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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | FOREWORD 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD .......................................................................................................................... 3
AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 .......................................................................... 4
ADAB:Etiquettes of Dawah ........................................................................................... 9
THAQOFAH: Comprehensiveness of Islam........................................................... 17
HADITH: Moderation in Islam.................................................................................... 24
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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | FOREWORD 3
FOREWORD
.
All praise is due to Allah who loved the pious among His slaves1and
raised the level of the knowledgeable among the believers2, He sent the
messengers and revealed guidance to them in order to save humankind
from the darkness and narrowness of ignorance to the light and vastnessof knowledge. We thank Him and appreciate His Will to assist us on
guidance.
At this age where promoters of falsehood are unrelenting in their
efforts, using all kinds of media and tools at their disposal to promote
misguidance; it is equally obligatory for those whom Allah has assisted
on guidance and elevated with knowledge to promote the truth.
This booklet is produced from lecture notes of the tezkiyyah workshop
of TMC National Headquarters as an alternative for non-Yoruba
speakers and a written record for posterity of the invaluable materials.
With the Help of Allah, we hope that the information contained in this
edition of the series will be of general benefit to the Ummah and further
inculcate the habit of reading in order to revive the moral foundations of
Islamic culture.
If you find anything to criticize in this volume, please do not let it
destroy your enjoyment of the rest. Your feedbacks and suggestions will
always be appreciated.
1Refer to Surat-ul-Imran 762Refer to Surat-ul-Mujadilah 11
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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 4
AL-QURAN : Suratul Mursalat 16-28
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16. Did we not destroy the former people?
17. So shall we make later generations to follow them.
18.
Thus do we deal with the Mujrimun (polytheists, disbelievers,
sinners, criminals, etc.)!
19. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!
20. Did we not create you from a worthless liquid (semen, etc.)?
21. Then we placed it in a place of safety (womb),
22.
For a known period (of gestation)?23. So we determined, and we are the best to determine
24. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!
25. Have we not made the earth a container?
26. For the living and the dead.
27. And have placed therein firm, and tall mountains; and have given
you to drink sweet water?
28. Woe that Day to the deniers (of the Day of Resurrection)!
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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 5
Title
THREATNING THE DISBELIVERS AND WARNING THEM AGAINST
DISBELIEF
Explanations
1. This surah is one of the surahs revealed during the Makkan
period; like other Makkan surahs the focus is to establish
Islamic belief and most especially the belief in Allah and the
Day of Judgment.
2. In some hadiths, the prophet is reported to say: whoever believes
in Allah and the Last Day before he gives a very important
instruction to the believers, which signifies the important
correlation between belief and obedience. The belief in Allah
and the Last Day are among the greatest part of creed and themost important for correct actions, therefore both are often
repeated simultaneously by Allah and His messenger more than
any other, also because other articles of faith depend on them.
3. After warning the disbelievers of what will be the consequences
and manifestations3of their disbelief and the horrible events of
the Day of Judgment, Allah reminds them of the destruction that
3Disbelief is the original reason for disobedience and crimes. When man denies
reality of the unseen, he disbelieves in Allah and the Last Day, the original
concept of submission and accountability will be lost, he will become arrogant
and demonstrate his capacity over oppression and destruction. Muslims with
traces of disbelief can also demonstrate such disobedience and crimes in the
areas where they are deficient in belief. People of the Scripture (i.e. Jews and
Christians) who still have some traces of belief can demonstrate obedience
similar to a believer in the areas where they have such belief. For example, a
Christian may spend generously because he believes in the reality of reward onthe Day of Judgment. It is all about complete true belief which Allah instructs
clearly in the Quran: O you believers enter into Islam completely and do not follow
the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.(Q2:208).
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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | AL-QURAN: Suratul Mursalat 16-28 6
befell similar arrogant nations of past generations, perhaps they
may take lessons.
4. The people of prophet Nuh were the first to start idolatry, their
forefathers exaggerated about their pious righteous leaders, the
later generations were further misled through ancestral
reference. Wadda, Suwaaha, Yaguutha, YahookohandNasraare
names of devoted worshippers and scholars at the time before
prophet Nuh, all these five scholars died in just one month, it
was a shocker and big trial for the people. Shaytan came and
whispered to them, they drew their portraits and kept forremembrance purpose. After this generation passed away,
shaytan came and whispered to their offspring to carve statue of
those pious worshippers that their father have preserved in
picture, they accepted the deception and carved their statues
only for posterity purposes. After this generation passed away,
shaytan came and whispered to their offspring that their
forefathers had preserved these pious worshippers for them to
worship, they accepted the deception and started idolatry taking
the statues as intermediaries between themselves and Allah.
