Post by Islamic Revival on Aug 23, 2005 5:18:39 GMT -5
Are the Interests of the Da’wa Decided Using the Mind or the Shari’ah?
Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
Many of the sons of the Muslim Ummah, from amongst those who are called Islamic thinkers or those who are involved in Islamic work, when they find that their methods, means and styles for change, and the programs, goals and objectives they aspire to, contradict the Islamic ‘Aqeeda or its Ahkam Shar’iah (legislation), they choose what they deem is the “most important”, claiming that the interests of the Da’wa necessitate this. One instance made me particularly upset, where one of the more prominent and involved people in Islamic work, even seen as a representative of the work, and while standing on the Mimbar (podium) of the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, he said: “Regardless of whether it is Halal or Haram, our involvement in the legislative elections and our entering the Legislative Assembly is in our interests”. And another statement, from another place but in the same type of event, it was said: “Let us put the Ahkam Shar’iee (Islamic Legislation) aside, and look at the benefits the elections will achieve for our nation”, as well as many other statements that carry these same messages and more. We are not as concerned with the wording of these statements as much as we are concerned with the meanings and concepts that are being spread through them.
If we look closely at these, and similar, words and statements, we find that they built them on one fundamental concept they carry, which is that the interests of the Da’wa are decided using the mind, and not the Shari’ah. In other words, the arbitrator that determines the benefit or harm is what their minds conclude, and not what Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and His Messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, decree. And regardless of whether their statements agree or disagree with the Qur’an and Sunnah, the final say in determining the interests of the Da’wa is the mind and not the Shari’ah. The intellectual basis from which legislation emanates and upon which thoughts are built, for them, is the mind and not the Islamic ‘Aqeeda, where they are Muslims who carry the Islamic ‘Aqeeda, but they stopped using it beyond spiritual slogans and a few Fiqhi laws, and did not establish the Islamic ‘Aqeeda the way Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, established it as an intellectual basis from which all legislation and solutions emanate, and upon which all man’s thoughts that exist, or could even possibly exist, are built.
Returning to the subject of the interests of the Da’wa, and whether they are decided using the mind of the Shari’ah, there are two relevant examples that took place during the life of the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam. The first example is what came to us in the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer regarding the Ayah “And do not send away those who call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His countenance.” [Al-An’aam:52], where Ibn Abi Haatim said: “Ibn Sa’eed bin Yahya bin Sa’eed Al-Qattan narrated that…Khabab said regarding this verse “And do not send away those…” that Al-Aqra’ bin Haabis and ‘Uyayna bin Hisn came and found the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi waslallam, with Suhayb, Bilal, ‘Ammar and Khabab, sitting with the weak from amongst the Believers, and when they saw them sitting around the Messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, they saw them to be inferior. They then took him (the Prophet) aside and said to him: “We would like you to make a special time to sit with us, letting the Arabs know our honor and status, for the Arab delegations come to you and we are embarrassed to be sitting with these slaves, so if we come to you, ask them to stand up, and when we finish with you, then sit with them if you wish.” He replied “Yes.” They said: “Write a letter for us”, so he, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, called Ali, radhiAllahu ‘anhu, to write for him. Jibril then came down to him and revealed the verse “And do not send away those who call on their Lord”, so he threw away the paper from his hand and called us and we came to him”.
The second example is what was narrated by Al-Haakim in his Sahih, on the authority of Ali bin ‘Isa Al-Hiyriee…from Sa’eed bin Yahya from his father, regarding the Ayah of Allah “He (the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him” [‘Abasa:1-2], where he said: “This is what we read to Hisham bin ‘Urwah from ‘Aisha, where she said: “(This verse) was revealed regarding Ibn Umm Maktoom, the blind man, when he came to the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saying “Oh Messenger of Allah, teach me”, but the Messenger of Allah had some of the most powerful men of Quraysh in his company, and continued discussing with them and turning away from the blind man. In this matter, the verse “He frowned and turned away” was revealed.”
In the first example, we notice that the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, was keen on protecting the Iman of the powerful people of Quraysh, for what strength their Iman would add to the strength of Islam and the Da’wa. He, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saw that the interests of the Da’wa required that he give the leaders of Quraysh a special time to sit with them that is separate from the time he sits with the weak and poor of the Muslims.
In the second example, the Prophet’s turned away from Ibn Umm Maktoom, who came to seek knowledge from him. But Ibn Umm Maktoom was already a Muslim, so the Prophet’s, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, turning away from him was not out of arrogance or belittling him, rather it was out of trust in the safety of his Iman that he already had, so the Messenger of Allah saw that focusing on the disbelievers of Quraysh was far more important to the interests of the Da’wa. There were many situations which presented themselves to the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, and he would not respond to them, waiting for the Wahi (revelation) to inform him of the Hukum (ruling) of Allah from above seven skies. Here, in the situation of Ibn Umm Maktoom, the Hukum of Islam is that it was Fard (obligation) upon the Messenger of Allah to give Da’wa to whomever he could, and the he tried to give Da’wa to the leaders of Quraysh, which is a Fard. When Ibn Umm Maktoom came to him and wasn’t given his rightful attention, due to the Prophet’s seeking the conversion and Islam of the influential of Quraysh, even though it was also a Fard upon him. But the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saw that teaching him was less of a priority, even though the highest priority was to teach Ibn Umm Maktoom, since he was seeking knowledge. In this situation, the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, chose the lower priority over the higher priority, and was rebuked by Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, for not choosing the highest priority.
If this is the result of choosing the wrong priority from amongst two clear obligations, then how much worse do you think is using the mind to legislate in matters of the Da’wa?
And in the example of Al-Aqra’ bin Haabis and ‘Uyayna bin Hisn, the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, decided to set a specific time to sit with them, and another time to sit with the weak from amongst the Muslims, which is a certain form of organizing people. But the Divine Command came down to clarify the nature of this type of organizing to be sending away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, even if this organizing is for the sake of helping guide the influential amongst the people.
Based on the above, it is clear that the interests of the Da’wa are decided by the Ahkam Shar’iee (Islamic legislation), and does not fall under the judgment of the human mind. Equally, judging the obligations or recommended actions must also be based on the Shar’i (Qur’an and Sunnah) and nothing else.
In conclusion, the Muslims – their scholars, their thinkers, their leaders, and their general public – must understand this Divine truth. They must make all their actions, statements, and behavior, as well as programs, goals, and objectives guided by the Ahkam of Allah, His commands and His prohibitions, and not guided by their limited minds, so that they may earn the honour of this life and success in the Afterlife.
We ask Allah that He makes us amongst those who listen to what is said, and follow the best in it.
And the last of our words is Alhamdulillahi Rabb Al-‘Aalameen.
Source: KCom Journal
Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem
Many of the sons of the Muslim Ummah, from amongst those who are called Islamic thinkers or those who are involved in Islamic work, when they find that their methods, means and styles for change, and the programs, goals and objectives they aspire to, contradict the Islamic ‘Aqeeda or its Ahkam Shar’iah (legislation), they choose what they deem is the “most important”, claiming that the interests of the Da’wa necessitate this. One instance made me particularly upset, where one of the more prominent and involved people in Islamic work, even seen as a representative of the work, and while standing on the Mimbar (podium) of the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, he said: “Regardless of whether it is Halal or Haram, our involvement in the legislative elections and our entering the Legislative Assembly is in our interests”. And another statement, from another place but in the same type of event, it was said: “Let us put the Ahkam Shar’iee (Islamic Legislation) aside, and look at the benefits the elections will achieve for our nation”, as well as many other statements that carry these same messages and more. We are not as concerned with the wording of these statements as much as we are concerned with the meanings and concepts that are being spread through them.
If we look closely at these, and similar, words and statements, we find that they built them on one fundamental concept they carry, which is that the interests of the Da’wa are decided using the mind, and not the Shari’ah. In other words, the arbitrator that determines the benefit or harm is what their minds conclude, and not what Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, and His Messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, decree. And regardless of whether their statements agree or disagree with the Qur’an and Sunnah, the final say in determining the interests of the Da’wa is the mind and not the Shari’ah. The intellectual basis from which legislation emanates and upon which thoughts are built, for them, is the mind and not the Islamic ‘Aqeeda, where they are Muslims who carry the Islamic ‘Aqeeda, but they stopped using it beyond spiritual slogans and a few Fiqhi laws, and did not establish the Islamic ‘Aqeeda the way Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, established it as an intellectual basis from which all legislation and solutions emanate, and upon which all man’s thoughts that exist, or could even possibly exist, are built.
