An- Nahdah ( Revival) by Al-Ustaadh Haafizh Saalih (Fareed Muhammad Saalih Al-Ghaanim)

Indeed had the issue only remained with the damage and disruption caused to the fundamental elements of the components of the society it would have been serious enough. However the issue extended beyond this, to additional side diseases that were no less dangerous and serious compared to the fundamental diseases. This is because it is not possible to achieve the fundamental treatment unless these side diseases are removed first. This is because they represent a preventative barrier in the face of reaching the core and essence of the problem. Two factors have led to the accumulation of these diseases: The first relates to the leftover affects from the period in which the downfall of the Ummah took place and the second factor is the removal of the Islamic State, the control of the western states over our entire Islamic world and its direct or indirect ruling over us. These two factors did not stop and they were not restricted to one aspect of our lives but rather they had the greatest impact and indeed a complete affect upon the fundamental components of our society.

Due to these two main factors the Muslims were silent over the removal of their State, the tearing apart of their society and the end to their unity. And due to these two factors some corrupt thoughts entered into the society and some nationalistic, regional and patriotic sentiments manifested themselves within it. And due to these two factors the West was made the Ka’bah of the educated and the focus of their vision so that they became imprinted with its culture and adopted their belief or nearly adopted it due to our Lord’s mercy. In addition these two factors led to the Islamic world becoming subservient to the systems of Kufr (disbelief) and their agents who they established upon the necks of the people to continue to implement their commands, foster their interests and fulfil their objectives. For this reason it is necessary to fully encompass these side diseases, completely comprehend them and then work to remove them so that we are able to arrive at the core of the problem. This is done at the same time as efforts are expended to treat the main fundamental diseases.

The first factor: The leftovers from the time of downfall – The effect of the time of downfall upon the thoughts upon which the society is established.

The Islamic society fell to the lowest depths of decline when its sons began to help the disbelievers to remove their State and to tear apart their society in the First World War. And before this their decline had begun to take place quickly following the Mogul conquests. The numerous movements and many changes that happened to the society were not able to revive it or even halt its decline and this is because they did not comprehend the meaning of revival and did not understand the effect of the thoughts within the life of the people. Indeed they became even more stuck when they separated the power or potency of the Arabic language from the power of Islaam and they declared the closing of the doors of Ijtihaad. So the minds froze and thinking based upon a firm fixed principle was taken away and as a result the Ummah as a whole became dominated by a mentality of imitation and following.

The eyes of the people were dazzled by the industrial revolution that occurred in Europe whilst the State and its officials did not take care of the intellectual or cultural dimension within the life of the people. They believed that the strength of the military and its power represented revival and the key to advancement. So the State poured all of its attention into the military aspect and when the conquests halted in the midst of Europe the state found that it had become a target and prey that is hunted. This was because it did pay attention at the time of its military strength to the internal diseases that were destroying it from the inside. And the simplest of examples to illustrate the extent of the intellectual decline and the mentality of imitation is the example that we can take from the Khutabaa’ (Khateebs) of the Masaajid whilst considering them to be leaders of thought within the Ummah. In the Jumu’ah Khutbah which is considered to be the political director of public opinion, the Khutabaa’ would read Khutbahs from a book of Ibn Nabaatah in accordance to the number of weeks in the year and the occasions that occur in it. So they would address the occasion of the month of Ramadhaan, the merits of fasting, a Khutbah for the Jumu’ah of the orphan near the end of Ramadhaan, the Khutbah of Laylat ul Qadr, the months of Hajj and its merits, ‘Aashoraa’, Hijrah, the birth of the Nabi (saw) and the middle of Sha’baan and so forth continuing in this manner for the entirety of the year. So if this is the case in regards to the supposed thinkers in the Ummah and those who are responsible for directing the Ummah, then what will the case be in regards to the Ummah that is directed and led in this way? And if these Imaams were to be asked about a matter outside of these matters then they would only deflect it and divert from answering it.

As for the effect of the time of the Ummah’s downfall upon their feelings and sentiments, then due to the absence of the live thoughts addressing and treating their problems from the basis of their Aqeeda, the Ummah became dominated a lot of the time by a large number of feelings and sentiments that were contradictory and in opposition to their Aqeedah. This included matters like the sanctification of shrines and the burial sites of those considered to be from the righteous Awliyaa and A’immah (Great Imaams) in which they bestowed upon them attributes and descriptions that even exceeded those of the Anbiyaa and Mursaleen. Some would even say that the Nabi did not reach his high status due to his own efforts but was rather sent by Allah and that his merit was diminished as he was revealed to, whilst these others (Awliyaa) have reached their heights due to their own efforts and what they did in terms of acts. They made various statements which strongly encouraged the people to go to the shrines of these Imaams or Awliyaa or their students and their teachers. In addition they were affected by some Sufi feelings from the Hindu philosophy which called to detachment from the Dunyaa and the torturing of their bodies so that their souls could ascend to the heavens. In this era the group or category of Mashaayikh and Daraaweesh (Dervishes) appeared and it was said in regards to the person who did not have a Sheikh, that Shaytaan then was his Sheikh! There were many other feelings like this that led to the dulling (weakening) of the sensations of the people until they lost their sentiments related to the might and honour of Islaam and living by it, for its sake and for the sake of advancing it and the strength of its authority. Or in the very least they lost the sensation related to the obligation of making change whilst the feelings of the unseen Qadariyah (acceptance of fate) became terribly widespread and they would consider all that happened to them and what they suffered from as their Qadar (fate) and that they should be content with what Allah had decided for them. This was accompanied by the spread of the idea of waiting for Imaam Mahdi who had been entrusted and delegated to deal with matters of change. They said that it was necessary for the land to be filled with evil and oppression as this would speed up his appearance. In addition to all of this some patriotic, nationalistic, Madhabi and sectarian feelings also began to appear.