Allah sent prophet Nuh to warn them against this dangerous
digression from true belief but they refused arrogantly and Allah
destroyed them violently with water. Those who believed with
prophet Nuh were saved to begin another generation ofmankind. [Tafseer ibn Kathir, Surat-ul-Nuh verse 23]
5. The people of Aad and Thamud followed in disbelief and
disobedience to Allah, they belied the messengers and they were
also destroyed.
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6. The message was clear: Those who started disbelief were
destroyed after they ignored warnings from the messenger, the
later generations followed them in disbelief and they were also
destroyed, if this nation also ignores the warnings of this
messenger (i.e. Muhammad) and continues on disbelief, its
destruction is not far away. However, because the nation of
Muhammad is the whole world they will not be destroyed as a
whole until the Day of Judgment; each part will only suffer the
consequences of their disbelief accordingly. Hurricanes,
tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes and landslides are only fewexamples of similar means of destruction that befell past
generations; insecurity, abject poverty and severe hunger are
few subtle consequences of disbelief. Negligent and
materialistic population that never takes lessons from the
righteous past generations but follow the miserable path of
arrogant past generations will suffer consequences similar to the
arrogant disbelievers of the past.
7. A reminder of human weakness and delicate stages of growth,
from conception in the womb, is a good tonic for the soul to
reassess his actions against his Creator.
8. The earth is a sufficient container for the living and the dead.
The top of the earth for the living and inside for the dead. We
live on the earth and when we are dead we start the life of realityunderneath the earth. Our life both on the earth as a living and
inside the earth as among the dead are blessings of Allah that we
must appreciate; we enjoy many provisions of Allah on the earth
while alive and our honour as human beings is protected with
burial.
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9. Allah also made tall mountains as pegs to stabilize the earth that
was created on water. Today tourism has turned to ordinary
visual enjoyment; whenever faith is taken out of something it
will destroy it purpose. Objects of contemplation have now been
reduced to mere amusement and play. This verse is a good
reminder for believers to worship Allah and improve their
godliness through contemplation.
10. Woe that Day to the deniers: And after all of these warnings,
admonitions and reminders, whoever reject and persist on
disbelief will be fully deserving the wrath of that Day.
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TMC Aguda | THE REMINDER | ADAB: Etiquettes of Dawah 9
ADAB:Etiquettes of Dawah
Focus:Etiquettes of enjoining Al-Maruf (good) & forbidding
Al-Munkar(evil).
Preamble
Dawah literarily means calling but technically in Islam it means calling
to Allah, i.e calling the people to live according to the laws of theirCreator. Allah has legislated and commanded because of the larger
amount of good in them. He forbade what He forbade because of the
larger amount of evil in them. The fear and consciousness of Allah to
comply with this divine, logical and natural legislation is the basis of
true righteousness. The purpose of Dawah is to prepare and mobilize
the people for righteousness, which is required for their salvation.
This section will give some understanding and explain a few etiquettes
required for this noble task of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-
Munkar.
Definitions
Al-Maruf: It is a concise term for all matters of obedience to Allah;
seeking closeness to him, kindness to the people, doing all good things
and leaving all bad things.
Al-Munkar: It is the opposite of Al-Maruf; all the bad and ugly things
that is forbidden and detestable in the Shariah.
Summary:Al-Marufis all what Allah has commanded in the Shariah
andAl-Munkaris all what He forbade in the Shariah. This is because all
that Allah commands in the Shariah are good things and all that He
forbids are evil things.
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Over time, the Arabs corrupted the religion of prophet Ibrahim (i.e.Al-
Hanafiyyah) circumambulating the Kabah naked. When the prophet
(SAW) became messenger he corrected them on this open immorality,
but they replied with a wrong allegation against Allah:
And when they commit an immorality, they say, "We found our fathers doing it, and
Allah has ordered us to do it." Say (O Muhammad), "Indeed, Allah does not order
immorality. Do you say about Allah that which you do not know?"4
Allah has always commanded Al-Maruf (good things) and forbade Al-
Munkar (evil things). It is the responsibility of believers to enjoin Al-
Maruf on the people and warn them against Al-Munkar.
The meaning of enjoining the people on Al-Maruf iscalling them to it
by making it attractive to them and explaining the reasons why it is
required for their salvation. The meaning of forbidding Al-Munkar is to
prevent the people from it by making it unattractive to them and
explaining the reasons why it leads to doom.
