The Unique Aqeedah of Islam

Any civilisation's existence can be traced to a certain event in its history. Generally, one can never pinpoint the exact birth of a civilisation down to a precise incident, but it is within one's reach to approximate the civilisation's inception to within decades or even centuries of the event. However, one civilisation stands as an exception, and its birth can be traced to an exact event: The advent of Muhammad (saw) as the Messenger of Allah. Muhammad's (saw) appointment to Prophethood by Allah (swt) marked the beginning of a unique civilisation that the world witnessed. The month of Ramadan, in which the Qur'an was revealed, marked the beginning of the Message from Allah (swt) to humanity:

"The month of Ramadan in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance and the criterion (between right and wrong)…" [ Al-Baraqah 2:185]

This glorious month marked the beginning of Islam and the civilisation that this ideology spawned. During the years that followed, the Muslims achieved resounding victories during this month, such as the victory in the Battle of Badr, the liberation of Palestine under Salah al Deen Al Ayubi, the victory in the Battle of 'Ain Jalut, and many other triumphs which the Islamic Ummah remembers with beaming pride, The following question needs to be asked: What was the driving force behind these victories and the overall success of the Islamic system which led to the zenith of human civilisation? Answering this question necessitates an examination of the nature of Islam itself.

Islam was revealed in a society, which practised idolatry. The oppression of the masses under the unjust tribal system was a norm. The basic rights of the people were violated consistently, and the society was engulfed in Jahiliyah (ignorance). The response of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib to the King of Abyssinisa illustrated the reality of Makkan society prior to Islam:

"O king! We have been a people of Jahiliyah worshipping idols, eating the flesh of dead animals, committing abominations, neglecting our relatives and doing evil to our neighbours. The strong among us would oppress the weak. We were in this sate when Allah sent us a Messenger from among us whose descent and sincerity, trustworthiness and honesty were known to us…"

Amidst this darkness which engulfed not only the Arabian peninsula but the whole world, Allah (swt) revealed the Message of Islam which came with a unique 'Aqeedah that would transform the face of humanity. The Islamic 'Aqeedah was established on the principle that "There is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". This 'Aqeedah sets itself apart from all other creeds because it takes care of the affairs of the human being by addressing what was before and after life. It also connected the relationship of this life with what existed before and after life. By addressing the issues of the human being in both his spiritual and political dimensions, the Islamic 'Aqeedah is a spiritual-political creed.

A spiritual creed is one that is concerned with what is before the life and what comes after it, but not with life itself. In other words, the spiritual creed does not provide a comprehensive point of view regarding the life. Christianity, as a spiritual creed, as it is only concerned with the matters that come after life, such as the Day of Judgement and the concepts of reward and punishment. In addition, it administers the affairs of the people solely by preaching, guiding, and warning them to fear the punishment of the Day of Judgement.

A political creed is concerned with life itself. This concern might manifest itself in the ideology of that creed in its actual application upon the people. Capitalism, in its ideology and system of laws, is an example of this creed. The concepts of freedom, benefit democracy, and colonialism all emanate from this ideology. Together with Communism, these two ideologies constitute political creeds. The shortcomings and oppressive nature of these two ideologies upon the people are well known throughout the world.

The Islamic 'Aqeedah, as a spiritual-political creed, is a distinguished creed. The decisive belief in the existence of Allah (swt), the Day of Judgement, the concept of reward and punishment, the acts of worship, and the fear of Allah's punishment, make the Islamic creed a spiritual one. At the same time, the concepts related to Al Qadr, the concept of good and evil, legislation, the laws of buying and selling, leasing marriage, the appointment of the Khaleefah and obedience to him, the laws of punishment, and Jihad are all related to this life and its affairs, rendering Islam as a political creed.

