The Family Meltdown of Secular Society
On the 5th April 2008, Justice Coleridge, the judge in charge of family courts across South West England delivered a speech to family lawyers from the organisation "Resolution", where he described family life in the UK in "meltdown" marked by an epidemic of family breakdown.
He said, "A large number of families now consist of children being brought up by mothers who have children by a number of different fathers, none of whom take any part in their lives or support or upbringing....These are not isolated, one-off cases. They are part of the stock-in-trade of the family courts." He continued, "Almost all society's ills can be traced directly to the collapse of family life. We all know it. Examine the background of almost every child in the care system or the youth justice system and you will discover a broken family. Ditto the drug addict. Ditto the binge drinker. Ditto those children who are truanting or who cannot behave at school. Scratch the surface of these cases and you invariably find a miserable family, overseen by a dysfunctional and fractured parental relationship - or none at all."
This morbid description of family life in the UK comes in the wake of other news stories in recent times - the fall in marriage rates in England and Wales to the lowest level since records began in 1862 (Office for National Statistics) and a rise in divorce rates to the highest since 1996. Teachers at last month's annual conference of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers also described a "toxic circle" of family breakdown affecting children's ability to learn and their mental health and well-being.
In addition to such stories, one is all too familiar with the other issues related to family life in Britain - the neglect of elderly parents or relatives, the shrinkage of the "extended family", the lack of time spent with children due to both parents having demanding work expectations, the sufferings of the "Superwoman" struggling to balance the responsibilities of home life with a high-maintenance career or job, and the devaluing of family life in the workplace. Last week, the Fawcett society launched their manifesto "Sexism in the city", highlighting the fact that 30,000 women a year in Britain lose their jobs simply for being pregnant and that of all social groups, mothers to be and new mothers experience the most discrimination in the labour market. In February 2006, the Institute for Public Policy Research published a report detailing a fertility crisis in Britain due to women delaying motherhood or remaining childless due to fears that they would face a reduction in lifetime earnings or lose their place on their career ladder for taking time out to have babies. It described a "baby gap" of 90,000 due to this delay in motherhood. The demographic impact of this "baby gap" that many European countries such as France, Italy and the UK are predicting is of an ageing population, a reduced national workforce due to a generation gap and fewer young people to look after the old.
The Impact of Family Breakdown on Lives
The declining worth of family life in Britain and in many other secular societies is evident to see. This is despite the fact that report after report, study after study has shown that marriage and strong families are the cornerstone to stability in the lives of children and a healthy society. The consequences of broken families and dysfunctional or neglectful parent-child relations are also clear to see. Politicians from all camps have related increasing levels of anti-social behaviour, drug- addiction and binge-drinking amongst the youth and teenage pregnancies to rising quotas of dysfunctional families. Judge Justice Coleridge commented in his speech, "I am not saying every broken family produces dysfunctional children but I am saying that almost every dysfunctional child is the product of a broken family." In addition the emotional impact of divorce and broken families on spouses, children and single parents left to bring up their children by themselves, often having to juggle 2 to 3 jobs in the process has caused as the judge describes, "...a never-ending carnival of human misery. A ceaseless river of human distress." Rising levels of child depression, self-harm, even eating disorders have been afforded to the current state of family life in Britain. One should also not forget the emotional gauntlet experienced by women forced to undergo IVF treatment in order to conceive, due to reduced fertility, miscarriages and increased pregnancy related complications related to delaying motherhood.
The Causes of Family Breakdown in Secular Society
The response of many Western governments to this dire problem of "Family Meltdown" has been in main financially based - tax incentives to encourage marriage and married couples to stay together, affordable childcare to enable single mothers to work, working and child tax credits for poor families, and even paying couples to have a second or third child as in France. Throwing money at issues seems to be a recurring knee-jerk reaction of many capitalist secular societies in solving deep-seated problems within their societies. To believe that simply more money will solve this dire state of family affairs is on par with believing that a bundle of dollar notes could seal the hole of a sinking Titanic. Of course Western governments have introduced other initiatives to try and raise the importance of family responsibilities. These include parenting classes or fines for neglectful parents as well as establishing laws to outlaw pregnancy-related discrimination in the workplace but these handful of actions fail to recognise that the fundamental cause of this family meltdown are core secular values and the general lack of weight given to family life within capitalist societies.
The "freedom-loving" culture of liberal society has nurtured a hedonistic and care-free attitude to life based upon the pursuit of carnal and individualistic whims and desires rather than nurturing a mindset of responsibility and respect towards others. This has created an aversion to marriage in many individuals due the level of commitment, fidelity and responsibility required - viewing marriage as a "curbing of their freedom" and preferring rather to be "free and single" and to have sexual relations with "whoever, whenever". It has spurned a culture of promiscuity resulting in spiralling rates of teenage pregnancies, abortions, single mothers and adultery which is the main cause of divorce in Britain. It has created a situation where a man may have relations with many women, father children from different mothers and take no physical or emotional responsibility for either his child or its mother other than a cheque in the post once a month. This situation has created a lack of trust in individuals seeking a partner for marriage, unsure whether a relationship based upon loyalty, fidelity and care and concern for one another will survive such a societal climate based upon a norm of promiscuity and individualism.
This "cancerous" individualistic mindset of "Me, myself, and I", bred within capitalist societies that sanctify securing individual self-interest over all else has eaten away at the foundations of family structure. It has caused individuals to focus on what is best for themselves rather than what is best for their spouse or marriage resulting in increased divorce. It has contributed to people rejecting or delaying having children until later life to maximize their social life, personal finances and personal freedom. It has caused parents to neglect their children while pursuing their own personal interests. It has caused children to neglect their elderly parents, viewing them as burdens on their time and their personal finances, placing them in homes for others to look after. The individualistic concern for one's own family and disregard or neglect of other relatives has caused a lack of a support system for extended family facing physical, financial and emotional problems, causing individuals to suffer in silence alone.
In addition, within capitalist secular societies there has been a devaluing of motherhood and family life against economic life. Firstly, on a historical level, the Western struggle for gender equality and the rise of feminism placed the public life and the man's traditional role of being breadwinner above the private life, motherhood and the woman's traditional role of home-maker. Many feminists argued that female respect and liberty was not compatible with economic dependence upon her husband nor full domestic responsibility and therefore it was not simply a matter of the woman having the right to work but the necessity to work. Christabel Pankhurst, the well known radical feminist and member of the suffragette movement of the early 20th century said of home-life responsibilities that they were an in intolerable burden on married women, a waste of time and economic energies, and was unpaid and unrecognised.
Today, one of the consequences of this view of home-life and concept of "Gender Equality" has been the creation of societies where women do not simply have the right to employment but rather are expected to work even if single mothers with sole responsibility for the care and upbringing of their children. The concept of gender equality that was in theory to produce the "have it all woman" in reality produced the "do it all woman" - who continued to burden the responsibilities of motherhood and household chores but now also struggled with the added burden of financially maintaining the family. With both parents as breadwinners in many families, there is a constant struggle to find time for the children or time to make marriages strong. The basis of gender equality where one looks at what is best for the woman verses what is best for the man rather than what is best for a family or community overall can sometimes overlook what is best for a strong marriage, for the children and for society. Furthermore, the idea of gender equality that erodes the appreciation of sex differences within the workplace and society, hinders rather than facilitates the securing of specific rights based upon sex difference such as pregnancy or maternity rights or flexible working hours for those women with young children and lays open the door to discrimination.
Secondly, the capitalist, materialistic system that has placed the pursuit of the "£" or "$" as its supreme ideological goal, has placed profit over people and finance over families. It has focussed consistently on securing the coffers of government or business over securing the family. This constant drive for short-term profitability has undervalued motherhood and family life and forced even single mothers into work, leaving them little time to bring up their children effectively. Indeed, there are often financial incentives for mothers to return to work; very few incentives for them to stay at home in order to ensure the effective upbringing of their children if they feel this is necessary, which is especially the case with many single parents. This valuing of materialism over motherhood has led to a situation where a pregnant woman or one with young children is often seen as a burden to a company rather than as an asset to society. A 2005 survey of 98 companies by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation found that ¾ of companies would rather break the law than employ a pregnant woman or one of child-bearing age - a fact well-known by many women who would rather delay having children or remain childless rather than face this "fertility penalty" on their earnings or career. It seems that being "chained to the kitchen sink" has been replaced with being "chained to the economic market".
Unfortunately, the Muslim Ummah living in the West or in the Muslim world has not been shielded from these secular or materialistic values. The consequence is that the concept of "strong marriages" and "strong family units" that has always been understood by Muslims over the generations to be the heart or building block of a strong community, has today also been eroded. We face similar problems as those discussed due to the adoption of secular and liberal values and mindsets into our lives - increased divorces, increase in adultery, family breakdown, neglect of children, neglect of elders, severed relationships with extended family and so on. In addition, our community has been blighted with non-Islamic Asian/Arab/African traditions and culture that have also affected our marriages, parent-child relationships, in-law relationships and family structure.
The Islamic View towards Family
Within Islam, issues such as "strong marriages", "motherhood", "fatherhood", "rights and responsibilities of parents, "rights and responsibilities of children", "keeping relations with extended family (silat-ur-Rahm)" and "strong family units", have a high status of importance in the religion and should enjoy an elevated status within a community and society. Islam therefore does not believe in personal or sexual freedom - the freedom of an individual to have any relationship they wish, the freedom to commit adultery and betray one's spouse and family, the freedom to father children and bear no physical, emotional or financial responsibility towards them or their mother. Rather, it believes in building a mindset of accountability towards a Creator that nurtures values such as chastity, loyalty in marriage, and a sense of responsibility towards others and for one's actions. In addition, strict social laws - such as the dress codes for men and women, segregation of the sexes, the prohibition of a man and woman being alone together (khulwa), and harsh punishments for fornication and adultery - all aim to ensure that sexual relations are restricted to marriage and that every child is born with wedlock, knowing who is responsible for its financial, physical and emotional welfare. These values and these laws create a sense of trust between men and women in marriage, when seeking a partner for marriage and in society in general.