The importance and necessity of enjoining Al-Maruf and
forbidding Al-Munkar
The task of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar is acompulsory and continuous responsibility on the Muslims, this is
because the Shariah of Islam is based on these two and the propagation
of the Shariah is a duty on all Muslim.
The Shariah is righteousness (i.e. doing Al-Maruf and forsaking Al-
Munkar) for the salvation of mankind. Dawah (i.e. enjoiningAl-Maruf
and forbiddingAl-Munkar) is the mechanism to sustain the Shariah.
4Surat-ul-Araf (Q7:28)
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Dawah is a specific obligatory responsibility on the messengers of
Allah, an obligatory responsibility of the scholars of the Shariah and a
general responsibility on the rest of the Muslim population.
Dawahis specifically obligatory on the messengers of Allah, they must
fulfil the mission completely because of the divine support they have,
these forms of support include: scriptures, miracles, guaranteed
protection and the firm assurance. The Scriptures are the most
comprehensive manual for guidance revealed and explained to the
messengers. They are the direct recipients of the message and have
communicated the information in truth. In the course of Dawah, there
are situations where the messengers as human beings are completely
helpless when all human intellectual, material skills and abilities will be
fruitless; a miracle becomes the only way out in such a situation as
Allah had always supported his messengers in the hardest times of their
mission. The messengers have divine guaranty of protection on their life
until the end of their mission, no amount of tribulations and trials areable to end their life abruptly; the Jews killed lots of the prophets, they
were not able to kill a single messenger; all the messengers fulfilled
their mission before their death5. The messengers were assured by
various means; notably, Musa was made to hear and respond to Allah at
the holy valley of Tuwa, Muhammad was taken to the heavens alive and
returned in a night to see some of the signs of Allah in order to better
assure him.
Dawah is obligatory on the scholars of the Shariah, they must fulfil it
to the best of their ability because of the knowledge they have. Good
5Except for prophet Isa (Jesus) whom Allah made ascend the heaven. He will bereturned alive as a reformer (not as a prophet or messenger) when the Day of
Judgment is very near, he will destroy the cross (signifying the end of
Christianity), kill the pigs and killAd-Dajjal (Anti-Christ).
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knowledge of the Shariah6 is a prerequisite to better understanding of
Islam and fear of Allah7
. It is natural that people who excel in
knowledge have been the leaders of their population; after the
messengers have gone, it is a duty upon those who have learnt the
Shariah to continue the task of propagation in order that Allah will
sustain the Shariah with their Dawah. The obligation of Dawah on the
scholars is based on the following statement of the prophet (SAW):
8
The scholars are the inheritors of the prophets, the prophets neither left dinar (gold)nor dirham (silver) to inherit but they left knowledge, whoever holds on to it has held
a firm grip.
Dawah is also a responsibility on every Muslim according to his/her
ability, the Muslim masses must support9 the scholars with whatever
means; material and physical. This is necessary to promote and
propagate what we believe as true guidance; it is also a demonstration
of believe and support for the mission of the messengers.
6Some people have erroneously taken only the knowledge of Arabic language to
mean the Shariah. Knowledge of the Arabic language is only a means to attain the
knowledge of the Shariah. The Quran, the Sunnah and most explanations of
scholars are written in Arabic, therefore the Shariah is best understood with theArabic language. Unfortunately, some Arabic language scholars and students who
did not study on Shariah subjects like Fiqh, Seerah, Hadiths, etc. present
themselves as leaders in the Shariah, many people have been misguided with
their ignorance.7Allah declared the knowledgeable as the people of piety, those who fear Allah
among his slaves are the people of knowledge (Q35:28) i.e. those who are
knowledgeable in the Shariah (not Arabic language).8vol. 1, pg. 81
9The general masses involvement can only be meaningful by giving supportorganized Dawah led by scholars, because sound knowledge and correct
methodologies are requirements to make proper Dawah. It is a responsibility on
the scholars to teach the masses the required knowledge and methodologies.
