Taghyeer (change) by Mahmoud Abdul-Kareem Hasan

When Islaam explained that its message is a message for the whole of mankind and forbade going to judgement and rulings to other than the Sharee’ah, it did not leave the matter and explanation to the discretion of the one who wanted to obey. Similarly, it did not make it an excuse or permission for the one who wished to accomplish this purpose to go about it choosing whatever style that he wished relying on his own discretion. Rather it made the path and methodology that the Nabi (saw) proceeded along as the obligatory explanation that must be followed in order to place this thought in its correct place of application and we have been commanded to follow it.

Allah (swt) said:

The Ahkaam of Islaam are not limited to explaining the treatments (solutions) for the human’s reality, his relationships (with others) and his problems. It also includes the Ahkaam (rulings) related to the practical implementation of these rulings. So for example Islaam has forbidden theft, murder and Zinaa whilst it has commanded Imaan, ‘Ibaadah and other matters. It did not suffice itself to the commands and prohibitions alone, where the one who wishes to abide by them can do so whilst the one who wishes to go against them can do so if he so wished. Rather Islaam includes the Ahkaam that make the people submit to these rulings. So it commanded the cutting of the hand in respect to the thief, lashing or stoning for the fornicator and adulterer, the killing of the murderer and apostate...

Allah (swt) said:

And He (swt) said:

And the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

And the purpose of these Ahkaam is to make the Islaamic treatments and solutions implemented and applied within the society. So the one whose Imaan is weakened so that it does not constrain him is then prevented, deterred or compelled by the Sultaan (the authority).

These represent the Ahkaam (rulings) that make the people submit to the sovereignty of the Shar’a and the Haakimiyyah of Allah (swt).

And these are the Ahkaam that make Islaam implemented so that they are not only commands and prohibitions which the person abides by or does not abide by in accordance to his motivations and inclinations. This is what is called the Tareeqah i.e. the Shar’iah method or manner that must be abided by which is not allowed to be diverted from to something else in order to fulfil the command. So for example, to prevent thievery it is not permitted to exchange the punishment of cutting the hand with the punishment of imprisonment or death just as it is not permitted to abandon the punishment for the apostate or the fornicator or exchange these punishments for others and so on.

Islaam has made the Hukm (rule) or the Dawlah (State) the Tareeqah (method) for the realisation of the Islamic thought. The society will still have within it those who will apostatize from Islaam, contravene and go against its Ahkaam, strive to destroy or undermine it whilst dangers will remain surrounding it. It would then be necessary for the people to have a Nizhaam (system) that takes guardianship of its affairs and governs them. It will be necessary for there to be a Rule and System of Ruling which necessitates the existence of an authority or power to support that System to undertake the application of Islaam, take care of the subjects and their politics in accordance to the Shar’iyah. For this reason the Islamic State, the Khilafah State is the Tareeqah for the Islamic life.

And for the purpose of carrying the Islamic Da’wah to other groups and societies and making them submit to the authority of Islaam this matter must have a policy (politics), organisation and Al-Jihaad. As such it is essential for there to exist a State and all of this was made clear by the actions of the Nabi (saw) when he was inviting to Islaam in Makkah and working to increase the number of Muslims and when he was working to make the Haakimiyyah to Allah alone within the society.

Then when the society became cold to the Da’wah and rejected it the Nabi (saw) turned towards inviting other tribes and societies. He (saw) presented the Islamic Da’wah to them and the issue of its implementation and continued upon this until the goal was realised in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah and He established the Islamic State.

Then when he consolidated a State with preventative force he began Al-Jihaad to remove the material obstacles that stand in the way of the Da’wah, the extension of the authority (Sultaan) of Islaam and the sovereignty to its Shar’a. He then began to send messengers and letters to the Caesars and Kings inviting them to Islaam.

As such the Tareeqah (method) to realise the thought or the Islamic objective is the Dawlah Islaamiyyah (The Islamic State), the Khilafah State. The Khilafah is therefore the Fard that establishes the other Furood (obligations). The Ummah applies Islaam via it, raises the word of Allah the Highest, carries the Da’wah to the world, becomes witnesses over mankind and brings the Fareedah of Al-Jihaad back to life, the highest peak of Islaam. The Khilafah is the Taaj ul-Furood (the crown of obligations) and it is the Waajib by which all of these other Waajibaat will not be fulfilled and completed unless it is present and in existence. The Noble Prophetic Ahaadeeth have expressed the importance of the existence of the Khilafah and giving the Bai’ah to a Khalifah to rule by the Kitaab of Allah Ta’Aalaa and the Sunnah of His Messenger (saw).

The Nabi (saw) said:

And he (saw) said:

It is obligatory for the Islamic State to be one single State and the Islamic Ummah one single Ummah.

