Battle of Ahzab

Lesson from the battle of Ahzab


We are faced with a harsh reality today; a reality in which the wound of Palestine continues to bleed and the crusaders continue their attack occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan and our other lands. Some from amongst us have begun to feel that the situation has deteriorated with no hope of salvation. The feeling of helplessness has crept into their hearts when they witness the continuous barrage of attack against Islam and the Muslims.We should realise that this hardship that has befallen the Ummah is not the only hardship that it has witnessed. In fact when we look back to history it is apparent that the Islamic Ummah has overcome difficult situations that at first glance would look impossible to overcome. One such example is one of the famous battles of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the battle of Ahzab. Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) chose this name for a Surah (chapter) in the Qur’an. This battle was against an unholy alliance or coalition not too dissimilar to the one we face today. The term “Ahzab” in Arabic means alliance, confederates or coalition. This battle is also known as the battle of Khandaq (the trench).Ali ibn Hussain said, “We used to teach the battles of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) equally as we used to teach the Suwar of the glorious Qur’an.” Imam az-Zuhri said, “In studying the battles (of the Prophet) lies knowledge of this world as well as the Akhirah.”Background to the BattleAfter the battle of Uhud there were no less than eight battles. After this there was a period of relative calm for approximately one year. However, the Jews whose treachery and intrigues had made them taste all kinds of humiliation and disgrace had still not learnt their lesson. After they had been exiled to Khaybar, they remained waiting anxiously for the results of the battles taking place between the Muslims and the Mushrikeen.Contrary to their hopes, the events of the war were in favour of the Muslims, therefore they started a new stage of conspiracy and prepared themselves to deal a deadly blow against the Muslims, but they were too cowardly to manoeuvre directly against them, so they laid a dreadful plan in order to achieve their objectives.Twenty chiefs of the Jews with some of the influentials of Banu Nadir went to Makkah to negotiate an unholy alliance with Quraish. They began to goad the people there to attack the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) promising them full support and backing. The people of Quraish, who had been languid and had proved too weak to challenge the Muslims at Badr, seized this opportunity to redeem their stained honour and blemished reputation.It was the Jews of Banu Nadir who endeavoured to incite the Arabs against the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) in order to exact their revenge for being expelled from Madinah. A number of them had formed a party against the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), among whom were Huyai ibn Akhtab, Sallam ibn Abi al-Huqayq and Kinanah ibn Abi al-Huqayq, and from Banu Wa’il were Haudhah ibn Qays and Abu ‘Ammar, and it was this party which approached Quraish in Makkah.The Quraish asked Huyai about his people and he said, "I left them between Khaybar and Madinah hesitating and waiting for you to march with them against Muhammad and his companions." They also asked him about Banu Qurayzah and he said, "They remained in Madinah to deceive Muhammad. They are waiting for you to raid Madinah to help you from within." At that stage Quraish were hesitant, not knowing whether to attack Madinah or not. They considered that there was no difference between them and Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) except his (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) call to Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) and Islam. They therefore wondered whether Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was in the right? To allay their doubts Quraish asked the Jews, "You, O Jews, are the first scripture people and know the nature of our dispute with Muhammad. Is our deen the best or is his?" The Jews replied, "Certainly your Deen is better than his and you have a better claim to be in the right!"The Jews were of the people who supposedly called to the Tawheed (Oneness of Allah) and they knew very well that the Deen of Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was the right one, but their burning desire to incite the Arabs against him (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) landed them in this despicable blunder. To declare that the worshipping of idols was better than the Tawheed was their eternal disgrace and shame, but the Jews did it and they were to ably demonstrate that they could do even worse.The same delegation set out for Ghatafan, called them to do the same, and they responded positively. The Jewish delegation then started a fresh effort and toured some parts of Arabia and managed to incite a confederation of disbelief against the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), His Message and those that believed in Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala). Quraish, Kinanah and other allies from Tihama, in the south, rallied, ranked and recruited four thousand men under the leadership of Abu Sufyan. From the east there came tribes of Banu Saleem, Ghatafan, Bani Murrah, etc. They all headed for Madinah and gathered in its vicinity at a time already agreed upon.It was a great army of ten thousand fighters. They in fact outnumbered all the Muslims in Madinah, women, children and elders included. In reality if they had launched a surprise attack against Madinah, they could have exterminated all the Muslims.The Digging of the TrenchThe leadership inside the Islamic state was on the alert and the intelligence personnel managed to reconnoitre the area of the enemies, and reported their movement to the people in authority in Madinah. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) as the ruler of the Muslims summoned an advisory committee and conducted a careful discussion of a plan to defend Madinah. After a lengthy talk between military leaders and people who possessed sound advice, they agreed on the proposal of one of the honourable Sahabah, Salman Al-Farsi (ra), to dig trenches as defensive lines.The Muslims, with the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) at their head - to encourage, help and remind them of the reward in the Hereafter - actively and diligently started to build a trench around Madinah. Severe hunger, bordering on starvation, could not dissuade or discourage them from achieving their desperately sought objective. Salman Al-Farsi (ra) said; “O Messenger of Allah! When siege was laid to us in Persia, we used to dig trenches to defend ourselves.” It was a plan both unprecedented and wise. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) hurriedly gave orders to implement the plan. Forty yards was allocated to each group of ten to dig. Sahl bin Sa‘d (ra) said, “We were in the company of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the men used to dig and we [would] evacuate the earth on our backs.”Miraculous EventsThe Muslims were digging this trench in starvation and the biting cold but Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) provided their Rizq. Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) in addition showed them many miracles to reassure their souls about the truth and strengthen the Iman of the believers.One Sahabah called Jabir ibn Abdullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) who was digging the trench could not deal with a rock so he called upon the Messenger of Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala), as he climbed down he noticed that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had a stone tied to his belly (due to hunger). So he asked the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for permission to go home. He felt uneasy at what he had seen and desired to return home quickly in order to ask his wife what food they had to feed the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) with. They only had some grain to make a small amount of bread, which his wife started to make and they possessed a small animal that Jabir (ra) sacrificed and cleaned ready for his wife to cook.Upon returning back to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) he said, “O Messenger of Allah I have slaughtered a she-animal of ours and we have ground a Sa’a of barley…So please come, you and another person along with you.”The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) got up and shouted out to the men,“O people of the trench, Jabir has prepared a meal for us, so let’s go.”Consequently all the men went to the house of Jabir (ra) over one thousand of them. When the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) arrived he opened the cooking pot and placed some of his saliva into it and invoked the blessings of Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) upon it then he opened the oven and did the same. He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) told the people to eat and they ate until they were all completely full and yet the shoulder of mutton and dough that was being baked remained as they were undiminished.In another incident a woman brought a handful of dates and passed by the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), who took the dates, threw them over his cloak and invited his followers to eat. The dates began to increase in number until they dropped over the trim of his robe.Sparks of ProphecyAl-Bara’ (ra) said, “On Al-Khandaq (the trench) Day there stood out a rock too immune for our spades to break up. We therefore went to see the Messenger of Allah for advice. He took the spade, and struck the rock uttering, ‘Bismillah, Allahu Akbar (in the Name of Allah, Allah is Great) the keys of Ash-Sham (geographical Syria) are mine, I swear by Allah, I can see its palaces at the moment.’ On the second strike he said; ‘Allahu Akbar, Persia is mine, I swear by Allah, I can now see the white palace of Madain.’ And for the third time he struck the rock, which turned into very small pieces, he said; ‘Allah is Great, I have been given the keys of Yemen, I swear by Allah, I can see the gates of San‘a while I am in my place’” [Ahmad & An-Nasai].The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) gave these prophecies of victory whilst the believers were facing a difficult time. Today we have the prophecies of Islam dominating the world however unlike that time we don’t have the Khilafah state to protect us. The prophecies did not deter the Sahabah from struggling to achieve the victory; rather it further pushed them to achieve these victories. Similarly it is not enough for us to wait for the victory to be granted rather we must strive to achieve it with our utmost effort.The Attack The northern part of Madinah was the most vulnerable, all the other sides being surrounded by mountains and palm tree orchards - the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) understood that the alliance (Ahzab) would march in that direction, so the trench was ordered to be on that side. The Muslims went on digging the trench for several days - working on it during the day and going home in the evening - until it had assumed its full dimensions in front of the huge army of the Mushrikeen (idolaters) that had arrived and settled in the vicinity of Madinah in places called Al-Asyal and Uhud."And when the believers saw ‘Al-Ahzab’ (the confederates), they said: ‘This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us, and Allah and His Messenger had spoken the truth, and it only added to their Faith and to their submissiveness (to Allah)" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 22].Three thousand Muslims, with Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) at their head, came out to encounter the idolaters, with Allah’s (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) Promise of victory deeply established in their minds. They entrenched themselves in Sila’ Mountain with the trench standing as a barrier between them and the disbelievers.On attempting to attack the Muslims and break into Madinah, the Quraish were surprised to see a wide trench, a new stratagem unknown in Arabia before, standing as an obstinate obstruction. Consequently they decided to lay siege to Madinah and began to manoeuvre around the trench trying hard to find a vulnerable spot through which they could infiltrate into Madinah. To deter their enemies from approaching or bridging any gap in their defences, the Muslims hurled arrows, and engaged in skirmishes with them. The veteran fighters of Quraish were averse to this situation waiting in vain in anticipation of what the siege might reveal. Therefore they decided that a group of fighters led by ‘Amr bin ‘Abd-e-Wudd, ‘Ikrima bin Abi Jahl and Dirar bin Al-Khattab, should work its way through the trench. They did in fact manage to do that and their horsemen captured a marshy area between the trench and Sila’ Mountain. ‘Amr challenged the Muslims to a duel, and Ali bin Abi Talib (ra) was deputed. Ali accepted the challenge and said to him, "I call on you to dismount." ‘Amr replied, "O son of my brother, I do not want to kill you." Ali said, "But I want to kill you." So they fought and Ali killed him and obliged the others to evacuate in a state of panic and confusion. However, some days later, the polytheists conducted fresh desperate attempts but all of them failed due to the Muslims’ steadfastness and heroic confrontation.Missing of the Asr prayerIn the context of the events of the Battle of Ahzab, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) failed to observe some prayers in their right time.Jabir (ra) narrated, “On the Day of the Trench ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra) came, cursing the disbelievers of Quraish and said: ‘O Allah’s Messenger! I have not offered the afternoon prayer and the sun has set.’ The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied: ‘By Allah! I too have not offered the prayer yet.’ The Prophet then went to Buthan, performed ablution and observed the afternoon prayer after the sun had set and then offered the sunset prayer after it." Ali (ra) narrated that on the day of Khandaq, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, “(Let) Allah fill their houses and graves with fire just as they have prevented us from offering the Asr prayer” [Bukhari].It was narrated by Ahmad and Shafi‘i that the events of that battle detained him from the noon, afternoon, evening and night prayers, but he observed them combined. The different narrations point to the fact that the situation lasted for a few days.It is clear that because of the trench standing between the two parties no direct engagement took place, but rather there were military activities confined to arrow hurling - consequently the fight claimed the lives of a small number of fighters, six Muslims and ten polytheists, one or two of those killed by the sword.During the process of fighting, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh (ra) was shot by an arrow that pierced his artery. Perceiving his end approaching, he invoked Allah saying: "Oh, Allah, you know nothing is closer to my heart than striving in Your way against those people (disbelievers) who belied Your Messenger and banished him from his town. Oh, Allah, I deeply believe that You have decreed that we should fight them, so if there is still more fighting to go with them, let me stay alive in order to strive more against them. If it has settled down, I beseech you to ignite it again so that I breathe my last in its context." He concluded his supplication beseeching Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) not to let him die until he had had full revenge on Banu Qurayzah.The Treachery of Banu QurayzahIn the midst of these difficult circumstances, plots and intrigues were in fervent action against the Muslims. The chief criminal of Banu Nadir, Huyai, headed for the habitations of Banu Qurayzah to incite their chief Ka’b bin Asad Al-Qurazi, who had drawn a pact with the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to run to his aid in times of war. Ka’b, in the beginning resisted all Huyai’s temptations, but Huyai was clever enough to manipulate him and managed to win Ka’b to his side and persuade him to break his covenant with the Muslims. Banu Qurayzah then started to launch war operations against the Muslims especially the secluded garrisons that housed the women and children of the Muslims.On the authority of Ibn Ishaq, Safiyah (ra), daughter of ‘Abdul Mutallib happened to be in a garrison with Hassan bin Thabit as well as some women and children. Safiyah said, "A Jew was spotted lurking around our site, which was vulnerable to any enemy attacks because there were no men to defend it. I informed Hassan that I was suspicious of that man’s presence near us, [and that] he might take us by surprise now that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and the Muslims are too busy to come to our aid, [so I said] why don’t you get down and kill him? Hassan answered that he would not do it, so I took a bar of wood, went down and struck the Jew to death. I returned and asked Hassan to loot him but again Hassan refused to do that.” This event had a far-reaching effect and discouraged the Jews from conducting further attacks thinking that those sites were fortified and protected by Muslim fighters. They, however, went on providing the idolaters with supplies in token of their support against the Muslims.On hearing this bad news, the Messenger (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) despatched four Muslim prominent leaders Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh (ra), Sa‘d bin ‘Ubada (ra), ‘Abdullah bin Rawaha (ra) and Khawat bin Jubair (ra) for investigation but warning against any sort of spreading panic amongst the Muslims and advising that they should declare in public that the rumours are groundless if they happen to be so. Unfortunately the four men discovered that the news was true and that the Jews announced openly that no pact of alliance existed any longer with Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) was briefed on this situation, and the Muslims understood their critical position with the horrible danger implied therein. Their back was vulnerable to the attacks of Banu Qurayzah, and a huge army at the front, while their women and children were unprotected standing in between. In this regard, Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) says, "And when the eyes grew wild and the hearts reached to the throats" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 10].Response of the HypocritesNow that the Muslims were shut in within the Trench on the defensive, just as the hypocrites today taunt the Muslims saying that the re-establishment of the Khilafah is a dream, the hypocrites then taunted the Muslims.One man, Mu’attib ibn Qushair said, “Muhammad used to promise us that we should eat the treasures of Khosrau and Caesar and today not one of us can feel safe in going to the toilet.”They began to sow the seeds of defeatism, and pretended to withdraw for the defence of their homes, though these were in no way exposed to danger. Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) then revealed:"And when the hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease said, ‘Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusions!’ And when a party of them said: ‘O people of Yathrib (Al-Madinah), there is no stand (possible) for you (against the enemy attack!) therefore go back!’ And a band of them asked for permission of the Prophet saying: ‘Truly, our homes lie open (to the enemy).’ And they lay not open. They but wished to flee" [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 12-13].Response of the BelieversAccording to Ibn Kathir twelve days went by without fighting; only the occasional shooting of arrows. When the condition pressed hard upon the people, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) had in mind to conclude a sort of reconciliation with the chiefs of Ghatafan on the basis of donating them a third of Madinah’s fruit crops. He sought the advice of the two leaders of the Ansar, namely, Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh (ra) and Sa‘d bin ‘Ubadah (ra), the leaders of the Aws and Khazraj, whose reply went as follows:They first asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, is it mere plan for you, or a Divine order”, He (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) replied,“It is my plan to protect you against the allied forces”Sa’d bin Mu’adh (ra) then said, “Allah has honoured us with Islam, guided us to Him, and granted us dignity by believing in him and following you. How could we give them our money! By Allah we will give them nothing but swords (fighting) until Allah judges between us and them.”Hudhaifa’s missionOnce a man who was sitting in the company of Hudhaifah (ra) started talking about how if he had been alive at the time of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) he would have fought by his side and striven for his causes. Hudhaifah (ra) said, “You might have done that (but do not make a flourish of your enthusiasm), I was with the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) on the night of the battle of Ahzab and we were gripped with a violent and severe cold. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, ‘The man who brings me news of the enemy shall be ranked with me in the Day of Judgement by Allah, Most High.’ We all kept quiet and none of us responded to him. He said it again and again and all kept quiet, then he said it again, and again no response, then he said, ‘Stand up, Hudhaifah bring me the news of the enemy and do nothing that may provoke them against me.’”Hudhaifah said that as he walked over to the enemy camp he felt warm as if he was walking in a heated bath, then he saw Abu Sufyan and pointed an arrow at him then remembered the instructions of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) so he didn’t shoot. When he walked back he felt warm as if he was walking in a heated bath and gave the information to the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and then he felt cold again.The Victory In this terrible situation with all of these problems internally and externally let us see how Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) fulfilled his promise of victory.Relief came in the form of Nu’aym ibn Mas’ud. He had already embraced Islam though his own people did not know it and he came to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). Nu’aym proposed to the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) a way in which he could awaken distrust amongst the disbelievers. So Nu’aym was instructed by the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) to go to Banu Qurayzah, with whom he had been a companion in Jahiliyyah days, and remind them of his affection and the special ties that existed between them; remarking to him in a most famous statement, "For war is deceit." [Muslim]Nu’aym thus set about achieving this by speculating what would be their fate should things go badly for them and Ghatafan together with Quraish were to leave them to face Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) alone. He emphasised that Quraish and Ghatafan might not bear waiting for a long time because they were not inhabitants of that land and hence had much less motivation to stay. He told them that if they were left to face Muhammad on their own they would not be able to do so. Finally, he suggested to them not to fight alongside the Allies until they had taken hostages from their chiefs who would remain in their hands as security. Only then should they fight Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) with their allies until they made an end of him. Qurayzah thought that this was excellent advice. Nu’aym then went to Quraish and told them that the Jews of Qurayzah had regretted their action in opposing Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) and that they had sent him to tell them so. He stated that they were prepared to make it up with him by handing over some chiefs of the two tribes, Quraish and Ghatafan, so that he could cut their heads off. He said to them, "So if the Jews send to you to demand hostages, do not send to them a single man." Then he went to Ghatafan and told them the same story that he had told Quraish.The Arabs’ suspicion of the Jews grew and Abu Sufyan sent for Ka’b informing him that they had been besieging Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) for a long time and that they should make ready for battle the next day. Ka’b replied that it was the Sabbath, a day on which they did nothing, no fighting and no work. Abu Sufyan was enraged and he came to believe what Nu’aym had told him. He sent an envoy back to Qurayzah to tell them to make another Sabbath instead of this one for it was essential to fight Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) the next day. The envoy also told them that if Quraish and Ghatafan went out to fight and they were not there, their agreements would be cancelled and they might be fought before Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). When Qurayzah heard Abu Sufyan’s comments they asserted their stand that they would not violate the Sabbath, then they mentioned the hostages whom they should hold as security. When Abu Sufyan heard this he had no doubt left concerning what Nu’aym had told him. He began to think of a new strategy and he liaised with Ghatafan only to find out that they too had second thoughts about fighting Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam). That night Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) sent a bitter wind and a thunderous storm which overthrew their tents and upset their cooking-pots. They were panic-stricken and thought that the Muslims would seize the chance to direct their onslaught against them, so Tulayha arose up and shouted, "Muhammad has come after you, so run for your lives". Abu Sufyan said, "O Quraish! Be off, for I am going." So they grabbed hurriedly whatever they could carry and fled. Ghatafan and the rest of the Allies did the same. In the morning they were all gone.Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) says, “O you who believe! Remember the grace of Allah, on you when there came down on you hosts (to overwhelm you). But we sent against them a hurricane and forces that you did not see. But Allah sees (clearly all that you do)” [TMQ Al-Ahzab: 9].The battle of Ahzab should make us realise that no matter how difficult our present predicament is, Allah (Subhnahu Wa ta’aala) will definitely provide us with the victory. We have to remain strong, patient and work for this victory.