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Allah describes this ummah of Islam as the best because of our attitude
towards Dawah. Allah said in the Quran:
You [Muslims] are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-
Ma'ruuf and forbid Al-Munkar and you believe in Allah10
The believers, men and women, are supporters of one another, they enjoin Al-Ma'ruufand forbid Al-Munkar; they perform As-Salaat and give the Zakaat, and obey Allah
and his Messenger. Allah will have His Mercy on them. Surely Allah is All-Mighty,
All-Wise.11
The general responsibility of Dawah
Although organized12
Dawah is a responsibility for Islamic
organizations13
, the general Dawah of enjoining what is good andforbidding what is wrong is an obligation on every Muslim according to
his/her knowledge and abilities. This is evident in the instruction given
by the prophet in the following hadiths:
14
Whoever of you sees an evil act he should change it with his hand, if he is not capable
then he should change it with his tongue, if he is not capable then with his heart, andthat is the weakest of faith.
10Surat-ul-Imran (Q3:110)11Surat-ul-Tawbah (Q9:71)12Organized Dawah; propagating comprehensiveness of Islam in all facets of
human existence.13Organized Dawah is originally a responsibility of an Islamic government. It
only became a responsibility for organizations after the fall of the caliphate.
14 vol. 1, pg. 69
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Etiquettes of enjoining Al-Maruf and forbidding Al-Munkar
Enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil are among the
greatest acts of righteousness that a Muslim must take as responsibility,
it is a part of jihad, it is a trust of Allah and a protection for the Muslims
honour; therefore there are etiquettes outlined as follows:
1. Gentleness, easiness and mercy
Naturally, the people love those who are gentle and kind
towards them. The success of Dawah depends heavily on how
we relate with the heart of the people we call. Success from
Allah is related to gentleness. The prophet said: Allah is gentle and
He loves gentleness in all affairs, and he gives for gentleness what He does
not give for harshness15
2. Sincerity
The task of Dawah is rife with lots of challenges that require
strong determination. Sincerity is a good motivator for
determination. A sincere person will be determined to overcomeany challenges and achieve his goals.
3. Patience
The importance of patience is evident as it is often repeated in
the Quran, being mentioned up to 103 times in different
situations. Patience is an attribute of the messengers of strong
will and determination. Allah said: And whoever is patient and
forgivesindeed, that is from firm decision of affairs.16
4. Respect
A Dawah worker must show the people he calls that they are
important. He must practically show the people that he values
them. When the people perceive that they are being belittled,
they are less like to accept the call to Islam.
15Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 46, Hadith 3616Surat-ul-Shurah (Q42:43)
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5. Clarity and firmness when forbidding evil.
The most challenging aspect of Dawah is forbidding the wrong.
Although softness is generally encouraged for Dawah, it is
important that we are not too lenient to condone negligence and
mockery with the Shariah of Allah. We must be firm and
resolute even as we respect their right of choice. Clarity is a
requirement for spreading the message, the fear of rejection
from the people should not lead us to undue leniency in
presentation of the truth, Allah said:
And if you [people] deny [the message] already nations before you have
denied. And there is not upon the Messenger except [the duty of] clear
propagation17
6. Role model
The Dawah is most effective when done in practice. Our
righteous predecessors who had clear understanding and
etiquettes of Dawah upon reaching a community present the
Dawah to the people only by saying: O you people, be like
us; after a little observation, the people become convinced in
their sincerity and impressed by their patience, respect and
gentleness among other amiable characters. The people
embraced the righteousness of Islam without much effort. Theimportance of being a role model for Dawah is further stressed
in the following verse as the prophet was the master of all those
who do Dawah.
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to
follow for whoever hopes in (the meeting with) Allah and the Last Day andremembers Allah much.
18
17Surat-ul-Ankabut (Q29:18)
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7. Knowing the condition of people
The Dawah worker must alsobe aware of the condition of the
people he is calling. He must tailor his strategies in a way most
suitable so that they can benefit better.
8. Knowledge of when appropriate to call openly or secretly
Sometimes it will only be appropriate to correct any observed
mistake of people by meeting them privately, most people feel
embarrassed when you correct their personal mistake in public.
However, in some situations it will be appropriate to donecessary corrections openly for the general benefit in it.
9. Breaking the necessary barriers
Sometimes, the people will be ready to accept the call but some
obstacles in their peculiar situation may be preventing them, an
observant Dawah worker should try as much as possible to
assist them break the barriers either through sincere advice,
other moral and forms of support as necessary.
10. Tolerance to differences where it is inevitable
A Dawah worker must be aware and respect standard natural
and religious differences and the right of people to their choice.
For example, Fiqh is a flexible interpretation of the Shariah,rulings may change according to place and situation of the
people, this flexibility should not be destroyed by unnecessary
intolerance.
