Abu Muhammad, Kmag 2005
One of the greatest skills that any human can possess is the ability to persuade people of their ideas through discussion. A characteristic of an effective da'wah carrier is the ability to listen, understand and respond in an excellent manner. Far too often people fall short of this and learn only the ability to dominate and dictate to others. It is evident that many of us will not tolerate others to raise views that are different to our own. Many Muslim parents will tell their children they can or cannot do a certain action, such that the child will obey their parents out of fear, but not out of conviction. Often such children will disobey their parents in secret.
Resentment may also be caused when others are not allowed to raise their differing points of view, or when their questions are not answered or dismissed as irrelevant. For example, a da'wah carrier may be trying to convince someone that only the Islamic State will truly solve the problems of the Ummah, but he does not consider the argument of the person he is speaking to. Rather, he dictates what he believes in and closes the doors to discussion. Such an attitude leads to strained relationships, and this is a further barrier towards winning over the other person towards your point of view. It is not surprising to find different members of Islamic groups, parents and children, siblings, Muslims and non-Muslims, rulers and their subjects having a strained relationship.
The most dangerous of these is the relationship of the Ummah with her rulers. The reality today is that the leaders tolerate no criticism or discussion from the Ummah and the Ummah itself discusses in secret and holds the leaderships in contempt. In the future Khilafah this situation must be radically changed, and the Ummah encouraged to discuss, debate and account their rulers.
The future rulers must also show signs of humility and accountability in the face of sincere criticism. This is the only way that a Khilafah will succeed and become prosperous. It is the manner of the Khulafah Rashideen of old. Therefore it must be the job of the da'wah carriers to nurture this attitude and level of thinking in the Ummah, to bring them out of the mode of being told what to do and just doing it.
Effective da'wah only occurs when people become convinced of your ideas. They will never be convinced unless you take their circumstances and their thinking into consideration in your discussion with them. It is only through listening to them and relating to their circumstances, that they will begin to appreciate what you are saying. They will begin to ponder your statements closely, and examine their own ideas about those issues. This also produces in them the ability to think and examine issues deeply. If on the other hand people are won over by glorified statements and issues that they haven't truly appreciated, they become people who memorise and repeat things in parrot fashion. They are not convinced themselves, so how will they be able to convince others?
Often there are several reasons why da'wah carriers may be lacking in the skills to listen, debate and persuade others of their ideas. It could simply be because they lack the correct etiquette of discussion or more seriously it could be linked to pride and showing off. A da'wah carrier may want to maintain an 'image' of being knowledgeable, and therefore will not want to be seen to 'lose' any discussion; this leads them to being very unapproachable and even insincere. For example, if such a da'wah carrier gave a speech where he told the audience that they must work to establish the Khilafah State, but members of the audience disagreed, he might respond to their disagreement by ridiculing their points out of pride. This would be wrong and would distance the audience even further from what he is trying to convince them to accept. Another example is that of a Muslim trying to convince a non-Muslim of the superiority of Islam; but because he is showing off in front of his friends, he ends up causing the non-Muslim to become very bitter instead of swaying him to his side. These types of examples are evident for all of us to see, if they are down to lack of knowledge then the solution is to simply point out the mistake, however if it is down to pride or showing off, its dangers must be made clear to the one guilty of such an approach.
