Part No : 1, Page No: 243) Factors Of social reform Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and the best result is for the righteous. Perfect and complete peace and blessings be upon Allahs Servant and Messenger, our Prophet Muhammad ibn `Abdullah, his family, Companions and those who followed his path and guidance until the Day of Judgment. To proceed: Indeed, I thank Allah (may he be Glorified and Exalted) for what He has bestowed upon us of having this meeting with my brothers and my children in this university. I ask Him (may he be Glorified and Exalted) to make it a blessed meeting, reform all our hearts and actions, make us guiding and guided, good and leading to goodness, and protect all of us from the evils within ourselves and from our sinful acts. Then I thank those who are in charge of this university for inviting me to this meeting, and I ask Allah to guide all of them to that in which there is His pleasure, to that in which there is goodness for the students of this university, its employees and those in charge of it and to that in which there is goodness for all Muslims and to increase them in guidance and success. I also ask Him to protect all of us and all Muslims from all that which causes His angers and contradicts His Shari`ah (Islamic law), indeed, He is the Most Bounteous and the Most Generous. Dear brothers and honored children, I hope that my speech will be brief and to the point and then I will answer the questions of my children according to my capacity. The title of the speech The Factors Of Social Reform. The society is in an urgent need for reform, the Muslim society and the NonMuslim society. It is noted that the Muslim society, in particular, is in crying need to be on the straight path, to adopt the factors, the causes and the means through which its reform is achieved and to follow the same track which the best of this Ummah (nation based on creed), the beloved and close elect to the Most Merciful and His chosen one from His slaves, our master Muhammad ibn `Abdullah (peace be upon him). ( Part No : 1, Page No: 244) It is a wellknown fact that the factors through which the Muslim community and the NonMuslim community achieve reform are the factors established by the leader of the messengers and the last of the prophets upon whom are the best prayers and peace from his Lord, and were implemented by his noble Companions led by the rightlyguided Caliphs: Abu Bakr AsSiddiq, Umar AlFaruq, Uthman, the possessor of two illuminations (i.e. he married the Prophets two daughters; Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum) and Aly, the one whom Allah is pleased with and the father of AlHasan and the other Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them). May Allah make us from their followers in piety and righteousness! It is also a wellknown fact that these factors had been established by our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Makkah first, then in Madinah. It is to be borne in mind that the affairs of the last of this Ummah will not be reformed except by that with which the affairs of the first have been corrected, as stated by the people of knowledge such as the famous Imam Malik ibn Anas, the Imam of the abode of migration during his time, the wellknown jurist and one of the four Imams. He said the following statement which was received by the people of knowledge during his age and agreed upon by all of them: The affairs of the last of this Ummah will not be reformed except by that with which the affairs of the first have been corrected. It means that what had corrected the affairs of the first people of this Ummah, which is following the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His noble Messenger (peace be upon him), is that with which the affairs of the last people of this Ummah will be corrected until the Day of Resurrection. Whoever seeks the reform of the Muslim community or the reform of other communities in this life through means, causes and factors different from those by which the first of this Ummah has been corrected commits a mistake and says other than the truth. Thus, there is no other way of reform, but the only way to reform people and to keep them on the right path is that path which our Prophet (peace be upon him) followed and adopted by his noble Companions and their followers in piety and righteousness until now. It is the path of being interested in the Glorious Quran and the carefulness about the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and inviting people to them, having sound understanding of them, spreading them both among people with knowledge and insight and explaining what these two main sources include of rulings related to the basic and authentic `Aqidah (creed). This includes also the opinions which the Muslim community is obligated to follow and adopt and the prohibitions which the Muslim community should be cautious of. Moreover, they should explain the limits set by Allah ( Part No : 1, Page No: 245) and His Messenger so that one will abide by them as Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: These are the limits (set) by Allâh, so approach them not. Such are the prohibitions prohibited to be approached through committing sins and it is also prohibited to transgress these limits which He set for His slaves and they are represented in what Allah has ordained upon them and obligated them to perform of acts of worship and rulingsan The first thing the Messenger (peace be upon him) did and the first basis he laid down was calling people to Tawhid (belief in the Oneness of Allah/ monotheism) and dedicating worship to Allah alone. That was the first act and the first foundation he explained, invited people to and followed; it was calling people to Tawhid and guiding to the details of this belief. The statement implying this meaning is saying: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. This