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Khutbah - The Role of the Mind versus Role of the Text
Allah (swt) tells us about the Hajj which is approaching soon, the
translation of which is:
"For Hajj are the months well known. If anyone
undertakes that duty therein let there be no obscenity nor wickedness nor
wrangling in the Hajj. And whatever good you do (be sure) Allah knoweth it.
And take a provision (with you) for the journey but the best of provisions
is right conduct. So fear Me o you that are wise!" [ 2:197]
Every Muslim knows about the Hajj (pilgrimage) which is performed
every year, and indeed we will know of people
amongst our families and communities who have been
to the Houses of Allah (swt).
It is a pillar of Islam, which is obligation for us to perform at least once
in our lifetime if we have the capability and the means.
We know of the various obligatory acts like the Tawaf around the Ka'ba, the
running between Safa and Marwa, the stoning of the Jamarat (the Shaytan) and
the wearing of the Ihram.
Bi'ismillah, today I want to focus on the topic of
our motivation as Muslims in performing the obligations, Hajj being one of
them.
Today due to the intellectual decline and the weakening of the mentalities,
many Muslims have become defeated to the extent that they try and defend the
rules (Ahkam) of Islam by inventing reasons for these rules from their own
minds.
As an example with the obligation of Hajj, some Muslims propose that the
reason why we perform this action is because it is a show of brotherhood, or
due to the fact that it has a historical significance in relation to the
previous Prophets (as) like Ibrahim (as). Others propose that the reason
behind performing the Hajj is that it brings peace of mind, that for a few
days we can forget about the world thus relieving our stress and tension.
Other examples of this apologetic defeated mentality can be seen if we look
to the way some people invent reasons for the rules relating to
ibadah.
E.g. A prime example is reason given behind the rule in Islam stating that
Pork is haram, people argue that this is because of its dirty unhygienic
nature.
E.g Lot of people claim that the reason for fasting is to
improve our health or digestive system,even though there is text to prove
this claim.
However we need to realise that these views are false and fundamentally
flawed. They have originated from a misunderstanding of a basic concept in
Islam, the role of the mind and the role of the text, which essentially is
the topic of the Legislator (Al-Hakim). It is related to our very belief and
all the commands and prohibitions we follow as I shall explain. It is vital
for any Muslim to be clear on this topic.
At the heart of the issue is a historical debate, which has existed for
centuries - whether man can judge what is good or bad, halal or haram for
himself. Whether people can objectively decide rules and regulations for
themselves. Whether humankind has the right to legislate. Whether the mind
is sovereign or not.
This issue should be clear for us as Muslims. We recognise that Allah (swt)
created us different to the animals, that he instilled within us the ability
to think. And Allah (swt) emphasised that we use our thinking when it comes
to accepting the belief in His (swt) existence. He (swt) said:
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the
earth, and the alternation of night and day, they are indeed signs for men
of understanding."
Indeed the Quran and the ahadith of the Prophet provoke us to think. One of
the famous statements of the Sahaba like Ibn Abbas was, "An Noor al
Iman atafakur" "The light of Iman is the
thought"
When to use the Mind and When to use the Text
Our mind can judge the reality, for example we can judge that fire burns and
that light comes from the Sun. These are definite judgements on the reality.
In the same way we know that the Universe, Man and life must have a Creator.
We should hold this belief in the same way that we believe that fire burns.
We can also objectively conclude that the Quran is the word of Allah (swt).
We know that all the Prophets (as) brought proofs of their Prophethood. Musa
(as) threw his staff which turned into a snake defying the illusionists of
his day, Isa (as) cured lepresy and even brought the dead back to life
defying the reality. Muhammad (saw) was at a time where the people were
heightened in the Arabic language, they were experts in poetry and
literature, the Quran which is a miracle for all time, challenged them and
challenges the world to produce anything similar to it. Allah (swt) says:
"Or say they: He has invented it? Say: Then bring a
surah like unto it, and call (for help) on all you can besides Allah, if you
are truthful." [ 10:38]
Once we believe in Allah (swt) and in the Quran as being His (swt) word. We
have to follow every command, Allah gives us whether He gives us a reason or
not. We cannot invent reasons for the Ahkam Sharia.