Nunclear coventions

American pressure on India exposes double standards on nuclear conventions

On 20/2/08 Senator Kerry, the South Asian Affairs Sub-Committee chairman, told Mr. Singh and other top Indian government officials

“‌In order to be able to have time to debate this and pass it in the Senate, it would really probably have to be received somewhere in May, at the latest, in order to give time to be able to pass,"

he said.

"So I think somewhere in the next weeks some kind of decision has got to happen because we are just going to run out of time.”

The pact would give India access to American nuclear fuel and reactors. However, America ‘s position exposes its hypocrisy towards nuclear conventions enshrined in the charter of the IAEA. India rather than being punished has been rewarded for its refusal to sign treaties on non-proliferation and nuclear testing. She is one of the few countries to have tested atomic weapons in 1974 and again in 1998. In the case of Iran , it has fully complied with IAEA conventions, but is still portrayed as a pariah state by the US , even though there is no evidence of a nuclear weapons programme. Iran ‘s only crime is that it is guilty of having ‘thought’ about the possession of nuclear weapons

Mantuq & Mafhoum

Mantuq & Mafhoum


Pre-Ample


Allah (swt) sent Islam as a final message until the Day of Judgement.

Furthermore He (swt) states that this message is complete and contains everything.

“It (the Qur’an) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of Allah’s existing books and a detailed explanation of everything”

[ Yusuf: 111]


“And we have revealed to you the Book explaining all matters”

[An-Nahl: 89]

However, one sees that the size of the Qur’an and the Sunnah are limited whereas the scope of problems and issues that mankind faces seem endless. Thus, one may ask the question: How can a text that is limited contain solutions to all the problems that mankind from the time of revelation until the Day of Judgement?In order to answer this we must understand the nature of the text of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.

1.Firstly, the Islamic texts are not like the Church views the Bible (i.e. as holy text, not a legal text) which is rigid and its scope limited, rather it is viewed as a comprehensive legal code, enabling rules to be derived from the text which are not explicitly mentioned in the text using a methodology known as Usul ul-Fiqh.

2.Secondly, the Islamic texts addresses the human being who has instincts and needs, providing them with solutions as the nature of the human being never changes leaving room for the Mujtahid(scholar) to extract rules from the text by extending the original rule mentioned in the text to any new situation that arises.

Finally, the connotation of the texts is phrased in such a way that it provides the basis of extending a hukm o other hukms, and this process covers many issues. This article will address two of these issues, the Mantuq and the Mafhoum.

Mantuq

Mantuq is derived from the word ‘nataqa’ which linguistically is the past tense of ‘to utter’ and the word Mantuq means ‘the uttered’ in the past tense. Mantuq from the Shari’ah refers to what is understood directly from the uttered words of the text. For example, Allah (swt) says:

“He who witnesses the Shahr (Month) let him fast”

[Baqarah: 185]

The text establishes the obligation to fast.

In addition Allah (swt) says:

“Establish Salah”.

This ayah establishes the obligation of Salah(prayer). Also the Messenger of Allah (saw) says:

“Pray as you see me praying”.

This hadith states that Muslims have to pray the way the Messenger of Allah (saw) did. In addition to this, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“The Imam of the Salah is established in order to be followed. Thus, make ruku due to his ruku”

This hadith states that the Imam must be followed in the Salah, and Muslims have to make ruku after the Imams ruku, not before. In the above examples the meanings are taken from the words of the texts. Thus, these meanings are taken from the Muntuq, or the uttered words (i.e. literal meaning), which are either uttered by the Messenger of Allah (saw) or revealed in the Qur’an.

Mafhoum

Mafhoum is derived from the word ‘fahima’ which linguistically is the past tense of ‘to understand’ or ‘to comprehend’. Here the Mafhoum does not refer to what is taken directly from the uttered words but what is taken from the meaning of the text i.e. the implicit or indirect meaning and the word Mafhoum means ‘the understood’ in the past tense. Mafhoum from the Shari’ah refers to what is understood directly from the meaning words of the text, not from the literal meaning behind the uttered words. For example, Allah (swt) says:

“Do not say to them ‘Uff’”

[ Isra: 23]

The direct meaning is the prohibition of saying ‘Uff’ to ones’ parents. However, the connotation gives the understanding of prohibiting the verbal and physical abuse, although this is not mentioned directly in the text. Thus, the prohibition of uttering this word is taken from the Mantuq, while the prohibition of directly abusing and beating the parents is taken from the Mafhoum. The text speaks directly about prohibiting the use of this word against ones’ parents, while the meaning indicates the prohibition of any form of abuse, verbal or otherwise. The Mafhoum is further divided into two categories:

Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah

Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah

Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah

The word Muwafaqah means ‘The agreement with something’. Thus, Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah when put together literally means, ‘The understood meaning which is in agreement with something’. If the rule is taken from the meaning of the text is in agreement with the Mantuq of the text, then it will be called Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah. An example of this is the prohibition of beating the parents mentioned above. The Mafhoum, which is prohibition of physically abusing the parents, is in line with the Mantuq, which is prohibition of saying ‘Uff’ to them. Both the Mafhoum and the Mantuq prohibit something. Thus the Mafhoum in this case is called Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah.

Another example is when Allah (swt) says:

“Those who unjustly eat the wealth of the orphans”

[Nisa’:10]

The Mantuq prohibits unjustly taking the wealth of the orphans. The Mafhoum of the ayah is the prohibition of destroying their wealth, not just taking it unjustly. Both the Mantuq and the Mafhoum establish prohibition. Since the Mafhoum is in the line with the Mantuq, then it is Mafhoum al-Muwafaqah.

Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah

The word Mukhalafah means ‘The something is NOT in agreement with something else’. Thus, Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah when put together literally means, ‘The understood meaning which is in NOT in agreement with something else’.

If the rule is taken from the meaning of the text is NOT in agreement with the Mantuq of the text, then it will be called Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah, for example, when a Mantuq establishes an obligation and the Mafhoum establishes a prohibition, as both the obligation and the prohibition are not in line with each other. This can also occur when either the Mantuq or Mafhoum establishes an obligation or prohibition and the other does not.

For example, Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Ahzab,

“And those who harass believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) calamity and a glaring sin”

[Ahzab:58]

The Mantuq of this ayah prohibits inflicting any harm or harassment to any Muslim without a just reason. However, if there exists a just reason to inflict harm on him then it is halal to inflict this harm. For example if a Muslim stole his hand will be cut, and this is a physical harm on him. The Mafhoum establishes something as halal, whereas the Mantuq establishes something haram. Since halal and haram are not in line with each other the Mafhoum is known as Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah.

Another example is also in Surah an-Anfal,

“If you divorce a believing woman before you consummate the marriage, then there is NO Idda’”

[Ahzab:49]

The Mantuq establishes a rule saying that if such a woman is divorced, she can re-marry without the Idda’ period. The Mafhoum states that if there is a divorce after the marriage is consummated, then Idda’ is obligatory. The Mantuq does not establish the Idda’, and the Mafhoum establishes the Idda’. Hence this is Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah. This is an example of a hukm linked to a specific condition.

This Mafhoum can only apply in four situations:

If the hukm is linked to a specific description

If the hukm is linked to a specific condition

If the hukm establishes limits either in space or time

If the hukm is linked to a specific number

1. If the hukm is linked to a specific descriptionThe Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“If the rich person keeps delaying the payment of his debts, then this will be unjust”

The Mantuq of the hadith establishes the prohibition of continuing to delay payments by the wealthy. The Mafhoum is that it is permissible for a poor person who cannot pay to ask for more time. The Mantuq establishes the prohibition and the Mafhoum establishes the permissibility, thus it is Mukhalafah.In this example, the rule in the original text is linked to a description and not a name or noun. The word “Ghany” means wealthy, which is the description for a person, this description may exist or not exist.

2. If the hukm is linked to a specific conditionAllah (swt) says:

“If they are pregnant, then spend on them until they deliver”

[Talaq:4]

The Mantuq of the ayah establishes the obligation of spending on divorced women until they give birth. The Mafhoum, however does not establish the obligation of support if they are not pregnant. The Mantuq is not in line with the Mafhoum, hence it is Mukhalafah.

3. If the hukm establishes limits either in space or timeAllah (swt) says:

“Continue fasting until the night”

[Baqarah: 187]

The Mantuq of the ayah orders Muslims to fast until sunset. The Mafhoum, however prohibits fasting after the sunset. The Mantuq is not in line with the Mafhoum, hence it is Mukhalafah.

4. If the hukm is linked to a specific numberAllah (swt) says:

“Those who commit zina, male and female, lash them 100 lashes”

The Mantuq of the ayah establishes the obligation of lashing 100 times (specifically). The Mafhoum, prohibits going below or above 100. The Mantuq is not in line with the Mafhoum, hence it is Mukhalafah.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“If three people set off on a journey, they should appoint one of them as an Amir” and “It is forbidden for any three people to be anywhere on earth without having appointed one Amir from amongst them”

The word one means just that, and refers to a number one and no more. This is deduced from Mafhoum al Mukhalafah. In this instance, no text has come to nullify it, thus is applicable. This stipulates the application of: “they should appoint one as Amir” and no more, or “without having appointed one Amir” and no more. Hence, the Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah in the two ahadith indicates that it is absolutely forbidden for the Imarah(authority) to be conferred to more than one man.

When Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah does not apply

If the hukm is not linked to any of the above it does not apply. For example, if the hukm is linked to a thing (noun - ism) as opposed to a description (adjective - sifa). To illustrate this we know that monopolies are haram in Islam, as the Messenger of Allah said: “Only the wrongdoers do monopolies” [Muslim]. Thus collecting a commodity and waiting for the price to rise then selling it is haram, but if the supply is large and collecting the commodity will not put a burden on the people, then it is permitted.