is the strong foundation and along with it is bearing witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. These two main principles and two important foundations are the basis of Islam, and they are the main factors of the reform of this Ummah. Whoever adopts them and becomes steadfast on them in action, knowledge, calling others to them while having patience in implementing them, then his affairs will be upright and Allah will reform the Ummah at his hand in accordance with his striving, his ability and means, and whoever neglects both of them or either of them, then he will be lost and destroyed. It is noted that when Allah sent His Prophet (peace be upon him), He sent down the Quran, the first revelation of which was: Surah Iqra, then Surah AlMuddaththir. Then He (peace be upon him) started warning people and inviting them to Tawhid and warning them against the wrath of Allah (may he be Glorified and Exalted). He (peace be upon him) said: O people, say that there is no deity but Allah to succeed. However, the polytheists became arrogant and denied that call, because they did not get used to such a thing, and it was not such an act that they found their predecessors following, and therefore, they denied it and said as stated by the Quran: Has he made the âlihah (gods) (all) into One Ilâh (God Allâh). Verily, this is a curious thing! They also said: Are we going to abandon our âlihah (gods) for the sake of a mad poet? Their denial is also mentioned previously in Allahs saying: Truly, when it was said to them: Lâ ilâha illallâh (none has the right to be worshipped but Allâh), they puffed themselves up with pride (i.e. denied it). And (they) said: Are we going to abandon our âlihah (gods) for the sake of a mad poet? Allah answered them by His saying: Nay! he (Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ) has come with the truth (i.e. Allâh’s religion Islâmic Monotheism and this Qur’ân) and he confirms the Messengers (before him who brought Allâh’s religion Islâmic Monotheism). ( Part No : 1, Page No: 246) Due to the negligence of many scholars, students and notable Muslims who understood the concept of Tawhid and because of the negligence in this basic foundation, polytheism has spread in many countries and graves and their dwellers have been worshipped besides Allah and a big portion of the worship of Allah has been dedicated them. Thus, one finds a person calling upon the dweller of the grave, another making vow for him, a third person asking him for support as done by Quraysh and others during the preIslamic period with AlUzza idol, and as done by others with AlLat and Manat idols and other idols and as practiced by the polytheists at all times with their idols and pagans of glorification, calling upon them, seeking help from them, seeking blessings from them and asking them for support. All such acts are from the evil suggestions of Satan and from his evil plots, because he is very interested in keeping people away from their belief and religion and taking them far away from them by any possible means. Therefore, it is an obligation upon the seekers of knowledge who are the hope for this Ummah, after Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), to lead people in the future and they are the future generation for any university they graduated from to lead the ship with wisdom sincerity and truthfulness, to pay more attention to the foundation and to know the main pivot upon which the entire religion is established, and which everything else follows. It is to pay attention Tawhid, to have sincerity to Him and to take care of the belief in Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he is the true Messenger of Allah and that it is an obligation to follow him and to track his path. Moreover, it is incumbent to believe that his Companions are the best of the Ummah and the best amongst them, and therefore, it is incumbent upon one to have good thoughts about them and to believe in their justice and that they are the best of the Ummah after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and that they were the ones who memorized the Sunnah and the Quran, and thus, it is an obligation to follow their way of life and to be pleased with all of them and to believe that they are the best of people. The Companions are the best people after the prophets (peace be upon all of them) asit is authentically reported in the two Sahihsfrom Ibn Mas`ud (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said: The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter. Besides, there are other Hadiths proving that. Thus, the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) are the best people after the Prophets and they are the best of all people. However, they are levels in their virtues: the RightlyGuided Caliphs are the best of them, followed by the rest of the ten who were given the glad tidings of getting into Paradise, then the rest of them according to their ranks, actions and virtues. ( Part No : 1, Page No: 247) Therefore, it is our duty to pay more attention to this foundation, invite people to Tawhid and sincerity in worship, and not to exaggerate in our relationship with the dwellers of the graves, with the prophets and with the saints to the extent of worshipping them besides Allah and dedicating all types of worship including supplication, fear or hope or any other kind of worship to them. Moreover, it is incumbent upon the seeker of knowledge and upon the leader to magnify the command of Allah and His prohibition, to affirm the fear of Allah in his heart and not to fear anything else.benefiting obligation upon such a person to exalt Allahs command and His prohibition and not to pay attention to what those who spread rumors claim against truth and its adherents, out of their trust in Allah and their belief in what His Messenger Muhammad and all other messengers (peace