He (saw) said:

And he (saw) said:

And:

In the case where the method (Tareeqah) for the realisation of the Islamic thought or arriving at its objective, which is implementing Islaam and carrying its Da’wah to the world, is the Khilafah State, is an absent and unfulfilled obligation. In this case this Tareeqah becomes the objective of the Islamic Ummah and it is obligatory to place it within the context of application and it is obligatory to follow the Shar’iyah Tareeqah (methodology) for making this objective a realised and accomplished reality. It is the same Tareeqah that the Nabi (saw) proceeded along when he called the people to Imaan and submission to the Deen of Allah whilst the people did not respond positively to him and the authorities and dominant forces fought him. So what did the Nabi (saw) do in order to arrive at and reach his objective, establish the Islamic State and bring power and honour to the Deen of Allah Ta’Aalaa?

The actions of the Nabi (saw) to establish the Islamic State were not actions which were completely free from Shar’iyah indications as some of the ‘Ulamaa who are close to authorities have insisted upon.

It represents a Manhaj (methodology) guided to by the texts of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem and the stances of the Nabi (saw) in respect to his statements and actions as he made clear the Shar’iy manner of working to reach this objective.

In brief this was as follows:

1) He would join and include those who believed in him in secret Halaqaat (circles) and teach them the new Deen. He would nurture them with a new nurturing until they became Islamic personalities in their ‘Aqliyyaat and Nafsiyyaat (mentalities and dispositions) and their concepts became Islamic so that they believed in the purpose that they had been created for. They represented a new Kutlah (block/grouping) within the society. They were distinguished by their Aqeedah, thoughts, sentiments, conduct, purpose and objective.

2) The Messenger (saw) along with his Kutlah (block) entered into a belief based and intellectual struggle with the society and a political struggle with its rulers and chiefs in which they endured the most severe of hardships. They explained the Haqq (truth) and called to it and they explained the contradiction of the people’s beliefs and thoughts with the truth and reality. They corrected the concepts about things and about life and they lamented the crippling of the minds and intellects and the people’s sticking to falsehood. Here are some examples showing the nature of the address of the Qur’aan Al-Kareem which represented the methodology of the Messenger (saw):

This is in addition to many other texts which are representative of a firm methodology and Tareeqah in respect to the nature of the relationship between the Haqq and its Da’wah and between the Baatil and its State (regime).

3) The most severe forms of torture, fabrication, distortion and misrepresentation were practised upon the Messenger of Allah (saw)

and his Sahaabah (rah). This did not divert or discourage them from Islaam and they endured, persevered and continued whilst not compromising or stepping down from anything from Islaam. They rejected to bargain and compromise in an absolute manner, they rejected all enticements and inducements or to take a part of the authority and accept a partial solution. They refused to take money that would make them the richest of the people and they did not accept to worship the people’s God for a year and then worship theirs for a year.

Allah (swt) said:

And the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

He (saw) continued to explain and make evident his Da’wah, discredited Kufr and its thoughts, warned the disbelievers of Allah’s punishment and lamented and rebuked their beliefs.

4) When the malicious attacks of Kufr and its leaders increased and they saw that Muhammad (saw) did not despair, compromise or bargain, each of the tribes who had Muslims within them eagerly went ahead in a campaign of torture and murder against them. The stance and position taken was resolute relying upon a firm pillar of Imaan, holding firmly upon the strong and solid rope of Allah (swt).

He (saw) continued in his Da’wah with the intellectual clash and political struggle. He recommended for some of his Sahaabah (rah) to make Hijrah to preserve their Deen whilst some of them were hidden within Makkah. Despite this situation he (saw) never made concessions, compromised or halted his Da’wah. Then when the society became cold and unresponsive to the Da’wah, under an oppressive force, the Nabi (saw) turned towards other tribes inviting them to Islaam and seeking support from them so that he could convey his message and so that they could provide the Nusrah for the application of Islaam.

5) The Nabi (saw) repeatedly continued in his actions of seeking the Nusrah and he did not refrain from this in spite of the harsh and bad responses that he received, as many of the tribe chiefs rejected his invitation and proposal. However Allah (swt) had destined for him the society of Al-Madinah where many embraced Islaam and where the society did not wage a battle against the Da’wah like what happened in Makkah. Amongst those who embraced Islaam were leaders and chiefs from amongst the tribes and clans and so the Nabi (saw) sought the Nusrah (material support) from them in order to establish the Islamic State in Al-Madinah. Then when they agreed to that he (saw) contracted with them the second pledge of Al-‘Aqabah known as the Bai’at ul-Harb (Pledge of war) and it was the Bai’ah for the establishment of the Islamic State. He then made Hijrah (emigration) to Al-Madinah and upon his arrival the Islamic State was established.

He (saw) then embarked upon and initiated the application of Islaam, consolidated the foundations of the State and began to undertake the acts of Al-Jihaad to raise Allah’s word the highest and carry the Da’wah to mankind.

In the following discussions we shall present the nature of the struggle and clash between the Haqq and the Baatil (truth and falsehood) and some of the stages of the Shar’iyah methodology for the establishment of the Islamic State, the Khilafah State. Our aim in doing so is to make abundantly clear some truths (Haqaa’iq), to focus some concepts and expose some misleading and deceptive concepts which by their nature bring despair to the Ummah and lead to the wasting of her efforts. And Allah is the provider of At-Tawfeeq.