18Surat-ul-Ahzab (Q33:21)
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THAQOFAH: Comprehensiveness of Islam
Preamble
Islam is a complete way of life; it is the most comprehensive system
capable of governing human life. It combines the spiritual and material
aspects of human life most harmoniously. Other philosophies and
civilizations that claim capacity to govern human life have failed in
their inability to manage and regulate the immaterial 19 which areinseparable from human nature.
The comprehensiveness of Islam is a reason why its civilization remains
superior and triumphant over other civilizations; from its advent till
today, it is over a thousand years since it has being facing challenges of
materialistic civilizations, from the ancient Roman and Persian empires
to the recent Capitalism and Communism, Islam successfully eradicatedoppression and tyranny and the world enjoyed the peace of Islams call
to complete submission to the Creator.
The clash of civilizations
Historians have identified the clash of civilizations as a major reason forworld conflicts. For example, the Roman and Persian empires were two
powerful contemporaries; the Roman civilization that was based on
Greco-Christian syncretism20
and Persian civilization based on
idolatrous Zoroastrianism21
. Both were in sharp contrast to each other
and impossible to co-exist, the attendant results were a series of bloody
confrontations that lasted until the advent of Islam among the Arabs.
19Immaterial such as; sadness, joy, stupidity, intelligence, love, hatred etc20A mix of Greek philosophies and teachings of Christianity.21Fire-worship
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Every time Allah sent clear guidance to mankind through His
messengers it will be corrupted soon after the messenger left. The
message of Jesus (named as Christianity after his disappearance22
) was
the last divine guidance before the final message of Muhammad; the
last remnant of this message (i.e. Christianity) was the one adopted by
the Roman Empire but interpolated with Greek philosophies and further
corrupted with the false concept of trinity.
The final guidance of Islam
After the disappearance of Jesus, a period of about 400 years passed and
Allah sent the final messenger with the final message of guidance; this
time, the message was protected from any corruption, it is universal,
comprehensive and lasting till the end of the world.
When the light came darkness vanished. It is an obligatory
responsibility to announce the true guidance for human salvation and it
is a grave treachery to hide it. Islam announced its superiority and
universality from its beginning and presented its civilization as the final
to overcome all others.
It is He (Allah) who has sent his messenger (Muhammad) with the guidance and the
religion of truth (Islam) to make it victorious over all (other) religions even though the
polytheists hate it.23
And we have not sent you (Muhammad) except to the whole of mankind as a giver of
glad tidings and a warner to all mankind, but most of the people do not know.24
22 Muslims do not believe in the death or crucifixion of Jesus, we believe in hisascension to the heaven until when the time is due for his return as a reformer.23Surat-ul-Saff (Q61:9)24Surat-ul-Saba (Q34:29)
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The challenge and the conflict
This unrestricted self-confidence and the obvious reality of its claim is a
great threat to existing civilizations, from idolatrous paganism to the
corrupted guidance of Judaism and Christianity. These forces are
always quick to mobilize against their common enemy Islam to prevent
it from survival. But all glory to Allah Who is always capable of his
Wish. Within a short period of only 23 years, the pagans suffered the
worst humiliation and the most important center of Arabia (i.e.
Makkah) came under the control of Islam; the messenger (i.e.
Muhammad) cannot live forever but Allah has assisted him to establish
the true message in the center of earth25
with his companions now ready
to spread it to the whole world after his death.
Soon after his death, the companions spread out to fulfill the obligatory
responsibility of protecting the religion from its open enemies and to
liberate the people from forced submission to their tyrant rulers
(through material26
and human forces) to the willing submission to their
Creator (through spiritual motivations and promise of supernatural
rewards). The world history recorded unprecedented and overwhelming
victories for Islam when centuries-long empires of Rome and Persia fell
with the advance of the young Muslim forces. However, loyalists to
these fallen empires continue in the fight against Islam; an example is
the Crusade War on the sacred land of Palestine.
25It has been geographically established as evident from the world map that the
Kabah in Makkah is the center of earth. Another clear evidence is that satellite
dishes and the antenna of TVs only get the best signal when turned to face the
Qiblah (direction of the Kabah). It is now relatively easy for Muslims to
determine the Qiblah for their solat while traveling just by observing the
direction faced by majority of satellite dishes.26Among the tactics of oppressive rulers is to constrict the natural resources and
prevent the people from enjoying its benefits, whenever they release only a little
portion of it, the people will praise them and be ready to obey their instructions.
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Although it is quite easy to defeat the sponsors of falsehood, the process
to eradicate philosophies upon which they are based is a long
intellectual struggle. This can be identified by efforts of Islamic
scholars to intellectually destroy these philosophies through the pages
of their voluminous works which is highly effective and commendable.