be upon all of them) promised as stated in what Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: And those who disbelieved, said to their Messengers: Surely, we shall drive you out of our land, or you shall return to our religion. So their Lord revealed to them: Truly, We shall destroy the Zâlimûn (polytheists, disbelievers and wrongdoers). And indeed, We shall make you dwell in the land after them. This is for him who fears standing before Me (on the Day of Resurrection or fears My punishment) and also fears My threat. Thus, the seeker of knowledge, the scholar, the religious guide and the insightful leader do not pay attention to the rumors of the grave worshippers, the rumors of the superstitious ones nor to the rumors of the enemies of those who antagonize Islam from any kind, but will be strong in the battlefield, be patient, connect his heart with Allah, fear Him (Glorified and Exalted be He) and seeks victory from Him (Glorified and Exalted be He), since He is the Provider of victory and He (Glorified and Exalted be He) is the Protector. Moreover, He promised to give victory to the one who supports His way and religion, and thus, He says: O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allâh, He will help you, and make your foothold firm. He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says: and (as for) the believers, it was incumbent upon Us to help (them). However, this victory is conditioned by abiding by Allahs religion, belief in Him, belief in His Messenger (peace be upon him) and remaining straight on the religion of Allah. This is the cause and the condition of obtaining Allahs victory, as Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Verily, Allâh will help those who help His (Cause). Truly, Allâh is AllStrong, AllMighty. Those (Muslim rulers) who, if We give them power in the land, (they) enjoin IqamatasSalât [i.e. to perform the five compulsory congregational Salât (prayers) (the males in mosques)], to pay the Zakât and they enjoin AlMa‘rûf (i.e. Islâmic Monotheism and all that Islâm orders one to do), and forbid Al Munkar (i.e. disbelief, polytheism and all that Islâm has forbidden) [i.e. they make the Qur’ân as the law of their country in all the spheres of life]. ( Part No : 1, Page No: 248) In another verse He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Allâh has promised those among you who believe and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the land, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islâm). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. This is His (Glorified and Exalted be He) promise for those who remain straight on faith, guidance and righteous acts that He will grant them succession to the present rulers in the land, will grant them the authority to practice their religion, will give them safe security and will protect them from the evil of the enemies and from their plots and will support them against those enemies. Implementation of the testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah requires magnifying his Sunnah, inviting people to it, achieving its purposes, warning against what opposes it and explaining what might be ambiguous of the Quranic verses through it, since the Quran is interpreted and explained by the Sunnah. The Sunnah explains the Quran, manifests it, refers people to it and expresses it as He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: And We have also sent down unto you (O Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳ ﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ) the Dhikr [reminder and the advice (i.e. the Qur’ân)], that you may explain clearly to men what is sent down to them, and that they may give thought. This great foundation should be the starting point for the sincere callers to Islam and the reformers on earth who want to reform the society and lead it to the shore of safety and to the ship of salvation, so that this reform will be founded on the greatest factor; namely, sincerity to Allah in worship and belief in His Messenger (peace be upon him) and the magnification of His command and prohibition by following His legislation and being cautious of what opposes them. Thereafter, other factors following this foundation should be considered, and thus, one should invite to the performance of Allahs obligations such as Salah (Prayer), Zakah (obligatory charity), Sawm (Fast), Hajj, and other obligations, and prohibit people from violating the prohibitions ordained by Allah such as Shirk (associating others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) and other sins and evils. Moreover, one should endeavor to bring reconciliation among people by the propagation of virtue and prevention of vice, inviting people to Allah, reconciling any two fighting parties in addition to other good acts. ( Part No : 1, Page No: 249) Therefore, one exerts every possible effort to establish the religion of Allah on His land, to set aside Allahs prohibitions, to stop at the limits set by Allah and to be cautious of committing Bid`ah (innovation in religion). This should be the way of the reformer that he should consider the factors, one by one, along with paying attention to the strong foundation; namely, the implementation of bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah with knowledge and action, and therefore, he teaches it to people and acts according to it himself. Accordingly, one should stick clearly to Tawhid, directs his worship to Him and follows His legislation as practiced by the Messenger of Allah Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thus, one receives the Sunnah and magnifies it as it was magnified by the Companions and follows its way and acts according to it along with the Book of Allah as the Companions did, because the knowledge of the Companions had been taken from the Book of Allah and from the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him). They