Islam not only encourages marriage, linking it to completing half of one's religion(deen) but also encourages husband and wife to consistently seek tranquillity within the marriage to keep the union strong. The Prophet(saw) said, "Oh you youngsters. Whoever amongst you who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him more to lower his gaze and guard his modesty (i.e.chastity). And whoever is not able to marry he should fast, because it will be a protection for him" (Bukhari and Muslim). He(saw) also said, "When a man gets married, he gets one half of the deen. Thus he should fear Allah in the other half" (Al-Baihaqi). Allah(swt) says in Surah Ar-Rum,
"And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find tranquillity in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy." [Ar-Rum: 21]
Although Islam permits divorce, the Muslim should understand that it is one of the most hated actions in the eyes of the Creator such that it is avoided as much as possible and arbitration sought to heal the relationship. Infact in one hadith, it is mentioned that the Throne of Allah(swt) shakes upon hearing of a divorce of a believing man and woman.
With regards to individualism, Islam abhors it. Rather it seeks to build a mentality of responsibility towards others. Therefore, the husband stands accountable to the Creator for fulfilling the rights of his wife. The wife stands accountable to the Creator for fulfilling the rights of her husband. Parents stand accountable to the Creator for fulfilling their responsibility to their children of ensuring their financial and physical well-being as well as their strong Islamic upbringing. The Prophet(saw) said, "Beware! Each of you is a shepherd and each of you is responsible and answerable for his flock. The leader and the ruler is a shepherd over the people and shall be questioned about his subjects (as to how he conducted their affairs); a man is a guardian over his family and shall be questioned about them (as to how he looked after their physical and moral well-being); a woman is the guardian over the household of her husband and his children and shall be questioned about them (as to how she managed the household and brought up the children); a servant is the shepherd of his master's property and shall be questioned about it (as to how he safeguarded his trust). Beware! Everyone of you is a guardian and everyone of you shall be questioned with regards to his trust." (Bukhari and Muslim). In addition, individuals stand accountable to the Creator for fulfilling their responsibility towards their parents of looking after them financially and physically in their old age.
The Prophet (saw) says, "Verily, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah has slaves to whom He will neither speak nor purify nor look at." He was asked, "Who are they, O Allah's Messenger?" He replied, "He who disowns and abandons his parents, he who disowns his children and he who was granted a favour by a people but he denied their favour and disowned them." (Ahmad). Allah (swt) says, "Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.'" [17:23-24] The Muslim also stands accountable to the Creator for keeping good relations with his relatives and fulfilling their rights. There is no acceptance of severing relations with relatives. In Islam, a man may need to take charge of the financial maintenance of a female blood relative and therefore must have a regular awareness of their well-being. A woman may be given custody of a child from a blood relative and therefore must have a regular awareness of their well-being. The Prophet(saw) said, "The tie of kinship (rahm) is suspended from the throne of Allah, and says, ‘Whoever supports me, Allah will support him, and whoever cuts me off, Allah will cut him off'" (Bukhari and Muslim). He(saw) also said, "The one who severes ties with the relations will not enter Paradise." Jabir(ra) narrated that the Prophet(saw) said, "If any of you is poor let him start with himself and if any one of you has surplus (wealth) let him spend it on his family, and if any of you has further surplus let him spend it on his relatives."
With regards to materialism, Islam understands that the earning of money is important for the physical needs of individuals and therefore encourages a healthy economic life for society. However, it is also based upon the belief that although money may be the currency for this life, it is fulfilling the good deed prescribed by Allah(swt) that is the currency in the Hereafter. Having many children, looking after their welfare, and giving them a good Islamic upbringing to make them good Muslims and upright citizens who are a source of goodness for the community and society, is just one of those actions given much weight in currency in the Hereafter. The Prophet(saw) used to say, "Get married to the tender and fertile(women), for indeed I will vie with the Prophets in your great numbers on the day of Judgement." Abu Sa'id al-Khudri narrated that the Prophet(saw) said, "If anyone cares for three daughters, disciplines them, has them married, and does good to them, he will go to Paradise." (Abu Dawud). He(saw) said, "A man will be raised some degrees in Paradise and he will say, ‘For what reason I am receiving this?' He will be told, ‘Because of your son (child) asking forgiveness for you.'" (Bukhari). In contrast to the capitalist ideology, the philosophy of the Islamic system is not based upon securing "capital" over all else but rather understands that society must be organised in order to fulfil all aspects of human life effectively. Therefore it does not seek to maximise economic life up and above family life but rather understands that both are required for a healthy society. Nor in Islam are the roles of men and women in society and family life defined according to the concept of "Gender Equality", where the role of breadwinner is valued above the role of mother and home-maker. In family life Islam defines the responsibility of the man as the breadwinner and the woman as the homemaker and the nurturer of the children. One role is not above another but both are essential for the effective organization and functioning of family life and the progress of society as a whole.
Allah(swt) says,
"And wish not for the things in which Allah has made some of you to excel others. For men there is allotted from what they have earned (and likewise) from women there is allotted for what they have earned" [An-Nisa:32]
In this regard, the woman as a wife and mother is permitted to work but there should be no societal or financial pressures upon her to do so if she chooses not to for the woman cannot compromise her vital role of being a wife and mother, caring for her children and family and nurturing the thinking and development of the future generations. At all times, the obligation of her financial maintenance falls first upon the male members of her family and second upon the state if they are not able to provide her with adequate support. She does not have to embrace the long suffering identity of a superwoman, struggling to balance a successful career with a successful home life, for her value within the society is based upon her obedience to her Creator and not upon the level of tax she contributes to the economy. Indeed, in contrast to capitalist societies, where motherhood has been devalued, where many stay-at-home mothers feel undervalued in society and many working mothers face discrimination for having children, Islam seeks to build a mindset within public life, the workplace and society as a whole of the great status that motherhood has in life. "Paradise lies beneath the feet of the mother" is a well known saying of the Messenger(saw). A man at the time of the Prophet(saw) came to him and said "I have carried my mother single handed around the Kaba 7 times, does this repay the kindness she showed me as a child?" The Prophet replied "It does not even repay one contraction of the womb". It was narrated that on one occasion a woman called Salamah said to the Prophet (saw), "O Messenger of Allah, you brought tidings to men but not to women." He said, "Did your women friends put you up to asking me this question?" She said, "Yes, they did." He (saw) said, "Does it not please any of you that if she is pregnant by her husband and he is satisfied with her that she receives the reward of one who fasts and prays for the sake of Allah? And when the labour pains come none in heaven or earth knows what is concealed in her womb to soothe her. And when she delivers, not a mouthful of milk flows from her and not an instance of child's suck, but that she receives, for every mouthful and every suck, the reward of one good deed. And if she is kept awake by the child at night, she receives the reward of one who frees seventy slaves for the sake of Allah." (Tabarani). A poet once said, "The mother is a school: if you prepare her properly, you will prepare an entire people of good character; The mother is the first teacher, foremost among them, and the best of teachers." This is very much the understanding that Islam has - that the mother lies at the heart of the family and therefore is pivotal for society. One impact of this view is that even in the workplace, the understanding, value and flexibility for family responsibilities should be a common appreciation amongst employers rather than one that has to be forced upon them by the hand of the law.
Conclusion
In today's world, Islam and the Shariah are under constant attack, described as uncivilized, barbaric, backward and dangerous by particular Western governments and the Western media. This is despite the fact that within secular societies, the social and moral fabric of their family and societal lives are crumbling before their very eyes by their own admission due to the danger and chaos created by liberal, capitalist and secular values. These values have been and continue to be exported to the Muslim lands, causing "Meltdown" also in Muslim families and societal life. Islam however, has provided us with a beautiful set of principles and values to make our families and social structure strong which we must embrace and mould our lives upon. However, we are lacking the Islamic Khilafah system to water the soil of our lands with these values, to build and protect this mindset on mass amongst the Muslim Ummah. It is therefore the work to establish this state that we must turn our urgent attention and time. In addition, as Muslims, Allah(swt) has provided us with ample opportunity to carry the dawa to the non-Muslims around us by explaining the beauty of Islam in solving various problems facing humanity including the issue of family breakdown that is unfortunately plaguing so many societies across the world today.
"Whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery. But whoever turns away from My Reminder (That is, neither believes in the Qur'an nor acts on its orders) verily, for him is a life of hardship, and We shall raise him up blind on the Day of Resurrection." [Ta-Ha: 123-124]
Monday, 15 June 2009
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Secularism? What a mess???
Should we fear the beard or Secularism?
Recently Mohammad Salim, a Muslim student studying at the Nirmala Convent Higher Secondary School in Madhya Pradesh, India petitioned the Indian Supreme Court that he be allowed to sport a beard, contrary to his school’s rules. The Supreme Court dismissed Salim’s petition and upheld the ruling of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had ruled that Salim has no right to wear a beard if forbidden by his school rules.
On 30th March 2009 on behalf of the entire division bench of the Supreme Court, Justice Markandeya Katju commented as follows: “We should strike a balance between rights and personal beliefs. We cannot overstretch secularism. We don't want to have Talibans in the country. Tomorrow a girl student may come and say that she wants to wear a burqa, can we allow it?”