However, shaytan is unrelenting in his efforts to misguide mankind and
Islam is ever ready to challenge any misguidance until to its defeat. The
victory of Islam over the Romans, the Persians, the Crusaders, and the
Mongols became records of the past; with the explosion of modern
technologies, the challenges from the enemies of Islam becomesserious, tricky and tedious; but the final victory is for the truth.
Communism and Western secular democracy27
are the two current
powerful civilizations. The soviet states united to promote communism
in the East with its atheistic28
philosophy posing major threat to Islamic
monotheism, but with the relentless effort of Muslims it was defeated
and the unity of oppressive states came to an end. Soon after that, othersunited in the West to promote a subtle but oppressive philosophy,
secular and liberal democracy was sponsored and promoted as the glory
for human prosperity. However, this democracy must be practiced
according to the outlines of its pioneers, it must be secular29
and
liberal30
, and any nation that refuses this offer or attempts to adulterate
it will face the wrath of its sponsors. Communism had been destroyed;
westernization with her secular liberal democracy is the current
challenge yet to be overcome.
27Democracy is not the problem for Islam; it is the secular and liberal concepts.28Elimination of Gods existence29Secular: meaning to eliminate God, as evident in its definition as thegovernment of the people by the people and for the people.30Liberal to permit unrestricted freedom for humans, as evident in its legality of
alcoholic breweries, cigarettes and tobaccos manufactures.
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Westernization and Islamization
Westernization is the project of propagating Western civilization which
is an extension of Greco-Roman civilization that was based on rational
empiricism. Secular democracy is a proud glory of Western civilization;
in their desperate attempt to achieve liberation or freedom for man,
the West promoted secularism31
in governance as the solution.
However, like other civilizations besides Islam, the inability of
democracy to effectively manage and regulate human internal forces
and emotions such as sadness, joy, intelligence, trust, love, hatred,
stupidity, temperament, etc is a deficiency that is already taking it to its
downfall in all spheres32
.
High rate of organized crimes, promiscuity and hooliganism has
become uncontrollable despite all the material and human security as a
result of elimination of obedience to the Creator. All human beings
were born the same way, the natural feeling of original equality with
fellow human can never make it possible to control other human beings
without the intervention of God, the concept of worship or obedience to
God is the reason for successful administration in Islam. Any religion,
philosophy, nation or organization that ignores or eliminates this
concept of divine obedience can never escape downfall in its
administration.
Although, the West have claimed Islamic extremism or violent
jihadism as the major threat to their democracy, that is only an
allegation to experiment their military might and justify oppression over
the Muslim population. The New York Times carried an article stating:
31Elimination of the concepts of worshiping God32They have recently witnessed financial crisis in the economic sphere, the ever
increasing rate of criminal offenses has almost destroyed their social co-
existence.
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Muslim fundamentalism is fast becoming the chief threat to global peace and
security as well as the cause of national and local disturbance through terrorism. It is
akin to the menace posed by the Nazism and fascism in the 1930s and then by
communism in the 50s33
Professor Samuel Huntington dismissed the claim and identified Islam
as the actual challenge to Western civilization:
The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism. It is Islam, a
different civilization whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and
are obsessed with the inferiority of their power. The problem for Islam is not CIA or
the U.S. Department of defense. It is the West, a different civilization whose people areconvinced of the universality of their culture and believe that their superior, but
declining, power imposes on them the obligation to impose that culture throughout the
world. These are the basic ingredients that fuel conflict between Islam and the West34
Islamization is the project of propagating Islamic civilizations. Islam is
a concise name for peace and submission. Peace is an expensive basic
requirement in all aspects of life; communism sought to achieve it in its
economy with socialism, it failed; democracy seeks to achieve it in its
economy with capitalism, its failing; they tried to achieve what is
originally internal with external material rewards and punishments. The
core of Islams message remains simple: attain real peace through
complete submission to the Creator. The comprehensiveness of Islam is
a reason for its survival, it has the ability to manage and regulate all
aspects of life including the internal forces; this comprehensiveness isimplicit in the legislated acts of worship and faith; for example, the
belief in the Qadaror divine predetermination is a good regulation for
sadness and joy. Allah said:
33The New York Times / International Herald Tribune, 9/9/9334The Clash of Civilizations, pp. 217-8
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No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of decrees (Al-
Lauh Al-Mahfuz), before we bring it into existence. Verily, that is easy for Allah.35
In another verse, Allah regulated hatred and love:
.