did not have other books, because such books were compiled after them. As for the Companions and their followers, their biography and actions relied on the Great Book of Allah. They used to reflect on it and read it with good intentions, the intention of gaining knowledge, benefiting from it and acting according to it teachings. They also used to learn from the Sunnah, study and memorize it and take knowledge and actions from it. That was the way of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and that was the way of those who have followed them in piety and righteousness before the existence of the books of Hadith and other books. Therefore, follow the same track of those people and deduce from the Book of your Lord and from the Sunnah of His messenger (peace be upon him) and from the opinions of the people of knowledge what will help you understand the Book of Allah and the sound understanding of the Sunnah. Be careful to gain knowledge and understanding of the religion in order to be able to guide the community to the straight path, to take it to the shore of safety and to learn how to act. Thus, you will start by yourself and you will do your best to correct your way of life and your hastening to goodness. In order to achieve this, you should be with the first people in performing Salah, with the first to do good deeds and to be the farthest one from every kind of evil. You should apply the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace be upon him) in your actions and your sayings along with your colleagues, your brothers and your supporters. This should be the way of the believer as it was the way of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them), the way of their followers and those who had followed them from among the reformers and the Imams of guidance. They used to study ( Part No : 1, Page No: 250) the Book of Allah, act according to it, read it to them, teach it to them and guide them to its meanings. They also used to teach them the Sunnah, urge them to abide by it and understand it, commend them to magnify the commands of Allah and His prohibitions and to stop at the limits set by Allah and His Messenger their entire life in this immediate (worldly life). Thus, every factor of reform requires sincerity and truthfulness. Calling people to Tawhid requires sincerity, truthfulness and explaining the meaning of: La ilaha illa Allah (there is no deity but Allah) and that it means: None truly deserves worship but Allah and that it is an obligation to be cautious of Shirk, the minor of it and the major of it and to warn people against it as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the Companions (may Allah be pleased with all of them and they may be pleased with Him) did. By reflecting on the Magnificent Quran, this concept will be more clear. By the same token, glorifying the Sunnah and calling people to it in addition to the belief that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, that it is an obligation to follow him and that Allah sent him to all people, Arabs and nonArabs, Jinn and Mankind, male and female, and therefore, it is incumbent upon all people on earth to follow him (peace be upon him) as Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: Say (O Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ): O mankind! Verily, I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allâh to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. Lâ ilâha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He). It is He Who gives life and causes death. So believe in Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ ﻢﻠﺳﻭ), the Prophet who can neither read nor write (i.e. Muhammad ﻢﻠـﺳﻭ ﻪـﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠـﺻ), who believes in Allâh and His Words [(this Qur’ân), the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel) and also Allâh’s Word: Be! and he was, i.e. ‘Isâ (Jesus) son of Maryam (Mary), ﻡﻼﺴﻟﺍ ﺎﻤﻬﻴﻠﻋ], and follow him so that you may be guided. Before this verse, He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: So those who believe in him (Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ), honour him, help him, and follow the light (the Qur’ân) which has been sent down with him, it is they who will be successful. Thus, whoever follows the Prophet (peace be upon him), magnifies his command, and avoids what he prohibits, is the successful person, and whoever turns away from that and follows his desires and Satan, then he is the loser and the destroyed. There is neither might nor power except with Allah! It is to be noted that factors vary in accordance with what you call to and prohibit from, and therefore, you should exert your efforts in choosing the factor which befits your action. You should choose the legal factor, the origin of which is known to you and that whose source in the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Allahs Messenger (peace be upon him) is known to you. Keep in mind that you invite people to the religion of ( Part No : 1, Page No: 251) Allah, to the performance of His obligations, and to stay away from the prohibitions of Allah in accordance with the way followed by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It is to be borne in mind that factors and societies are different from each other. Thus, the society which fights against the religion and that in which there is no leader to help you in reform and guidance, you should act in it as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) acted in Makkah. Invite people to Allah with good admonition, in a good way and with good words so that what you invite people to will penetrate the hearts and will affect them, and thus, hearts will be attracted to obeying Allah and His Tawhid. Cooperate with your brothers and with those who follow in your tracks in inviting people and guiding them