Why can’t we apply the same logic to the adherents of other religions? Shouldn’t the Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh be forced to remove his Sikh Turban whilst on state duty and during official functions? Shouldn’t all female Hindu officials including the President of India, Pratibha Devsing Patil be forced to remove the Bindi and any other Hindu symbols? Shouldn’t the BJP be banned for being a political party that overtly espouses Hindutva?
The hypocrisy is plain to see as the issue is nothing to do with religious symbols, it is rather to do with Islam specifically. We have seen the same happening in other so called democratic and ‘free’ countries, in France we saw the banning of the Hijab in schools and in the United Kingdom a Muslim schoolgirl Shabina Begum lost the right to wear the Islamic Jilbab (outer garment/burqa) at her school. What do they fear from a piece of cloth like the headscarf or facial hair? Justice Katju made it clear that it is not to do with the actual facial hair but what it may represent i.e. Islamic values, attempting to brand any Muslims who adhere to Islamic values as Taliban.
Since September 11, under the pretext of the war on terror, the non-Muslim world has undertaken a host of measures specifically aimed at Muslims. These measures include arbitrary arrests, physical torture, imprisonment without trial, surveillance of mosques, muzzling of Imams, and deaths in police custody. Some have even been forced to become spies. Muslims have also witnessed the endless vilification of Islam by the media.
All this has left an indelible impression on Muslim minds that secular democracies are incapable of guaranteeing Muslims the peace and security to practice their religion.
The plight of Muslims living under secular dictatorships supported by the West is much worse. In countries like Uzbekistan, Muslim males are routinely arrested for having a beard or visiting the Mosques too often. In Turkey, Muslim women who opt for university education are forced to abandon their hijab.
But the fiercest punishment is reserved for those who seek to criticize these tyrannical regimes; imprisonment, torture and extra-judicial killings can routinely be found in such countries. So we also find Muslims living in the Muslim world convinced that secularism is flawed and unfit to govern them.
Even non-Muslims living under secularism feel that their religion is vulnerable. Many Christians in the West view gay bishops, women priests, illegitimate children, and the commercialization of Christmas as malicious attempts by secular fundamentalists to subvert Christian values and replacing them with secular ones.
Likewise, secularism has failed to protect the Christian sects in Northern Ireland and safeguard the lives of Jewish, Christian and Muslim people living in Palestine. India, the largest secular state in the world, is prone to religious violence where Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Sikhs are all victims of secularism. So, just like Muslims, non-Muslims are also looking for an alternative system that can provide them with an opportunity to practice their religion in peace.
Islam is the sole ideology in the world where people of different faiths can worship and perform their religious duties without experiencing reprisals or insecurity. In practice this is secured by a true Islamic Caliphate state not the current Muslim states like Saudi Arabia nor the previous rule of the Taliban. In the past the Caliph safeguarded the rights of non-Muslims and Muslims alike, without discriminating between them. Take the case of Palestine: under the shade of the Caliphate, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived in harmony, a feat unrivalled in the history of mankind.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “He who hurts a dhimmi hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys Allah.” [1]
Thomas Arnold describes the relations between non-Muslim citizens (dhimmi’s) and Muslim communities under the Islamic rule, he says:
“The toleration extended towards the Christian Arabs by the victorious Muslims of the first century of the Hijrah and continued by succeeding generations, we may surely infer that those Christian tribes that did embrace Islam, did so of their own choice and free will.”[2]
Cecil Roth mentions that the treatment of the Jews at the hands of the Ottoman State attracted Jews from all over Western Europe. “The land of Islam became the land of opportunity. Jewish physicians from the school of Salanca were employed in the service of the Sultan and the Viziers (ministers). In many places glass making and metalworking were Jewish monopolies, and with their knowledge of foreign languages, they were the greatest competitors of the Venetian traders.” [3]
Secularism is bound to fail as it is a man made concoction which was based upon a compromise between the Clergy and the philosophers of Europe. After a bloody struggle lasting centuries they agreed to, ‘Render under to Caesar what is Caesar’s and render unto God what is God’s’ therefore dividing religion and politics and church from state. This idea in reality contains an intrinsic contradiction, if we acknowledge the existence of God, the creator and Lord of the Universe then who are we to relegate Him and His law to only personal rituals?
Shouldn’t secular symbols such as nightclubs and Bollywood be banned instead? As they represent secular values that lead to the increasing promiscuity in society where pre-marital relations are becoming the norm, sexually transmitted diseases are increasing, rape and molestation becoming daily items in the newspapers. Shouldn’t the poisonous liberal values be opposed instead of the headscarf or the beard which represents a Muslims adherence to Islamic rules that teach being good to neighbours, the prohibition of consuming intoxicants, honouring ones parents, helping the poor and needy and living a pious life.
Isn’t secular India a country where two thirds of the population live in poverty? Where corruption is deep rooted in the system from the police, government officials to the politicians? Some may argue that India is not a proper secular state, let us then consider the bastion of secularism, the western nations. Hasn’t the secular system led to more than 35 million Americans and 12.5 million British people living below the poverty line? Hasn’t the secular capitalist system been exposed by the current global economic crisis where the system of selfishness, greed and the free market led to the eventual collapse and recession we see today?
Contrary to the media portrayal of the Taliban, the Islamic Caliphate system established by the Prophet Muhammad (saw) himself in Madina and continued after his death is one that established justice, waged war against poverty, was a leader in innovation, science and technology, created communal harmony where people of all faiths lived in peace, worked to eliminate corruption, promoted education of all citizens male and female, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
Instead of scaremongering and breeding fear of Islam non-Muslim societies need to open their minds to at least study it as a genuine alternative to the problems that plague the world today.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
The Vital Issue For the Muslims
In the month of Rabi al-Awwal, 13 AH, the Islamic State centred at Medina was plunged into the most serious crisis since its establishment…the death of the Prophet (saw). Having conquered the forces of Kufr, subjugated the elements of shirk and established a governing state; the Prophet (saw) passed away having completed his mission. The news of his death quickly spread to all parts of the city. On hearing it, some wept, some were dumbstruck and others refused to believe that the Messenger of Allah (saw) had died.
Amidst the confusion, several other critical issues arose. News reached the capital that large numbers of people had publicly refused to pay the Zakah. Others were rallying around an impostor prophet by the name of Musailima. On the borders of the state far to the North the armies of the Roman Empire were preparing to fight while the army of Jihad, having just been given its orders to march, had encamped outside Medina. Within this atmosphere of unrest another issue, perhaps the most critical of all still remained to be solved; the burial of the Prophet (saw).
It was at this most serious of junctures that the most outstanding personalities of the Islamic State, the Sahabah(companions), took control.
The Ansar of Medina had gathered in the saqifa of Banu Sa’ida, to discuss the issue of ruling and government after the Prophet (saw). Abu Bakr (ra), along with Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) and Abu Ubaidah (ra) made their way to the meeting place. A long and fierce debate then ensued which continued beyond two nights. At its conclusion the Sahabah who had gathered decided that Abu Bakr (ra) be given the bay’ah and chosen as Khalifah for the Ummah. Thus, the successor to ruling and implementation of Shari’ah was chosen. The critical issue to note is that during these three days and two nights of discussion all the other problems that the Ummah faced were still in existence. However the Sahabah (ra) prioritised the selection of a Khalifah as the most critical issue. Following Abu Bakr’s (ra) appointment, units were organised to fight against the false prophet, those refusing to pay the Zakah were punished, the army of Jihad was dispatched to deal with the Romans and the Prophet’s (saw) body was buried.
It is vital that the actions the Sahabah took at this time are closely examined, for the Ijmaa(opinions) of the Sahabah indicates a Shari’ah rule for us. What they were faced with was a collection of issues which all required solving. All the issues were either Fard(obligatory( to carry out or were hudood to be implemented; neither could be delayed. Thus the burial of a body is Fard, the punishment of those who refuse to pay Zakah is obligatory, Jihad must continue and impostor prophets attacking the foundation of the Islamic State must be dealt with. However, the action prioritised above these actions was the selection of a Khalifah.
Rasoolallah (saw) had in fact already commanded what the Muslims should do upon his death and had laid down the hukm regarding the issue of rule. His (saw) hadith recorded in the Sahih of al-Bukhari states, “And after me there will be no more prophets, but there will be Khulafah, and they will be many”. The Sahabah asked, “What do you order us regarding them”. He (saw) replied, “Fulfil the Bay’ah(elect a leader) to them, one after one.” Rasoolallah (saw) also emphasised the obligatory nature of this bay’ah(vote). The Sahih of Muslim narrates, the Prophet (saw) said, “Whoso dies whilst there was no Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) on his neck, he dies the death of jahiliyyah (ignorance).” Thus the Prophet (saw) made it compulsory on every Muslim to have the pledge of allegiance to a Khalifah.
It is this bay’ah that the Sahabah sought to establish. They immersed themselves in this work and gave it the priority it deserved. That is, being the most important issue above other issues, even over the burial of the Prophet (saw) himself. For it is by the establishment of the ruling system of Allah (swt) that the Shari’ah is implemented, the Hudood is enforced, the rights are upheld and the Deen is made dominant.
This idea has remained with the Muslim Ummah throughout its history. Wherever Islam spread, the rule of Allah (swt) was implemented and the bay’ah to the Khalifah was maintained. After the age of colonialism when the Ummah was given an opportunity to assert itself, to implement a law, to profess a belief, it was always Islam. Thus the hundreds of millions in the Indo-Pak subcontinent who were roused, did so in the name of Islam, did so behind the slogan, What is the meaning of Pakistan? There is no God but Allah!
It was the desire to re-establish an Islamic ruling authority, to restore the Shari’ah, and to implement the Deen that moved the masses, that led to the sacrifices, that convinced millions to migrate. Their goal was one, a land where a Mu’min could live under the shade of the Shari’ah.