In another hadith the Messenger of Allah (saw) condemned monopolies on food items. The Mantuq of this hadith is that monopolies on food items are haram, and the Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah is the permissibility on items other than food. However, since the prohibition is linked to the word ‘Ta’aam’ – which is according to the rules of Arabic grammar an Ism (noun) and not a Sifa (adjective), then Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah does not apply and the prohibition will include monopolies of all items, whether food or not. The meaning of this hadith mentions one item (food), which is included in the prohibition.

In another example, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

“Fulfil the bay’ah(vote) to the imams, one after another” and “The imams are all from the Quraysh”

[Muslim]

The first hadith establishes the appointing of the imam or Khaleefah. The second hadith links the obligation of giving the bay’ah mentioned in the first hadith to the word Quraysh, which is an Ism – noun, in the Arabic language. Thus Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah, which would prohibit an imam who is not from the Quraysh, does not apply.

It also does not apply if there is another text that clearly contradicts the Mafhoum as when Allah (swt) says:

“And those who harass believing men and women undeservedly, bear (on themselves) calamity and a glaring sin”

[Ahzab:58]

The ayah prohibits harming Muslims, from the Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah it implies that is it permitted to harm non-Muslims, this is incorrect, as it does not apply where another daleel prohibits inflicting harm to anyone unjustly, even if they are non-Muslim. Also when Allah (swt) says:

“If you divorce a believing woman before you consummate the marriage, then there is NO Idda’”

[Ahzab:49]

The ayah links the Idda’ to the divorced believing woman – the ayah implies that this does not apply to non-Muslims, and they have not Idda’.

This is incorrect for two reasons:

“Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three periods”

[Baqarah:228]

This ayah does not add any description to the divorced woman, except her being divorced – thus the Mantuq of this ayah overrules the Mafhoum al-Mukhalafah of the ayah in Surah al-Ahzab.The description in the ayah of Surah al-Ahzab (believer vs. non-believer) does not warrant the rule being applied. Whether a woman is a believer or not does not have any relation to whether or not a waiting period would be implemented·. Thus the rule will remain general, and the description does not restrict the rule.

Summary

In summary, two things must be kept in mind:

Firstly, not discussing these issues has a devastating consequence on the mind of the Muslim Ummah, as they can abuse the Islamic texts for their own gains and interests. As an example, the so-called rulers in the Islamic lands could use their scholars to justify monopolies on food, raping the resources on the Ummah, using the principle. Thus a good understanding of these principles of essential to the revival of the Muslim Ummah as they relate to the methods of understanding the Islamic texts which shape the course of the lives of the Muslim Ummah.

Secondly, the process of understanding text is very precise like any process; therefore it should be regulated by strict protocols and procedures. This is akin to conducting a scientific experiment without any knowledge of materials, methods, formulae and

Saudi Arabia

Is Saudi Arabia a State of Islam or Kufr ?

Every Muslim must know whether his/her Deen is implemented in any country. This is due to the fact that Muslims must pledge allegiance to the country that rules by the Deen of Allah (swt). In other words, that state would be the Khilafah State that is headed by the Khaleefah whom Islam obligated us to obey. Therefore, this presentation is not hypothetical, nor for pure academic reasons. In other words, the Muslims must know if king Fahd is the Khaleefah of the Muslims, and whether Saudi is the Islamic State. If we conclude that Saudi is the Islamic State, then the obligation of re-establishing the Islamic state is removed (and the Islamic movements are actually wasting their time working for a goal that is already achieve).

Muslims perception

Many Muslims view Saudi Arabia to be an Islamic state. This is due to the lack of criterion to determine whether a state is Islamic or not. It is also due to the lack of knowledge of the reality of the situation in that country because of the facade that is put by this state. After all, every year Saudi donates millions of copies of the honorable Qur’an, Islamic books, and a lot of money to build Masajid etc. all over the world. As a result people believe it to be Islamic. Therefore,Muslims must know its reality.

The Criterion for a state to be Islamic

For a state to be Islamic, it must base its constitution, laws, structure, foreign relations, as well as solve its problems on the basis of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah. If a state does not rule by Islamic laws or imports rule from a non-Islamic basis in any sphere of its affairs, it is not Islamic i.e. Kufr state.Now based on this criterion, let us examine Saudi.

Saudi and Man-Made Laws

Saudi rules by a mix of laws, some of which are Islamic and some are man-made. However, to maintain the Islamic perception, it refrains from calling them laws. Saudi uses specific terminologies to differentiate between the Islamic laws and the man-made ones. In an Arabic book titled “The Constitutional Laws of the Arab Countries” under the subtitle “The Constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the author states, “The words ‘law (anoon)’ and ‘Legislation (Tashree’)’ are only used in Saudi to refer to the rules taken from the Islamic Shari‘ah ..... As for the man-made such as systems (Anthimah)’ or ‘ instructions (Ta’leemaat)’ or ‘ edict (Awamir)’......” In an Arabic book titled Al-Wajeez fi Tareekh Al-Qawneen (The Compact in the History of Cannons) by Dr. Mahmood Al-Maghribi, p443, after mentioning that legislation in the past was Islamic and simple, he complements Saudi by saying, “this situation has changed after the rise of the Saudi State and the natural resources. This new situation required reforms and changes ... Due to these changes, there was a need for new laws. As a result, laws were formulated in the following areas; Laws in the basis of court systems, trade, penal code, labour, Taxation, among others ..”

Regarding Trade laws, he stated “The trade laws, land and sea, which are known as ‘The Trade System’ are considered one of the most important Saudi trade laws. This law was issued in 1931and is similar to the modern trade laws, be they Arab or European.” With regard to the Islamic penal code, he said they are implemented (of course), “with some alterations required by the public interest.” He also added, “ Public interest also required making taxation revenue laws or the state...”The author is actually telling us that Saudi has been implementing non-Islamic laws in trade, “similar to the modern trade laws.” He also tells us that Al-Saud have altered the Deen of Allah (swt) by changing some of his laws due to “public interest”.

In actuality, there are many man-made laws which the author did not mention such as:• The system of observing banks issued by the king’s edict #M/5 in 1386 AH.

• The system of the Saudi Arab citizenship decided by the ministers Council resolution #4 on 25Th January 1974 and approved by the king in his speech in High Council #8/5/8604 on 22nd February 1974 to put it in effect.

• The system of printed material and publication issued by the king’s edict #M/17 in 13/4/1402 AH.

•The law of reviving the dead land used to be according to Islam, where if a person works a piece of land that becomes his. This was the case until an edict was issued declaring the nullification of this Islamic law starting from 1987 onwards.

• The system of marrying non-Saudi woman.

• The general rule for taxes, approved by the king’s edict #M/9, on 4/6/1395 AH.

Shar’i And Civil Courts

In Saudi , as in other states, in addition to Shari’ah courts, there are civil courts or courts that rule by man-made laws. As stated earlier , they do not call them civil courts, so as not to shock the Muslims there or embarrass their scholars, who are the biggest pillars of the state. In Saudi, man made laws are introduced through legal forums councils and committee, such as Dewan ofMathalim (council of injustices). These forums are equal to civil courts in other countries.Scholars of Saudi refer to the civil courts in other countries as Kufr, but dare not say the same about these councils. These legal forums address issues that are not part of Shari‘ah, such as cases of Riba, forgery, bribes, etc. These councils are composed of Sheikhs and lawyers, from colleges such as the Sorbonne, who pass verdicts according to certain articles and edicts which are not Islamic.

For example, military courts are placed under a special Dewan called Dewan of Military Courts. In it, Saudi uses man-made laws called “the System of the Saudi Arab Army” issued on 11/11/1366 AH. This system is a combination of Shari’i and non-Shari’i law which are exclusive to military personnel. An example of a Shar’i rule is that of Hirabah, killing anyone who tries to overthrow the regime. In reality, this law was introduced as a measure to deter Islamic activists and especially the army from attempting to remove the entity of Al-Saud and replace it with the Islamic one. As for the punishment for theft, which they claim is subject to Islam, it is not implemented. It is known that the Islamic punishment for theft is cutting off the hand, whether the thief is a civilian, soldier or the Khaleefah himself. In “the System of the Saudi Arab Army” chapter 8 article no.12 states, “The officers and the soldiers who steal something that belongs to other officers and soldiers or their moneys, and the item is consumable, then the thief is to pay its value, if consumed, and be imprisoned for a period ranging from a month and a half to three months...” Furthermore, if an officer commits theft and wants to repent and get punished according to article 20 and 22 from chapter 3 of the same system that places some crimes under the authority of the Shar’i courts and others under the “Council of trials”.

We ask the scholars and the supporters of this British-made, American maintained state: Are the laws of Islam applicable to some people and inapplicable to others? What is the rule of Islam regarding legislating a punishment other than what Allah has revealed?Saudi takes and gives Riba whoever takes a stroll near the Haram will see the British-Saudi Bank, American-Saudi Bank, Arab-National Bank, the Cairo-Saudi Bank etc. These banks with their Riba transactions are allowed to operate in accordance to Section B, article 1 of the Saudi law, issued by the king’s edict no.M/5 in 1386 AH. It is well known that any case dealing with Riba and banks is automatically transferred to the monetary establishment where it is handled by specific committees. Cases of such nature do not go to Shar’i courts. Prior to this law, whenever a person borrowed money from a bank or an establishment and was late in paying it back, and got charged interest, he would go to a Shar’i court judge, who would nullify the interest. This led to a conflict.

On the one land they needed the Shar’i courts, at least to keep up the farce, and at the same time they needed their banks. To resolve this conflict, Shar’i courts were prohibited from interfering in such cases under the “Specialisation” law (articles 20 and 21 from chapter 3 of the System of Saudi Arab Army).Saudi and its Riba based relations with GCC (Gulf Cooperation council) Article 22 of the Unified Economic Agreement stated, “The member states coordinate their financial monetary banking and increase cooperation among monetary establishments and the central bank ...” Its clear that deal with interest since banks and monetary establishments are based on Riba.