with the easy ways in the societies which might accept your invitation so that faith will be strengthened in the hearts and will spread among people with its clear evidence. On the other hand, in the Islamic society and with the existence of the Muslim leader who helps you, you should be more active in enjoining what is right, forbidding what is wrong and contacting the officials whenever there are stubborn people whose stubbornness might affect the society. In addition to that, you should be following the straight path with kindness, wisdom and patience as He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: By Al‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (AlMa‘ruf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (AlMunkar which Allâh has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allâh’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islâmic Monotheism or Jihâd). Therefore, there has to be patience, advising each other with truth and inviting people to the religion of Islam in order to succeed in your task. By the same token, the officials and those of high positions whose evil might affect inviting people to the religion of Allah, should be advised in a good way and should be guided. They should be invited in writing and verbally from the nobles of the Ummah (nation based on creed), its rulers, leaders and Emirs, as He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says: And by the Mercy of Allâh, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harshhearted, they would have broken away from about you He (Glorified and Exalted be He) said to His prophets Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron) (peace be upon them) when He sent them to Pharaoh: And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allâh). ( Part No : 1, Page No: 252) Therefore, it is the obligation of reformers and those inviting to the religion of Allah to follow this path, tackle societys problems with wisdom and good admonition, and address everyone in the way suitable for him in order to succeed in their missions and achieve their purpose. Moreover, the one inviting others to the religion of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) who want to achieve reform to consider two other factors in addition to the two factors previously mentioned. These two factors are the factor of mutual advice between one and his brothers, his colleagues, the nobles of his society and its leaders, and the factor of patience for what might happen to him of harm from the nobles and others, following the meaning of the abovementioned Surah; namely, His (Glorified and Exalted be He) saying: By Al‘Asr (the time). Verily, man is in loss, Except those who believe (in Islâmic Monotheism) and do righteous good deeds, and recommend one another to the truth [i.e. order one another to perform all kinds of good deeds (AlMa‘ruf) which Allâh has ordained, and abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds (AlMunkar which Allâh has forbidden], and recommend one another to patience (for the sufferings, harms, and injuries which one may encounter in Allâh’s Cause during preaching His religion of Islâmic Monotheism or Jihâd). This is also in order to follow the example of the honored messengers (peace be upon all of them) as Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says to His Prophet (peace be upon him) atthe end of Surah Al Ahqaf,which was revealed in Makkah: Therefore be patient (O Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ) as did the Messengers of strong will and be in no haste about them (disbelievers). He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says inSurah Al`Imran,which was revealed in AlMadinah: You shall certainly be tried and tested in your wealth and properties and in your personal selves, and you shall certainly hear much that will grieve you from those who received the Scripture before you (Jews and Christians) and from those who ascribe partners to Allâh; but if you persevere patiently, and become AlMuttaqûn (the pious See V.2:2) then verily, that will be a determining factor in all affairs (and that is from the great matters which you must hold on with all your efforts). In this Surah, He (Glorified and Exalted be He) says after He prohibited taking the Mushriks (those who associate others with Allah in His Divinity or worship) as mates: But if you remain patient and become AlMuttaqûn [the pious See V.2:2], not the least harm will their cunning do to you. Surely, Allâh surrounds all that they do. He (Glorified and Exalted be He) also says at the endof Surah AnNahl,which was revealed in Makkah too: And endure you patiently (O Muhammad ﻢﻠﺳ ﻭ ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﷲﺍ ﻰﻠﺻ), your patience is not but from Allâh. And grieve not over them (polytheists and pagans), and be not distressed because of what they plot. Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him), and those who are Muhsinûn (gooddoers. See the footenote of V.9:120). ( Part No : 1, Page No: 253) There are many Ayahs (Quranic verses) supporting this meaning. Every one of the Du`ah (callers to Islam) and the reformers, who follow the way of the messengers, succeed in their invitations and won the good result and victory against their enemies. Whoever fathoms this way and studies the stories of the reformers and their biography, will know the reality of that. In conclusion, I ask Allah with His Best Names and His High Attributes to reform the affairs of Muslims, grant them a sound understanding of the religion, guide their leaders to every kind of goodness, straighten their retinues, and protect all Muslims everywhere from the misleading tribulations and from the obedience to Satan. Indeed, He is the Grantor of all this and the One Able to do it. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions!
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 07:26:33 +0000