The following is a translated article from Arabic that appeared in al-Waie Magazine.
Islam legislated the rules of the tariqa, not for its own sake, but to implement the rules of the idea. It ordered that the tariqa’s objectives be considered when implementing it, for it has no value without consideration of its objectives and consideration for their realization. Let us take as an example the rules of jihad and fighting, which are among the most prominent rules of the tariqa.
The rulings on jihad and fighting, the types of fighting, jihad by fighting, jihad by words, jihad with wealth, jihad of seeking, jihad of defense, when fighting is an individual obligation, when it is a collective obligation, and when it is recommended, the rulings on truces, peace, and prisoners, the rulings on treaties, those with treaties, those who have been granted protection, and those envoyed, the sanctity of killing children, women, and the elderly, the sanctity of demolishing temples and monasteries, the rulings on spoils of war and spoils of war, the prohibitions and permissible aspects of fighting, the types of permissible and prohibited weapons, the rulings on flags and banners—all of these and other rulings on jihad and fighting must be learned by rulers and mujahidin, from the emir of jihad to the most junior fighter, and they must master, adhere to, and implement them. But: Are they alone sufficient to achieve military objectives? Are they sufficient to achieve victory over the enemy? Do they replace the arts of war, fighting, and preparing equipment at the highest possible level? Do they replace trickery, cunning, and creativity in methods? Does it make keeping up with the latest military schools and combat theories unnecessary? Does it make modernizing weapons factories of all kinds unnecessary? Does it make it unnecessary to benefit from the expertise of experts, or even to purchase their expertise, even if they are from different religions and ethnicities?
The answer is clear: No, it definitely does not sing.
Also, when selecting military leaders, should they be the most pious and zealous? Or should they be the most competent and skilled in the sciences of war and the arts of combat, while ensuring they are pious and sincere?
The answer, based on the biography of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and the biography of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs and the distinguished, successful rulers, is that the first thing to be taken into consideration when selecting military leaders is their capabilities, competence, and combat experience, provided that they are pious and sincere, not necessarily the most pious of the pious.
Whoever is deceived that being educated in the rules of the method, piety, and enthusiasm alone, without the means of strength, sufficiency, skill, and the arts of combat, is sufficient to achieve victory, then he has led his nation to the sources of destruction.
This is neither theoretical nor genius talk. It is what is indicated by the words of Allah the Most High: {And spend in the cause of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.} And He, the Most High, said: {And prepare against them whatever you are able of power and of steeds of war by which you may terrify the enemy of Allah and your enemy . }
Just as is the case with fighting and the rules and methods related to it, so is the case with carrying the call and its method and means.
If you are well-versed in the rules and evidence of the method, memorize them by heart, adhere to them, and do not deviate from them, then you have feared God Almighty in your conduct. However, complete piety comes from taking on more than adhering to the method, which is mastering and perfecting your work and being creative in achieving its objectives. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “God loves it when one of you does a job that he does it well . ”
It’s a genius of style.
The rules of the Tariqa, no matter how well you understand, comprehend, or master the inferences you draw from them, will not alone chart your course. They will not tell you when you wake up in the morning how to begin your da’wah day and venture into society to achieve the goals of your da’wah. They will not tell you how to overcome obstacles and barriers, how to infiltrate minds and souls, how to thwart conspiracies against your da’wah and your ummah, how to deliver a lecture, how to write a newsletter or article well, how to organize a successful conference, how to master the use of electronic communication tools, how to break the media blackout, how to excel in an intellectual or political debate, when to engage with the media and when to turn away, and how to prevent journalists or media professionals from distorting your words. The Tariqa will not tell you when the media is an opportunity and when it is a trap. The rules of the Tariqa will not tell you how to select the right person for the right task, nor how to lead a demonstration. It will not tell you about the difference between the methods of attracting segments of society, including educated people, students, the public, politicians, scholars, and merchants, nor about the levels, types, and forms of this attraction.
The rules of the tariqa were not legislated for their own sake, but rather for something else, to achieve specific goals. If the rules of the tariqa are implemented for their own sake, without regard for achieving their goals—or worse, if they are implemented with the understanding that they will achieve nothing—then their implementation is completely worthless and, indeed, extremely dangerous and harmful. Such implementation of the rules of the tariqa is like a military commander who throws his fighters into battle simply to fight, without setting any goals for this fight, thus destroying lives and destroying crops and livestock without achieving any real goal.
Carrying the call to resume Islamic life by establishing an Islamic state is one of the most difficult battles a group of people can fight. Indeed, it is the most difficult, arduous, and dangerous of all, especially in this era, when this mission is confronted by the world’s most powerful empires, the most cunning and deceitful from ancient history to the present day. These empires do not confront you with repression and brutality alone, with the response being mere steadfastness, determination, and perseverance. Rather, beyond brutality and repression, they wield cunning against Islam, employing cunning, satanic methods unparalleled in history. They have harnessed research centers and media outlets, and employed so-called social psychology, management sciences, media arts, and the production of documentaries and even entertainment films. They have mastered the manipulation of minds, innovated methods, diversified terminology, and infiltrated the nature of peoples and societies to deceive, manipulate, and lure them into their plots and schemes.
It is certain that the bearers of the call will not possess the material capabilities of their opponents before they come to power, nor will they have the same massive media machine they have. However, it is also certain that they can, without a doubt, use alternative media intelligently, acquire the sciences and arts of party and association management, study the new arts of radio oratory, and practice the production of documentaries and short clips, even if they learn them from their enemies, in their universities and institutes, just as the Companions learned to read and write from some of the polytheists of Quraysh, just as they learned to manufacture weapons from others, just as they adopted the method of the trench from the Persians, and just as Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) adopted administrative methods (diwans) from the Romans and Persians.
The methods of addressing public opinion to shape and influence it are, in this era, a science taught in universities and institutes, and cannot be separated from the Sharia method, just as the economic system (economic legislation) cannot replace “economics,” and just as the system of government, which is one of the rulings of Sharia, cannot replace the science of administration and the arts of politics. If you delve into this science, it will tell you that there are methods for addressing society as a whole, methods for addressing its politicians, methods for addressing the younger generation, methods for addressing the military, methods for addressing minorities, and that these methods may require multiple – even if only formally – entities or frameworks that address each of them. Thus, a block is allocated for students that takes into account their abilities and choices so that they can integrate into it until they pass the stage of study and parental guardianship. For intellectuals, there are committees that organize their contributions and harness their energies. For merchants, there is a body that attracts and alerts them. For popular energies, there are leaderships that mobilize them… Thus, the forces of change are distributed between committed partisans, organized “framed” supporters, and responsive popular people…
In short, after understanding and adhering to the method, nothing will move you forward except creativity in methods, intelligence in them, and keeping up with its arts, “sciences,” and developments.
The method is the closest thing to controls for the call and its protection from deviation and error. It is the broad outline of the path. It is easy to adhere to it and not deviate from it, as long as there is sincerity to God Almighty and the determination to be upright and not deviate. As for the intelligent methods, their arts and “sciences,” they are the roadmap for the renewed journey. They represent the greatest challenge, and at their threshold lies failure or success. If deviating from the method is fatal deviation, then refraining from adopting effective methods and means and from keeping up with their arts and sciences is failure itself, and its result may be stopping at the beginning of the path or in the middle.
We must not forget, first and last, that above all of this, before, during, and after it, there is fear of God Almighty, sincerity of intention towards Him, and provisioning oneself for this noble task with spiritual energy, for there is no steadfastness, persistence, or progress in the midst of this savage, criminal world without the help and guidance of God Almighty.