Saudi and the AMF (Arab Monetary Fund)

The Arab Monetary Fund, based in Abu Dhabi, is a huge Riba institution that was established by an agreement on 4/7/76 in Morocco. Saudi is the biggest share holder in it; it receives, as every one else in the Fund, Riba of an average of 3.2% on its shares.

Saudi and IMF (International Monetary Fund)

It is worth mentioning that Saudi has the 6th largest share and power of rate. It had 3.5% of the total shares which enabled it to occupy a permanent seat in the executive board.So we ask: How can a state that is involved in Riba as a set policy be Islamic? Maybe because itdonates copies of Qur’an and the Al-Saud ‘scholars’ say so!!

Saudi and External relations: The International Court of Justice

It is well known that Saudi is a member of the UN. According to article 92 of the UN constitution, the International court of Justice (ICJ) is the main Judicial branch of the UN. The ICJ performs its duties based on a system that is part of the UN constitution and must be respected and approved by every member state. Article 94 states “Every member of the UN is to submit to the ICJ in any case in which he is a part.”

Is the International Law taken from the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His messenger(saw)? What is Saudi submitting to? The UN, which was created to counter Islam, or Islam?Saudi is not merely a member of the UN. It is a pioneer in supporting the UN. Some even go the extent of saying that it was one of the founding members. In a speech given by the then foreign minister, prince Faisal bin Abdul Aziz, in 1945 in the San Francisco conference, he said: “...Let us abide by the principles which we wrote here on paper... and let this constitution be the basis on which we will build our new and better world.”

Saudi and UNESCO

The UNESCO was formed in 1946 Saudi showed great interest in this organisation, lending it $4.6 million , interest free,and donating $50,00 in support of its projects. This organisation is designed to spread the Western ideas as well as distorting Islam. For example, in the Encyclopedia on the History of the Human Race and its Scientific Development, issued by this organisation, in volume 3 chapter 10 it states:

1. Islam is a fabricated religion that is composed of Judaism, Christianity and Arabian Polytheism .

2. Qur’an is a book that has no tolerance to others.

3. The Prophet’s traditions where made up by some people, a long time after the prophet, and attributed to him.

4. Muslim Jurists put down their jurisprudence based on the Roman, Persian and Church laws as well as the Old Testament...”

As a matter of fact, Tala Noor Attar, complemented Saudi in his book, “Saudi and the UN”, saying that it donated to the UNESCO $17,040,000.Is it that the government of Saudi is illiterate and never heard of what the UNESCO writes about the Deen they are supposedly propagating, or is it this is exactly what they donating for?!

Saudi and the Arab League

Saudi is not only a member of this nationalistic organisation, but it is one of the founders. Article 8 of the Arab League Constitution states, “Every participating member of the League must respect the established ruling system of the other participating states in the League, it should consider it as a right of these states and obligate it self not to do any action that is aimed at changing their systems.”Assuming that Saudi is Islamic, is it permissible for it to recognise the Kufr, support it and promise not to change it? So the Baathi regime of Iraq and Alawyite in Syria should be respected!? And we have not mentioned the rule for nationalism which Saudi is propagating, for we think it is well known.

Excuses

Some claim that Saudi takes its stand without free will and under pressure. This may be said about a specific incident that occurred or a statement that it made, but no one can say this when the above mentioned set a basis of its policies since its establishment by the British. At any rate, King Fahd declares otherwise, “Every citizen should hold his head high, for his country in any way. We base our friendly relations with other countries based on our mutual benefits in a way that dose not permit any foreign country to have a hold in the Saudi Arab kingdom.” [Thursday 8th of Safar 1405 AH]

It is clear, therefore, that Islam is not implemented in Saudi. Consequently, the work to resume the Islamic way of life via the re-establishment of the Khilafah is an obligation upon Muslims.

Muharram and Ashoora

The significance of Muharram and Ashoora

The day of ‘Ashoora is approaching us on the tenth of the month of Muharram. This sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month for the Muslims.It is the first month of the Hijri calendar, and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah (swt) says in Surah al-Tawbah:

“Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred. That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein…”

[TMQ al-Tawbah: 36]


In this ayah, Allah says, “so wrong not yourselves therein…” means do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months.It was reported that Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) said that this phrase, “so wrong not yourselves therein…” referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.It was narrated by al-Bukhari (2958) that Abu Bakrah (ra) reported that the Prophet (saw) said:

“The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhu’l-Qa’dah, Dhu’ l-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumaadil-akir and Sha’ baan.”

In these days of Muharram the Prophet (saw) recommended for us to fast on the 9th and the 10th of this month.Al-Bukhari narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (ra) who said: “The Prophet (saw) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ‘Ashoora’. He said, ‘What is this?’ They said, ‘This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa fasted on this day.’ He said, ‘We have more right to Musa than you,’ so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day.”

[Bukhari, Hadith No: 1865].

In a report narrated by Imam Muslim, that the Jews said, “This is a great day, on which Allah saved Musa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people.”Muslim also reported that, “Musa fasted on this day in thanksgiving to Allah, so we fast on this day.”

Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan relates: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saw) say,

"It is the day of 'Ashoora. Allah (swt) has not made fasting obligatory for you. But I am fasting. He who likes to observe fast among you should do so, and he who likes not to observe it (does not have to) observe it."

[Sahih Muslim]

Abu Qatada (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (saw) said that, “the fast on the 10th of Muharram atones for the sins of the preceding year.”

[Sahih Muslim]

Abu Huraira (ra) reports that the Holy Prophet (ra) said, “after Ramadan, the fasts of Muharram have the greatest excellence.”

[Sahih Muslim]

In addition to the keeping of the fast on the 10th of Muharram we should also aim to fast on the 9th as well as stipulated in the following ahadith:

Ibn Abbas (ra) relates that when the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "If I survive till next year, I will definitely observe fast on the 9th of Muharram (as well)."

[Sahih Muslim]

Hakam ibn Al-Arat (ra) relates: I went to Ibn Abbas (ra). I said to him: Tell me about fasting on 'Ashura. He said,

"When you seen the new moon of Muharram count the (days) and (begin to) observe fast on the 9th." I said to him: "Is it how the Messenger of Allah (saw) observed the fast?" He said, "Yes."

[Sahih Muslim]

These days also remind us of the story of Musa (as) and his struggle against the Pharaoh. Allah (swt) said in Sura al-Qasas:

“These are Verses of the Book that makes (things) clear. We rehearse to you some of the story of Musa and Firawn (Pharaoh) in Truth for people who believe. Truly Firawn elated himself in the land and broke up its people into sections depressing a small group among them: their sons he slew but he kept alive their females: for he was indeed a maker of mischief. And We wished to be gracious to those who were being depressed in the land to make them leaders and make them heirs. To establish a firm place for them in the land and to show Firawn and Haman and their hosts at their hands the very things against which they were taking precautions.”

[TMQ 28:1-6]

Indeed brothers the story of Musa (as) is a great story that Allah (swt) related to us in the Quran.Allah (swt) told us of how the Firawn oppressed the people, how Firawn broke the people into sections depressing a small group among them, how Firawn killed the new born sons of the people and how he ruled the people with his tyranny and oppression.And we all know how Allah Azza wa Jal raised Musa (as) to liberate the people from this tyranny and oppression.

Allah Ar-Rahman ar-Raheem mentioned in the in Surah al-Qasas how he protected Musa (as) from his campaign of killing the children. Allah (swt) tells us of how when Musa (as) was born Allah (swt) inspired his mother to cast him into the river. Look how she obeyed this command of Allah (swt) with no resistance, imagine casting your child into the river, this is the meaning of having Tawakkal in Allah (swt).Firawn and his wife found Musa (as), upon seeing Musa (as) Firawn’s wife felt joy and convinced Firawn not to slay him. Allah (swt) reunited Musa (as) with his mother when he would not take the milk from others, so eventually the wife of Firawn employed Musa (as)’s mother as a maid to look after him.

Allah (swt) explains this beautiful story,

“And We ordained that he refused suck at first until (his sister came up and) said: "Shall I point out to you the people of a house that will nourish and bring him up for you and be sincerely attached to him?"...Thus did We restore him to his mother that her eye might be comforted that she might not grieve and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true: but most of them do not understand.”

[TMQ al-Qasas: 12-13]

When Musa (as) grew up he stood against Firawn and challenged his corruption and tyranny, he led the Children of Israel (Bani Israel) against the Firawn and made them disbelieve in him and his tyranny. Firawn believed he was a god and that he had the power of life and death in his hands.

Allah Azza wa Jal said in Surah Yunus:

“Firawn was an arrogant tyrant on the earth indeed he was one of the Musrifeen (transgressors)”

[TMQ 10:83]

Today we have many modern day Firawn’s, many Musrifeen (transgressors) and tyrants.Today Bush and his America is one of these modern day Pharaoh’s. We know America thinks it is the God of this world, how it bombed the Muslims in Iraq, how it bombed the Muslims in Afghanistan and Sudan in the past for no reason and how it continues to impose it’s policies all over the Islamic lands. It is the arrogant tyrant of the world today.

The arrogance of these people is apparent, as one Time magazine title put it 'America Rules: Thank God’. America is not the only Firawn in this world today, America has many assistants in the world as Firawn had his assistants like Haman.Today the rulers in the Muslim world are these assistants and Firawn’s who carve up the people as Firawn did and oppress them as Firawn did and kill them as Firawn did.

Today although there are many tyrannical agents of Firawn and the side of Baatil (falsehood) is clear, we must realise that the side of Haq (truth) is also clear and gaining momentum. The people on the side of truth, carrying the call of liberation from the rules of man to the rule of Allah (swt), from darkness of the Firawn’s to the light of the Khilafah, even if they face all types of persecutions and hardship in the pursuit of this.