The Islamic approach is very clear and we must adopt this if we are going to be able to succeed in life as parents, siblings, husbands, wives, da'wah carriers, rulers, friends, employers or in any facet of life. If we look at the lessons from Islam we will see that Islam builds a conviction in people, so Allah (swt) does not demand belief without bringing a convincing proof. He (swt) says:
"Verily in the creation of the heavens and earth, the differing night and day, the floating ships in the sea bringing benefit to people, and what water Allah sends down from the sky bringing life to earth after drought. And creating all kinds of animals. The directing of winds and the clouds between the sky and earth are all signs for those who have intellect." [TMQ Al-Baqarah:164]
The Prophet (saw) taught us the best etiquette of discussion. Muslim reported on the authority of Mu'awiyyah b. al- Hakam as Salami who said: "I was praying behind the Messenger of Allah (saw) and someone in the congregation sneezed. I said [to him]: 'May Allah have mercy upon you.' The people stared at me, showing their disapproval of my act. I said: "Woe to me, why do you stare at me so? They started to strike their hands on their thighs and when I saw that they wanted me to become silent, I was angered but said nothing. When the Messenger of Allah finished the prayer - and may my father and mother be ransomed for him, I found no teacher better than him either before or after him - he did not scold, beat, or revile me but he simply said: 'Talking to others is not seemly during the Salah, for the Salah is for glorifying Allah, extolling His Greatness, and reciting the Qur'an.'
There are many lessons from the life of Prophet (saw) and his Sahabah (ra) regarding our manner of discussion and the need to always remain sincere, not to try and show to anyone that you are perfect and without mistakes. 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud said: "O people! If somebody knows something, he can say it, but if he does not know it, he should say, 'Allah knows better,' for it is a sign of having knowledge to say about something which one does not know, 'Allah knows better.'" This is the characteristic of humbleness that we should possess so that we become convincing to the people because of the light of sincerity and not because of the forcefulness of our debate.
What distinguishes Islam from all other faiths and ideologies is the fact that it is built upon firm foundations that brings conviction to the mind. Therefore, we must remain sincere to it by not dictating to others but by opening the doors of dialogue to give them the opportunity to scrutinise and question.
Monday, July 13, 2009
The Art of Discussion
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Views on the news - 09/07/09
American Church posts derogatory sign against Islam
The sign reads “Islam is of the Devil” and was placed Sunday in the church’s front lawn reports The Independent Florida Alligator. It was vandalized and torn down that evening but was re-erected on Monday, said Terry Jones, the pastor at the church. Jones said that the church, located at 5805 NW 37th St., does not plan on taking down the sign, and that more messages will be displayed in the future. “We think we are losing our heritage as a Christian nation,” Jones said as one of the reasons the church put up the sign. Jones said Islam’s growing popularity in the United States needs to be addressed because Christians are not standing up for what they believe in.“To be a Christian, you would have to agree with that sign,” Jones said.He said the sign is not meant to attack individuals but to attack the religion of Islam because it is oppressive and violent.
Britain’s far rights group to plot a spectacular attack against Muslims?
Neo-Nazis are plotting a 'spectacular' terrorist attack on Britain to fuel racial tension, Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism officers fear. Senior officers have increased their surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to carry out a deadly attack aimed at causing a 'breakdown in community cohesion'. The chilling warning comes after last month's startling gains by the BNP in the local and European elections which many fear may 'embolden' violent Far-Right extremists. Commander Shaun Sawyer, from the Met's specialist operations wing told a meeting of British Muslims last night: 'I fear that they will have a spectacular ... 'They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere. They're not choosy about which community.' His comments came after Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson asked officers to examine what effect the recession could have on far-right violence. Till now far right organizations have been allowed to freely operate, publish literature and contest elections in Britain. However, the same privileges are in many cases denied to those Muslims who wish to practice Islam.
The racist killing of a Muslim women draws a muted response from the German government
Thousands of Egyptian mourners marched behind the coffin of the "martyr of the head scarf" – a pregnant Muslim woman who was stabbed to death in a Dresden courtroom on Wednesday in front of her young son. Many in her homeland were outraged by the attack and saw the low-key response in Germany as an example of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment. The woman's husband was critically wounded in the attack, after he tried to intervene and was stabbed by the attacker and accidentally shot by court security. "There is no God but God and the Germans are the enemies of God," chanted mourners for 32-year-old Marwa el-Sherbini in Alexandria, where her body was buried. "We will avenge her killing," her brother Tarek el-Sherbini told the Associated Press by telephone from the mosque where prayers were being recited in front of his sister's coffin. "In the west, they don't recognise us. There is racism." Indeed the German government is not even sure that it was a racist attack. A German government spokesman, Thomas Steg, said that if the attack was racist, the government "naturally condemns this in the strongest terms".
