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Thursday March 09, 2006

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Invitation to Islam

The obligation (fard) to establish the Khilafah is clear, unambiguous and increasingly seen as the vital issue that Muslims must focus their efforts to establish.

From the Prophetic method, carrying the da'wa (invitation/call) to establish the Khilafah is not the action of the individual, but the action of a group, whose characteristics are established in the noble verse:

''Let there arise from amongst you a group, calling to al-Khayr, enjoining the Ma'rouf (good) and forbidding the munkar (evil); and they will be from those who are successful.''(Al-Imran: 103)

The actions of the method in establishing the Khilafah are analogous to the specific steps that Muhammad (saw) undertook to establish the Islamic State in Medina, through 13 years of intellectual and political engagement, culminating in the support (nussrah) from the Ansar (tribes of Aws and Khazraj). It was transforming a situation from darul-kufr to darul-Islam and identifying the most suitable place(s) that would become the birthplace of the State.

Therefore the da'wa today is focussed in undertaking actions and aims directly connected to the method in achieving the objective; recognising at all times that victory is from Allah (swt) alone.

Carrying this da'wa necessitates engaging with the Muslims to convince them of the obligation and vital nature of the Khilafah such that they support the work to establish it. This engagement is very delicate for it is the transformation of the individual to comprehensively change his/her outlook in life upon the Islamic Aqeedah. This would subsequently reform the thinking and emotions in a deep and profound manner connecting to all the Islamic obligations, tying strongly to creedal concepts such as ajal (life and death), rizq (provision), sabr (patience) and the like; and establishing an overt political mentality.

This mentality secures both the awareness and connection that the problems of the ummah lay in the absence of the Khilafah and that obstacles have been placed to delay its return e.g. foreign culture and thinking, division of the Islamic lands, colonial political and economic hegemony and the corrupted and brutal regimes in the Islamic world. This mentality also builds the deep and practical conviction of working and prioritising efforts towards re-establishing the Khilafah.

Building such a mentality has never been easy and is unlikely to get any easier - for we witness a time where the enemies of Islam increase in their hostility and the seduction of the decadent western way of life dominates the horizon, both in the ‘east and the west'. This interaction is more difficult, when the clearly visible love of Islam held by Muslims may nonetheless be intertwined with their relative material security, desire for comfort and dislike of hardship - or from those who face immense hardship and see western secular values as short-term relief. Therefore, though convincing the Muslims of the need for Khilafah is not problematic, however, building these individuals to embody this work is a difficult task.

The da'wa carrier takes solace in his/her Iman and looks for inspiration and guidance from Islam, the various stories of the prophets and the companions - but importantly from the example of Muhammad (saw). Allah (swt) in His Noble Book says:

''Indeed in the Messenger of Allah [Muhammad (SAW)] you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allah and the Last Day and remembers Allah much.'' ( Al-Ahzab 33:21)

By scrutinising the early part of the life of Muhammad (saw) one is able to identify key elements that aid in carrying the da'wa and contribute in aiming to convince people of the Islamic obligation and embrace this work, thereby succeeding in this delicate, difficult but fundamental and necessary aspect of the da'wa. These elements are mentioned below with an associated brief explanation:

Possessing clear objectives - It is imperative for the one who carries the da'wa to be aware of the objective that he/she aims to achieve when engaging individuals - otherwise he will mistakenly become content about achievements, when in actuality the objective was not met. This was evident when Muhammad (saw) initially carried the da'wa that His (saw) focus was clear e.g. building a group to help support the carrying of the da'wa, as he gathered and cultured the Sahabah (ra) in the House of Al-Arqam. It was also evident when approaching the tribes for support, that when finding some did not meet the requirement, Muhammad (saw) left them and moved to identify other tribes that would have the ability to support the da'wa. Therefore, carrying the da'wa like any action must be connected to an objective that can be realised and measured.

Knowing the person - This means to appreciate the thinking, likes and dislikes, interests, problems faced, priorities, the view of Islam and other issues etc...that the individual holds. This is necessary in order to determine what issues are relevant to discuss, what examples to give and how to fundamentally impact the individual's thinking and emotions. Muhammad (saw) knew his people and what they were thinking, their likes and dislikes and the issues that they were affected by. So Muhammad (saw) engagement was powerful, affecting the thinking and emotions of the person and people that he (saw) spoke to. To know the person requires spending time, building a relationship upon the basis of Islam that shapes both the discussion, the atmosphere in which it is discussed and the direction it should take.