This understanding of Islam as a spiritual-political creed was the driving force for the Message of Islam from the first day, as the Messenger (saw) called the people to Tawheed (Oneness of Allah). The idea of the Oneness of Allah as the in the Makkan society was not something new. A group of people called the Hunafa also called for the Oneness of Allah. Because they didn't possess the spiritual-political 'Aqeedah Muslims did, the Hunafa did not receive any backlash from the political authorities in Makkah. The Tawheed that Muhammad (saw) propagated was distinct from all other ideas because it was based on two principles:

Tawheed Rububiyah, which means that Allah is One, without any partners or associates.

Tawheed 'Uluhiyyah, which means that Allah must be worshipped alone in everything, and total slavery must be to Allah alone in everything ranging from the spiritual to the political.

It was this call for Tawheed, which provoked the anger of the Makkan political authority because they realised that Muhammad (saw) posed a threat to their societal set-up with this call. The response of Ja'afar ibn Abi Talib (ra) also illustrates this understanding which the Makkan authorities feared:

"….He summoned us to worship the One True God and to reject the stones and idols we and our fathers had been worshipping in addition to Allah. He ordered us to be truthful in speech, to fulfil all the duties that were entrusted to us, to care for our relatives, to be kind to our neighbours, to refrain from unlawful food and consumption of blood. He forbade us to engage in lewdness and lying, the devouring of the money of the orphan and the defamation of married women. He commanded us to worship the One God and to align no partners unto Him, to pray, to pay the purifying tax and to fast. We deemed him truthful and we believed him. And we accepted the Message he brought from Allah."

This understanding of the spiritual-political nature of the Message of Islam can also be found in many ayat of the Qur'an, such as the following Surah:

"Say: 'O you disbeliever's! I worship not that which you worship. Nor will you worship that which I worship. And I shall not worship that which you are worshipping. Nor will you worship that which I worship. To you be your Deen and to me my Deen"[ Al- Kafirun 109:1-6]

This Surah was revealed in Makkah in response to the political authority in Makkah asking the Messenger (saw) to compromise and share the same platform. In reality, they were asking the Messenger (saw) to abandon the political aspect of the Islamic 'Aqeedah. At the time that this Surah was revealed, the rules for fasting, Hajj, Zakat, and Salah did not exist. When the last ayah stated, "To you be your Deen and to me my Deen," the word Deen did not refer to the spiritual aspects of Islam because those aspects were not revealed yet. As a result, this Surah made a decisive statement that Islam is a spiritual-political cohesion was the driving force which caused the Muslims to achieve their many victories and accomplishments.

The Islamic Ummah today has lost this driving force, but the Kuffar who study the Islamic text (Qur'an and Sunnah) still view Islam as a political- spiritual creed, The statements of the political leaders among the Kuffar exemplify this understanding.

"We now realise that Islam in France is a French reality and not just a foreign issue or an extension of foreign problems…So it is not enough to have an Islam in France. There should be a French Islam, and Islam that respects France's republican principles, that recognises the rights of men and women." France's Interior Minister, Charles Pasqua in October 1994

In addition, Francois Bayrou, the French Education Minister, said the following:

"We must make (Muslims) understand that in our society, faith is in the private domain," he said. "The choice of the republic is not to let France be composed of separate communities." [Inter Press service: 10/10/94]

These two statements are just a sampling of how the Kuffar view the Islamic 'Aqeedah. If they knew that Islam was just a spiritual creed they would not have uttered these statements. The fact that they mentioned these statements clearly indicates that they recognise Islam's basis in the spiritual-political 'Aqeedah and they seek to confine the Muslims to the spiritual creed alone.

The onslaught from the Kuffar against the Muslims persisted for many centuries. They planned night and day against the Ummah. The initial plan was to fight the Ummah by way of physical force through the Crusades. When this method didn't achieve the expected results, they resorted to the more sophisticated method of stripping the Ummah from its driving force, the spiritual-political understanding of Islam. And to make it a spiritual understanding alone.