That aspiration today still remains unfulfilled. In its place are a host of issues, problems and calamities that affect the Muslim Ummah, globally and locally. In government the rule of Allah (swt) is replaced with the rule of Insaan, economically our lands lie chained to debt, militarily our vast arms gather dust while our brothers and sisters are butchered. Once again the Ummah questions itself. What issue should we pursue? What problem should we solve first? Where does the solution lie? We are in fact at that critical juncture faced by our predecessors, the Sahabah (ra). The guidance given to them applies to us today, the rule given to them applies to us today, and the actions undertaken by them apply to us today, to re-establish the Khilafah. The lack of the rule of Allah (swt) is indeed the most critical issue, for in its absence, Kufr reigns supreme. In order to arrest this situation, lead this Ummah to revival and fulfil our Fard, the re- establishment of the Khilafah is the vital issue.
Link to our reality today
What we learn from the example of the Sahabah radhiallahu anhum, is that while there may be a myriad of issues assaulting the Ummah, what must be done is to analyse, understand and prioritise the issues according to Islam. Thus they focused on the leadership for and unity of the Ummah. It resolved the problems, of the Muslims, stabilised their situation and brought victory to Islam and the Believers.
In our situation of today, our blood is spilled in Afghanistan, Jenin, Hebron, Chechnia and now again in Palestine. There are murders and cruel tortures of Muslims in Uzbekistan and China. We know of the poverty in Africa and Indonesia, of the killings and persecutions in India, Chechnia, Palestine, Kashmir. What do we attend to first? The Ummah are in shock - angry, saddened and confused.
We had the same reaction to the destruction of the Khilafah on the 3rd of March, 1924. We had the same reaction when Israel was established on our blood and our land. And now, after September the 11th Muslims all over the world, are having to answer Bush’s question - are we with them or against them. The response is confused:
Some suggest embracing the west - although decreasingly so
Some suggest rejecting modernity and technology - retreating into some exotic orthodoxy
Some suggest reshaping ourselves to the Western / American mould of Islam - through
compromise, integration, assimilation, and secularising.
The reality is however, that the kuffar too are in deep trouble. Look at the suffering in the world today. This, in the ‘golden age’ of capitalism, when the kuffar have only one dominant ideology and yet, there is global poverty, famine, pollution, exploitation of human suffering and majority economic deprivation. The West fashion weapons of mass destruction and great cruelty. Then manufacture wars to sell those weapons - it’s a trillion dollar industry this ‘organized violence’ - prospering on misery the sublime achievement of Western civilisation, the fruit of ‘enlightened Western thought’. Kufr, capitalism, and taghut have enslaved us and have failed the kuffar themselves. Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, and recently rumblings about AOL-Time Warner - this at the height of their power. The very bastions of capitalism are collapsing before our eyes - without us lifting a finger. If the global consequences weren’t so seriously tragic, it would be hilarious.
The correct response to the onslaught on the Believers
None of the 3 options bulleted above are correct nor are they acceptable to Islam. The answer lies in embracing Islam comprehensively and exclusively - that is to establish our lives on our Iman, our aqeedah, and to have sabr (not just patience, but also being steadfast, being calm and positive and continuing with what is fard and refusing what is haram). Islam itself is the solution - this Deen, came as a solution to all of life’s issues. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions in the Qur’an the translation of the meaning of which reads,
And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Allah as Muslims)
[ An Nahl: 89]
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala describes the Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam as a ‘mercy to all the worlds’.
The bond to our Aqeedah
We as Muslims, have declared that we witness, that we know, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala exists, that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam is His Messenger, that Al Qur’an is indeed the Word of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala links our belief to the implementation of Islam in every fabric of our daily lives. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commands that judging by Islam in our life’s affairs is linked to Belief in Islam,
“But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make you (Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction.”
[ Surah An Nisa: 65]
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said in his last sermon, (Khutbah al-Wada’a)
“…I am leaving with you that if you hold fast to, you will never go astray. The Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and the Sunnah of His Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam”
Islam is a system and way of life that was implemented globally for over 1300 years. They did not do this because it was of ‘great benefit’ they did this because its creed, its foundation, the basis of life was absolutely and simply true. From this correct basis emanated a system of ruling, of economy of societal interaction, duties and responsibilities, of systems of relations between men and women. This system of life, took care of the world. The fruits of our Deen, was truly an illumination and enlightenment of the world. It contributes to all the high values existing today. None paralleled it.
Bernard Lewis, in his book ‘What Went Wrong?’ writes, ”Islam represented the greatest military power on earth… It was the foremost economic power in the world… It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization”.
In talking about world civilisations, and contrasting it with the Chinese, he observes, “Islam in contrast created a world civilization, polyethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”
He also writes, “It is often said that Islam is an egalitarian religion. There is much truth in this assertion. If we compare Islam at the time of it’s advent with the societies that surrounded it - the stratified feudalism of Iran and the caste system of India to the east, the privileged aristocracies of both Byzantine and Latin Europe to the West - the Islamic dispensation does indeed bring a message of equality. Not only does Islam not endorse such systems of social differentiation; it explicitly and resolutely rejects them. The actions and utterances of the Prophet, the honored precedents of the early rulers of Islam as preserved by tradition, are overwhelmingly against privilege by descent, by birth, by status, by wealth, or even by race, and insist that rank and honor are determined only by piety and merit in Islam.”
Further on, he conceded, “The Muslim women had property rights unparalleled in the modern West until comparatively recent times. Even for the slave, Islamic law recognized human rights - the term “civil rights” has no meaning in the context of those times and places - unknown in classical antiquity, in the Orient, or in the colonial and post colonial societies of the Americas.”
We failed, because we moved away from Islam
We need to return to Islam. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala promises and informs us, that the objective of Islam and the Muslims who carry it, is to establish it and for it to supersede over all other ways of life,
They intend to put out the Light of Allah (i.e. the religion of Islam, this Qur'an, and Prophet Muhammad) with their mouths. But Allah will complete His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).
He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth to make it victorious over all (other) ways of life even though the Mushrikun (polytheists) hate (it).
[ As Saff: 8 - 9]
Conclusion
And so, what is the answer to those who gleefully fire missiles at innocent babies? Who aim their powerful guns at the skulls of children? At the kafir soldiers who rape and beat pregnant women? At cowardly treacherous leaders like Karimov and Mubarak who torture and electrocute the Believers in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam? What must the Islamic Ummah do (first) to deal with the myriad of problems that stalk us? The answer is the re-implementation of Islam. The method from Shara’a is to work with a group to re-establish the structure - the Khilafah (Islamic ‘State’) and to establish the one single leader for the Islamic Ummah - the Khalifah on that structure. Then he, empowered by Allah’s Deen, will mobilise the Believers to correct all the wrongs, insha Allah.
If we are indeed Believers, and we believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam and Islam, then we will never apply any solution from taghut and kufr nor anything other than Islam. We will apply the solution from the Deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala upon the root problem. Not because it brings benefits or it works but because it is the Command of the Creator of man, life and the universe.
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "I have five names. I am Muhammad. I am Ahmad. I am al-Mahi (the effacer), by whom Allah effaces (obliterates) kufr. I am al-Hashir (the gatherer), before whom people are gathered. I am al-Aqib (the last)."
[Related by Malik, from Ibn Shihab from Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim]
We are the followers of that Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we are the Ummah of the Effacer of falsehood. Islam is the solution, Khilafah is the Method. It is time for us to implement the Truth.
"Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[ Al-i-Imran 3:31]
Amidst the confusion, several other critical issues arose. News reached the capital that large numbers of people had publicly refused to pay the Zakah. Others were rallying around an impostor prophet by the name of Musailima. On the borders of the state far to the North the armies of the Roman Empire were preparing to fight while the army of Jihad, having just been given its orders to march, had encamped outside Medina. Within this atmosphere of unrest another issue, perhaps the most critical of all still remained to be solved; the burial of the Prophet (saw).
It was at this most serious of junctures that the most outstanding personalities of the Islamic State, the Sahabah(companions), took control.
The Ansar of Medina had gathered in the saqifa of Banu Sa’ida, to discuss the issue of ruling and government after the Prophet (saw). Abu Bakr (ra), along with Umar bin al-Khattab (ra) and Abu Ubaidah (ra) made their way to the meeting place. A long and fierce debate then ensued which continued beyond two nights. At its conclusion the Sahabah who had gathered decided that Abu Bakr (ra) be given the bay’ah and chosen as Khalifah for the Ummah. Thus, the successor to ruling and implementation of Shari’ah was chosen. The critical issue to note is that during these three days and two nights of discussion all the other problems that the Ummah faced were still in existence. However the Sahabah (ra) prioritised the selection of a Khalifah as the most critical issue. Following Abu Bakr’s (ra) appointment, units were organised to fight against the false prophet, those refusing to pay the Zakah were punished, the army of Jihad was dispatched to deal with the Romans and the Prophet’s (saw) body was buried.
It is vital that the actions the Sahabah took at this time are closely examined, for the Ijmaa(opinions) of the Sahabah indicates a Shari’ah rule for us. What they were faced with was a collection of issues which all required solving. All the issues were either Fard(obligatory( to carry out or were hudood to be implemented; neither could be delayed. Thus the burial of a body is Fard, the punishment of those who refuse to pay Zakah is obligatory, Jihad must continue and impostor prophets attacking the foundation of the Islamic State must be dealt with. However, the action prioritised above these actions was the selection of a Khalifah.