As for the effect of this period of the Ummah’s downfall upon the system and those who were in authority over it, then for many centuries there were no notable changes in the regime or system and even if it some of the fundamental principles began to change and some western concepts that had been taken from them began to be included. The reason for this was the severe weakness that had overtaken the minds of the Muslims in regards to understanding Islaam and the negligence in respect to the Arabic language, which is the language of Islaam and the language that Islaam cannot be understood except by it. In addition closing the door to the performance of Ijtihaad led to the rulings of the system being taken as rigid texts which fell short in respect to following up the problems of the time and in terms of the system being able to deal with them and treat them. This in turn made the people who were in authority and responsible for the system feel like they were in need of principles or laws to treat the problems of the time and deal with them. This feeling was encouraged and helped by the Fatwaa of the Sheikh of Islaam that stated: ‘That which does not oppose Islaam is from Islaam’, which led to the inclusion of a number of principles and legislations from Roman or French jurisprudence into the systems of the Muslims with the argument and under the pretext that it does not oppose Islaam and as such is from Islaam.

This was despite Islam being that which Muhammad (saw) came with as a revelation from Allah (swt). It either came in wording and meaning which is the Qur’aan or it came in a meaning that was expressed in the words, acts or silence of the Messenger (saw). What emanates from these texts (the Qur’aan and Ahaadeeth) in terms of systems and the rulings that are derived from them is Islaam whereas Islaam is not that which does not oppose or contradict Islaam. The deciding and only important factor therefore is the source of the matter and not its agreement or disagreement with it. So the permissibility of private ownership in the capitalist system does not mean that this is from Islaam because it does not oppose it. This is because freedom of ownership has made ownership permissible in the capitalist system which is a ruling of disbelief and product of the mind. However in Islaam the permissibility of ownership is a Hukm Shar’iy (Islamic legislative ruling) and the evidence for it is the text that the revelation has come with. Therefore the decisive factor is the source of the thing or matter and it does not lie in its expressed wording, indicated meaning, the result that it leads to or its agreement or disagreement to it.

The above relates to the effect upon the system and the following will deal with the effect upon those who were responsible for the regime and in the positions of authority and ruling. The effect upon them is clear from their behaviours and the implementation of the system. This is because they are from the same society and share what it contains of diseases and ailments. Therefore they were not better off than the masses in regards to their understanding, awareness and comprehension of the responsibility and this included even the believers and pious from amongst them. They directed their focus towards the military dimension and material power in the best of cases but they were ignorant of what must lie behind every military force in terms of the intellectual revival and awareness upon the reality so that the Ummah as a whole would be behind every military force. For this reason the State and System were isolated from the society and the system and those responsible for it and their agents became to represent one thing in the Ummah’s view whilst the Ummah represented another thing. This isolation increased until it transformed into mutual animosity and hatred, and each of them began to behave with the other based upon this view. So the rulers and their agents wanted to enforce their respect, appreciation and the implementation of their orders by the force of steel using every means of pressure and terrorising. As such they misapplied the generalities of the system and its partialities and they over burdened the Ummah with whatever they wished in terms of taxation. The Ummah therefore lived in terror of their rulers to the point where a person would say to his companion: ‘Save Sa’d because Sa’eed had perished’.

This reality that came to apply upon those responsible over the system made it easier for those who wanted to bring down this entity to do so. It also led the Ummah to search for those whom they can gather around to bring down the entity considering this to be the way of being saved and the path towards salvation. For this reason and with the help of that group who had received their education in London and Paris in addition to those who had sold themselves to Shaytaan due to their desire to attain the rule, gain a position or secure an interest, the West was able to move the Ummah by them, destroy the Khilafah, tear up and divide the Ummah and occupy the Muslim lands whilst portraying themselves as the saviours to the people. They were saving them from the oppression of the Turks and their despotism whilst carving the limbs of the lands to establish in their place pitiful states in which the West’s agents and manufactured productions would be appointed as the rulers who would implement for them all that they wanted and fulfil for them all that they desired.