Jihad is ordained for you (Muslims) but you dislike it, and it may be that you dislike a
thing which is good for you and that you like a thing which is bad for you. Allah
knows but you do not know.36
O you who believe! stand out firmly for Allah and be just witnesses and let not the
enmity and hatred of others make you avoid justice, be just: that is nearer to piety, and
fear Allah. Verily, Allah is WellAcquainted with what you do.37
Areas of comprehensiveness
Apart from being all-inclusive complete way of life having the ability to
manage and regulate all aspects of human life including the emotions,
mental processes and other internal forces, Islam also:
1.
Protects human life.2. Protects properties.
3. Protects the human intellect.
4. Compatible at all times, places and people.
35Surat-ul-Hadid (Q57:22)36Surat-ul-Baqarah (Q2:21637Surat-ul-Maidah (Q5:8)
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HADITH: Moderation in Islam
:"
"
Abu Huraira narrated: The Prophet said: "The religion
[of Islam] is very easy and whoever overburdens
himself in his religion will not be able to continue in
that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to
be near to perfection and receive the good tidings
that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by
worshipping in the mornings and in the nights."38
38Sahih Bukhari: Book 2 (Book of faith), Hadith 32
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Explanations
The ease of Islam
And we shall make easy for you (O Muhammad) the easy way.39
Excellent examples of easiness is evident throughout in the life of the
prophet: in the way he spoke, in the way he perceived information, in
the way he thought, in the way he handled matters, in the way he
organized his personal affairs and of others; whenever he was given
options, he chose the easier one. His wife Aisha narrated: The
messenger of Allah is the most gentle in the home, smiling and laughing
(with his family).
Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim reported a hadith from Anas bn
Maalik that the prophet said: Make things easy and dont make itdifficult
1. The ease of I slam in names: Islam recommends easiness in
everything including the names of people as evident in the
following hadiths:
a. One day a man came to the prophet, when the prophet asked
him his name he said azzan (i.e. difficult), the prophetadvised him to change the name to a gentle one but the man
said he cannot change the name that his father gave to him.
Ibn Musayyab who narrated the hadith said: the man faced
lots of difficulty in his life after that.
b. Ibn Umar said the prophet changed the name of Aasiyah
(sinner) toJameela
(beautiful).
40
39Surat-ul-Aala(Q87:8)
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Unfortunately, today some Muslim youths take pleasure in calling
themselves bad nicknames, the will even change their good names to
bad ones, this bad practice have increased them in misguidance such as
open immoralities, hooliganism and various crimes. It is a pre-Islamic
ignorant practice; it is a sad trace of disbelief which Allah condemns in
the Quran. Indeed, bad names have significant effects on character and
lifestyle.
And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [bad and offensive]
nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after faith. And whoever does notrepentthen it is those who are the wrongdoers.
41
2. The ease of I slam in the nature of Prophet Muhammad: Allah
describes him in the Quran:
Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered prophet, whom they find written
[i.e., mentioned] in what they have of the Torah and the Gospel, who enjoin
upon them what is right and forbids them what is wrong and makes lawful for
them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their
burden and the shackles which were upon them. So they who have believed inhim, honored him, supported him and followed the light which was sent down
with himit is those who will be the successful.42
3. The ease of I slam in its core message (i.e. Quran):The Quran
has been made easy to recite, easy to memorize and easy to
teach and explain. Allah said:
40Reported by Imam Muslim41Surat-ul-Hujurat (Q49:11)42Surat-ul-Aaraf (Q7:157)
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And we have indeed made the Qur'an easy to understand and remember,
Then is there anyone who will remember (or receive admonition)?43
4. The ease of I slam in i ts mode of worship: The traveler can
shorten his four-unit prayers to two and he can combine solat
zuhr and Asr, magrib and Ishai. Tayammum can be performed as
alternative to water ablution if water is scarce or insufficient or
we fear it will increase our illness or when the weather is
extremely cold. The solat can be performed at any clean place
we are when the time reached. Hajj is obligatory only on those
who are capable once in lifetime. The sick, the traveler, the
nursing-mother, the pregnant and the old can postpone their
fasting until their condition is easy; the menstruating woman and
the mother with post-birth bleeding must also leave the fast until
their condition is over.
The prohibition of extremism
Islam warns against unnecessary harshness and extremism in the
religion. Ibn Mashood narrated the prophet said: May the extremists
perishhe repeated it three times. The extremists are those who handle
things with harshness in a situation that it is not necessary. Muslims are
justly-balanced nation as described in the Quran 44 ; sometimes,harshness may be required to ensure justice, in those situations it will be
considered as justice and not extremism.
The moderation of Islam extends to the way a Muslim should relate
with the one who commits major sin. There was a man in the time of
the prophet, he used to make the prophet laugh a lot with his jokes,
however, he was addicted to alcohol, many times they will bring him to
43Surat-ul-Qamar (Q54:22)44see Surat-ul-Baqarah (Q2:143)
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the prophet and the prophet will instruct that he should be flogged
eighty lashes according to the fixed punishment of Allah, one day he
was brought for the same crime and the prophet instructed that he
should be flogged again, one sahabah stood up and said: may the curse
of Allah be on you, you have been brought too many times for this same
crime, are you not ashamed of yourself, the prophet interrupted the
sahabah and said: dont curse him, verily he is beloved to Allah and His
messenger.
Lessons: (1) Be gentle with people and be considerate with their
conditions. The man had been addicted to alcohol in the days of pre-
Islamic ignorance, it was very hard for him to quit suddenly, he needed
some time to adjust himself to his new religion. (2) We cannot be
lenient with the fixed instructions of Allah. (3) We are living in a
society today where open immoralities and crimes are proudly
sponsored and attractive, we must commend the courage of those who
choose guidance over misguidance and help fellow Muslims to improvein their religion as gradual and considerable as possible.
Piety is in the practice of authentic sunnah according to how it has been
described to the best of our ability and not to overburden ourselves
beyond our capacity. A good lesson of success from the seerah of the
prophet is to start from the easiest. Many Muslims today have neglected
many recommended acts of worship because they want to start from theideal which they are not capable of doing. For example, if you have
never observed tahajjud or solat duha before or you have a long time
ago, start today even with only two rakats then you will progressively
increase.
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Moderation in worship
1. Moderation in reading: The Quran is the best Book to read and
its recitation is an act of worship unlike any other book, themeaning of Quran is what is read often. However, a Muslim
should not be too occupied with its reading until he cannot have
time for other mundane activities in his life. Abdullah ibn Amr
ibn Al-Aas said: I used to fast for a whole year and finish
reading the Quran every night; the messenger of Allah called
me and said: they have informed me that you fast the whole year
and you finish the Quran every night, I replied yes oh prophet
of Allah, I did not intend anything with it except good (i.e. I
want to attain righteousness by doing so), then the prophet said
(correcting the extreme): Fast the fast of prophet Dawud because
he worshipped Allah the most, I said, oh prophet of Allah and
what how is the fast of prophet Dawud, he said: he will fast a
day and break the next day (i.e. he alternates the days withfasting and eating) and the said finish the Quran once every
month, I said, Oh prophet of Allah, but I can read better than
that, he said then finish it every week and dont do more than
that. Abdullah added: but I did more than that (contrary to the
advice of the prophet) and I was overcome (i.e. I could no
longer continue like that after some time), I regretted I had
ignored the moderation of the prophet.
2. Moderation in learning and preaching: Ibn Masud narrated
that he prophet will not give lectures to us on the day we did not
like (i.e. the days we are busy with our business and other
mundane things). A Muslim scholar and preacher should lecture
the people at times most suitable for them when they will listen
and be attentive. The speech or lecturing should not also be toolong until it becomes uninteresting and the people become
bored.
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3. Moderation in spending: The rich and the poor should spend
according to their wealth; they cannot be equal in spending. For
example, when a millionaire donates five hundred thousand
naira, the poor should not sell all his properties because he
wants to donate same. Each person should donate according to
his capacity. Allah said:
Let the rich man spend according to his means, and the man whose resourcesare restricted, let him spend according to what Allah has given him. Allah
does not put burden on any person beyond what He has given him. Allah will
grant ease after hardship.45
4. Moderation in food, drink and clothing: Allah said:
O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing] at every
mosque, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those
who commit excess.46
Amr ibn Shuhaib narrated from his father and from his
grandfather that the messenger of Allah said: eat and drink and
spend and cloth without pride and extravagance, verily Allah
loves to see His blessings on His slaves.
Lessons from the hadith
1. Ease in Islam is comprehensive across all aspects of life.
2. Moderation and justice in all things.
3. Condemnation of extremism individually and collectively.
45Surat-ul-Talaq (Q65:7)46Surat-ul-Aaraf (Q7:31)
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NOTES
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