The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

Before we deal with this subject in a detailed manner, we must know who has been entrusted with the implementation of the Shar’ee rules.

This is because within the Ummah there are individuals, rulers and groups. Each of these categories has been entrusted by the Shar’a with a set of rules that they must adhere to. Thereafter, they are advised, accounted and rectified according to the failure in carrying out what they were entrusted with. If the reality of this matter became obscure to us then as a consequence it will be difficult for us to undertake the obligation of enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar. Therefore we say the following.

Some of the Shar’ee rules are entrusted to the Khaleefah or the ameer and it is not allowed for anyone else to execute them. Some other rules are entrusted to the individuals, and they are undertaken by the Khaleefah if the people failed to perform them. Some rules are entrusted to the Khaleefah and it is allowed for individuals to undertake them in certain cases. Some rules are entrusted to the groups.

As for what is entrusted to the individuals; they are things like the prayers, fasting, Hajj (pilgrimage), and Zakah and refraining from the forbidden things such as alcohol, gambling, usury, theft, murder, fornication, adultery, lying, fraud and backbiting and so on and so forth.

The Muslims are commanded with these rules, whether they are living in dar al-kufr or dar al-Islam, and whether they are living in Islamic countries or kufr countries. Here, one does not look at what the Messenger 􀁕 and his Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) did in Makkah alone or just in Madinah alone. Rather, the Shar’ee rules required from the individuals in terms of the ibadaat (worships), mu’amalaat (transactions), mat’oomaat (foodstuffs), malboosaat (clothing), akhlaaq (morals) and the rest of the Islamic beliefs; all of these rules are required from the individual. Every individual is responsible for the family members for whom he is a wali (guardian). If there is an individual Muslim who lives in dar al-kufr and the authority forbids him from adhering to the individual Shar’ee rules, he is obliged to emigrate to another land whether the land is dar al-Islam or dar al-kufr, in accordance with His 􀀬 saying; “Verily! As for those whom the angels take (in death) while they are wronging themselves (as they stayed among the disbelievers even though emigration was obligatory for them) they (angels) say (to them): ‘In what (condition) were you?’ They reply:’ We were weak and oppressed on earth.’ They (angels) say: ‘Was not the earth of Allah spacious enough for you to emigrate therein?’ Such men will find their abode in Hell - what an evil destination! Except the weak ones among men, women and children who cannot devise a plan, nor are they able to direct their way” [TMQ 4:97-98]. It is mustahabb (prefered) for him to emigrate from dar al-kufr to dar-Islam, even if he is able to adhere to the Shar’ee rules, unless he works to transform the dar al-kufr in which he lives into dar al-Islam. It is well known that dar al-Islam is the land that is ruled by Islam and its security is in the hands of the Muslims.

As for what is entrusted to the individuals, it is undertaken by the Khaleefah if they failed in it, such as giving the individuals a maintenance if those who are responsible are not able to do so, or looking after the individual affairs if the individuals are unable to undertake this. Also building mosques in villages and city quarters if the inhabitants were not able to take up this task..

As for what is entrusted to the Khaleefah or the ameer only and it is not allowed for anyone else to implement it. These are things such as the establishing of the hudood, and the declaration of war, or concluding a treaty or legislating compulsory laws, or looking after the compulsory affairs. The undertaking of these and other matters have been restricted by the Shar’a to the ruler.

As for what is entrusted to the Khaleefah and is allowed for the individuals to undertake in certain cases, they are things like Jihaad. It is from the responsibilities of the Khaleefah, however, when the enemy attacks the Muslims suddenly, they are obliged to fight even if they have not been ordered to do so, or they have not been given the permission by the Khaleefah, or if the Muslims do not have a Khaleefah and an event has happened that requires Jihaad. The individuals will undertake the Jihaad even with a faajir ruler or with the ameer of a small number of people. However, in origin the Muslims are not allowed to accept this last option, ie the situation in which there is no Khaleefah and they are under the leadership of faajir rulers.

As for what is entrusted with the group only, such as the work to establish the Khilafah or accounting the rulers and forcing them onto the truth and restricting them to it. The work of the party, group or organisation or block or any Islamic grouping falls within this sphere.

Indeed, clarifying whom the Shar’ee rules have been entrusted to is an important matter. This is because any ignorance or negligence will make the Muslims, whether individuals or movements, act blindly regarding the implementation of the Shar’a. The Muslims will thus lose the precise understanding and consequently the correct application. Consequently, the Muslim will come to neglect obligations linked to his responsibility, and undertake the mandoobaat (recommended actions) at their expense.

The group will come to study the Shar’ee rules relating to individuals and neglect the Shar’ee rules relating to its members as a group, or undertake the work of the Islamic State when it is not aware of the division of responsibility which the Shar’a determined and to which we must comply. The scholar will come to talk to the people about certain individual farood like prayer, zakah and fasting and abandon other ahkaam such as the rules of selling that relate to the life of the Muslims, or the rules of backbiting, not to mention the abandoning of the collective obligations, the most important of which is the Islamic State.

