The Da’wah To Islam by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud

The mind gives the same rule on similar and comparable things. That is why analogy is made between two things that have the same resemblance. The mind also differentiates between different things when giving judgement, ie it gives different judgements for different things.

This is contrary to the qiyas Shar’ee (Shar’ee analogy), because the Shar’a frequently differentiated between things that are similar, and made similar many things that are different. The Shar’a differentiated between similar things, such as two different times. Thus it gave preference to laylatul qadr (Night of Power) over other nights. It differentiated between similar places, such as the preference of Makkah over Madinah, and the preference of Madinah over other places. Regarding the salah (prayer), the Shar’a differentiated between four rak’aat and three rak’aat when shortening the prayer. Thus, it permitted four rak’aat to be shortened but did not give permission for three rak’aat or two rak’aat to be shortened. The mind cannot make comparison in any of these things. For the emission of the maniyy (semen), which is pure, the Shar’a obliged the ghusl (bath) but it ordered wudu (purification) for the emission of the pre-semenal fluid (madhy), which is impure, even though they are both emitted from the same place. It made the ‘iddah (waiting period) of the divorced women three menstrual cycles and the ‘iddah of the widower four months and ten days, even though the condition of the womb is the same. It made water and dust similar in terms of purification, even though water cleanses and dust dirties. It made death the punishment for the adulterer, the murderer and the apostate even though they are different.

In addition, the Shar’a has clarified rules, over which the mind has no say. Thus, it forbade the sale of gold with gold, if not equally or in credit.

It forbade the men from wearing gold but allowed the women to wear it, and the same for silk. It forbade usury and allowed trade. It permitted the Kaafir to testify in wasiyyah (bequests) but stipulated that the witness be a Muslim in a remarriage after a revocable divorce.

That is why ‘Ali (may Allah honour him) said; “If the deen was to be taken by personal opinion, then masah (wiping) of the bottom of the shoe would be preferable to its top.” These principles must be understood by the group or party that works to resume the Islamic way of life. It must show in its culture how it understands the reality and clarifies it to the people, so that they can understand this reality. It must also define the Shar’ee sources and the Usuli principles, and adopt them and the shabab must be cultured with them. This is because the process of shaping their mentality must be based on such principles. This must also be part of the culture of the group. It is also inevitable to adopt an intellectual and Usuli culture, which will preserve the purity of the revelation and clarity of the thought, and remove anything that may not keep the revelation clear. For example, principles such as: ‘It is not renounced that rules change according to the change of the time and place’, and – in its comprehensive meaning - ’Necessities permit the forbidden things’, and ‘The deen is flexible and evolving’ and ‘Wherever there is an interest, that is the law of Allah.’ Indeed, this is what the group needs to adopt as its own Usul, which will govern its view and understanding of the Shar’a, before adopting the Shar’ee rules related to its work, and the adherence to them must be its guide and light, so as to please its Lord.

There may be many Ijtihaadaat on one issue. Therefore the group must adopt Shar’ee rules that are from the disputed issues based on the strength of their evidences, and must stick to them. After this the group announces its Usul (juristic principles) and Furu’ (the peripheral principles). It also builds its shabab with this culture, and proceeds in life with it and discusses using it. It wins others to adopt it via proof and persuasion as itself adopted it. It works to achieve its objective according to this culture; otherwise it will lose itself intellectually and stumble in its path of work.

Study of the sources and Usul has precedence over the study of Shar’ee rules related to change. The group will face immense hardships and difficulties during its course of work. If it did not adopt an Usul in a disciplined way and based on the strongest evidence, then we will see it wavering quickly and changing what it holds. It may resort to entering the democratic game with the existing corrupt system, which is the actual problem and the main obstacle in the face of the da’wah. They will do this, under the pretext that there is a principle which accords with this orientation; that Islam has something called Shura, which resembles Democracy. They may resort to complying with the previous religions and taking from them, under the pretext that ‘The Shar’a of people before us is a Shar’a for us.’ The thing that made it resort to this change is the difficulty in following the correct Shar’ee method. Or it may take the view that the work, by using the style of associations, enables it to change the reality, so it becomes preoccupied with the style at the expense of the method. Or it may rely on armed struggle and not the Shar’ee rule, because the circumstances have imposed that upon it.

Thus, adopting the Usul and the sources and following the fixed Shar’ee method of Ijtihaad, is what will restrict the group to what Allah 􀀬 wants and not what the reality and circumstances impose, or what interest dictates.

In this manner the group, after defining its method of legislative thinking, arrives at defining its method of work. Otherwise it will diverge into many paths, and Allah 􀀬 will not show concern for those who diverged into paths where they would perish.

The party or group, after setting out the sources of its culture and controls, must move to define its culture in the light of these sources and the Usul that it has adopted.

In studying the sources and the Usul, the group must ensure its understanding of the Shar’a is not impure or mixed up with other ideas.

It must strive to remove anything that does not protect the purity of the revelation and it must strive not to be affected by whims in understanding the Shar’a and not allow the mind to be in control of the legislation. It is not possible to study the culture of the group without studying the sources or the Usul on which it is based.

Based on what we have mentioned previously, the group must then turn to the reality in which the Ummah lives and study it. Thus it studies the thoughts, emotions and the systems that exist in it, to know the extent of the people’s response and acceptance of these thoughts and systems.

The Ummah has been attacked by the Kufr thoughts, which the Kaafir portrayed as the energy that she needs to regain her health. The Ummah has been controlled politically by the puppet rulers whom the Kaafir colonialists have imposed over the Muslims, in order to dominate her resources and prevent any sincere work from threatening their interests or endangering their colonisation. Since the western Kaafir colonialist is aware of the dangers of organised collective work to his own existence and consolidation, he spread thoughts amongst us that drive people away from collective or party work. Instead he encourage people to undertake partial associative actions, which treat the peripheral problems, such as poverty and corrupt morals. The western Kaafir has also shaken the confidence of the Muslims in their deen as the only true solution to the problems of man, when he separated their ‘Aqeedah from their life, forced this separation upon them, and prevented them from working to abolish it. Therefore, the party or group is obliged to study the reality, and the thoughts, emotions and systems present in it, in a deep and precise manner. This is in order to know the land upon which it stands and the nature of this land, and to know after that how to walk upon it, and what it needs in terms of pickaxes and tools to overcome the obstacles, and what it needs in terms of fertiliser and other substances to regain its fertility. So one must understand the reality first. This in itself will form an important part of the culture of the group, because it must be clear to the group and it must clarify it for the shabab and the people so that they are not ignorant of it, and they comprehend afterwards the importance of the solution and its correctness.

After the intellectual, political and social reality in which the Ummah lives has been defined, the group moves to adopting thoughts, opinions, and Shar’ee rules, in light of the Usul (principles of jurisprudence), regulators, and Shar’ee sources that we have mentioned previously. It must clarify to the shabab and the people the method by which it reached these thoughts, opinions and Shar’ee rules. This is because all this will create the conviction, awareness and Islamic personality in the Shabab of the group in a concentrated manner, and in a general manner in the Ummah.