Musa (as) liberated the Children of Israel from the Firawn, we to need to liberate the Muslim Ummah from the oppression of Capitalism. The method to achieve this is taken from the well known Hadith,"Banu Israel used to be looked after by the Prophets; when one Prophet died, another one would succeed him, and there will be no more Prophets after me. There will be Khulafah and they will number many."Firawn’s end came even though he believed he had all power in his hands.

Indeed the time will come when America and its agents in the Muslim world will drown in the ocean of history as Firawn and his men were swallowed by the ocean and drowned.Musa (as) and all the other Prophet’s (as) relied upon non other than Allah (swt) to fulfil their mission. Musa (as) sought help and support from his Lord, Allah (swt) says in Surah Ta-Ha ,

"Musa said: 'O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness). And ease my task for me; And loosen the knot (the problem) from my tongue, (i.e. remove the impairment in my speech), that they understand my speech, And appoint for me a helper from my family, Haroon, my brother; Increase my strength with him, And let him share my task (of conveying Allah's message), That we may glorify You much, And remember You much, Verily! You are of us Ever a Well-Seer”

[TMQ Ta-Ha: 25-35]

Today in our pursuit of re-establishing the Khilafah to dethrone the Firawn’s of this world we must rely on Allah (swt) alone, He is As-Samee’a, Al-Mujeeb.

Independent thinking & grasping the culture

The importance of independent thinking & grasping the culture

It is possible that sometimes there is a deficiency in some of the Da’wah carriers. This weakness is in understanding the culture and the way we study in the Halaqaat and also the general reading and discussions, this results in problems in the Da’wah.When the general culture level of the Da’wah carriers becomes weak, it creates a number of problems and has dangerous consequences.When the Halaqat are not given in the same level as originally intended by the pioneers of the Da’wah. And when the cultural level is weak. Each resulting Halaqah will create a new halaqah of a new generation of Da’wah carriers that are culturally weaker that its predecessor, the thoughts and culture become watered down and diluted losing the original pure taste of the concepts.Although activity of the Da’wah is essential, it is important to understand that our Da’wah is not ‘activity-driven’ rather it should be driven by a productive and independent thinking based on a strong mentality and strong all-round culture.Sometimes, we are extremely busy in organising activities and doing a lot of running around. So we use our time in organising events and programmes and then we often busy meeting people to invite them to the events we organise. However, sometimes whilst we are planning and organising these events, weather looking for venues or the like, we do not question the objectives of the activity that we are busy organising. So we become labourers for the Da’wah rather than carriers of the Da’wah. Where we have no time to develop our thinking and deepen our cultural level.

As a result, the activities of Da’wah would slow down after the energy our zeal depletes and we would have not achieved results in the Da’wah.Whereas, on the opposite hand, if we build ourselves with deeper culture and strong independent thinking that we strongly believe in rather than borrowing from others, this will build the Da’wah carriers to be strong in their mentalities and result in more productive activities that a driven by concepts rather than enthusiasm and zeal.This does not mean we incline to the other extreme where we only think and culture ourselves without any result. So on the other hand, there may be those who would be the first to criticise styles even though they could see the apparent achievement of results from them. This mentality would make the adherents of it comparable to the one who continuously ponders about battle and reads the books of war but never engages in the battle himself and is thus defeated by the enemy.

It would make us intellectuals rather than Da’wah carriers, thinkers rather than politicians, the drive for the Da’wah would slowly become eroded and the passion to rid the world of evil would weaken.We must realise that the issue of the Da’wah is one of urgency and one that requires for us to move from sensing the problems, thinking about the best solution for it in relation to the styles and then to apply that solution. Even if that solution is not one that we can definitely say is the purest or definitely the best out of hundreds of possible styles.However that style would be the best one we could think of and one we can see affecting the reality which we face in a positive way.This does not mean that we leave thinking, rather it means we think in deeply about achieving the result in the best way without allowing that thought to continue for centuries before even considering action.In order for us to explain the importance and significance of this subject, I shall start by asking you a few questions:What is the meaning of Revival without answering intellectual elevation?Someone may ask why are we not concentrating all of our efforts Da’wah to non-Muslims? As they may argue that RasulAllah’s (saw) method of establishing Dar al Islam in Makkan Era was by converting people to Islam?What is the meaning of Sunnah? Does it mean we must follow the Prophet (saw) in the way we dress, the length of our beards, etc?Sometimes we may not be able to answer questions that we have never faced before for example; we say the Quran has four possibilities of origin-Arab, Non-Arab, Mohammed (saw) or Allah (swt). What if someone came and suggested that they be lived Shaytan is another possibility and he wrote the Quran? How many of us would know how to answer that?

If any of us are hesitant in answering these questions, then this subject is absolutely vital for us to address.In order to create a strong affect in the Da’wah that will create change in people and not to fall into weakness. It is important to understand the different types of thought and to build independent thinking at least.The types of thinking 1. Dependent thought, 2) Independent and 3) Creative.Three types of thinking exist amongst people: independent, creative and dependent. The Da’wah carrier must possess independent thinking at least and the leaders should have creative thinking.Dependent thinking is when people imitate others thoughts and adopt them without questioning deeply.Dependent thinking exists in the person of low intellect who imitates others and mimics and borrows their thought. So a dependent thinker would have no original thought but sheer dependency on the one he has adopted from.In reality the dependent thinker adopts concepts on this basis rather than realising their truth and conformity with the reality or the shari’ah texts.This type of thinking becomes exposed when the individual is confronted with questions or realities that necessitate a reply or the application of the concept. When questioned by others on a concept he has imitated, he often gets stuck not knowing what to say if questions are slightly deeper or unexpected. In this case the dependent thinker would be unable to answer questions related to the concept independently unless he borrowed the answers from someone else.If faced with a reality that required the application of the concept he would be unable to apply it and would inevitably resort to seeking assistance or attempt avoiding the issue.

In this situation, the individual will adopt already-existing ideas established by others when faced with any case or issue that requires any type of original thought or research. Whether in political, legal, or any other issues, such a person will turn to others to provide him with the answers. And after taking the answer or opinion from others, he will defend and justify this opinion as if it was his own without researching the related evidences, only because of his trust in the one who established the opinion.Can be in issues related to understanding reality and text shari’ah matters.So for example; The role of the mind, Existence of Creator, proof of Quran or Shari’ah textual matters like method of re-restablishing Khilafah, understanding of Usul (Ijtihad and Taqleed), Qat’I and Dhan’I matters.There are many consequences of having dependent or borrowed thinking. These could be weakness in our discussions with different sections of the Ummah – whether general people, Ulema, intellectuals, students and people from other groups. The culture that we have gone through and studied is acquired to a basic level that has no depth. This often leads to some of us to get stuck in our arguments and this slows down the Da’wah, where we may need to depend on others to discuss on our behalf.

Because of the imitation, dependency and the lack of thinking and creativity, sometimes our thinking was reduced to a personalized type of thinking that became connected with personalities and not ideas.Unfortunately, nowadays the idea carries no value unless it is connected to a well-established or high-ranking personality such as a Scholar or Intellectual. And any existing research in this case will focus on the person and not the thought so the discussion will emphasize "Who said what" rather than "What is being said." Any person who opposes the opinions of such personalities will be attacked severely.At the end, the individual will view the correct idea as the idea that comes from a personality that he respects, and the wrong idea is the idea that comes from a person that he does not respect. And the only way to explain the fallacy of any idea in this context will be to focus the discussion on the personalities.Such an approach indicates the lack of thinking among Muslims. When the Muslims had a high level of understanding, they would evaluate the personalities based on the ideas they carried and not vice versa. Ali (ra) used to say, "Recognize the truth first; then, you will be able to recognize the people who adhere to the truth.”So even amongst ourselves, we live in a society that is dominated by imitating personalities and dependent thinking, and borrowing thoughts and concepts from people.

Therefore we must be careful not fall into the trap, but break free from this in society and Da’wah. So we should not accept everything just because it was written by this Sheikh or that Sheikh, but rather we should try to question the ideas as much as possible so we truly become the master of the concept.Therefore, the entire discussion should focus on the issues and the ideas where the evidence, and not a personality, serves as the reference. Only through independent thinking and encouraging the sound and original research can we break free of this imitation.Independent thinking is adopting concepts on their basis rather than adopting on the basis of trust in another person culture or thought.An Independent thinker is someone who will not adopt a thought unless he questions it and debates it, then he adopts it. Once he adopts it, he believes in his thought like he is the owner and originator of the thought. So he will be confident to discuss and carry it, debate it and be ready to apply his thoughts on multiple realities weather old or new.An independent thinker would not get stuck often when he discusses with people in the Da’wah, whether the person who he discusses with those who will challenge his thinking, whether the person is a Sheikh, Alim, Phd, member of other group or lecturer. And if he were to get stuck or he comes across something new, the independent thinker would recognise gaps in some aspects of his culture, after discusision, questioning, reading, he would work to fill these gaps.

How does someone acquire and develop Independent thinking?A da’wah carrier who wishes to become independent in his thinking would not be satisfied with just going to a weekly Halaqah and listening to the mushrif for a few hours without questioning him deeply in the concepts he discusses. Sometimes, we may understand what the brother explains to us at the time, but as soon as the halaqah has ended we would not be able to explain the concepts we discussed, so we have not digested the culture and not adopted it independently.The independent thinker would not stop and be satisfied to move on to the next paragraph unless he understands the idea like his own. Questioning until all possibilities are clarified in order to make someone the owner of the thought rather borrowing the thought.Practical steps that could be implemented amongst the brothers in order to generate Da’wah carrier with Independent thinking.It is important that the Mushrifeen push the Dariseen in their level of thinking. The Da’wah carriers should question each other, and the mode of doing an action or accepting a thought because a senior brother says so should be dispelled. Rather, the Da’wah carriers should engage in cultural discussions among themselves and debate among each other to produce an atmosphere of culture and independent thinking whether on intellectual, political or legislative matters.