France begins legal process to ban the veil
French lawmakers opened hearings Wednesday on whether to ban the burka, calling in experts who said France should act to discourage Muslim women from wearing the head-to-toe veil. President Nicolas Sarkozy has already proclaimed the burka "not welcome" in secular France. Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, France has set up a special panel of 32 lawmakers to consider whether a law should be enacted to bar Muslim women from wearing the full veil, known as a burka or niqab. At the first hearing, two academics described wearing the burka as a throwback to a form of archaic Islam and a type of cult-like behaviour, incompatible with modern France. Islam expert Abdennour Bidar called the full veil a "pathology of Islam" embraced by hardline Salafists who tell Muslim women to cover themselves as a way to "get back to their roots."”It's up to the republic to help Islam in our country choose its destiny and help French Muslims resist this pressure," said Bidar."We must find ways to prevent the burka from spreading. Whether that would be a law or something else is not for me to say."
China continues to suppress its Muslim population
China's leaders vowed on Thursday to severely punish those responsible for bloodshed in the nation's far northwest that left at least 156 people dead and exposed deep ethnic tensions. The warning came as riot police and soldiers maintained a firm grip on Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, where Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese faced off this week in China's worst ethnic conflict for decades."The planners of the incident, the organisers, key members and the serious violent criminals must be severely punished," President Hu Jintao and the other eight members of the ruling Communist Party's elite Politburo said. Hu was forced to abandon a visit to Italy for the Group of Eight summit and return to China to deal with the situation, in what observers said was an unprecedented move that illustrated the severity of the crisis. Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs have long complained about discrimination and repression under Chinese rule, and exiled leaders said those pent-up feelings of persecution led to Sunday's protests.
July 9 2009
The sign reads “Islam is of the Devil” and was placed Sunday in the church’s front lawn reports The Independent Florida Alligator. It was vandalized and torn down that evening but was re-erected on Monday, said Terry Jones, the pastor at the church. Jones said that the church, located at 5805 NW 37th St., does not plan on taking down the sign, and that more messages will be displayed in the future. “We think we are losing our heritage as a Christian nation,” Jones said as one of the reasons the church put up the sign. Jones said Islam’s growing popularity in the United States needs to be addressed because Christians are not standing up for what they believe in.“To be a Christian, you would have to agree with that sign,” Jones said.He said the sign is not meant to attack individuals but to attack the religion of Islam because it is oppressive and violent.
Britain’s far rights group to plot a spectacular attack against Muslims?
Neo-Nazis are plotting a 'spectacular' terrorist attack on Britain to fuel racial tension, Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism officers fear. Senior officers have increased their surveillance of suspects to monitor their ability to carry out a deadly attack aimed at causing a 'breakdown in community cohesion'. The chilling warning comes after last month's startling gains by the BNP in the local and European elections which many fear may 'embolden' violent Far-Right extremists. Commander Shaun Sawyer, from the Met's specialist operations wing told a meeting of British Muslims last night: 'I fear that they will have a spectacular ... 'They will carry out an attack that will lead to a loss of life or injury to a community somewhere. They're not choosy about which community.' His comments came after Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson asked officers to examine what effect the recession could have on far-right violence. Till now far right organizations have been allowed to freely operate, publish literature and contest elections in Britain. However, the same privileges are in many cases denied to those Muslims who wish to practice Islam.