Returning to the subject of the interests of the Da’wa, and whether they are decided using the mind of the Shari’ah, there are two relevant examples that took place during the life of the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam. The first example is what came to us in the Tafseer of Ibn Katheer regarding the Ayah “And do not send away those who call on their Lord, morning and evening, seeking His countenance.” [Al-An’aam:52], where Ibn Abi Haatim said: “Ibn Sa’eed bin Yahya bin Sa’eed Al-Qattan narrated that…Khabab said regarding this verse “And do not send away those…” that Al-Aqra’ bin Haabis and ‘Uyayna bin Hisn came and found the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi waslallam, with Suhayb, Bilal, ‘Ammar and Khabab, sitting with the weak from amongst the Believers, and when they saw them sitting around the Messenger, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, they saw them to be inferior. They then took him (the Prophet) aside and said to him: “We would like you to make a special time to sit with us, letting the Arabs know our honor and status, for the Arab delegations come to you and we are embarrassed to be sitting with these slaves, so if we come to you, ask them to stand up, and when we finish with you, then sit with them if you wish.” He replied “Yes.” They said: “Write a letter for us”, so he, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, called Ali, radhiAllahu ‘anhu, to write for him. Jibril then came down to him and revealed the verse “And do not send away those who call on their Lord”, so he threw away the paper from his hand and called us and we came to him”.
The second example is what was narrated by Al-Haakim in his Sahih, on the authority of Ali bin ‘Isa Al-Hiyriee…from Sa’eed bin Yahya from his father, regarding the Ayah of Allah “He (the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam) frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him” [‘Abasa:1-2], where he said: “This is what we read to Hisham bin ‘Urwah from ‘Aisha, where she said: “(This verse) was revealed regarding Ibn Umm Maktoom, the blind man, when he came to the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saying “Oh Messenger of Allah, teach me”, but the Messenger of Allah had some of the most powerful men of Quraysh in his company, and continued discussing with them and turning away from the blind man. In this matter, the verse “He frowned and turned away” was revealed.”
In the first example, we notice that the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, was keen on protecting the Iman of the powerful people of Quraysh, for what strength their Iman would add to the strength of Islam and the Da’wa. He, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saw that the interests of the Da’wa required that he give the leaders of Quraysh a special time to sit with them that is separate from the time he sits with the weak and poor of the Muslims.
In the second example, the Prophet’s turned away from Ibn Umm Maktoom, who came to seek knowledge from him. But Ibn Umm Maktoom was already a Muslim, so the Prophet’s, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, turning away from him was not out of arrogance or belittling him, rather it was out of trust in the safety of his Iman that he already had, so the Messenger of Allah saw that focusing on the disbelievers of Quraysh was far more important to the interests of the Da’wa. There were many situations which presented themselves to the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, and he would not respond to them, waiting for the Wahi (revelation) to inform him of the Hukum (ruling) of Allah from above seven skies. Here, in the situation of Ibn Umm Maktoom, the Hukum of Islam is that it was Fard (obligation) upon the Messenger of Allah to give Da’wa to whomever he could, and the he tried to give Da’wa to the leaders of Quraysh, which is a Fard. When Ibn Umm Maktoom came to him and wasn’t given his rightful attention, due to the Prophet’s seeking the conversion and Islam of the influential of Quraysh, even though it was also a Fard upon him. But the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saw that teaching him was less of a priority, even though the highest priority was to teach Ibn Umm Maktoom, since he was seeking knowledge. In this situation, the Prophet, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, chose the lower priority over the higher priority, and was rebuked by Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, for not choosing the highest priority.
If this is the result of choosing the wrong priority from amongst two clear obligations, then how much worse do you think is using the mind to legislate in matters of the Da’wa?
And in the example of Al-Aqra’ bin Haabis and ‘Uyayna bin Hisn, the Messenger of Allah, sallAllahu ‘alayhi wasallam, decided to set a specific time to sit with them, and another time to sit with the weak from amongst the Muslims, which is a certain form of organizing people. But the Divine Command came down to clarify the nature of this type of organizing to be sending away those who call on their Lord morning and evening, even if this organizing is for the sake of helping guide the influential amongst the people.
Based on the above, it is clear that the interests of the Da’wa are decided by the Ahkam Shar’iee (Islamic legislation), and does not fall under the judgment of the human mind. Equally, judging the obligations or recommended actions must also be based on the Shar’i (Qur’an and Sunnah) and nothing else.
In conclusion, the Muslims – their scholars, their thinkers, their leaders, and their general public – must understand this Divine truth. They must make all their actions, statements, and behavior, as well as programs, goals, and objectives guided by the Ahkam of Allah, His commands and His prohibitions, and not guided by their limited minds, so that they may earn the honour of this life and success in the Afterlife.
We ask Allah that He makes us amongst those who listen to what is said, and follow the best in it.
And the last of our words is Alhamdulillahi Rabb Al-‘Aalameen.
Source: KCom Journal