Rasoolallah (saw) had in fact already commanded what the Muslims should do upon his death and had laid down the hukm regarding the issue of rule. His (saw) hadith recorded in the Sahih of al-Bukhari states, “And after me there will be no more prophets, but there will be Khulafah, and they will be many”. The Sahabah asked, “What do you order us regarding them”. He (saw) replied, “Fulfil the Bay’ah(elect a leader) to them, one after one.” Rasoolallah (saw) also emphasised the obligatory nature of this bay’ah(vote). The Sahih of Muslim narrates, the Prophet (saw) said, “Whoso dies whilst there was no Bay’ah (pledge of allegiance) on his neck, he dies the death of jahiliyyah (ignorance).” Thus the Prophet (saw) made it compulsory on every Muslim to have the pledge of allegiance to a Khalifah.
It is this bay’ah that the Sahabah sought to establish. They immersed themselves in this work and gave it the priority it deserved. That is, being the most important issue above other issues, even over the burial of the Prophet (saw) himself. For it is by the establishment of the ruling system of Allah (swt) that the Shari’ah is implemented, the Hudood is enforced, the rights are upheld and the Deen is made dominant.
This idea has remained with the Muslim Ummah throughout its history. Wherever Islam spread, the rule of Allah (swt) was implemented and the bay’ah to the Khalifah was maintained. After the age of colonialism when the Ummah was given an opportunity to assert itself, to implement a law, to profess a belief, it was always Islam. Thus the hundreds of millions in the Indo-Pak subcontinent who were roused, did so in the name of Islam, did so behind the slogan, What is the meaning of Pakistan? There is no God but Allah!
It was the desire to re-establish an Islamic ruling authority, to restore the Shari’ah, and to implement the Deen that moved the masses, that led to the sacrifices, that convinced millions to migrate. Their goal was one, a land where a Mu’min could live under the shade of the Shari’ah.
That aspiration today still remains unfulfilled. In its place are a host of issues, problems and calamities that affect the Muslim Ummah, globally and locally. In government the rule of Allah (swt) is replaced with the rule of Insaan, economically our lands lie chained to debt, militarily our vast arms gather dust while our brothers and sisters are butchered. Once again the Ummah questions itself. What issue should we pursue? What problem should we solve first? Where does the solution lie? We are in fact at that critical juncture faced by our predecessors, the Sahabah (ra). The guidance given to them applies to us today, the rule given to them applies to us today, and the actions undertaken by them apply to us today, to re-establish the Khilafah. The lack of the rule of Allah (swt) is indeed the most critical issue, for in its absence, Kufr reigns supreme. In order to arrest this situation, lead this Ummah to revival and fulfil our Fard, the re- establishment of the Khilafah is the vital issue.
Link to our reality today
What we learn from the example of the Sahabah radhiallahu anhum, is that while there may be a myriad of issues assaulting the Ummah, what must be done is to analyse, understand and prioritise the issues according to Islam. Thus they focused on the leadership for and unity of the Ummah. It resolved the problems, of the Muslims, stabilised their situation and brought victory to Islam and the Believers.
In our situation of today, our blood is spilled in Afghanistan, Jenin, Hebron, Chechnia and now again in Palestine. There are murders and cruel tortures of Muslims in Uzbekistan and China. We know of the poverty in Africa and Indonesia, of the killings and persecutions in India, Chechnia, Palestine, Kashmir. What do we attend to first? The Ummah are in shock - angry, saddened and confused.
We had the same reaction to the destruction of the Khilafah on the 3rd of March, 1924. We had the same reaction when Israel was established on our blood and our land. And now, after September the 11th Muslims all over the world, are having to answer Bush’s question - are we with them or against them. The response is confused:
Some suggest embracing the west - although decreasingly so
Some suggest rejecting modernity and technology - retreating into some exotic orthodoxy
Some suggest reshaping ourselves to the Western / American mould of Islam - through
compromise, integration, assimilation, and secularising.
The reality is however, that the kuffar too are in deep trouble. Look at the suffering in the world today. This, in the ‘golden age’ of capitalism, when the kuffar have only one dominant ideology and yet, there is global poverty, famine, pollution, exploitation of human suffering and majority economic deprivation. The West fashion weapons of mass destruction and great cruelty. Then manufacture wars to sell those weapons - it’s a trillion dollar industry this ‘organized violence’ - prospering on misery the sublime achievement of Western civilisation, the fruit of ‘enlightened Western thought’. Kufr, capitalism, and taghut have enslaved us and have failed the kuffar themselves. Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, and recently rumblings about AOL-Time Warner - this at the height of their power. The very bastions of capitalism are collapsing before our eyes - without us lifting a finger. If the global consequences weren’t so seriously tragic, it would be hilarious.
The correct response to the onslaught on the Believers
None of the 3 options bulleted above are correct nor are they acceptable to Islam. The answer lies in embracing Islam comprehensively and exclusively - that is to establish our lives on our Iman, our aqeedah, and to have sabr (not just patience, but also being steadfast, being calm and positive and continuing with what is fard and refusing what is haram). Islam itself is the solution - this Deen, came as a solution to all of life’s issues. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala mentions in the Qur’an the translation of the meaning of which reads,
And We have sent down to you the Book (the Qur'an) as an exposition of everything, a guidance, a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have submitted themselves (to Allah as Muslims)
[ An Nahl: 89]
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala describes the Messenger sallallahu alaihi wasallam as a ‘mercy to all the worlds’.
The bond to our Aqeedah
We as Muslims, have declared that we witness, that we know, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala exists, that Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam is His Messenger, that Al Qur’an is indeed the Word of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala links our belief to the implementation of Islam in every fabric of our daily lives. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala commands that judging by Islam in our life’s affairs is linked to Belief in Islam,
“But no, by your Lord, they can have no (real) Faith, until they make you (Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, but accept them with the fullest conviction.”
[ Surah An Nisa: 65]
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said in his last sermon, (Khutbah al-Wada’a)
“…I am leaving with you that if you hold fast to, you will never go astray. The Book of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and the Sunnah of His Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam”
Islam is a system and way of life that was implemented globally for over 1300 years. They did not do this because it was of ‘great benefit’ they did this because its creed, its foundation, the basis of life was absolutely and simply true. From this correct basis emanated a system of ruling, of economy of societal interaction, duties and responsibilities, of systems of relations between men and women. This system of life, took care of the world. The fruits of our Deen, was truly an illumination and enlightenment of the world. It contributes to all the high values existing today. None paralleled it.
Bernard Lewis, in his book ‘What Went Wrong?’ writes, ”Islam represented the greatest military power on earth… It was the foremost economic power in the world… It had achieved the highest level so far in human history, in the arts and sciences of civilization”.
In talking about world civilisations, and contrasting it with the Chinese, he observes, “Islam in contrast created a world civilization, polyethnic, multiracial, international, one might even say intercontinental.”
He also writes, “It is often said that Islam is an egalitarian religion. There is much truth in this assertion. If we compare Islam at the time of it’s advent with the societies that surrounded it - the stratified feudalism of Iran and the caste system of India to the east, the privileged aristocracies of both Byzantine and Latin Europe to the West - the Islamic dispensation does indeed bring a message of equality. Not only does Islam not endorse such systems of social differentiation; it explicitly and resolutely rejects them. The actions and utterances of the Prophet, the honored precedents of the early rulers of Islam as preserved by tradition, are overwhelmingly against privilege by descent, by birth, by status, by wealth, or even by race, and insist that rank and honor are determined only by piety and merit in Islam.”
Further on, he conceded, “The Muslim women had property rights unparalleled in the modern West until comparatively recent times. Even for the slave, Islamic law recognized human rights - the term “civil rights” has no meaning in the context of those times and places - unknown in classical antiquity, in the Orient, or in the colonial and post colonial societies of the Americas.”
We failed, because we moved away from Islam
We need to return to Islam. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala promises and informs us, that the objective of Islam and the Muslims who carry it, is to establish it and for it to supersede over all other ways of life,
They intend to put out the Light of Allah (i.e. the religion of Islam, this Qur'an, and Prophet Muhammad) with their mouths. But Allah will complete His Light even though the disbelievers hate (it).
He it is Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth to make it victorious over all (other) ways of life even though the Mushrikun (polytheists) hate (it).
[ As Saff: 8 - 9]
Conclusion
And so, what is the answer to those who gleefully fire missiles at innocent babies? Who aim their powerful guns at the skulls of children? At the kafir soldiers who rape and beat pregnant women? At cowardly treacherous leaders like Karimov and Mubarak who torture and electrocute the Believers in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam? What must the Islamic Ummah do (first) to deal with the myriad of problems that stalk us? The answer is the re-implementation of Islam. The method from Shara’a is to work with a group to re-establish the structure - the Khilafah (Islamic ‘State’) and to establish the one single leader for the Islamic Ummah - the Khalifah on that structure. Then he, empowered by Allah’s Deen, will mobilise the Believers to correct all the wrongs, insha Allah.
If we are indeed Believers, and we believe in Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasallam and Islam, then we will never apply any solution from taghut and kufr nor anything other than Islam. We will apply the solution from the Deen of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala upon the root problem. Not because it brings benefits or it works but because it is the Command of the Creator of man, life and the universe.
Rasulullah sallallahu alaihi wasallam said, "I have five names. I am Muhammad. I am Ahmad. I am al-Mahi (the effacer), by whom Allah effaces (obliterates) kufr. I am al-Hashir (the gatherer), before whom people are gathered. I am al-Aqib (the last)."
[Related by Malik, from Ibn Shihab from Muhammad ibn Jubayr ibn Mutim]
We are the followers of that Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam, we are the Ummah of the Effacer of falsehood. Islam is the solution, Khilafah is the Method. It is time for us to implement the Truth.
"Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
[ Al-i-Imran 3:31]
Monday, 23 February 2009
Hadith
Understanding the Hadith
Nothing historically has received more scathing attacks from the kuffaar than hadeeth literature, that is, the preserved body of narrations related to the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم sayings, actions and conduct. Originally, manykuffaar attempted to stir doubt in the genre of hadith literature by spreading dubious lies about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and highlighting supposedly contradictoryahadeeth. Orientalists then took up the mantle of destroying the credibility of the Prophetic traditions by carrying out extensive research on the wholesale rejection of hadeeth as a historical source. This was initiated by Orientalists such as Goldziher and Schact, an attack that continues to this day at the hands of modern-day Orientalists.
There exist many misunderstandings about the reality of hadeeth even amongst the Muslim Ummah. Amongst some, there is an attitude that the Sunnah is of much less importance than the Qur'an. From this a mentality has emerged disregarding or neglecting legislation (ahkaam) simply because it is not found explicitly in the Qur'an. Unfortunately, many Muslims have criticised the use of ahadeeth (pl. Hadeeth) by using the very same arguments non-Muslims have used against the authenticity of the Sunnah. In 1977 Colonel Gaddafi, ruler of Libya, announced that the ahadeeth mentioned by the tongue of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم are of doubtful authenticity because they were compiled two hundred years after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He gave an example of a contradiction in the hadeeth by quoting ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها which says, "Aisha رضي الله عنهاis deficient in mind and Deen." He also mentioned another hadith were we read, "Take half your Deen from the mouth of ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها." Gaddafi concluded that it is not allowed to accept ahadeeth because one cannot be certain whether they are authentic or fabricated. He thus concluded that the Sunnah cannot be taken as a source of legislation.
Historical origins
At the time of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم questions of authenticity were never an issue since the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was living amongst Muslims and his companions were able to correct each other if any mistakes were made in narration. ‘Umar رضي الله عنه once narrated that the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The deceased is punished due to the weeping of his family." ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها corrected him, saying, "The Prophet صلى الله عليهوسلم said this regarding a Jewess that she was punished whilst her family were crying for her," meaning that she was punished due to dying upon disbelief (kufr) whilst the family wept and not because the family was weeping for her. Due to their proximity to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Sahabah would check strange attributions and reports when they felt doubt.
The earliest record of fabrication of ahadeeth started after the first civil war between Ali رضي الله عنه and Mu'awiya from 35AH following the murder of Uthman رضي الله عنه. According to ibn Sirin (d.110AH), "They did not ask about the isnad (chain of narration) but when civil war (fitna) arose they said: Name to us your men; those who belong to Ahl al-Sunnah, their traditions were accepted and those who were innovators, their traditions were neglected."
After this time the fabrications increased with varying motivations. Initially the false attributions reflected political differences. According to ibn Abi al-Hadeed: "Lies were introduced in hadeeth on merits originally by Shi'ah. They in the beginning fabricated many ahadeeth in favour of their man, motivated by enmity towards their opponents. When the Bakriyya (i.e. supporters of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه) found out what the Shi'ah had done they fabricated on their part ahadeeth in favour of their man."
From this problem arose the challenge to authenticate and verify the narrations being attributed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. There were thousands of transmitters of ahadeeth scattered throughout the Islamic lands and an even greater number of reports to sift through. What was required was for the sound narrations to be separated from the weak and then to be compiled. This was all in the days when the best form of data storage was the human memory.
Understanding the Hadeeth methodology
The essential argument for the rejection of ahadeeth is that they were a human construct and not revelation. The discussion of the Shari'ah begins with its sources, which in origin is the Qur'an. The other legislative source is the recorded sayings, actions and conduct of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم which are termed ahadeeth. The ahadeeth are a collection of around 600,000 authenticated narrations comprised of the sayings, actions and consent of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. A hadeeth is always composed of two parts: the matn (text) and the isnaad(chain of reporters).
When one wants to authenticate any incident or statement one would look at those people narrating the incident and then look at their characters. It was out of this need that an entire science, known as 'ilm al-rijaal (knowledge of the men who transmitted ahadeeth) emerged and this science evolved into an extremely sophisticated discipline. This is because if one is characterised with lying, sin or memory loss, one cannot be considered trustworthy. One can also examine how close the narrators were to a reported incident in terms of whether they actually witnessed it or spoke to another person who narrated the event. This would require the specialist inhadeeth and the scholars of Islam to check accounts of a given narrators memory, eyesight, tendency to exaggerate etc. If the people narrating the event were small in number, then it must be asked if they could have colluded in their accounts. If the opposite were the case and the numbers of trustworthy individuals relating a similar account unknown to the others incredibly numerous, the possibility of collusion diminishes accordingly.
Since each narrator related narrations to others, and so on, chains of narrators develop and we must then examine the chains themselves as well as those within the chain. A tawaatur narration (a narration confirmed generation to generation) is a hadeeth which has been transmitted from one generation to another with each generation being composed of individuals so numerous that the possibility of fabrication or lying is effectively non-existent. It would be similar to taking into account the numerous different narrations from various generations and still claiming the Second World War never took place.
The chain of narration (isnaad) and its study is where the muhaditheen (scholars who collected and categorisedahadeeth) establish the continuity of the chain of narrators i.e. they ensure that there were no gaps, inconsistencies, distortions or errors in the chain. This was achieved by cataloguing the dates of birth and death of narrators and the towns they came from in order to establish the possibility that they had met and hence were actually able to transmit ahadeeth to one another.
The second issue that had to be ascertained was the probity or mendacity of transmitters. It is not sufficient to verify an unbroken continuous chain if even one of the transmitters was known to be of unsound character. Like any chain, all that is necessary for the whole sequence to collapse is simply one weak link that would allow it to fall apart quickly and easily. So one weak link, or in the case of hadeeth literation, a liar in the chain, will weaken or nullify the report respectively even if the rest of the chain features illustrious and trustworthy transmitters. It is for this reason that the Muslims at the time gathered information about the narrators ('ilm al-rijaal) which was a colossal accomplishment since it involved assessing the character, reputation and state of mind of thousands upon thousands of transmitters. This repository of biographical material would then be used to identify each and every transmitter in the chain to ensure a valid link back to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It is as a result of this that the genre of biographical dictionaries emerged, a genre that went on to become one of the pillars of hadeethclassification with countless books being compiled on this subject. After the study of the chains the ahadeethwere classified into strong (sahih), good/sound (hasan), not sound (da'eef) and fabricated or spurious (maw-doo'). The ahadeeth came to be further categorised into topics such as purity, prayer, charity, partnership, marriage, trade, taxation, brokerage, ruling and deputation, amongst many others. This now meant that legislation could be deduced from this basis from the Sunnah, and Muslims have been doing this for the last fourteen centuries.
The ahadeeth is confirmed as a source of law by the Qur'an itself,
مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ
"He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed God." [TMQ An-Nisa: 80]
This method became the method of verifying what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did and said. This is why the science of ahadeeth developed and became a whole discipline itself. Thus a valid hadith is one whose chain is continuous by trustworthy and meticulous transmitters whose reports contained no abnormality or defects. Thus, the conditions in this definition can be listed as the following:
1. Ittisaal as-Sanad (continuity of the chain)
2. ‘Adaalatu Al-Ruwwaah (probity or trustworthiness of narrators)
3. DabT Al-Ruwaah (The precision and accuracy of narrators)
4. The absence of conflict with stronger narrations
Detecting forgery
A wide variety of techniques were developed to detect forgery and deception. There are techniques related to thesanad (chain) and also techniques relating to the matn (text). Such techniques were many in number and are beyond the scope of this article; two such techniques are reconciling facts with narrations and mukhtalaf al-Hadeeth, reconciling seemingly contradictory hadith.
An example of reconciling facts with narrations through textual analysis is the one quoted by ibn Qayyim in hiswork, Naqd al-Manqool. He quotes a report which says that an agreement was made with the people of Khaybarthat exempted them from the payment of Jizyah. This report was declared a fabrication due to the following indications in the Matn:
The text mentions Sa'd bin Mu'aadh رضي الله عنه but Sa'd had died before then in the Battle of Ahzab.
It mentions that Mu'aawiyah wrote the letter but Mu'aawiyah had not embraced Islam until the Conquest of Makkah which occurred after this incident.
The hadeeth mentioned Jizyah but the verses (aayaat) legalising Jizyah were not revealed until after the Battle ofTabuk.
Its text mentions that certain types of taxes were levied but these were known not to exist at the time of Khaybar.
The Jews of Khaybar fought the Messenger (saws) and his Companions. What did they do to deserve being granted such an exemption from the obligation of Jizyah, when other tribes equally bellicose had not been exempted?
Had the Prophet (saws) exempted the people of Khaybar from the Jizyah, he would not have stipulated that they be expelled when he صلى الله عليه وسلم willed. This does not fit with the ruling that the Ahl al-Dhimmah cannot be expelled as long as they abide by the rules of Islam.
If the Prophet had exempted them, why did none of his companions, the Sahaabah, ever exempt them?
In this way, established facts were utilised to ascertain the validity of the content in the various ahadeeth.
When presented with two sets of contradictory hadith, one of three options is possible. Either one can resort to reconciliation of the hadeeth by considering a whole host of issues such as textual indication or, if this is not possible, then the outweighing (tarjeeh) of one report over the other if the chronology is not known and finally, accepting abrogation if the chronology is known.
Thus, the means of removing conflicts are three:
a) Jam' a (reconciliation)
b) Tarjeeh (outweighing if the chronology is not known)
c) Naskh (abrogation if chronology is known)
d) If none of the above methods are possible, then the muhadditheen revert back to the original rule and assume the contradictory texts are non-existent.