Because the Islamic 'Aqeedah combines the spiritual and political dimensions, it provides a comprehensive point of view regarding life, This comprehensive doctrine made it difficult for others to impose their ideas and culture upon the Muslims. The use of physical force was the only way for the Colonialists to apply their ideology upon Islamic lands because the people in those regions already carried a political creed, Even today, the puppet regimes of the Colonialist powers still use force, coercion and oppressive tactics to impose the foreign culture and systems upon the Muslims.

The sophisticated method outlined by the West targeted the Islamic 'Aqeedah, and in particular the Islamic point of view on life, the solutions it offers, and its system of laws. The West attacked the Muslims for glorifying the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw) as well as the authenticity of the Sunnah. They did not only attack the Prophethood of Muhammad (saw), but also attacked the laws of Jihad, the social system, the punishment system, and the political system. It is clear that the Colonialist's aim was to silence anything that pronounces the Islamic 'Aqeedah as a political one and subsequently confine it to the spiritual realm. This ideological attack focused on those concepts and laws that make Islam prevalent in daily life, such as the Islamic viewpoint on actions in life being influences by the Halal and Haram, The following quote indicates the attack:

"Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and other less highly developed religions were never subjected to such a barrage of abuse and condemnation as Mohammadanism was." (Islam and the West: p.48-49,)

The effects of this continuous attack on the political aspect of Islam can still be seen. The Ummah lies bare, stripped from its political creed to such an extent that when any political aspect of Islam is mentioned the Ummah reacts in a negative manner. The Ummah currently views politics as something of a nefarious profession while looking to the rituals of worship as something desirable. In reality such an outlook was crafted to denounce the political aspect of the Islamic 'Aqeedah and uphold the spiritual aspect.

The words Siyasa and 'Ibadah are neutral words in the Arabic language. They both show a process of doing something. The process of ruling the people is Siyasa and the process of worship is 'Ibadah. The Siyasa of the West can be capitalism/ democracy and the 'Ibadah can be Christianity. However, the correct way to satisfy the process of both the Siyasa and 'Ibadah is through the Islamic 'Aqeedah, which is both political and spiritual.

The Kuffar didn't attack the Hindus or the Buddhists for their dress code and social system, because their creeds are only spiritual and not worthy of attack. The Kuffar didn't attack the spiritual aspects of the Islamic 'Aqeedah or they would have exposed themselves as open enemies to the Muslims. To conceal their true intentions and deceive the Muslims, they praised the spiritual creed of Islam by not attacking it and showing respect towards the rituals.

For Muslims in the West, it should be noted that the West does not attack Islam as a spiritual creed, and it will accept it as an emerging reality to be added to the existing religions in the Western mosaic This might allure many Muslims (with good or bad intention) to try to present Islam as a religion and not a an ideology with a spiritual-political creed.

In many instances, the Kuffar showed their respect towards the spiritual creed of Islam. Mayor Michel Noir of Lyon said in June 1992, that the mosque (being constructed in Lyon) would help the region's 120,000 Muslims integrate into French life. In another statement, it was said that:

"The proposed solution is to create a European form of Islam that can coexist comfortable with the Western societies shaped by Christian traditions…We admire the civil traditions of Europe, its great principle of democracy, freedom, and reason…We will give Islam an interpretation that is most adaptive to the European society…We feel that our Jewish friends once faced the same intolerance we face today…Islam will be as accepted as Judaism is. [8/1/92]

Shortly, after the Oklahoma City bombing, a spokesperson from the US State Department said that "America has no problem with Islam as a religion."

All these statements from the Kuffar clearly point out the fact that they realise and look upon Islam as a spiritual-political ideology. Their objective is to keep the Muslims as far away as possible from the spiritual-political cohesion. Because only the Muslims possess a system that can pose as a challenge to their corrupt system and provide justice to the world as it did for over 13 centuries. The world order and those who maintain it are dedicating all of their resources to curb the emergence of Islam as a spiritual -political creed.

Only the correct understanding of Islam, as a spiritual-political creed, will propel the Muslims onto the global stage and lift human civilisation to the apex of justice, progression and mercy, as the Muslims did in the past under the Islamic ideological leadership.

