Change

Perspective and Way of Thinking

Human beings set for themselves certain ambitions to be attained in life. We target these ambitions to achieve a certain comfort level and standard of living compared to other members of society. So we arrange our priorities, plot a course, set our sights, and start out on a life journey, along with the other members of society, in order to reach these goals and ambitions. Usually, the importance and priority of these ambitions and goals are handed down to each person by their ancestors and the society, which wean and culture each generation according to its own particular life perspective, way of thinking, and point of view toward life.

The life perspective, the viewpoint, and the way of thinking regarding man and his environment, plus the culture, are the most important assets that a society possesses. Both the life perspective and the way of thinking are inseparable, like two sides of the same coin. Their relationship is like that of a pilot and a navigator. The life perspective/point of view is the navigator that plots the goal and the direction for the course of life. The way of thinking is the pilot that handles the controls, evaluating and deciding how to interact with others, in order to reach the life ambitions, i.e. determining the human behavior along his chosen course of life.

In advanced societies, great care is taken to protect and preserve the life perspective and the way of thinking. Utmost attention is paid to make sure that they are transferred and handed down, in tact, to the next generation. For example, it cannot be debated that Americans value the idea of individual liberty, and the US Constitution, far more than they value World Trade Center, the Internet, or ''smart'' weapon technology, although they are all valued assets. Western civilization places more value on the ideas of democracy from ancient Greece, than they do on the ruins of the Acropolis, although they are both treasured. Muslims in the Islamic State always placed more value in the full and complete comprehension and implication of the declaration- ''La ilaaha illa Allah, Muhammadar Rasool Allah''-than they did in al-Haramayn (Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, and the Prophets Masjid in Medinah), although they are considered sacrosanct.

After all, societies become advanced when their life perspectives, and way of thinking can provide answers to all of life's troubling questions, and solutions to all of life's difficult problems. Only when society hands down the experiences it gained from answering the puzzling questions and solving the difficult problems, does the next generation becomes more mature, deeply rooted, and can begin reaching farther toward advancement. As Harvard University professor Samuel Huntington, a leading Western political thinker, states in an essay entitled, The West: Unique, not Universal, ''Western civilization emerged in the 8Th and 9Th centuries... developed its distinct characteristics in the centuries that followed... and modernized in the 18Th century. The West was western long before it was modern.''

Societies becomes corrupted, miserable, or declined - meaning the relationships among the people in the society become corrupted, miserable and declined - when the life perspective and way of thinking becomes corrupt, miserable, and declined. Such a situation demands change. The resultant change must be targeted at the life perspective and way of thinking. If any other aspect of the society is targeted without first addressing the life perspective and the way of thinking, this change will never occur. A clear example of this is Turkey at the time of Attaturk. He attempted to adopt Western institutions and models of modernization, without addressing either the life perspective of the citizens, or the one attached to Western culture. As a result Turkey is still declined and under the control of the West, even though she was once the core of a vibrant and dynamic world power.

What should be kept in mind from this discussion, is the valuable nature of the life perspectives and the way of thinking in the advancement of societies, and conversely in their souring and declining. They play an important role in setting the life ambitions, the comfort level and the standard of living for which to strive. They govern how the individuals in the society relate with each other as they strive to reach their life ambitions. Furthermore, they exist inseparable like the two faces of a coin, and any attempt to separate them will bring devastating results similar to a plane flying without a pilot or a navigator.

Wrong side of change

Today, the Muslim Ummah suffers from such a separation. The devastating results of this separation are being witnessed by the world, and more importantly, are being felt daily by the sons and daughters of the Ummah, wherever they are; be they in the 50 plus nation states of the Muslim World, in the East, or the West. This separation was the result of a consistent campaign by the Westerns to remove Islams life perspective and its way of thinking from the hearts and minds of Muslims. This resulted in rendering Islam as a spiritual, ritualized religion, no different from Christianity or animism. Of course Muslims are not without blame to have allowed this to happen.

The Ummah became spoiled. She had been either in the position of a world power or the superpower, throughout the 13 century history of the Islamic State. The State would lose a battle or two, but would always eventually win the war. However, the Ummah became neglectful and did little to protect and preserve her prized possessions (life perspective and way of thinking). She also did little to hand them down along with her crown jewels (Quran and Sunnah). When the Westerns realized this, they worked determinedly and decisively, to remove Islam's dynamism from the hearts and minds of Muslims. This point was stated clearly in the memoir of a Christian missionary who was told by his superior:

'that his job was not to make Muslims into Christians, but only to keep them away from Islam!'

Consequently, they started to work on a variety of fronts. They and their puppet allies destroyed the Khilafah, and divided the Ummah into 50 plus nation states. This erected nationalist-patriotism and racialism amongst Muslims. They cultured an intellectual, political, and military elite of Muslims to be the guardians of Western culture. They constructed an educational curriculum in the Muslim World that on one hand was designed to create hearts and minds that would look up to Western culture, and identify with Western culture and Western history, heroes and experiences. On the other hand the curriculum would create hearts and minds that scorned Islamic culture, and would mock or be ignorant of Islamic history, heroes and experiences. This lead to societies of Muslims with life ambitions based on Western ideals, and with relationships and dealings organized and steered in the Western direction, sometimes using the Quran and the Sunnah as justification, and always ''hoping'' for Jannah in the Hereafter. Since it is the life perspective and way of thinking of Muslims that have been corrupted, it is therefore only the life perspective and way of thinking that must be primarily and completely targeted for change.

Change

Furthermore, Muslims have a precedent in their history from which to follow. Targeting the Meccan society to change its life perspective and its way of thinking was the focus of work employed by the Messenger and his Companions . Actually, this is the way of Islam. The advent of Muhammad as a Messenger saw the Meccan society, and the world at large in a wretched situation. Jafar bin Abu Talib gives the following description:

''We were a backward and ignorant people. We worshipped idols. We ate the meat of dead animals. We engaged in really nasty and lewd relationships. We desecrated the familial ties. We did not maintain any neighborly attitudes or relations. The strong consumed the weak. We remained like this up until Allah sent us a Messenger...''

If we review and reflect upon the Surahs revealed in Mecca, what we find was that the Prophets presentation of Islam was to provoke the society's mental power to reevaluate its life perspective, way of thinking, and relationships. The address was done in a way that highlighted their corrupt and invalid nature, presenting them as the target for change. Consider the following examples:

''Don't you see that Allah put all that is in the heavens and the earth at your disposal. He bestowed you with bounties, both apparent and unsensed. There are people who dispute about Allah without knowledge or guidance, and with no Book to enlighten them. And when it is said to them, Follow what Allah has revealed. They say, we follow what our forefathers were doing. What! Even though it was the Shaytaan that was calling them to the Punishment of Fire.''

[31:20-21]

''For you all who worship idols instead of Allah, and invent falsehood. Those who worship other things instead of Allah, they have no ability to provide you with rizq. So seek rizq from Allah, worship Him, and be thankful to Him. To Him you will return.''

[ 29:17]

''Damned are the Mutaffifs. They expect to get the exact amount from people, but when they operate the weights and scales they give less than what is due. Don't they think that they will be called to account. On that Mighty Day? A Day when all people will stand in front of the Lord of the Worlds?

[ 83:1-6]

''And when the female (girl) being buried alive asks. For what crime am I being killed''

[ 81:8-9]

''Does man think that We can never assemble his bones? We are able to put the very tips of his finger in perfect order.''

[75:3-4]

Jafar summarizes this address of Islam, by the Messenger , as: ''...He provoked our thinking to accept the Oneness of Allah , and as a result to worship and obey Him. To uproot from our hearts and minds what we used to worship, which we inherited from our forefathers, of stones and idols. He commanded us to be truthful in our speech... consecrate the familial ties... to detest and stay away from lewdness, dishonesty, abusing the wealth of orphans, and perjury... To adopt whatever came from Allah... abiding by the Halal and leaving the Haraam...''

The Messenger himself summarized the lifetime ambition that he adopted from Islam as follows:

'' If they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left so that I leave this issue. Until Allah makes this issue dominant, or I die, I will not stop.''

Additionally, it is very clear that the society itself felt the impact of this call. Listen to the impact that was left on the hearts and minds of the society's leaders as they complained to the Prophets uncle, about the Prophets approach: ''...Your nephew insults our gods, he finds faults with our way of life, he mocks our dreams and aspirations, and misrepresents the issue of our forefathers.''

After a while the talk of Mecca was about the dawaah of Islam. The society's leaders made many attempts to forcibly uproot the dawaah by punishing and oppressing the Muslims, who had accepted the invitation to change their way of thinking. These attempts were unsuccessful. Although most of the society did not accept the invitation to change during that period of time, their hearts and minds were nonetheless, affected. The effect was irreversible. Even the leaders of Mecca would individually sneak out to listen to the Prophet reciting the Quran at night. They swore themselves to secrecy not to let the rest of the society know what they were doing, because the change was sure to take its toll.

The society had been made to look at itself and its miserable condition. Instead of changing they followed their leaders in abusing and lashing out against the champions of change. This clearly shows that the target of Islam was not to change individuals. Rather, its address was to change the society. Since it was the society which gave the individual his ambition for which to strive and the comfort level for which to achieve, if the society changed, the individual would change as a result. It is clear that Islam was addressing the life perspective, way of thinking, and relationships that were shared by the individuals living in Mecca.

The Messenger would go to the town square (al-Kabah), or other public locations, and make his provocative declarations. Through ''word of mouth'', the ''grapevine'', or the network of people relationship, these provocative declarations would spread and filter down to every one in the society. Those individuals who were curious and willing to commit themselves to work for change, would be added to the force provoking the society to change. Although the entire society was affected by the call, many were not ready to commit.

Those who were ready to work to change the society individually committed themselves to Islam's life ambition, and understood the Hadith of the Messenger in which he stated, ''you do not become a believer until your desires, hopes, and dreams (Hawaa) follow what I have brought.'' Jafar stated quite clearly how they were before Islam, how they viewed the call, and history shows how they responded.

The news about Mecca started to spread to the regions outside, and although the Meccan society refused to change, it was to be a matter of time before another society would be willing to accept change, and be the nucleus of the new Islamic Society. In the Islamic State of Medinah, although not each and every individual was committed to Islam, the society as a whole was willing to change its life perspective and way of thinking. As soon as the Prophet arrived in Medinah, he drew up a document, outlining and detailing what the relationships of the society would be based upon. The Muslims were one Ummah and the critical mass of the State. The members of the Aws and Khazraj tribe who remained as them selves would also be considered as citizens of the State. ''Good Neighbour'' treaties were struck with non-Muslim tribes living on the outskirts of the State.

It was during this time that the detailed rules of Islam regarding how to organize each aspect of an Islamic society were revealed. Since the critical mass of the society all shared the same commitment, life perspective, and way of thinking, they governed their lives with the detailed rules of Islam, working to achieve their adopted life ambitions. The rest is a matter of historical record.

Change for Today

This is the precedent that Muslims today must adopt and imitate. Since obeying the Quran and the Sunnah is their life perspective, adopting this precedent is binding upon them. There must be group work to change the Ummahs hearts and minds to re-adopt Islams life perspective and way of thinking.

Sure, the Ummah does not believe in idols, it believes in Allah , His Messenger , the Quran and all therein. However, it does not see what these concepts have to do with organizing its life-relationships. Due to patriotic-nationalism (love for the country or nation state; ''wataniyah'') and racialism (love for the race; ''qawmiyah''), the life ambitions are different and disunited. So allegiance is to national anthem and national flag, to the tribe, or to the family name. Some people call for one united brotherhood of Muslims, Christians, and Jews. The urge for each Muslim to achieve his own selfish personal goals and ambitions is much greater than any urge to commit himself to work to save the Ummah. So he is willing to delay this work, adopting the ''gotta get mine'', or ''gotta have fun while I m young'' attitude.

The Ummah does not see that Islam has its own view about economics, politics, crime and punishment, education, social life, and international norms and customs. Instead of using the daleels for Halal and Haram to organize their life relationships according to these views from Islam, the scholars twist, bend and contort the daleel to accommodate democracy, selfish benefit, individualism, freedom and individual liberties. Nowadays even riba can be made Halal if it serves someones own selfish benefit. It has become normal to hear that Islam does not have detailed rules, but rather left general ideals and outlines to be filled in by each persons own whim and fancy.

The work to establish a society that embodies Islams life perspective and to resume the Islamic way of life is ridiculed by some or autopsied and idealized by others. In both cases it is presented as impossible to achieve. A barrage of movements have been founded upon vague or partial ''Islamic'' ideas. Others are founded upon non-Islamic ideas. Because of the current situation of the Ummah, and because of the Muslim membership of the movements, these movements become attractive and their work is encouraged. However, they serve only to drain the Ummahs energies and resources, making no advance toward change.

The Ummah inherits Islam the same way Quraysh of Mecca inherited idol worship: They saw their forefathers on it and they took it without question or thinking. Muslims never question why their forefathers say Islam is a complete way of life, but they only adhere to certain rituals, neglecting everything else. Muslims never question why their forefathers say that our purpose is to obey Allah and His Messenger totally and completely, and at the same time justify total and complete obedience to the Prime Minister, President, King, or Amir. They never question why their forefathers say that Quran and Sunnah must be practiced, and at the same time admire and support the man-made laws of the land. Despite this, Muslims are willing to question Allah on each divine rule that they feel brings them hardship, and at times try to trick Allah (subhana Allah), convincing themselves that disobeying Allah is OK so long as the right intention is kept in mind or heart.

Indeed, there can be no doubt about the work regarding what Muslims need: CHANGE life perspective and CHANGE the way of thinking.