The process of reconciliation succeeds by attempting to reconcile two conflicting texts due to certain linguistic and circumstantial considerations. Here, the textual indications can assist in the reconciliation between two texts. For example, in one hadeeth, we read, "Water is pure so nothing can make it impure." (Abu Dawud). In another, we read, "If the water is enough to fill two pots (qullatayn), it carries no impurity." (An-Nasaa`ee) The first text is ‘Aam (general) for all amounts of water except the wording of the second text indicates that water can become impure if its nature is changed. This is a specification (takhsees) of the first text by the meaning of the second.
Tarjeeh (outweighing) can occur in a number of ways; one such way is if one of the conflicting hadeeth accords with another authentic hadith. For example, one hadeeth reads, "There is no nikaah (marriage) without a wali (guardian)." (Abu Dawud) This hadeeth stipulates the presence of a wali but it seems to contradict anotherhadeeth which indicates that the wali is not stipulated. That hadith is as follows, "The matron has greater right than her guardians and the virgin her permission is sought. Her permission is her silence." (Saheeh Muslim) Yet the first hadith stipulating the presence of the wali agrees with another sound narration which says, "Any woman who gets married without the permission of her guardian (Wali), her marriage will be void, her marriage will be void, her marriage will be void." (al-Haakim) Therefore, the tarjeeh here will be that thehadeeth which says that there is no nikaah without a wali is outweighed and accepted because it is supported by another authentic narration.
As for abrogation, this happens when it is not possible to reconcile a hadeeth but abrogation is possible because the chronology is known. For example, one hadeeth reads, "The one who cups blood and is cupped has broken his fast" whereas another hadeeth reads, "...that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was cupped while he was fasting." If we scrutinize the circumstances of these ahadeeth, we find that first hadeeth took place in the 8th year after Hijrah during the Conquest of Makkah while the second hadeeth is in the Farewell Khutbah in the 10th year after Hijrah. Thus, Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee رضي الله عنه took the view that the second hadeeth had abrogated the first, allowing the cupping of blood while fasting in Ramadaan.
The Muslim scholars and experts were able to amass a database of thousands of narrators, define rigorous criteria to assess authenticity, classify and adopt a grading system for chain narrators, devise techniques to detect and avert mistakes and fabrications and adopt a methodology to reconcile the differences within certain texts. The result was the remarkably robust and effective preservation of the Islamic ideology and its legislative capacity.
If we compare the system of hadeeth collection (Isnaad) to the modern system of historical analysis, we will find the former to be much more sophisticated and successful in establishing the authenticity of historical incidents and events. What the Muslims called a da'eef hadith is perhaps stronger in historicity, in some of its forms, than modern sources such as history textbooks, numismatics or historical criticism of literary texts. This is because da'eef does not mean fabrication but simple that it does not satisfy the stringent criteria developed by themuhadditheen.
Nothing historically has received more scathing attacks from the kuffaar than hadeeth literature, that is, the preserved body of narrations related to the Prophet's صلى الله عليه وسلم sayings, actions and conduct. Originally, manykuffaar attempted to stir doubt in the genre of hadith literature by spreading dubious lies about the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and highlighting supposedly contradictoryahadeeth. Orientalists then took up the mantle of destroying the credibility of the Prophetic traditions by carrying out extensive research on the wholesale rejection of hadeeth as a historical source. This was initiated by Orientalists such as Goldziher and Schact, an attack that continues to this day at the hands of modern-day Orientalists.
There exist many misunderstandings about the reality of hadeeth even amongst the Muslim Ummah. Amongst some, there is an attitude that the Sunnah is of much less importance than the Qur'an. From this a mentality has emerged disregarding or neglecting legislation (ahkaam) simply because it is not found explicitly in the Qur'an. Unfortunately, many Muslims have criticised the use of ahadeeth (pl. Hadeeth) by using the very same arguments non-Muslims have used against the authenticity of the Sunnah. In 1977 Colonel Gaddafi, ruler of Libya, announced that the ahadeeth mentioned by the tongue of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم are of doubtful authenticity because they were compiled two hundred years after the death of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. He gave an example of a contradiction in the hadeeth by quoting ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها which says, "Aisha رضي الله عنهاis deficient in mind and Deen." He also mentioned another hadith were we read, "Take half your Deen from the mouth of ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها." Gaddafi concluded that it is not allowed to accept ahadeeth because one cannot be certain whether they are authentic or fabricated. He thus concluded that the Sunnah cannot be taken as a source of legislation.
Historical origins
At the time of the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم questions of authenticity were never an issue since the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was living amongst Muslims and his companions were able to correct each other if any mistakes were made in narration. ‘Umar رضي الله عنه once narrated that the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "The deceased is punished due to the weeping of his family." ‘Aisha رضي الله عنها corrected him, saying, "The Prophet صلى الله عليهوسلم said this regarding a Jewess that she was punished whilst her family were crying for her," meaning that she was punished due to dying upon disbelief (kufr) whilst the family wept and not because the family was weeping for her. Due to their proximity to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, the Sahabah would check strange attributions and reports when they felt doubt.
The earliest record of fabrication of ahadeeth started after the first civil war between Ali رضي الله عنه and Mu'awiya from 35AH following the murder of Uthman رضي الله عنه. According to ibn Sirin (d.110AH), "They did not ask about the isnad (chain of narration) but when civil war (fitna) arose they said: Name to us your men; those who belong to Ahl al-Sunnah, their traditions were accepted and those who were innovators, their traditions were neglected."
After this time the fabrications increased with varying motivations. Initially the false attributions reflected political differences. According to ibn Abi al-Hadeed: "Lies were introduced in hadeeth on merits originally by Shi'ah. They in the beginning fabricated many ahadeeth in favour of their man, motivated by enmity towards their opponents. When the Bakriyya (i.e. supporters of Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه) found out what the Shi'ah had done they fabricated on their part ahadeeth in favour of their man."
From this problem arose the challenge to authenticate and verify the narrations being attributed to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. There were thousands of transmitters of ahadeeth scattered throughout the Islamic lands and an even greater number of reports to sift through. What was required was for the sound narrations to be separated from the weak and then to be compiled. This was all in the days when the best form of data storage was the human memory.
Understanding the Hadeeth methodology
The essential argument for the rejection of ahadeeth is that they were a human construct and not revelation. The discussion of the Shari'ah begins with its sources, which in origin is the Qur'an. The other legislative source is the recorded sayings, actions and conduct of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم which are termed ahadeeth. The ahadeeth are a collection of around 600,000 authenticated narrations comprised of the sayings, actions and consent of Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. A hadeeth is always composed of two parts: the matn (text) and the isnaad(chain of reporters).
When one wants to authenticate any incident or statement one would look at those people narrating the incident and then look at their characters. It was out of this need that an entire science, known as 'ilm al-rijaal (knowledge of the men who transmitted ahadeeth) emerged and this science evolved into an extremely sophisticated discipline. This is because if one is characterised with lying, sin or memory loss, one cannot be considered trustworthy. One can also examine how close the narrators were to a reported incident in terms of whether they actually witnessed it or spoke to another person who narrated the event. This would require the specialist inhadeeth and the scholars of Islam to check accounts of a given narrators memory, eyesight, tendency to exaggerate etc. If the people narrating the event were small in number, then it must be asked if they could have colluded in their accounts. If the opposite were the case and the numbers of trustworthy individuals relating a similar account unknown to the others incredibly numerous, the possibility of collusion diminishes accordingly.
Since each narrator related narrations to others, and so on, chains of narrators develop and we must then examine the chains themselves as well as those within the chain. A tawaatur narration (a narration confirmed generation to generation) is a hadeeth which has been transmitted from one generation to another with each generation being composed of individuals so numerous that the possibility of fabrication or lying is effectively non-existent. It would be similar to taking into account the numerous different narrations from various generations and still claiming the Second World War never took place.
The chain of narration (isnaad) and its study is where the muhaditheen (scholars who collected and categorisedahadeeth) establish the continuity of the chain of narrators i.e. they ensure that there were no gaps, inconsistencies, distortions or errors in the chain. This was achieved by cataloguing the dates of birth and death of narrators and the towns they came from in order to establish the possibility that they had met and hence were actually able to transmit ahadeeth to one another.
The second issue that had to be ascertained was the probity or mendacity of transmitters. It is not sufficient to verify an unbroken continuous chain if even one of the transmitters was known to be of unsound character. Like any chain, all that is necessary for the whole sequence to collapse is simply one weak link that would allow it to fall apart quickly and easily. So one weak link, or in the case of hadeeth literation, a liar in the chain, will weaken or nullify the report respectively even if the rest of the chain features illustrious and trustworthy transmitters. It is for this reason that the Muslims at the time gathered information about the narrators ('ilm al-rijaal) which was a colossal accomplishment since it involved assessing the character, reputation and state of mind of thousands upon thousands of transmitters. This repository of biographical material would then be used to identify each and every transmitter in the chain to ensure a valid link back to the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم. It is as a result of this that the genre of biographical dictionaries emerged, a genre that went on to become one of the pillars of hadeethclassification with countless books being compiled on this subject. After the study of the chains the ahadeethwere classified into strong (sahih), good/sound (hasan), not sound (da'eef) and fabricated or spurious (maw-doo'). The ahadeeth came to be further categorised into topics such as purity, prayer, charity, partnership, marriage, trade, taxation, brokerage, ruling and deputation, amongst many others. This now meant that legislation could be deduced from this basis from the Sunnah, and Muslims have been doing this for the last fourteen centuries.