The racist killing of a Muslim women draws a muted response from the German government
Thousands of Egyptian mourners marched behind the coffin of the "martyr of the head scarf" – a pregnant Muslim woman who was stabbed to death in a Dresden courtroom on Wednesday in front of her young son. Many in her homeland were outraged by the attack and saw the low-key response in Germany as an example of racism and anti-Muslim sentiment. The woman's husband was critically wounded in the attack, after he tried to intervene and was stabbed by the attacker and accidentally shot by court security. "There is no God but God and the Germans are the enemies of God," chanted mourners for 32-year-old Marwa el-Sherbini in Alexandria, where her body was buried. "We will avenge her killing," her brother Tarek el-Sherbini told the Associated Press by telephone from the mosque where prayers were being recited in front of his sister's coffin. "In the west, they don't recognise us. There is racism." Indeed the German government is not even sure that it was a racist attack. A German government spokesman, Thomas Steg, said that if the attack was racist, the government "naturally condemns this in the strongest terms".
France begins legal process to ban the veil
French lawmakers opened hearings Wednesday on whether to ban the burka, calling in experts who said France should act to discourage Muslim women from wearing the head-to-toe veil. President Nicolas Sarkozy has already proclaimed the burka "not welcome" in secular France. Home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority, France has set up a special panel of 32 lawmakers to consider whether a law should be enacted to bar Muslim women from wearing the full veil, known as a burka or niqab. At the first hearing, two academics described wearing the burka as a throwback to a form of archaic Islam and a type of cult-like behaviour, incompatible with modern France. Islam expert Abdennour Bidar called the full veil a "pathology of Islam" embraced by hardline Salafists who tell Muslim women to cover themselves as a way to "get back to their roots."”It's up to the republic to help Islam in our country choose its destiny and help French Muslims resist this pressure," said Bidar."We must find ways to prevent the burka from spreading. Whether that would be a law or something else is not for me to say."
China continues to suppress its Muslim population
China's leaders vowed on Thursday to severely punish those responsible for bloodshed in the nation's far northwest that left at least 156 people dead and exposed deep ethnic tensions. The warning came as riot police and soldiers maintained a firm grip on Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang region, where Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese faced off this week in China's worst ethnic conflict for decades."The planners of the incident, the organisers, key members and the serious violent criminals must be severely punished," President Hu Jintao and the other eight members of the ruling Communist Party's elite Politburo said. Hu was forced to abandon a visit to Italy for the Group of Eight summit and return to China to deal with the situation, in what observers said was an unprecedented move that illustrated the severity of the crisis. Xinjiang's eight million Uighurs have long complained about discrimination and repression under Chinese rule, and exiled leaders said those pent-up feelings of persecution led to Sunday's protests.
July 9 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Transforming Society based on the Sunnah
While the June elections in Iran have declared Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President, Mir Hossein Mousavi and his supporters are demanding a recount. Mousavi is part of the Reformist Movement in Iran – a group that is working towards establishing Capitalist values in the country. This phenomenon demonstrates that the 1979 revolution failed to harmonize the thoughts and emotions of the individuals in society. In order to change society one needs to change all the components of society – individuals who have permanent relationships based on a common set of thoughts, a common set of emotions and a common system – just as RasulAllah (saw) had initiated in Makkah and had been successful in Madinah.
In June of this year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the Iranian presidential elections. Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of the other presidential candidates, challenged Ahmadinejad’s victory citing plausible election fraud. As a result, those who support Mousavi held protests to pressure the government to do a recount. Although all the protestors may not necessarily agree with Mousavi’s platform, it is clear that they are looking for change. A closer look at Mousavi reveals that he is part of the Reformist Movement in Iran - a collection of political parties and organizations who support the former President Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the Iranian system. This change does not involve closer adherence to the shariah, but instead plans for the greater application of Capitalist values.
This is based on Khatami’s statement, when he said: “The only way to save the country [Iran] is to establish democracy”. While it is interesting to note that some of the founding fathers of the Reformist Movement were originally part of the Iranian revolution in 1979, the question that must be asked is how is it possible for there to be many individuals in a so-called “Islamic State” calling in support of Capitalist values? After all, the Shah (whom they overthrew) upheld the very same Capitalist values.In order to understand what went wrong in Iran, it is important to understand what the components of society are and how to change them according to the method of RasulAllah (saw).