Reading and studying, discussing and self-scrutinising from sources such as the adopted books of the group you are working with is essential. However, that is not enough to develop deep culture. It is absolutely essential that the Da’wah carriers refer to other sources including the general Islamic culture, such as the books of tafseer, ulum al hadith, Usul, aqeedah etc. Also follow political matters as our Da’wah is purely political and other such fields.Thinking about possibilities to challenge the concept which a da’wah carrier adopts to gain overall and complete strength in what he carries.Natural discussions with people in the Da’wah, this will naturally push us to think independently, and once we discuss, if we feel our discussion is weak, we should try to go back stronger and alone to challenge, not just to take someone who we believe can be better to discuss, as long as this does not harm the Da’wah.Question your mushrifeen as much as possible until the concept becomes absolutely crystal and your understanding has depth.Questioning how and why is the way to attain depth

It is absolutely essential that we build our Aqliya strongly.Aqliya is the fundamental basis were we rewire all our thoughts to, This should only be one basis and that is the basis of the Islamic Aqeedah, none of our thoughts should be rewired to a number of bases, rather a single basis only.For example, someone who believes that Democracy should be a way forward, or believes that there should exist Nation-States, but also believes selling alcohol is Haram or praying 5 times a day is Fard. This person is rewiring his thoughts on these matters to an Islamic Basis on some matters, and to other matters a non Islamic basis. He does not possess the Islamic Aqliya, it is incorrect and contradictory to our deen.Where as the person who watches the news and sees the occupation of Palestine, and believes the solution is not peace with Israel, but the establishment of an Islamic Khilafah and he believes that Salah if Fard like Fasting, and believe alcohol is forbidden and believe the way Men and women come together is by contract of Nikah and all of his other thoughts have a single basis and reference point, then this person has an Islamic Aqliya.Therefore we must possess an Islamic Aqliya, thereby refering each and every single one of our thoughts to a single basis-the Islamic Aqeeda, and nothing more.However, what we wish to address today is the aspects of the Aqliya.

The Aqliya is one basis, which is the Islamic Aqeedah, and we as Islamic personalities do use any other basis to refer our concepts back to.However, from this Islamic ‘Aqliya, we face many realities in our Da’wah and daily lives which requires us to use different aspects of the Aqliya.Aspects of the Aqliya – Intellectual, legislative, political and structural – need to develop on all areas to be all-round Da’wah carriers.The intellectual aspect of the Aqliya deals with matters related to ration aspect we face in the Da’wah and our lives, like the deep thoughts of our culture, the definitions and applications of these concepts in real life. Why people think in a certain way, why people judge and hold certain ideas, why people behave in a certain manner and the like. This is a critical aspect to have in our mentality.The political aspect of the Aqliya is used when we look at local, regional and international events and we conclude and make analysis based on these events with the knowledge and previous information we have gained from the culture to be able t deal with societal and political problems in the world and give solutions for these and mould the Ummah, so we look after their affairs. How would it be possible for the one who wishes to take care of the affairs of the Ummah to not have a Political aspect to his Islamic Aqliya?

The Legislative aspect of the mentality is knowing the Ahkam Shari’ah on most matters we deal with whether they are rituals, social, economic, political, judicial matters and to always refer to the Shari’ah texts to conclude whether the action is Fard, Mandoob, Mubah, makrooh or Haram. It also includes understanding the daleel and usuli principles related to the ahkam. It is necessary for to convey the ahkam together with the evidence especially for our adopted thoughts which are necessary to revive the Ummah. Without having a legislative aspect in our Islamic Aqliya, we would not be able to seek the pleasure of Allah without being dependent on others to give their opinions on these legislative issues.

The Structural aspect of the personality – is about Da’wah, which includes ourselves, the party or group we are with and the work with the Ummah – it defines that we wish to progress in the field of Da’wah with a clear objective with the desire to succeed for the pleasure of Allah (swt), so we may not fail, or become lazy, or incompetent or to be walking books and intellectual philosophers. This is the most important aspect from all the aspects of the Islamic mentality as without the structural aspect, there would be no goal, no objectives and no vision to create change in the Ummah. Without the structural aspect of the Islamic aqliya, we could all possess good ability to do political analysis, or know definitions of concepts and even to know all the details of Fiqh and its usul, tafseer and Ahadith, but it would lead the Da’wah carrier nowhere as he would have no vision and objective, and he would just end up becoming a good writer, thinker, philosopher or sheikh, but not a Da’wah carrier.

Therefore it is important that we as Da’wah carriers, try our best to become all-rounders and develop strong aspects to our Islamic Aqliya, become Independent thinkers and possess strong culture, this would lead us to become valuable Da’wah carriers and to achieve better results.

Progress

Real Progress

''You are the best nation brought forth from mankind, enjoining the good, forbidding the evil and believing in Allah''

[ Ale-Imran: 110]

Indeed if we look to the Muslim Ummah today we can see that she has great potential; she accounts for almost 1.5 billion people; about a quarter of the world's population. The Muslim lands have been blessed with a multitude of resources and wealth; it is our lands that are rich in oil, in minerals, and in other commodities. The Muslim Ummah occupies the most strategic locations in the world, including the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The Muslims also have a glittering heritage which included leading the world for over a 1000 years when the Islamic State was the flower of the globe and the rising sun amongst nations; Islam was at the zenith of innovation, science, technology and creativity. In addition to all of these facts no one can deny that the most important resource that the Muslim's have is the fact that Allah (swt) gave them the greatest message for humanity; the deen of Islam.

Allah (swt) said

''Verily we have made you an Ummah in equilibrium, so that you may witness the affairs of mankind, and the Messenger is a witness over you''

[ Al-Baqarah: 143]

Despite having been blessed with all of these things; a massive population, plentiful resources, strategic locations, a glorious heritage and the Islamic ideology we find that Muslim Ummah is in a weak position intellectually, politically, militarily and economically. I could bring many examples to illustrate this point;

Intellectual weakness;

Many Muslims call for solutions built on a very superficial type of thought e.g. peace process in the Middle East.

Political weakness;

The Muslims are not consulted over any issue of global importance or even regional importance; decisions are taken for them not by them.

Military weakness;

recent situation in Iraq, F-15 planes and Pakistan, maintenance contracts.

Economic weakness; value of currency in Pakistan, economic crises in Far East, massive debts of Gulf countries even though they are so rich in resources (oil price fixing).

I do not need to bring any more examples to illustrate the simple point that the Ummah is simply not fulfilling the potential that you would expect of her given the factors I have already mentioned. At the other end of the spectrum the Western world has made many spectacular discoveries such as nuclear fusion, silicon chips, in-vitro fertilisation and genetic cloning. Indeed these discoveries and inventions have had a massive impact on life as we know it; the world has become a much smaller place to traverse by air travel, communication occurs by e-mail and satellite and complex tasks are performed by computers.

The problem however arises when the people look to the West and feel that only the West deserves to lead mankind since she controls ''nature''.

What I want to consider today is the effect such discoveries that the West has made has had on the Muslims, and especially those of special expertise (professionals), why such advances have not occurred in the Muslim World, and what the future holds for Muslim professionals.

The effect of Western advances on the Muslim mindset

It is the feeling of many Muslims, especially the professionals, that the West is moving ahead at lightning speed and inventing new technologies and discovering new phenomena. When they pick up any journal whether from medicine, biochemistry or chemical engineering, they see that it is the West who is at the forefront of the research and that little research takes place in the Muslim World.

There is a real feeling amongst the professionals that the West is leaving us behind in the era of camels, and the abacus. This has led many of our great minds to come to the West in order to seek an education, or to work for a Western company or government. At worst it has led to the call to westernise the Muslim world in order to move forward. The call for modernisation has become intertwined with the notion of Westernisation.

So it is no surprise that many of the people who work for NASA are Muslim. The team that designed stealth technology was Muslim. Many doctors in the Western countries are Muslim. Muslim engineers work on defence contracts and petroleum projects. There is indeed no doubt whatsoever that Muslims have the ability and the expertise to undertake such actions.

The problem however is that the dominance of the West has led many Muslims to feel that Islam is somehow out of place in the 21Th century or that to follow Islam will lead to backwardness.

It is almost as if Allah (swt) sent his Messenger (saw) unaware of a phenomena called the 21Th century, and processes such as genetic cloning. Islam is equated with the camel as a mode of transport and the bow and arrow in military strategy; how could the laws of 1400 years ago be applicable in the era of semiconductors and chromosome mapping.

Why does a massive gulf exist between the West and the Muslim World?

So why is it that the Muslims seem to be the most backward nation on the planet? Why are our professionals scattered all over the globe working for non-Muslim capitalist ventures? Have the Muslims always been the most backward nation on earth? Is the phenomena of technology unique to the West and the phenomena of the Muslim Ummah backwardness? These are the questions which we must grapple with and explore and answer in order to understand the future role of Muslim professionals in the Islamic world. Are our great thinkers, great physicians, engineers and scientists destined to stay in the heartlands of kufr while their countries remain stooped in poverty and squalid conditions?

Anyone who looks objectively at the questions I have raised would realise the following

The technology that has characterised the West in the last century is not a unique phenomena; the leading nations of the past have been the pioneers of many inventions; the Romans, Persians and Egyptians led the world for many years with their discoveries.

The Islamic State for over 1000 years was at the technological zenith of the world; many of the leading works in medicine, surgery, astronomy, mathematics and science were written by the Muslims; the Islamic State was the centre of scientific advancement.