He also appears as a pious person or someone who admonishes, but not as a scholar-politician who has studied the problems of the Ummah and has put down solutions and sets out to solve them.

Whatever has been entrusted to each of these categories must be adhered to. It has to be ordered with the ma’roof and forbidden from the munkar if it was failing in what it was entrusted with. It will not be accounted for what it was not charged with. Thus, the Shar’a, in terms of the application, was not entrusted to one custodian only. Rather it established more than one custodian for it, where each one would undertake what it has been entrusted with. The whole Ummah will undertake the whole Shar’a. When the Muslims undertake as individuals what is required from them, and the group or groups undertake what is required from them, and the Khaleefah undertakes what is required from him, then there will be the complete application of Islam.

Here we must draw attention to the fact that the individual Muslim is obliged to believe in Islam completely and in a general manner. However, he adopts of the details that which he is in need of, and what is required from him as an individual and what is required from him as a member of a group or party with which he works. He will be accounted by Allah 􀀬 for any negligence regarding any of these duties. He should undertake what the Shar’a requires from him as an individual. The same applies to the Khaleefah. Thus, he prays, fasts, makes Hajj, looks after his parents and he abstains from zina and usury. He will also undertake whatever Shar’a requires from him as a Khaleefah. Thus, he will pass laws, declare Jihaad, protect the Muslim lands, rule by what Allah 􀀬 has revealed and implement the Hudood. Any negligence on his part will be accounted by Allah 􀀬 in the Hereafter, and the Ummah will account him for it in this world.

This reality must be made clear to the Muslims so that they can distinguish, when making muhaasabah (accounting). Thus, the individual is not accounted for what was not required from him, and the group is not accounted for what is not required from it, and the Khaleefah is not accounted for what is not required from him.

The Shar’a has ordered the Muslims (all of them) to undertake the obligation of enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar, each one according to his knowledge and ability. The Shar’a has ordered the establishment of this obligation via the Muslims - as individuals, groups and rulers - and made it obligatory under all circumstances, whether there is an Islamic State or not, and whether the ruling applied on the Muslims is the ruling of Islam or the ruling of kufr, and whether the ruler applied the rules of Islam properly or he misapplied them.

Enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar existed in the days of the Messenger 􀁕 and the days of the Sahabah and the Tabi’een and those who followed them. Its rule shall remain existent until the coming of the Last Hour.

If something happens from the individuals, groups and the Islamic State, which obliges enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar, then the individuals, groups and the Islamic State must undertake it, in accordance with the following elaboration.

The Muslims, as individuals, are required to enjoin that which they are commanded with and forbid that which they are ordered to abstain from - if anything happens in front of them that necessitates that - according to the knowledge each individual has. Consequently, enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar becomes an individual obligation (fard ayn) for which the Muslim will be sinful if he did not undertake it, and he is not excused for abandoning it. Thus the Muslim, in his daily life with his wife, children, relatives, neighbours, customers, acquaintances or anyone else who they happen to meet; each one of such people needs be given the naseeha (advice) if he failed to do a duty or was disobedient. How can this not be the case when there are sins that only he may be aware of.

Such as a sin committed in front of him at a sitting where no one else is present other than the one who committed the sin. If he did not advise him then he will be sinful, while others will not be sinful, because it did not take place in front of them and they have no knowledge of it. No one else can take his place, and in his sphere, nobody other than him can fill it. For every munkar that appears in his sphere, no one other than him is responsible.

When the Muslim, with respect to himself, adheres to everything he has been commanded by Allah 􀀬 ie he complied with the ma’roof that relates to him, and abstains from the munkar, then this Muslim can transmit to others what was in respect to him. If he took the rules with knowledge and clarity then he can transmit them to others with knowledge and clarity. If he took them as a muttabi’ (one who takes opinion with the evidence) then he will transmit them to others on that level, and if he took it as an ‘aammi (layman) through taqleed then his transmission will be that of an ‘aammi (layman). In case he finds he does not have the ability to convince others, then he should pass them onto someone who does have the ability to convince them, such as referring them to a scholar, mufti or one of the da’wah carriers whom he trusts regarding their thought and understanding. He 􀀬 said; “The believers, men and women, are awliya (helpers, protectors, friends) of one another, they enjoin the ma’roof and forbid the munkar and they establish the salah.” [TMQ 9:71]. And He 􀀬 said; “Help one another in al-Birr and Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression.” [TMQ 5:2]. The Messenger 􀁕 said; “Convey from me even if it is a single ayah.” [Reported by Bukhari]; and he 􀁕 said; “May Allah illuminate the face of a servant who heard my saying, understood it, then delivered it as he heard it. Perhaps the one who conveys the knowledge (Fiqh) is not a scholar, and perhaps the one to whom he conveys it understands it better than him.” [Reported by Abu Dawud, Tirmizi, Ahmad]. In this manner the individual has undertaken what was incumbent on him as an individual regarding the duty of complying with the ma’roof, and abstaining from the munkar, and of the duty of enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar.