw) said:
وَاللهِ لَوْ أَنْ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ مُحَمَّدٍ سَرَقَتْ لَقَطَعْتُ يَدَهَا
By Allah, even if Faatimah the daughter of Muhammad had stolen I would certainly have cut off her hand.
This therefore is the meaning of the clarity (Wudooh) and the Istiqaamah (uprightness and standing by a matter).
Surah Al-Masad was revealed strongly rebuking the uncle of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his wife and it came with a strong threat and promise.
تَبَّتْ يَدَا أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَتَبَّ (1) مَا أَغْنَى عَنْهُ مَالُهُ وَمَا كَسَبَ (2) سَيَصْلَى نَارًا ذَاتَ لَهَبٍ (3) وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ (4) فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِنْ مَسَدٍ (5)
Perish the two hands of Abu Lahab and may he perish.
His wealth will not avail him or that which he gained.
He will [enter to] burn in a Fire of [blazing] flame.
And his wife [as well] - the carrier of firewood.
Around her neck is a rope of [twisted] fiber.
(Al-Masad).
So the Messenger of Allah (saw) declared it, the people memorised it and they rushed with it to Abu Lahab and the leaders of Quraish. Therefore it can be seen that the Messenger of Allah (saw) did not fear the blame of the blamers (Lawmata Laa’im) or the consequences and he was not concerned by those who said: ‘Is this what you say in respect to your uncle and his wife whilst he is the master of his people and the chief of his clan?!’ Yes indeed this did not concern him because the Tareeqah necessitates Istiqaamah (sticking firmly upon it) and Wudooh (clarity and being clear without ambiguity).
Therefore if a person who embodies these qualities and attributes of Nuqaa’ (purity) andIstiqaamah exists, then the first cell would have come into existence. Following that, this cell will not take a long time until it multiplies as it is from the nature of the live cell to multiply. This process of multiplying would then inevitably lead to the founding of the first Halaqah (circle). Just as we have previously mentioned, any sincere person when he begins to call for a certain thought, he will find those who will respond to him and that those who respond will then also become active in the call. However they will remain tied to theoriginal source in order to consult with him and to take from him the direction of how theDa’wah should proceed and progress. In this way the leadership of the call would have come into existence in a natural way from this original first cell who continues to manage the Da’wah and leads it. In this was the Kutlah Al-Hizbiyah (party structure) would have come in existence.
When the Kutlah Al-Hizbiyah springs up, it needs something that will gather its individuals together. It requires a Raabitah (bond) that binds between its individuals who have believed in its thought and its method. As such the Aqeedah, the Aqeedah of the ideology, will be theHizbi bond and this Aqeedah will be the single and only source from which the philosophy of the Hizb will emanate i.e. the fundamental thoughts of the Hizb or in other words, it will be the only and single source or the (Thaqaafah) culture of the Hizb.
And in respect to the word Thaqaafah (culture) I would like to mention that the Islamic Thaqaafah (i.e. the Hizbi thaqaafah) is only that which the Islamic Aqeedah has come with from the texts i.e. the Kitaab and the Sunnah. This is in addition to that which the Islamic Aqeedah was the cause and reason for its study and understanding, which is the Arabic language and the collections of knowledge that relate to it. For this reason the source of the Thaqaafah of the Hizb is the Islamic Aqeedah and the knowledge of the Arabic language and none other than these two. So when this Kutlah Hizbiyah has placed down its culture (Thaqaafah) and made it the bond between the members of this Kutlah where the Kutlah is built upon the basis of Imaan in this culture, the extent of awareness upon it and sincerityto it, then if all of this has happened, the Kutlah Hizbiyah would have been founded and would have began to proceed and engage in the battlefield of life.
Then when the Kutlah begins to proceed in the battlefield of life, the hot and coldatmospheres will fluctuate upon it, the stormy winds and gentle breezes will blow upon it, whilst the clear and overcast skies will alternate upon it. This means that the Kutlah will suffer and face three realities or situations: Self preservation and its own development, thedevelopment of the society that it is working in, and specifically it will suffer from and face those who are hostile towards it.
As for the first reality which is the work to develop itself and increase the number of itsmembers, to generate atmospheres for it and a Wa’iy ‘Aamm (General awareness) upon its thought. This work that it undertakes will face conditions of strength, weakness and hesitation. Its individuals will engage with enthusiasm and strength however when theyclash with that which is in the society in terms of obstacles they will be affected by griefwhich will lead to the weakening of their activity and a slowing down of their vigour. As such their atmospheres are hot sometimes and at other times they are cool or cold.
As for confronting their opponents whether they are represented in the authority or those who carry different thoughts, then this also fluctuates. So the authorities will arrest them at times and free them at other times. They will declare war upon their sources of income and sustenance, prevent them from employment and prevent their activities sometimes whilst at others they may turn their eyes and attention from them due to some circumstances or another or so that they can learn and gain more information about them. In respect to thosewho carry different thoughts they will not desist from tossing propaganda, deceitful fabrications and slander and false statements out about this Kutlah and its Shabaab. So sometimes it fights the Kutlah by overlooking it and ignoring its presence whilst preventingthe media from discussing anything about it whether in a praiseworthy or blameworthy manner. And sometimes it undertakes the spreading of blatant lies without any shyness or shame. Indeed it reached the point where an individual from one of the Islamic orientations wrote a book in which he said that this Hizb views that the Salaah is not obligatory in this stage (of the Da’wah). He wrote in his book that this Hizb states in its book ‘Nizhaam Al-Islaam’ (The Islamic System) on the tenth line of page 17 that the Salaah is not obligatory in this stage due to the statement of Allah Ta’Aalaa:
الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ
Those who if we establish them with authority on the earth, they establish the Salaah (Al-Hajj 41).
With the argument that as long as we do not have the authority upon the earth then the Salah is not obligatory. (The end of the quote from the author).
What assisted him to spread this fabrication was the lack of presence or availability of thebook ‘An-Nizhaam Al-Islaam’ in the libraries because it was forbidden to be circulated. This therefore is the model of the type of winds that would blow against this Kutlah, it would be like a storm at times whilst at others it would be like a breeze.
As for the society that the Kutlah is working in, then the Kutlah’s challenging and addressing of the evils within it, the systems that are established within it, the publicopinion that dominates it and the apathy and indifference that surrounds it, the challenging of these would mean that the society would accept it at times and oppose at other times. The opposition would occur particularly when the Kutlah attacks the dominant publicopinion represented in nationalism, Nasserism and socialism when these ideas dominated. The society would put its fingers in their ears, would hide in their clothing and becomearrogant and proud. As for when thoughts and opinions are given that the Ummah finds strange and they view them as being far from the reality and they then don’t hang around for the truth and true reality of these thoughts and opinions to be explained and applied to the reality, they in this scenario revise their view of this Kutlah but in an inconsistent manner.
These are the three situations that will confront the Kutlah when it proceeds in the battlefield of life. If it remains firm in the face of these factors then it would have passedthrough the first line of defence of the thoughts of disbelief and attained the followingachievements or results:
1) The crystallization of its thought:
The clashing that takes place with other thoughts, discussing them and making clear their corruption inevitably leads to the embodiment of this thought and its crystallization. Thismeans its movement from a fluid state to a state where it is solidified and embodied i.e.from empty thoughts of imagination to a vision of the reality and its application upon it. This is because when the individual is cultured with this culture which is written upon paper it is hard for him to get a true feeling of its reality and to attempt to embody it. However after it has clashed with other thoughts he would then perceive the correctness of his thoughts and that these are thoughts that apply upon the reality. So for instance when he reads about the other ideologies and the corruption of their Aqeedahs and the falsehood of their thoughts he has not yet envisioned that his thoughts are capable of defeating these thoughts. However when he delves into and engages in these discussions he discovers thatthese thoughts are weaker and more illusionary than a spiders web whilst he affirms and proves that his thought is the truth.
2) The clarity of its Tareeqah:
These sharp and intense conversations with other thoughts and beliefs would lead the Shaabto attempt to apply what he is undertaking upon the Seerah of the Sayyid Al-Mursaleen (saw) and he would then find that he is following it step by step and that what he is coming across is the same as what Al-Mustafaa (saw) came across. This is what makes clear to him the difference between the Makkiy stage and the Madaniy stage and it will make apparent and evident to him the difference between what is considered to be a means or a style and what the clear and firm method (Tareeqah) is. He will also then be able to distinguish between the ruling which provides a treatment or solution and between the ruling thatimplements the particular solution. So far example he will differentiate between the rulesrelated to safeguarding procreation and the rules that explain the manner of implementingthe rules related to the safeguarding and protection of procreation. The same would apply to other rules from the Tareeqah (method) that explain the manner of implementing the rules of the Fikrah (thought). He would therefore have comprehended that Islaam has a particular and specific manner for implementing its rules and that it is not merely acollection of advice that the individual performs due to his belief he holds in relation to implementing them. He would also have comprehended and realised that the Dawlah (State) is the fundamental and main rule from amongst the rules of the Tareeqah and the entity that implements the rulings.
