The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

The work that a group or party does in enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar related to establishing the deen, must be based on the necessary knowledge of the Shar’a. This is because, as we have explained earlier, there is no action without knowledge, and there is no worship of Allah 􀀬 without knowledge and sincere intention to Allah 􀀬.

So what are the limits of the required Shar’ee knowledge for this group? What is the culture to develop the group with and on whose basis its Shabab will be built and the Ummah will be prepared?

Enjoining the ma’roof and forbidding the munkar takes place based on this obligatory Shar’ee knowledge, which the group must adhere to. If it contradicts what the Shar’a required from the group, the group should be advised. If it deviated, it should be corrected. What applies to the group of Shar’ee obligations applies to others. The issue is simply adherence and following, so deviation is not allowed. The advice should come from everyone, and to everyone.

At this stage it is worth mentioning that there is a fixed method for deducing all of the Shar’ee rules, whether they relate to carrying the da’wah, ibadaat (worships), mu’amalaat (transactions), ‘uqubaat (punishments), mat’umaat (foodstuffs), malboosaat (clothing) or akhlaq (morals) ...

This fixed method has been dictated by Islam and its very nature, and it is not due to the genius or intelligence of Muslims. That is because the Islamic ‘Aqeedah dictates to the Muslim that he does not take, even if it is one hukm, from outside the Shar’a. He should restrict himself to its deduction according to the limits indicated by the texts. Hence Islam requires this methodology which protects this direction, controls its understanding such that it is confined solely to the revelation, and in order that its view of the ‘Aqeedah fits completely with its view of Fiqh (jurisprudence) and its conditions are integrated.

This fixed method of Ijtihaad is so important that it should take the highest position in the culture of the group or party. It is this method that will lead to the deduction of rules; if the method of deduction is correct it will lead to the presence of correct Shar’ee rules by least amount of doubt, and one would get the reward for it. Otherwise, there is no consideration for any opinion that is not based on the fixed Shar’ee method of deduction, even though someone may falsely call it a Shar’ee opinion. This is because what matters is not the name, but the reality.

Hence this is binding.

Today, more than ever, we need to follow this method, which prevents the Muslim from being influenced by the western thought and its method of deduction. It is the disease of this age, by which many have been afflicted from amongst those known as the ‘Ulema. We find their ijtihaadaat and fatawa have become far removed from dawaabit (regulators), where they proceed according to the western whim and not the divine guidance.

Thus, referring to the Shar’a, which has a fixed method, in Ijtihaad, is something all the Muslims must gather upon, even if the results of their Ijtihaadaat differed. Here we wish to present this method in a general manner. Just as it was the method of the Salaf (predecessors), it must also be the method for the khalaf (later generations) and those who come after them, until the coming of The Final Hour.