Allah (swt) says in His Glorious Qur'an:

"The Hukm belongs to none but Allah." [ Yusuf 12:40]

The political dimension is integral to the Islamic ideology, and the Muslims are beginning to call for its return in greater numbers in spite of the vast resources expended by the Kuffar to curtail such a movement from surfacing. The Muslims must strive to re-establish their political identity which centuries of ideological and cultural bombardment has withered away. The early Muslims understood the nature of the Islamic 'Aqeedah as a spiritual-political creed, and such an understanding reflects the statements of many of the Sahabah;

Uthman ibn Affan (ra) said: "Allah might influence the people to abide by the rules of Islam by the Sultan more than by the influence of the Qur'an."

Umar ibn al Khattab (ra) said: "Islam is a foundation and the Sultan is the guard."

Umayr ibn Sa'd al-Ansari, a Companion of the Prophet (saw), addressed the people of Homs upon being appointed as their Wali (Governor) by 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, by saying:

"O people! Islam is a mighty fortress and a sturdy gate. The fortress of Islam is justice and its gate is truth. If you destroy the fortress and demolish the gate you would undermine the defences of this Deen…Islam will remain strong so long as the Sultan or central authority is strong. The strength of the Sultan neither comes from flogging with the whip, nor killing with the sword but from ruling with justice and holding fast to the truth."

It is time that the Muslims implement the same understanding of the Islamic 'Aqeedah as a spiritual-political creed. Without this understanding Islam will remain absent from life and will remain as another theology confined to the Masjid and the hearts of the Muslims

Comments

Islam is a complete way of life and solves all problems for mankind. These problems deal with the satisfaction of man's instincts and organic needs and therefore stem from the nature of man. Since human nature has remained the same from the beginning of man's creation and will remain so until the day of judgement, Islam will always remain applicable. The change in society has to be understood clearly before we reach a conclusion with regard to the applicability of Islam in the contemporary world. In this respect we should differentiate between the outward aspects of a society and its basis. Societies fundamentally differ on the systems implemented and the major ideas people believe in. The material progress (mode of transport,methods of agriculture..etc) of a society depends upon the advancement in science and technology. That in turn, is only a manifestation of the system that the society chooses to implement upon itself.

The compatibility of Islam with contemporary societies is therefore not the issue because Islam does not aim at adapting to the status quo, rather it aims to revolutionise any society that is established on non-Islamic ideals. Moreover, Islam provides us with a comprehensive system and does not rely on any other political, economic and social order for its implementation. Judging Islam by the prevailing ideologies indicates a lack of understanding of Islam and the revolutionary change it calls for.

What defines a society is imbedded in its constitution and the system that governs it. The outward aspects of a society are the results of its scientific and technological achievements, and do not determine how people will be ruled. Therefore the notion that technological advancement has fundamentally changed the status of societies is absolutely false. The issue at hand is the difference between an Islamic society and the non-Islamic society. This difference is strictly an ideological one. Hence Islam will appear to be strange when viewed from a different ideological perspective, and that should not surprise us for indeed Islam is unique.

In conclusion Islam is an ideology that constitutes a set of beliefs(Aqeedah) and a system for regulating life's affairs. This system deals with man's relationship with his Creator, with himself and with other human beings. Since Islam is the final Deen from Allah(swt), the Creator, it will remain applicable and capable of regulating the society wherever and whenever it is fully implemented.

Conclusion

Creating an Islamic Society does not mean to turn every individual into a Muslim, because a  society is not composed of individuals alone. A Society is composed of individuals plus the emotions, and the system. It is the system which will mould the individuals outlook.Therefore the important issue is not simply the percentage of Muslims living in a society, but its thoughts and emotions. When Prophet(saw) established the first Islamic State in Medinah  it wasn't a 'one hundred percent ' Muslim community, but Prophet(saw) established the Islamic Ideology completely which made Islamic thoughts the most dominant viewpoint.