The Components of Society
A common misunderstanding is the idea that a nation or society is defined as a group of individuals. Such a definition of society is inaccurate as we do not consider, for example, a group of 1000 individuals on a ship to be a society or nation. However, we would consider a remote village with 50 people to be a society.
Upon a deep study of society and its components we see that a society is comprised of 2 parts:
1. Individuals and
2. Permanent relationships between these individuals.
These relationships are shaped and governed by:
1. Common thoughts,
2. Common emotions and
3. A common system.
The common thoughts are the “publicly traded” or acceptable ideas in a society that come from individuals and societal institutions that are related to the common system. The common emotions are the positive feelings and appreciation for the common thoughts and the common system that exist in society and the negative feelings and rejection of thoughts or systems that are alien to the society.The common system is made up of societal institutions, which implement political, economic, social, legal and judicial standards in the society. The political system enacts laws and institutes policies, which set the direction of the society in all walks of life. Thus, it is arguably the most influential institution. It decides social policies, such as the legality of alcohol, the limits of inter-gender relationships, and duties of parents towards their children. It decides economic policies, such as the legality of interest, the economic objectives sought in society, and the legal means of acquiring wealth. It also decides educational policies, which in turn determines the mainstream ideas and concepts held in society since mass education inculcates one generation after another with the society’s set of beliefs and ideals.
The Prophet (saw) addressed the importance of a common system in society through the following analogy:
"The example of those who maintain Allah's limits (hudood) and those who surpass them is like the example of those who share a boat. Some would occupy its upper deck and some its lower deck. The occupants of the lower deck would have to go to the upper deck to have access to the water. If they said, ‘why don't we drill a hole in our part (to directly access the water) and do not cause any inconvenience to those above us.’ If those on the upper deck let them do what they wanted then all of the passengers would sink. However, if they prevented them from doing so then all would be saved." [Bukhari]
Thus the protection of society will lead to the protection of the individuals in society. This protection must not only be manifested in rules and regulations but also in generating thoughts and emotions that will bind the individuals living in a society to each other.
How to Change Society: The Islamic Approach
Allah (swt) revealed:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
“Indeed, Allah does not change that which is in a people until they change what is within themselves” [TMQ 13:11]
The meaning of this verse is not, as some use it, that change will not occur in society or people until all the individuals change. Rather it is that change will not occur until the society changes what is in it which includes the individuals but also includes the common thoughts, common emotions and the common system in society. That is why it is important for us, who want to change the society, to define it correctly.
Referring to the Arabic in the above verse, the object of the verb (change) is the qawm - not the individual. The qawm (nation/society) is different to the fard (individual) and even afrad, a collection of individuals. Qawm, in the Arabic language, refers to a nation or people.While the mafhum (implicit meaning) of the ayah can be used as a proof that Allah (swt) will not change the condition of an individual until that individual works to change himself, the mantuq (explicit) subject matter of the ayah is not this, but rather it is the issue of collective change in society, not individual change.
This comprehensive understanding of qawm is indeed important because the ayah moves on to say that the change must be of “ma bi anfusihim”, that is, “that which is within themselves”, where the “ma” is ‘aam (general) and so includes everything that comprises the qawm.
Thus the rendered meaning is that Allah (swt) has decreed that He will not change the situation of any qawm until they collectively change all that is within themselves – the individuals, their thoughts and emotions, and the systems implemented in that society. For Islamic revival the requirement is Islamic thoughts and emotions, along with the Islamic system.