So it is clear that in the past the Muslims were not backward but were the leaders of humanity in all fields. Even the non-Muslim historians realise this;

''The feeling of inferiority with which Western Europe confronted Islamic civilisation had various facets. Islamic technology was superior to European at many points and more luxuries were available to Muslims...... Militarily the Saracens had been feared in the past, but now the Norman knights were proving a match for them. The extent of Islamic rule, however, was formidable. In the early twelfth century, men regarded the world as consisting of three parts, Asia, Africa and Europe. The largest of these, Asia, was thought to be almost entirely Muslim, and so was much of Africa, while not the whole of Europe was Christian. In this way it was supposed that nearly two-thirds of the world was Muslim. For any Christian who had come in contact with Muslims, too, their unshakable sense of superiority must have been disturbing. In general the feelings of western Europeans against Islam were not unlike those of an underprivileged class in a great state.''

[Montgomery Watt, The Influence of Islam on Europe]

The Islamic state was a centre of learning; the universities of Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo were the leading educational institutions; people from the West used to come there to study (look how the situation is opposite today) So why as the situation changed today?

What is different about the 21Th century? Surely if Islam was able to transform a people of fighting tribes into the leading nation on earth then Islam must be able to transform our situation today? Even more importantly, didn't Allah (swt) oblige us to live according to his rules and laws in all spheres of life, not just in the mosque?

If Islam is compatible with modern day life and the technological world we live in then what is the future of Muslim professionals and how is it that the Muslim nation would regain the position she once had?

In order to answer these most important questions I want to give certain scenarios as examples in order to show the future of Muslim professionals in the Islamic world.

Case Study 1

Every year we see that when the rains come to Bangladesh there is widespread flooding. This year two-thirds of the country was under water. Alongside the flooding comes other problems such as famine, lack of housing and water-borne illnesses. Why is it that such problems occur every year, year in, year out? How does Islam deal with such problems and what would be the future role of Muslim professionals in dealing with this problem?

Bangladesh does not solve her problems according to Islam. She rather imitates the Western countries in their policies and relies heavily on them. She has embraced the NGOs and the idea of population control. She spends large amounts servicing the interest on her debts. She spends money buying American rice while growing cash crops. The rulers can see no material benefits in preventing flooding.

How would Islam deal with these issues?

Muhammad (saw) said

''The Imam (ruler) is a shepherd and he will be asked about his subjects''

A Sahabi (ra) came to the Prophet (saw) complaining about his hunger and showed him (saw) one rock which he had tied against his stomach to suppress the pain from the hunger. Then the Prophet (saw) displayed his stomach, he (saw) had two rocks tied. This incident exemplifies the nature and the attitude a statesman should have regarding his people.

Umar bin al-Khattab said ,

''If an animal, in the land of Iraq, trips, I would be afraid that Allah would question me for it, why did I not fix the road for it''

So the Muslim civil engineers, architects and planners would not be allowed to overlook the problem of flooding because there was no immediate material benefit. Rather they would deal with it and the state would have to provide them with the resources to use their expertise.

Look to the Netherlands which are mainly under sea level; not only do they not suffer from such problems but they have ''reclaimed'' land from the sea and built cities upon it. The problems of famine are nothing new and the Muslim professionals have the skills and expertise to deal with such problems if the motivation existed like it existed for Muhammad (saw) and the Sahaba (ra) and the Khulafa'a. During the time of Umar bin al-Khattab canals were dug such as the Abu Musa Canal from the Tigris to Basra and the Amriul Mumimun canal was dug from the Nile to the Red Sea. During the famine of 639 AD grain was brought from Egypt to Madina via these routes.

The example of Bangladesh shows the importance of having the Islamic system in place in order to solve the problems of the Muslims; we need the education system to produce people of the calibre of statesman and to produce engineers and doctors and scientists. We need the economy in place in order to ensure that we are self-sufficient and can initiate the projects that we desire. The health care system needs to exist in order to treat the sick which ultimately result from ''natural'' disasters; I will expand on some of these points in the next example.

Case Study 2

I know someone who once met a Pakistani working for the Saudi air force travelling between Makkah and Madinah. He said that when a fuse blows in the American supplied planes or ground systems that the Saudis had to call the Americans.

There are certain problems that are widespread in our lands;

Our countries do not produce aircraft, the latest missiles or large aircraft carriers, so this makes us very reliant on others. When we buy such equipment off the Western nations we usually buy their rejects, give them the maintenance agreements and allow them to have intimate knowledge of our weaponry (e.g. of F-16 jets ordered by Pakistan from USA; money refunded).So how is it that Islam would deal with the problem of military reliance on other nations? From the outset Islam does not look to this problem as a solely military problem requiring attention from army men and strategists only. Indeed the order to produce weaponry came in the Qur'an when Allah (swt) said:

''Make ready for them all you can of (armed) force and of horses tethered, that thereby you may dismay the enemy of Allah and your enemy, and others beside them whom you know not. Allah knows them. Whatsoever you spend in the way of Allah it will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged.''

[ Al-Anfal:60]

The Muslims of the past responded to this command without any reluctance in their hearts at all; they heard and obeyed. The Muslims didn't just restrict themselves to horses in order to fulfil the command of Allah. Muhammad (saw) adopted the ditch from the Persians and used it in the battle of al-Ahzab. The Muslims adopted the catapult and Umar bin al-Khattab used the Dabbabah, a wooden tower of several storeys which moved on wheels, and was useful in penetrating forts under siege. During the time of Umar (ra) the navy was started. Tariq bin Ziyad later used such technology to open up Spain to Islam after crossing the sea.

How was all of this possible over 1000 years ago is a question which many Muslims may ask.

The answer to this question is very simple indeed; the Muslims were motivated by Islam alone, and responded to Allah's command in this ayah; they did not buy weaponry to support the economies of the enemy like our rulers today but rather invented weaponry and strategies of war since their fate in the hereafter depended on it. In essence the Islamic State provided the infrastructure required to produce such military advances; the economic system, the education system, the industry of the state and the health care system were all geared towards fulfilling this ayah.

So the economy was geared towards developing new weapons and acquiring weapons. Capital was injected into these things. Muhammad (saw) used to use the war booty to improve the army. The Khulafa'a used the money of the Islamic State in order to make the Islamic army a formidable enemy. Salahuddin established a massive shipyard in Beirut in order to defeat the Crusaders.

The education system was geared towards generating people who were statesman; the likes of Salahudin, Sulayman al-Qanuni, Muhammad al-Fatih, Muhammad bin Qasim, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, just to name a few; The Muslims were not the best in astronomy because they had affection for the stars but rather because they were obliged to pray towards Makkah so they determined the direction using the stars. They also used the stars to navigate themselves towards the enemy territories (cf. Radar and satellite systems). The best people in the military were also great Islamic thinkers; indeed you want the people with the best Islamic culture at the forefront of the battle.

When Muslims launch war on her enemies there will undoubtedly be casualties and injured people who require treatment. This means that the Islamic state must have an excellent health care system. In the past Muhammad (saw) was given two physicians by another ruler, but Muhammad (saw) made them open to the public. When the army of Jihad used to go out under the Khulafa'a Rashidun it was accompanied by physicians and surgeons to treat the injured and sick. Muslims did not become the leading physicians, surgeons and scientists just for the sake of academia. Rather they were responding to the command of Muhammad (saw) when he said:

"Allah has created the illness and the cure, so seek the cure''.

So the Muslim doctors of yesteryear were not motivated by massive multinational drug companies who were looking just for material benefit (e.g. Viagra). Rather they understood the need to use their expertise in order to fulfil the command of Allah. So the challenge that faces the Muslim professionals in the future is to rise to the command of Allah (swt) when he ordered us to prepare our weaponry as mentioned in the ayah above. Anyone of us can see that it is impossible just to organise the professionals in this room to establish such technology; what is required is the Islamic state which implements the Islamic systems in their entirety and which ensures that the infrastructure exists to make the Islamic State the leading nation in the world.

Conclusion

Islam is capable of solving the problems of the twentieth century in the same manner in which it solved problems for over 1000 years; Islam is capable of transforming the Muslim Ummah from the state she is in to the leading nation just like it transformed from one ayah in a cave in Makkah most of the world, and made a group of fighting tribes into the leading nation.

The Muslims used to lead the world in all fields when the Islamic State existed since the motivation was the Islamic Aqeeda alone; our backwardness today is a reflection of our non-adherence to Islam rather than our adherence to Islam. E.g. Turkey used to be a part of the Islamic State which was the leading nation in the world. Mustafa Kemal destroyed the Islamic State and adopted Westernisation while the people remained Muslim; he hoped that maybe by imitating the West we would reap the same fruits that they had; Turkey is still a declined nation, under the control of the Western nations even though she was once the leader of humanity.

The future of Muslim professionals must be seen in the same way as the Sahaba viewed the future (narration about Abdullah bin Masud); technology was not used in order to establish the Islamic State and nor was it focused upon over and above the issue of the Islamic rule; however when the Islamic State was established the Muslims immediately excelled in this area.

Even in the West they have realised that a nation's ideas about life are much more important than a piece of silicon or an aircraft; 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.''

So the Muslim professionals of today must realise that the Islamic ideas are much more important than any invention or discovery; the Muslims of the past held the Shahada much more dearly than street lights or the catapult; Americans hang on to the idea of liberty much more than smart weapon technology or the Internet.

The future of Muslim professionals in the Islamic world is intrinsically linked to the issue of the Islamic State; in the continual absence of the Islamic state, not only do we remain sinful, but we continue to enforce the Western hegemony over our lands; we allow our resources to be used to line their pockets; we accepts our thinkers and professionals to work for the enemy; we allow our countries to remain stooped in backwardness and deprivation.

Allah (swt) said;

''We sent foretime our apostles with Clear Signs and sent down with them the Book and the Balance (of Right and Wrong) that men may stand forth in justice; and We sent down Iron in which is (material for) mighty war as well as many benefits for mankind that Allah may test who it is that will help Him and His apostles, though unseen; for Allah is Full of Strength exalted in Might (and able to enforce His will).''

[ Al-Hadid:25]