3) It would have prepared its people (the da'wah carriers):
When the Da'wah carrier finds himself alone with the exception of his brothers who are engaged in the Da'wah with him and that he has faced hostility from those who are most closely related to him which could even include his parents and those of his own household, he will despite that not have been deterred from Allah's path by the blame or scorn that he faces from others. This would have made him understand the meaning of his existence in life and he will know that he lives so let for Islaam and its sake.
Allah (swt) said:
Say, "Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah , Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims." (Al-An'aam 163-164).
Therefore the one whose state and condition is like this, he has been truly and properlyprepared in a way that makes him qualified and capable of leading the Ummah and take hold of her in the path towards revival. The one in this condition will therefore be prepared to overcome the burdens faced in the Da'wah and proceed with it in the path towards realising its aim and objective.
4) It would have strengthened its bonds:
When this aware and active Kutlah finds itself alone in the field of work without a supporterfor it apart from its individuals who are engaged in the Da’wah, and when it finds that theUmmah which believes in her Aqeedah, and when it finds that many of the groups that call to Islaam and also believe in what the Kutlah believes in, when they find them showing hostility towards this Kutlah and blatantly boycotting it, then at this time they would realiseand comprehend that the true bond that binds them together within the Kutlah is the culture of the Hizb. So it is not a nationalistic bond or one based on Maslahah (interest/benefit), it is not even a bond that exists between a people and his family and it is not an Aqeedah that has been stripped of the concepts that emanate from it. Rather the true bond is the Aqeedahand the concepts that emanate from it according to a specific understanding and there is no other bond other than that.
I would like to draw attention to this issue and strengthen its reality within the Nafs as it is difficult to comprehend how the Aqeedah by itself is not sufficient to bind together the members of a single Kutlah. Indeed the Aqeedah is essential along with all that emanates from its in terms of Ahkaam and what is built upon it in terms of thoughts that in their collective capacity form the culture of the Hizb so that they become the bond that binds. Every one of us is aware of the four A’immah (Imaams): Abu Hanifah, Ash-Shaafi’iy, Maalik and Ahmad Bin Hanbal and all of us are aware that they were sincere believers and that they all believed in the Islamic Aqeedah with certain Imaan. However despite that, thisAqeedah did not make them a single Kutlah and it did not make those who followed them in their Fiqh a single Kutlah. Had their schools of thought and their followers been a political Kutlah they would have numbered many and a fierce struggle would have occurred between them. And even as schools of thought focused on Fiqh, sharp clashes still occurred on some occasions between these Madhaahib.
As such, intellectual struggles between different Islamic groupings happened in the past,continue to happen today and will happen in the future due to their differences in opinion in relation a host of issues and this is a natural matter. Therefore the intellectual bond must comprise of a single bond, a single goal in addition to a single set of thoughts and rulingsthat are related to what gathers them together, related to the goal that they have set down to be achieved, related to the rulings that explain the way that they will proceed and the Tareeqah (methodology) that they will follow. This is so that it becomes a bond that gatherstogether the members of that Takattul in a true and effective manner and comes ahead of any other kind of bond like those of nationalism, patriotism or tribalism and it even comes ahead of the bond between a person and his parents or between a husband and his wife.
This is the correct and sound Takattul that works for the correct revival. It is the Takattul whose nucleus is the Fikrah (thought), its Thaqaafah (culture) is its bond and it is what iscapable of transforming from a Kutlah Hizbiyah into a fully fledged (complete) Hizb Mabda’iy (Ideological party) that is capable of enduring the burdens of the responsibility and move towards its objective upon firm and solid steps. This is because it has digested itsthought, clearly envisioned its Tareeqah and believes in its objective. Nothing will deter it from achieving it and dealing with partialities will not distract it, nor will it be distracted by the complications of life or the rocks that are thrown in its path as obstacles in the way of achieving their objective and goal.
p.20
The explanation of how this ideological Hizbi structure emerges naturally in the
Ummah is as follows:
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