The example of the Prophet (saw) also illustrates for us how he exerted his utmost at changing the components of society in Makkah. After Allah (swt) revealed:
فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (94) إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ (95) الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آَخَرَ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
“Therefore, proclaim openly (Allah’s Message), that which you are commanded, and turn away from ‘Al-Mushrikun’: Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers. Who set up along with Allah another god, they will come to know.” [TMQ 15:94-96]
The Prophet (saw) along with the Sahabah (ra) moved from the secret phase of dawah to an open one calling all people to Islam. They would challenge the common thoughts, common emotions and the common system of Makkan society with the ayats that were being revealed such as worshipping other than Allah (swt), the use of riba, the cheating of scales in the marketplace and the practice of female infanticide.When Allah (swt) had given the Prophet (saw) and the Muahjireen (ra) the nusrah (material support) from the tribes of the Aws and Khazraj (i.e. the Ansar) living in Madinah, the Prophet (saw) was able to establish the Islamic State there. With its establishment, we can see its effect on the permanent relationships in society. The verses of the Qur’an concerning matters of worship, diet, morals, relationships and penalties were revealed. Khamr (intoxicants) and the flesh of swine were forbidden. Verses concerning the penal and criminal code were also revealed, as were those concerning business transactions, such as the complete prohibition of riba. Every time the verses that spoke to the people’s affairs in everyday life were revealed to Allah’s Messenger (saw), he explained them and ordered the Muslims to abide by them. He looked after the Muslims’ affairs by solving their problems and settling their disputes by his sayings, actions and by his silence over what happened right in front of him – which were all part of the divine guidance he received from Allah (swt). Life in Madinah continued to follow that course with its distinct Islamic viewpoint. As the society in Madinah was transformed into an Islamic society based on the Prophet’s (saw) method, its thoughts, emotions, and systems were all harmonized with the Islamic Aqeedah. Consequently, it was able to offer solutions to the life’s problems to all those that lived under its rule.
Conclusion on Iran
Now that we understand what society is and how to change it, we can return to the situation in Iran. While the Iranian revolution in 1979 changed certain aspects of the system, there was a failure in harmonizing the thoughts and the emotions of the individuals in society with Islam. This is due to the fact that the Prophet’s (saw) method was not used to transform the society, as he had done with the people of Madinah. Since Islamic methods were not used to transform the Iranian society, it resulted in a mixture of contradictory thoughts, ideas and systems. This inevitably resulted in the people looking towards other ideas and systems such as freedom and democracy as a solution to life’s problems.
It is also important to note that while various media outlets and literature will refer to Iran as an “Islamic State”, this statement is an incorrect assertion. There are many aspects of the systems in Iran that contradict the Hukm Sharai’ and emanate from other systems. If we refer to the Iranian constitution there are numerous contradictions that exist between it and the Islam. For example, Article 115 states, “The President must be elected from among religious and political personalities possessing the following qualifications: Iranian origin; Iranian nationality; administrative capacity and resourcefulness; a good past-record; trustworthiness and piety; convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official religion of the country. This relates to the ‘qualifications of the president’”. Being of Iranian origin and nationality is an indication that the constitution is for an Iranian Republic with Islam as its religion, not a constitution for an Islamic State whose authority belongs to the Khaleefah ruling all the Muslim lands by Islam.Iran should be a reminder for us in that if we do not follow the method of the Prophet (saw) to change society and if we do not implement Islam comprehensively, we will fail both in this life and the hereafter.
Allah (swt) says :
إِنَّ فِي هَذَا لَبَلَاغًا لِقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ
“Verily, in this (the Qur'an) there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah.” [TMQ 21:106]
In June of this year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared victory in the Iranian presidential elections. Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of the other presidential candidates, challenged Ahmadinejad’s victory citing plausible election fraud. As a result, those who support Mousavi held protests to pressure the government to do a recount. Although all the protestors may not necessarily agree with Mousavi’s platform, it is clear that they are looking for change. A closer look at Mousavi reveals that he is part of the Reformist Movement in Iran - a collection of political parties and organizations who support the former President Mohammad Khatami's plans to change the Iranian system. This change does not involve closer adherence to the shariah, but instead plans for the greater application of Capitalist values.
