The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

Indeed, the obligation of the presence of a group or groups that work to resume the Islamic way of life, via the work to establish the Khilafah, is a Shar’ee obligation. The noble ayah has demonstrated this; “And let there arise out of you a group inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar. And it is they who are successful.” [TMQ 3:104]. In this ayah Allah 􀀬 obliged the Muslims, as a collective duty, to have at least one group whose work will be the call to the khayr (Islam)

and enjoining the ma’roof (good) and forbidding the munkar (evil).

The imperative command in, “Let there be” (wal takun), is one of obligation and that is due to the obligation of da’wah and enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar.

“From amongst you” (minkum), here is partative (tab’eedh) due to a Shar’ee indication (qareenah) which is that the obligation of enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar is a collective obligation, and not within the ability of everyone to undertake it, since it requires knowledge, understanding and wisdom that not everyone has. Therefore, the word, “ummah” (group) has come to mean a group from amongst the Muslims, not the whole group (jama’ah) of the Muslims. The command is focused on the obligation to have a group from amongst the Muslims.

The word ummah has been mentioned in the Qur’an in the meaning, “a group of people” when He 􀀬 said about Musa (as); “And when he arrived at the watering (place) of Madyan, he found there ‘ummatun’ (a group of people) watering (their flocks).” [TMQ 28: 23] What is ordered is not any group but a group from amongst the Muslims, whose work has been described in the noble ayah as being the da’wah to the khayr (Islam) and enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar. This description includes the ruler because he, in terms of the reality, represents the head of every ma’roof and the head of every munkar.

He either looks after the affairs of people with Islam and with the Shar’ee rules or he ignores the rules of Islam and neglects them, then he has to be taken to account for this. It is from this perspective that the group takes the description of being political, because its work relates to the rulers: establishing them via the way the Shar’a demands if they do not exist, or accounting them for their negligence, forcing them to the truth and confining them to it if they had existed and then deviated from the truth. The Messenger 􀁕 clarified the linkage between this fard and the ruler, and its importance in many ahadeeth. For instance he 􀁕 said; “By the One in Whose hands my soul rests, you have to enjoin the ma’roof and forbid the munkar, otherwise Allah will be about to send upon you a punishment from Him, then you would pray to Him but He would not answer you.” [Reported by Ahmad and Tirmizi]. He 􀁕 also said; “The best Jihaad is the word of truth spoken to a tyrant ruler.” [Reported by Ibn Maajah and Nasa’i]. He 􀁕 said; “The master of martyrs is Hamza, and a man who stood up to a tyrant ruler to enjoin (the good) and forbid (the evil) and got killed.” [Reported by al-Haakim]. Additionally, the Messenger 􀁕 said; “Enjoin the ma’roof and forbid the munkar before you make Du’aa’, then your Du’aa’ will not be answered.” And when he 􀁕 said; “‘The deen is (giving) advice (naseeha).’ We said, ‘To whom O Rasool of Allah?’ He said, ‘To Allah ‘azza wa jall, to His Messenger, the leaders of the Muslims to and their masses.’” [Reported by Muslim] That is why the work of the group, in addition to calling to the khayr (Islam) is enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar. Part of this is accounting the rulers or establishing them according to the Shar’a. This is a political work, because of its link with the rulers. Therefore, the ayah obliges the presence of political parties or groups established on the basis of Islam.

The fact that the presence of many rules of the deen are linked with the presence of the Khaleefah makes his presence a Shar’ee obligation and makes the work for establishing him a Shar’ee obligation, and consequently makes the presence of a group working to establish the Khaleefah a Shar’ee obligation. All of this is due to the principle; “That which is necessary to establish a waajib is itself a waajib.” (maa laa yatimmul waajib illa bihi fahuwa waajib).

The ayah, which is Madani in origin, has indicated the obligation of having political parties established on the basis of Islam, and it defined the kind or type of their work, which is da’wah, enjoining ma’roof and forbidding munkar. That is because the, “al” (definite article) present in the word, “al-khayr”, “al-ma’roof ” and “al-munkar” is a definite article, which means realising the (whole) gender requested in the ayah. In terms of the expression, the generality encompasses all the individuals ordered; as for implementation, it can be achieved by few or many. Hence, it includes all those related to it; individuals, groups and rulers. As for this few or many, it is determined by the Shar’a, and in accordance wih what the group has been established to achieve. It is not determined by personal taste, arbitrarily or vaguely. Rather it is a clearly defined, such that if it was abandoned, work should be done to rectify that. Advice should be offered to such a group, so it sees the deviation and avoids it. So this matter is defined by the Shar’a, like any other matter, and not left to the mind, the whims, circumstances or personal benefit (maslahah).