The ahadeeth is confirmed as a source of law by the Qur'an itself,
مَّنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللّهَ
"He who obeys the Messenger has obeyed God." [TMQ An-Nisa: 80]
This method became the method of verifying what the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم did and said. This is why the science of ahadeeth developed and became a whole discipline itself. Thus a valid hadith is one whose chain is continuous by trustworthy and meticulous transmitters whose reports contained no abnormality or defects. Thus, the conditions in this definition can be listed as the following:
1. Ittisaal as-Sanad (continuity of the chain)
2. ‘Adaalatu Al-Ruwwaah (probity or trustworthiness of narrators)
3. DabT Al-Ruwaah (The precision and accuracy of narrators)
4. The absence of conflict with stronger narrations
Detecting forgery
A wide variety of techniques were developed to detect forgery and deception. There are techniques related to thesanad (chain) and also techniques relating to the matn (text). Such techniques were many in number and are beyond the scope of this article; two such techniques are reconciling facts with narrations and mukhtalaf al-Hadeeth, reconciling seemingly contradictory hadith.
An example of reconciling facts with narrations through textual analysis is the one quoted by ibn Qayyim in hiswork, Naqd al-Manqool. He quotes a report which says that an agreement was made with the people of Khaybarthat exempted them from the payment of Jizyah. This report was declared a fabrication due to the following indications in the Matn:
The text mentions Sa'd bin Mu'aadh رضي الله عنه but Sa'd had died before then in the Battle of Ahzab.
It mentions that Mu'aawiyah wrote the letter but Mu'aawiyah had not embraced Islam until the Conquest of Makkah which occurred after this incident.
The hadeeth mentioned Jizyah but the verses (aayaat) legalising Jizyah were not revealed until after the Battle ofTabuk.
Its text mentions that certain types of taxes were levied but these were known not to exist at the time of Khaybar.
The Jews of Khaybar fought the Messenger (saws) and his Companions. What did they do to deserve being granted such an exemption from the obligation of Jizyah, when other tribes equally bellicose had not been exempted?
Had the Prophet (saws) exempted the people of Khaybar from the Jizyah, he would not have stipulated that they be expelled when he صلى الله عليه وسلم willed. This does not fit with the ruling that the Ahl al-Dhimmah cannot be expelled as long as they abide by the rules of Islam.
If the Prophet had exempted them, why did none of his companions, the Sahaabah, ever exempt them?
In this way, established facts were utilised to ascertain the validity of the content in the various ahadeeth.
When presented with two sets of contradictory hadith, one of three options is possible. Either one can resort to reconciliation of the hadeeth by considering a whole host of issues such as textual indication or, if this is not possible, then the outweighing (tarjeeh) of one report over the other if the chronology is not known and finally, accepting abrogation if the chronology is known.
Thus, the means of removing conflicts are three:
a) Jam' a (reconciliation)
b) Tarjeeh (outweighing if the chronology is not known)
c) Naskh (abrogation if chronology is known)
d) If none of the above methods are possible, then the muhadditheen revert back to the original rule and assume the contradictory texts are non-existent.
The process of reconciliation succeeds by attempting to reconcile two conflicting texts due to certain linguistic and circumstantial considerations. Here, the textual indications can assist in the reconciliation between two texts. For example, in one hadeeth, we read, "Water is pure so nothing can make it impure." (Abu Dawud). In another, we read, "If the water is enough to fill two pots (qullatayn), it carries no impurity." (An-Nasaa`ee) The first text is ‘Aam (general) for all amounts of water except the wording of the second text indicates that water can become impure if its nature is changed. This is a specification (takhsees) of the first text by the meaning of the second.
Tarjeeh (outweighing) can occur in a number of ways; one such way is if one of the conflicting hadeeth accords with another authentic hadith. For example, one hadeeth reads, "There is no nikaah (marriage) without a wali (guardian)." (Abu Dawud) This hadeeth stipulates the presence of a wali but it seems to contradict anotherhadeeth which indicates that the wali is not stipulated. That hadith is as follows, "The matron has greater right than her guardians and the virgin her permission is sought. Her permission is her silence." (Saheeh Muslim) Yet the first hadith stipulating the presence of the wali agrees with another sound narration which says, "Any woman who gets married without the permission of her guardian (Wali), her marriage will be void, her marriage will be void, her marriage will be void." (al-Haakim) Therefore, the tarjeeh here will be that thehadeeth which says that there is no nikaah without a wali is outweighed and accepted because it is supported by another authentic narration.
As for abrogation, this happens when it is not possible to reconcile a hadeeth but abrogation is possible because the chronology is known. For example, one hadeeth reads, "The one who cups blood and is cupped has broken his fast" whereas another hadeeth reads, "...that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم was cupped while he was fasting." If we scrutinize the circumstances of these ahadeeth, we find that first hadeeth took place in the 8th year after Hijrah during the Conquest of Makkah while the second hadeeth is in the Farewell Khutbah in the 10th year after Hijrah. Thus, Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee رضي الله عنه took the view that the second hadeeth had abrogated the first, allowing the cupping of blood while fasting in Ramadaan.
The Muslim scholars and experts were able to amass a database of thousands of narrators, define rigorous criteria to assess authenticity, classify and adopt a grading system for chain narrators, devise techniques to detect and avert mistakes and fabrications and adopt a methodology to reconcile the differences within certain texts. The result was the remarkably robust and effective preservation of the Islamic ideology and its legislative capacity.
If we compare the system of hadeeth collection (Isnaad) to the modern system of historical analysis, we will find the former to be much more sophisticated and successful in establishing the authenticity of historical incidents and events. What the Muslims called a da'eef hadith is perhaps stronger in historicity, in some of its forms, than modern sources such as history textbooks, numismatics or historical criticism of literary texts. This is because da'eef does not mean fabrication but simple that it does not satisfy the stringent criteria developed by themuhadditheen.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Strangers
The Return of the Strangers
We live in a strange time. A time where many have been driven astray from the Deen of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) by the enjoyments of this world. A time where even the wise become confused and puzzled from the contradictions that they see before them. This is the time where the truthful people are belied and the liars are said to speak the truth; the honest people are betrayed and the betrayers become ones who others trust. Indeed this is the time where most hardships and tests befall those who stand with the truth, whereas ease and comfort seem to be what those who practice immorality and injustice receive.
Yet amidst this bizarre world, a group of strangers emerge who are not even recognized by their own families and friends. Pain and suffering comes to them in many shapes and forms and their livelihoods are unjustly taken from them. But they are not strangers in the sights of the angels. Who are those strangers in these scary times?
The prophet Muhammed (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
"Islam started strange and it will become strange once again as it started, so glad tidings to the strangers"
[Sahih Muslim]
When the message of Islam was first revealed to the world, the Kuffar of Makkah responded to it with anger and oppression to those who called for it. They knew that Islam was a challenge to their way of life and they were not willing to accept its message, even though they knew that it was the truth.
What happened with the Prophet Muhammed (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) and his companions in Makkah was not something new. This is the nature of any new message that comes to challenge an existing way of life. It will always be faced with hardships and pain. It is an attempt to weaken the carriers of the new message. It is an attempt to force them to compromise in their message. But this is not what the prophets and their companions did.
The prophet Muhammed (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said:
"A time will come when Leaders will befall you. If you obey them they will lead you astray and if you disobey them they will kill you" The companions asked: "What do you order us to do then?" He responded: "Be like the companions of Isa (‘alayhi al salam) where they were chopped with saws and crucified on wood; for by the One who has my soul in His hand (Allah), death in the cause of Allah is better than a life of disobedience."
This is the expectation of the Dawah carriers, the callers of the Deen of Islam. They know the hardships that they are going to face and it does not slow them down from carrying the message of Islam unaltered and without compromise. They know that they only do this for the sake of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) alone and no other. Every feeling of pain or torture that they face increases their connection with Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and makes them more convinced of the truth that they hold and carry to the world.
Muslims are on a mission on this Earth to present the message of Islam as a way of life. We know of the injustices that are taking place around us and the governments that support them. We know that the systems that currently exist in this world are not Islamic and do not serve the interests of the Muslims. Where is the Islamic system that is the beacon of light and justice for this world?
The carriers of this message will be tested in many ways. But a combination of patience and Iman is the only thing that keeps the believers going. We have Iman and trust that the fruit of this face-off between truth and falsehood is definite victory of the truth and its followers. After this journey of patience – this journey of hardships and tests – victory will come as it came to those before us. The prophets and their companions became strong after their initial weakness; they became leaders after being sidelined in society and being the odd ones out.
Allah's promise of victory and our belief in the truth is what the strangers of this time hold on to.
Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says:
"And the Disbelievers said to their Messengers: "Be sure we shall drive you out of our land, or you shall return to our religion." But their Lord inspired (this Message) to them: "Verily We shall cause the wrong-doers to perish! And verily We shall cause you to abide in the land, and succeed them. This (reward) is for those who fear the standing before Me (on the Day of Judgement); this (reward) is for those who fear my threat."
[TMQ Ibrahim: 13-14]
Saturday, 10 January 2009
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]
Brothers 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,Gaza,Afganistan, 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’.Brothers, 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 brothers 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.Brothers! 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.
Insha Allah talla, the Victory is near and all ocupplied Muslim Lands will be liberated [ by the hands of the Noble Ummah of Muhammad 'saw'.]
O Allah 'swt' May we be the worthy ones to unite this Ummah and establish Islam as a political entity. Ameen
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Ramadhan
Salam'
Ramadhan starts on Monday 01/09/2008.
Many Allah swt accept our fast and reward us with Jannah al Ferdous.
Wa-Salam
Ramadhan starts on Monday 01/09/2008.
Many Allah swt accept our fast and reward us with Jannah al Ferdous.
Wa-Salam
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