The Islamic Aqeedah is both Spiritual and Political

Some say that the present declined situation is because the Muslims carry an incomplete belief in Islam, i.e. an incomplete Islamic Aqeedah or 'a decrease in iman'. They sermonise constantly that the Muslims must perfect their 'Aqeedah. This accusation is false and based on ignorance. For there is no question that the 'Aqeedah of any Muslim is incomplete, for if the 'Aqeedah of a Muslim became incomplete he would cease being a Muslim. This article aims to explain that the present situation is not due to an incomplete Islamic Aqeedah, or the absence of it, but due to a failure to apply it correctly in life.

The Importance of the Islamic Aqeedah The word for belief in Islam is 'Aqeedah, which itself is derived from the Arabic root word aqada. This root literally means 'he ties a knot firmly'. This root defines the sense of the word 'Aqeedah, in that it too is firmly tied. Hence belief in Islam is built on firm conviction in all of its elements. So a Muslim cannot believe in Allah (swt), yet deny His Messenger, Muhammad (saw). Nor can a Muslim believe in the Qur'an, yet deny the Day of Judgement. Hence there is no question that the 'Aqeedah of a Muslim is complete, for if the 'Aqeedah of a Muslim became incomplete he would cease being a Muslim.

However, this Aqeedah does not only explain the origin and the end of this life. It also defines with surety the purpose of life. Allah (swt) has revealed,

''And I have created jinn and man for no purpose but to worship Me'' [ 51:56]

In this way, the Islamic Aqeedah defines the purpose of life as being to worship Allah (swt), by following His (swt) commandments in each and every action. On the authority of Muslim, Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated, that the Prophet (saw) said, ''A man sinned greatly against himself, and when death came to him he charged his sons, saying, 'When I have died, burn me, then crush me and scatter [my ashes] into the sea, for, by Allah, if my Lord takes possession of me, He will punish me in a manner in which He has punished no-one [else]. So they did that to him. Then He [Allah] said to the earth, 'Produce what you have taken'- and there he was! And He said to him, 'What induced you to do what you did?'. He replied, 'Being afraid of You, O my Lord' [or 'Being frightened of You']. Because of that He forgave him.''

Hence it can be seen very clearly that this life cannot be lived whilst ignoring the impact of the Islamic 'Aqeedah upon it. So, just as in any journey, no-one can ignore the eventual destination, in life no-one can ignore his inevitable return to Allah (swt). Hence the Islamic 'Aqeedah must be understood with great care and precision, as failure to do so will have the gravest consequences

The Islamic Aqeedah is a Unique Aqeedah

In the world today there are many aqaa'id (beliefs or creeds), other than that of Islam. Aqaa'id such as Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Qaadianism, Communism and Capitalism. However, Islam stands alone amongst all the other 'aqaa'id in two important aspects. Firstly, it is the Truth. The conviction that others hold in 'aqaa'id other than Islam is false. Muslims today understand this very clearly, so they will not confuse the Islamic 'Aqeedah with other aqaa'id.

However some Muslims fail to grasp a second characteristic of the Islamic Aqeedah, even though they believe in Islam firmly and do not reject any of its elements. That characteristic is in the manner of application of the Islamic 'Aqeedah. They fail to understand that the Islamic 'Aqeedah is both a spiritual 'Aqeedah and a political 'Aqeedah. All other 'aqaa'id are either spiritual or political, but never both. This misunderstanding is due to the fact that some Muslims have been influenced by the beliefs of others.

What is a Spiritual Aqeedah?

A spiritual Aqeedah is one which addresses only issues of worship and ethical actions. Christianity and Hinduism are examples of this, as they provide guidance on actions of worship, such as prayer, fasting and pilgrimage, or individual actions of merit, such as not to lie or cheat. However, they do not give guidance regarding the affairs of society and its organisation, i.e. they do not give political guidance. This is clear when one considers the situation of the European countries, which are all essentially 'Christian-majority countries.' In their history, it can be seen that whilst they gathered for Sunday worship and Christmas celebrations, they competed with each other in trade, fought wars against each other, and failed to unify all together on issues such as economy. In this way, the spiritual 'Aqeedah gives guidance on worships and morals, but leaves people to be guided by political 'aqaa'id in the rest of life's affairs.

What is a Political 'Aqeedah?