Just because we can't understand the reasons behind some of the rules
doesn't mean that we reject them or become negligent in following them.
E.g. the specific rules of Hajj - we cannot use our minds to decide how many
tawaf we should be obligatory to perform.
E.g. Salah(prayer) - if I were to say that today
in the Salah, instead of reading Surah al Fateha I will read from the torah,
the bible and the American constitution - none of us would accept this
because we know that the basic structure of Salah is strictly defined Islam.
An excellent example which demonstrates this is that of Ibrahim (as) when he
was ordered by Allah (swt) to sacrifice his son. Allah (swt) explains this
incident in the Quran, He (swt) says:
Allah (SWT) in Surah Saaffaat tells us about the example of Ibrahim (as). He
(SWT) says:
"O my Lord! grant me a righteous (son)! So We gave
him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then when (the son)
reached (the age of) (serious) work with him he said: 'O my son! I see in
vision that I offer you in sacrifice: now see what is your view!' (The son)
said: 'O my father! do as you are commanded: you will find me if Allah so
wills one practicing Patience and Constancy! So when they had both submitted
their wills (to Allah) and He had laid Him prostrate on his forehead (for
sacrifice) We called out to him 'O Ibrahim! You have already fulfilled the
vision!' thus indeed do We reward those who do right. " [ 37:
99-105]
Ibrahim (as) didn't look for a reason for the command that Allah (swt) gave
him, nor did Ismael (as) knowing that he was going to be sacrificed. Rather
they both willingly accepted the decision of Allah (swt), because they
realised that He (swt) was the creator and that their purpose was to worship
Him.
We can clearly see why people cannot decide good and bad for themselves
because people's views are subjective and fraught with disparity, difference
and contradiction.
If we look to this society - opinions of right and wrong are continuously
fluctuating.
E.g. Drugs - recently people have been debating whether soft drugs should be
legalised.
E.g. Homosexuality - it was illegal in capitalist
society, but now is legalised to the extent that they want to reduce the age
of consent.
E.g. Physical colonialism - In the past it was acceptable for the British to
directly colonise India and occupy it, but today it is would be seen as
'unjust'. So we see the more politically correct 'nicer' forms of
colonialism, like the economic enslavement by the IMF and World Bank.
Sadly, these concepts have penetrated some of the minds of the Muslims to
the extent that they even start debating what is right and wrong according
to the mind, instead of referring to the guidance which Allah (swt) gave us.
They call the Zakat a welfare state(as in
Socialism) and equated equate the Hudud with Western human
rights. They attempt to defend or legitimise the Islamic rules according to
standards emanating from other than Islam.
We cannot pick and choose between the Shariah rules according to what people
like or don’t like. The rule of Hajj is equal to the rule of Salah. Our
motivation towards them should be the same i.e. to gain the pleasure of
Allah (swt). The rule of Salah is equal to the rule of unity which demands
that a Muslim is the brother of another Muslim there are should be no
borders or visas between them. So Pork is Haram to eat because Allah defined
it as such, Riba (Interest) is Haram because Allah denoted it. Allah (swt)
says:
Indeed since the beginning of time Allah (swt) set the law for the Universe:
" The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly)
computed" Allah has made the sun and the moon follow their
particular course."
" And the herbs and the trees-both (alike) bow in
adoration."
Even the trees bow to Allah in
prostration. We should bow to Allah in our prayers not to other people. Only
Allah (SWT) is our Rabb, our Lord,our Legislator.
" And the sky He raised high and He has set up the
balance (al-Mizan)".
Allah (SWT) has established the
balance in the Universe.