Bringing examples from reality that are sensed - It is essential to connect discussions with issues that the individual senses and has the ability to understand and relate to. Otherwise it would be difficult for the da'wa carrier to connect with the individual in a meaningful way. If the person has no feeling, interest or sensation of the problem then it will be difficult to motivate him to think. For example, the division of Sudan and its political implications mean little to a Muslim youth from Pakistani origins who does not follow politics and is more concerned about his life-style, his education and football. So using an example from football to talk about nationalism may be more meaningful. However, using football to prove that nationalism is haram (prohibited) will unlikely connect to an old Imam of a mosque when rather the ayaat of the Quran would link and rouse him deeply, whilst a professor may connect easier to political issues. More generally, speaking to a parent about their children's growth amongst the temptations of the kufr culture is a reality that Muslims parents can sense and are affected by. Likewise, Hijaab bans, the dishonouring of Muslims around the world, the division and weakness of Muslims nationally and globally, the witch hunt against Muslims post 9/11 to discredit political Islam, the brutal US occupation of Iraq...are all sensed by Muslims. This is equivalent to the pressure of western pop/fashion/drug culture and role models that Muslim youth are exposed to and sense. The early ayaat of the Quran were evident in their connection to the realities and activities that were prevalent amongst the Arabs, which they sensed. Allah (swt) says:

''See the one who denies the Judgement? The such is the one who repulses the orphan (with harshness)'' (Al-Maun:1-2)

''Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding.''( Al-Imran:190)

Likewise, when Muhammad (saw) engaged with the people, he discussed in a manner that they would comprehend, often discussing the same subject using different examples to reflect the differences in the comprehension and understanding of individuals.

Agitating the thinking - Discussing the reality alone has little impact towards effective change in the person without making them feel the problem, such that they are agitated and forced to think and as a result realise the need for them to change fundamentally (from the Aqeedah) and comprehensively (in all matters). A person who has a small itch on his arm will think little about it, but if large itchy lumps appear on his arm, he will become agitated and try to do something. Therefore the da'wa carrier must agitate the person to make them think and feel about the issues, about the Islamic obligations, about their own life-style and priorities. So the realities and associated concepts that are presented to the contacts should generate a clash in their thinking and behaviour to bring out the sincere Islamic thoughts and feelings. Muhammad (saw) from the Quran would agitate people to think, such that they had to respond, whether it was regarding the burying of daughters, cheating in the market place or defrauding the orphan. By analogy, agitating the thinking of the person should direct them towards the need to establish the correct deep relationship with Allah (swt), strengthen creedal concepts, connecting to the Islamic obligations and realisation that these agitations and the more general problems that engulf the Muslim Ummah (however small or great) are connected to the absence of Islam as a political system, related to the colonial interference and the brutal illegal leaderships in the Islamic lands.

Providing an Islamic atmosphere - Because of the toxicity of the ignorant, decadent but seductive atmosphere in societies that serve to weaken the connection to Iman, Muhammad (saw) encouraged the Sahabah to spend much time with each other - to discuss, reflect, perform actions, meet socially etc... - such that an atmosphere was generated that served to enhance the closeness and bond amongst the believers and strengthen immunity and rejection of the corrupted atmosphere and values in the society. No doubt, spending the correct and relevant time with people would help inculcate and establish deep Islamic conviction and emotions, such that the individuals are better placed to deal with the difficulties and problems that may arise.

Adopting the most appropriate styles - The impact of the Islamic thoughts on a person may be heavily affected by the manner in which the da'wa carrier articulates and presents these thoughts. For example, if the da'wa carrier is arrogant, condescending in his/her tone and does not listen - people in general may not spend the necessary time to understand the beauty, purity and power of the Islamic thoughts or the issues that the da'wa carrier is aiming to raise. The da'wa carrier must not allow his/her style of discussion to be the excuse for other people not to accept the Islamic thoughts and need for change. This does not mean that the da'wa carrier will always be soft in speech because sometimes it is required for him to be loud and strong. What it does mean is that the aim must be to use the appropriate styles that meet the requirements of the situation. It is best observed in the life of Muhammad (saw), how he (saw) employed the appropriate style of speech, when engaging with the people.

Being the embodiment of the Islamic Personality - The Muslim ummah naturally seeks leaders from within herself that it can trust and have confidence in i.e. those that represent the practical example of Islam and qualities of sincerity, humility, confidence, honesty, caring, intellectually strong, astute, prepared to sacrifice, uncompromising on the truth etc... These qualities collectively are an embodiment of the personality of the one who loves Allah (swt) and treads the difficult path to establish the Khilafah. The one who carries the da'wa must possess these qualities at all times, for at all times he is in the worship of Allah.

Victory is from Allah - The da'wa carrier must realise that he is accounted for his/her efforts and that victory and ‘opening of the heart' only belongs to Allah (swt). If, after spending time with an individual subsequently results in inactivity or even rejection, it is imperative that the da'wa carrier does not get frustrated such that it leads towards resentment and sometimes even inaction. Rather, this frustration should propel him/her to work harder and re-evaluate his objective, his actions and discussions to identify where he could have made a mistake. Likewise, where the da'wa carrier moves on to discuss with other people, he generally should not neglect those who did not commit to work. Rather, every Muslim remains part of the ummah and Insh'Allah will be from those that will support the work in one way or another. The da'wa carrier should humble himself to realise that he himself used to be in a similar position and that for some of the Sahabah (ra) did not embrace Islam immediately when they first heard it. Rather the da'wa carrier recognises that he has planted an Islamic seed in the heart and mind of the person, which Insh'Allah one day will blossom.

With the above points in mind, the one who carries the da'wa is able to identify some of the issues that require his/her reflection in engaging in this noble work and truly the victory belongs to Allah, His Deen, His Messenger and the Believers.

''Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me.'' ( Al-Noor:55)