The categorisation of actions into fardh (obligatory), mandub (recommended), mubah (permitted), makruh (disliked) and haram (forbidden) is vital for us in order to prioritise our actions. As Muslims we should understand that performing all the fardh and abstaining
from all the haram is the absolute minimum we should perform, for then we do not incur the wrath of Allah (swt). Yet, the notion of fardh should interact with our psychology far more then we allow it to.

Many fardh we as Muslims perform are relatively easy because the means necessary to accomplish it are accessible. Thus, water to perform wulu (ablution), or a clean place to pray is something no Muslim will deny he has access to. Thus, no Muslims has a problem with praying. Yet when we consider those obligations where not only the means are not directly accessible, but the effort required to achieve the fardh seem to be far beyond our rational perception, many Muslims fall into the trap set by the Kuffar. The Kuffar perform actions built on their assessment of the reality. That is, they will undertake an action built on the probability of success. Thus, success is evaluated from the reality. And when the
reality seems to indicate other than their desires the Kuffar abort their actions. In the same way, we have Muslims, individuals as well as some from so called Islamic Movements, who regard amongst other things, establishing Islamic dominance, complete implementation of Islam, and unification of Muslim lands a dream or reality. They may pay lip service to the concept only because they cannot deny the evidences from Islam, but their conviction is not real. Thus, we find them inactive in this
call. The deep understanding of fardh can be established from the verse of Qur'an
'Allah does not burden a soul greater than it can bear'
[ al-Bakarah:286]

Thus, when Allah (swt) places a fardh upon us, it means that Allah (swt) does not deem that burden too great for us. Thus, it is something that is within our capabilities. Our mentality should be that if it is a fardh, then it is a reality for us. Thus Islam reverses the mentality, for we do not assess the criteria to perform the action from the current scenario, but establish it via the requirements from Islam.

We see this mentality very clearly from the Prophet (saw). The third Surah revealed to the Prophet(saw) was Surah Qalam. The last verse of this Surah is 'This is nothing but a zikr (reminder) for the whole of mankind.' [ al-Qalam:52]

If we scrutinize this verse then we understand that Allah (swt) is informing the Prophet (saw) of the true nature of the revelation, in that it is for the whole of mankind. The Prophet (saw) and his companions neither disagreed with or doubted the revelation but acted in full conviction to fulfil the vision established by the verse.

Rationally, how can one man claim that he will produce a revolution in the world ? But the 'Aqeeda, together with the revelation enabled the Prophet (saw) and the Companions to produce that revolution. 13 years after revelation, the Prophet (saw) established the Deen and began inviting the world to Islam.

As Muslims, we should begin to develop the same psychology that the Prophet (saw) built in the Companions, that is one where a fardh automatically produces the will to establish the hukm in reality,
independent of the effort required or for that matter the sacrifice.

Comment 1

Doesn't performing the Sunnah help us accomplish the Fardh? This is something we all feel, that the more Sunnah and Nafil (optional) we do, the easier it becomes to carry out the Fardh. It is almost certain that neglecting the Sunnah will impact on our performance of the Fardh, such as praying Fajr, controlling ones tongue, lowering ones gaze, etc.

When Allah Ta'ala legislated the Sunnah, He did not do it aimlessly. It was designed to elevate the Islamic personality so as to obtain a higher level of closeness to Allah Ta'ala. Doesn't Allah Ta'ala complement the Sahaba by saying:
''..You see them bowing and falling down prostrate, seeking bounty from Allah and His good pleasure. The mark of them is on their faces [foreheads] from the traces of prostration.'' (48:29)

The Messenger of Allah (saaws), who was guaranteed the highest level of Jannah, used to pray at night till his feet were swollen, would fast till the Sahaba would say he was not going to break fast, would give charity generously, recite the Qur'an constantly, do Tasbeeh extensively. The Sahaba continued his practice. It was said that Abu Hurrairah would sleep 1/3 of the night, pray 1/3 of the night and review his Hadiths 1/3 of the night. Are we even worthy of comparison?!!

The active Muslims are the ones who need to constantly read the Qur'an and pray the Sunnah and Nafil the most, for this is the source of their strength and determination. Therefore, they should be the most eager to please Allah Ta'ala. We should ask ourselves, How badly do we want to please Allah?

Comment 2

The concepts of individualism and benefit have affected some Muslims to such an extent that our prioritisation of actions becomes clouded by these notions. Thus, some Muslims prioritise actions based on their ability to achieve the action and the benefit derived from it, not on whether it is fardh or not. This can be suitably illustrated by the contracts that we engage in. Let us consider the contract of trading, the contract of marriage and the contract of Khilafah. All three contracts require offer and acceptance. In the case of trading, there is an offer and acceptance from those who buy and those who sell. The benefit for those who sell is the recompense, while the benefit for those who buy is the good or service itself. In the case of marriage, there is an offer and acceptance between the man and woman. The benefit for both man and woman is the physical and emotional fulfilment which results from marriage. In the case of Khilafah, there is an offer from the Ummah and acceptance from the man who will become Khaleefah. The benefit is the complete implementation of Islam, and the ensuing justice.

We find all Muslims rigorously engaging in the contract of trading, even though this contract carries the verdict of mubah i.e. it is allowed. Allah(swt) has left the choice to us whether we engage in it or not. We also find most Muslims spending their effort looking for marriage partners and thus engaging in the marriage contract, even though this contract carries the verdict of mandub i.e. we are rewarded for engaging in this contract, but not sinful if we don't. In both examples, there are tangible
benefits for the individual. However, the contract of Khilafah is fard, which means that all Muslims should have this contract on their neck - or be actively seeking to establish the Khilafah so that they can engage in the contract. But to establish this contract requires us to expend effort to change the ideas of other people for no perceived physical benefit compared to the other two. The real benefits of Khilafah in terms of sanctity of life and protection of our values is weighed up against our rational perception of whether we can achieve it or not. Hence the priority attached to this is low, to the point of non-existence.