This is based on Khatami’s statement, when he said: “The only way to save the country [Iran] is to establish democracy”. While it is interesting to note that some of the founding fathers of the Reformist Movement were originally part of the Iranian revolution in 1979, the question that must be asked is how is it possible for there to be many individuals in a so-called “Islamic State” calling in support of Capitalist values? After all, the Shah (whom they overthrew) upheld the very same Capitalist values.In order to understand what went wrong in Iran, it is important to understand what the components of society are and how to change them according to the method of RasulAllah (saw).
The Components of Society
A common misunderstanding is the idea that a nation or society is defined as a group of individuals. Such a definition of society is inaccurate as we do not consider, for example, a group of 1000 individuals on a ship to be a society or nation. However, we would consider a remote village with 50 people to be a society.
Upon a deep study of society and its components we see that a society is comprised of 2 parts:
1. Individuals and
2. Permanent relationships between these individuals.
These relationships are shaped and governed by:
1. Common thoughts,
2. Common emotions and
3. A common system.
The common thoughts are the “publicly traded” or acceptable ideas in a society that come from individuals and societal institutions that are related to the common system. The common emotions are the positive feelings and appreciation for the common thoughts and the common system that exist in society and the negative feelings and rejection of thoughts or systems that are alien to the society.The common system is made up of societal institutions, which implement political, economic, social, legal and judicial standards in the society. The political system enacts laws and institutes policies, which set the direction of the society in all walks of life. Thus, it is arguably the most influential institution. It decides social policies, such as the legality of alcohol, the limits of inter-gender relationships, and duties of parents towards their children. It decides economic policies, such as the legality of interest, the economic objectives sought in society, and the legal means of acquiring wealth. It also decides educational policies, which in turn determines the mainstream ideas and concepts held in society since mass education inculcates one generation after another with the society’s set of beliefs and ideals.
The Prophet (saw) addressed the importance of a common system in society through the following analogy:
"The example of those who maintain Allah's limits (hudood) and those who surpass them is like the example of those who share a boat. Some would occupy its upper deck and some its lower deck. The occupants of the lower deck would have to go to the upper deck to have access to the water. If they said, ‘why don't we drill a hole in our part (to directly access the water) and do not cause any inconvenience to those above us.’ If those on the upper deck let them do what they wanted then all of the passengers would sink. However, if they prevented them from doing so then all would be saved." [Bukhari]
Thus the protection of society will lead to the protection of the individuals in society. This protection must not only be manifested in rules and regulations but also in generating thoughts and emotions that will bind the individuals living in a society to each other.
How to Change Society: The Islamic Approach
Allah (swt) revealed:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
“Indeed, Allah does not change that which is in a people until they change what is within themselves” [TMQ 13:11]
The meaning of this verse is not, as some use it, that change will not occur in society or people until all the individuals change. Rather it is that change will not occur until the society changes what is in it which includes the individuals but also includes the common thoughts, common emotions and the common system in society. That is why it is important for us, who want to change the society, to define it correctly.
Referring to the Arabic in the above verse, the object of the verb (change) is the qawm - not the individual. The qawm (nation/society) is different to the fard (individual) and even afrad, a collection of individuals. Qawm, in the Arabic language, refers to a nation or people.While the mafhum (implicit meaning) of the ayah can be used as a proof that Allah (swt) will not change the condition of an individual until that individual works to change himself, the mantuq (explicit) subject matter of the ayah is not this, but rather it is the issue of collective change in society, not individual change.
This comprehensive understanding of qawm is indeed important because the ayah moves on to say that the change must be of “ma bi anfusihim”, that is, “that which is within themselves”, where the “ma” is ‘aam (general) and so includes everything that comprises the qawm.
Thus the rendered meaning is that Allah (swt) has decreed that He will not change the situation of any qawm until they collectively change all that is within themselves – the individuals, their thoughts and emotions, and the systems implemented in that society. For Islamic revival the requirement is Islamic thoughts and emotions, along with the Islamic system.