We should not be mistaken into thinking that because Allah (swt) defined for
us the rules for life that this means that we do not need to think about our
reality and the problems we face.
The rules of Sharia apply to reality. For example the rule to pray towards
Qibla - this means that we have to use our minds to find the location of
Qibla, we may even use a compass to aid us.
Similarly we also have to use our minds to understand the wide variety of
problems that have befallen the Muslims, identifying the fundamental problem
amongst them and solve it by applying the rule from Islam.
In conclusion I want to give you an example from one of the Sahaba (ra)
which clearly demonstrates the Message of Islam as liberating people from
using the mind incorrectly to use it correctly in worshipping Allah (swt).
This was expounded clearly by Ribbi ibnu Amir in his address to Rustum, the
Persian emporor when he was asked: "Why did you come out of the desert you
nomads from Arabia?" Ribbi ibnu Amir replied:
"Verily Allah has delivered us, to release the
people from the worship of other people, to the worship of the Lord of all
people. And from the oppression of all other ways of life, to the Justice of
Islam. And from the narrowness of this life to the vastness of the hereafter."
Comment:
1.In our next
article,we intend to bring a more detailed text regarding the role of
the mind and the role of the divine text.
2.We have
stated in our previous article that thinking is the process of linking the
sensation of the reality with the previous information about that particular
reality to produce thought.This rational process can be used to understand
the fact that wood burns.But can this intellectual process be used to
determine what is right(hassan) and what is wrong(qabeeh) ?
Lets use the procedure we stated earlier
We stated
that for any thinking(tafkeer) to operate requires the following elements
1.The
Reality(waaqi)
1.The Mind(aql)
2.Taking the
sensation to the mind(ihsaas)
3.The
Previous Information
The mind was
able to determine that wood burns and was not able to determine what is
Right and Wrong because each of them has 2 different realities.The Mind can
think if there was some perceptible reality.The reality regarding the
burning of wood is different from the reality regarding knowing what is
Right and Wrong.It requires the sensation of another reality.If the mind was
used to think about matters which has different perceptible reality, it will
only produce sensation , fantasy, imagination but not thought(fikr).Another
case in point could be the subject of brain.The fact regarding wood burning
can be directly sensed by the intellect using the rational method.But can
this rational process be used to determine the existence of someone's
brain.Can the brain be touched or smelt ? The answer is negative because the
brain has a different reality i.e. it can't be directly sensed (like wood)
but its effects can be sensed. Therefore we conclude that the subject of
Right and Wrong (i.e. halal and haraam) has a different
reality.
Further
Reading
1.Islam the Correct Criterion
"Today in
the absence of a purely Islamic Education System, as can only be offered by
the Khilafah, Muslims are accustomed to many ‘reasons’ for other acts of
worship. For example; Muslims are told that the reason behind fasting is
related to creating affinity with the starving or for the sake of improving
the digestive system. Also we are told that prayer is a form of exercise,
that wuloo cools the skin and soothes the mind thus protecting us from
mental illness and the classic; ‘pigs are dirty animals, hence we don’t eat
pork’. Hajj must surely throw a spanner firmly into the works of the
teachers of these ‘reasons’. What is the reason for the anti-clock-wise
rotation of tawaaf? Why is tawaf seven and not eight? With an even number
one would surely end up at one’s starting position. Why is Hajj performed
only once a year? Surely it would relieve congestion if it were two or three
times a year.
There is one
answer to all these questions, which is simple. The sole reason for Hajj is
that it is for the sake of Allah (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) and is performed in
the manner He (Subhanahu wa ta’ala) revealed through the Prophet Muhammad
Rasool-Allah (Sallalahu alaihi wa Sallam).
This process
of inventing rational reasons in the rituals of Islam is of extreme danger
since it may lead to the disobedience from certain rituals that have no
apparent rational reason and weakens Islam immensely".[Read]
2.Is
Islam uncivilised
3.Does Islamic Revival = Social Deprivation
4.Democracy and Shura - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
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