A political Aqeedah is one which addresses only the affairs of society and its governance, but offers no instruction in the areas of personal worship. Communism is an example of such an 'Aqeedah, which focuses on political and economic issues, but denies worship and condemns religion as the 'opium of the masses.' Accordingly, it leaves worship, which is an innate instinct in human beings, without organisation. To this end, one may see bizarre scenes of people making 'pilgrimage' to the embalmed body of Lenin in Russia, and others making 'ruku' towards statues of the late Kim II Sung of North Korea.

The Islamic Aqeedah is both Spiritual and Political

Thus, the Islamic Aqeedah directs individuals to worship Allah (swt) in the way in which He commanded. This worship is not confined to their personal actions. For it does not only shape their conduct according to the Islamic adaab (etiquettes). It also gives comprehensive guidance for all affairs of the society and its governance. This characteristic of the Islamic 'Aqeedah allows all aspects of the life of Muslims to be ordered according to it, and the concept of the Shari'ah (Islamic Law) provides the practical codification for this purpose.

The Shari'ah provides laws which can be categorised into three areas. First, are those laws which govern the relationship between an individual and his Creator, Allah (swt), such as praying, fasting, and Hajj. Second, are those concerning the individual himself, like how to dress, what to eat etc. And third, those involving the relationships between people, including transactions, government, economy and foreign policy. In this way, the Muslims base all their actions upon their Islamic 'Aqeedah.

In reality, there is no distinction between Shari'ah laws, whether they are to do with individuals, or the society. Both emanate from the same Islamic 'Aqeedah, and none are more worthy to be followed than the others and there is no basis whatsoever for their separation. So there are ayat and ahadith which address personal worship, two of which are as follows: Allah (swt) commanded prayer and Qur'anic recitation,

''Perform salah from mid-day till the darkness of night, and recite the Qur'an in the early dawn.'' [ 17:78]

and the Messenger of Allah commanded wudu (ablution), ''He who performed his ablution well, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails.''

However, there are also ayat and ahadith which address the affairs of society and governance: e.g. Allah (swt) forbade placing non-Muslims in authority over Muslims, such as the present rulers do by legitimising Israel's occupation of Islamic Lands through the 'peace' process, when He (swt) revealed,

''And Allah (swt) does not permit the Believers to place Kafireen in authority over them'' [ 4:141]

and the Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded that certain properties are public properties, which cannot be owned by individuals or the State, ''The people are partners in three things; waters, green pastures and fire-based fuels (oil, gas etc.)'' This, again, is not the case today in Islamic Lands.

All the above rules, whether emanating from the Islamic 'Aqeedah as a political 'Aqeedah or a spiritual 'Aqeedah, are to be implemented in the lives of the Muslims. Neglect of the Islamic 'Aqeedah in either sense is a violation of Islam and places Muslims under the wrath of Allah (swt). So, no-one can claim that he has a 'correct 'Aqeedah' if he strives to apply the Islamic 'Aqeedah as a spiritual 'Aqeedah alone. They must also strive to apply Islam as a political 'Aqeedah, in the form of a State. Furthermore, it is the Islamic State which ensures, by the authority it has over the citizens, that Muslims conform to the Islamic 'Aqeedah in its political and spiritual sense. That is what is meant by the saying of Uthmaan ibn Affaan when he said,

''The Sultan (government) corrects those who are not corrected by the Qur'an (i.e. taqwa).''

Conclusion

Therefore, the increase of Iman mentioned in some verses of the Qur'an means the strength of the link with Allah (swt) and the decrease of Iman means the weakness of the link with Allah. It does not mean the decrease in the decisive assent that conforms to reality and is based on evidence, because the decrease in the decisive assent means the creeping of doubt and suspicion, and this is Kufr. The meaning of, ''It increased their Iman'' and ''So that they may add Iman to their Iman'', is that their link with Allah (swt) has been strengthened due to their remembering that Allah will suffice them and that He is al-Qadir, and al-Nasser, who alone can bring benefit and inflict harm, that nothing will happen to them except for what Allah has prescribed for them. Hence, the reports about the increase reflect the increase in their link with Allah, with the presence of their Iman; this is due to their remembering that to Allah belong the soldiers of heavens and earth and due to their conviction that Allah will grant them victory. This link is strengthened through the remembrance of Allah, the reading and the reciting of the Qur'an. Also, in order to strengthen this link, one needs to crystallise the concepts that emanate from the Aqeedah, by illustrating the reality of these thoughts, perceiving their denotations and consolidating the assent in them by establishing their conformity to reality and delving into their evidences. Iman weakens when one engrosses his mind in worldly affairs and spends his time chasing the pleasures of this life.