The example of the Prophet (saw) also illustrates for us how he exerted his utmost at changing the components of society in Makkah. After Allah (swt) revealed:
فَاصْدَعْ بِمَا تُؤْمَرُ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (94) إِنَّا كَفَيْنَاكَ الْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ (95) الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آَخَرَ فَسَوْفَ يَعْلَمُونَ
“Therefore, proclaim openly (Allah’s Message), that which you are commanded, and turn away from ‘Al-Mushrikun’: Truly! We will suffice you against the scoffers. Who set up along with Allah another god, they will come to know.” [TMQ 15:94-96]
The Prophet (saw) along with the Sahabah (ra) moved from the secret phase of dawah to an open one calling all people to Islam. They would challenge the common thoughts, common emotions and the common system of Makkan society with the ayats that were being revealed such as worshipping other than Allah (swt), the use of riba, the cheating of scales in the marketplace and the practice of female infanticide.When Allah (swt) had given the Prophet (saw) and the Muahjireen (ra) the nusrah (material support) from the tribes of the Aws and Khazraj (i.e. the Ansar) living in Madinah, the Prophet (saw) was able to establish the Islamic State there. With its establishment, we can see its effect on the permanent relationships in society. The verses of the Qur’an concerning matters of worship, diet, morals, relationships and penalties were revealed. Khamr (intoxicants) and the flesh of swine were forbidden. Verses concerning the penal and criminal code were also revealed, as were those concerning business transactions, such as the complete prohibition of riba. Every time the verses that spoke to the people’s affairs in everyday life were revealed to Allah’s Messenger (saw), he explained them and ordered the Muslims to abide by them. He looked after the Muslims’ affairs by solving their problems and settling their disputes by his sayings, actions and by his silence over what happened right in front of him – which were all part of the divine guidance he received from Allah (swt). Life in Madinah continued to follow that course with its distinct Islamic viewpoint. As the society in Madinah was transformed into an Islamic society based on the Prophet’s (saw) method, its thoughts, emotions, and systems were all harmonized with the Islamic Aqeedah. Consequently, it was able to offer solutions to the life’s problems to all those that lived under its rule.
Conclusion on Iran
Now that we understand what society is and how to change it, we can return to the situation in Iran. While the Iranian revolution in 1979 changed certain aspects of the system, there was a failure in harmonizing the thoughts and the emotions of the individuals in society with Islam. This is due to the fact that the Prophet’s (saw) method was not used to transform the society, as he had done with the people of Madinah. Since Islamic methods were not used to transform the Iranian society, it resulted in a mixture of contradictory thoughts, ideas and systems. This inevitably resulted in the people looking towards other ideas and systems such as freedom and democracy as a solution to life’s problems.
It is also important to note that while various media outlets and literature will refer to Iran as an “Islamic State”, this statement is an incorrect assertion. There are many aspects of the systems in Iran that contradict the Hukm Sharai’ and emanate from other systems. If we refer to the Iranian constitution there are numerous contradictions that exist between it and the Islam. For example, Article 115 states, “The President must be elected from among religious and political personalities possessing the following qualifications: Iranian origin; Iranian nationality; administrative capacity and resourcefulness; a good past-record; trustworthiness and piety; convinced belief in the fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the official religion of the country. This relates to the ‘qualifications of the president’”. Being of Iranian origin and nationality is an indication that the constitution is for an Iranian Republic with Islam as its religion, not a constitution for an Islamic State whose authority belongs to the Khaleefah ruling all the Muslim lands by Islam.Iran should be a reminder for us in that if we do not follow the method of the Prophet (saw) to change society and if we do not implement Islam comprehensively, we will fail both in this life and the hereafter.
Allah (swt) says :
إِنَّ فِي هَذَا لَبَلَاغًا لِقَوْمٍ عَابِدِينَ
“Verily, in this (the Qur'an) there is a plain Message for people who worship Allah.” [TMQ 21:106]
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