-
The Significance of Laylatul Qadr
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Glorious Qur’an:
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ * وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ * لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ * تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ * سَلَامٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ
“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’an) down in the night of Al-Qadr (Night of Power). And WHAT will explain to you what the Night of Power (al-Qadr) is? The night of Al-Qadr (The night of Power) is better than a 1000 months. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh by Allah’s Permission with all Decrees. (All that night) there is Peace until the rise of Fajr (of dawn).” (Surah Al-Qadr)
We have now entered the last third of Ramadan, and our beloved Prophet ﷺ said regarding these last 10 days,
«تَحَرَّوْا لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ فِي الْوِتْرِ مِنَ الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ»
“Search for the Night of Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.”
Allah سبحانه وتعالى in Surah Al-Qadr and the Prophet ﷺ in many hadiths talk about the majesty of Laylatul Qadr, the ‘Night of Power’. It is a night of great mercy, rewards and blessings from our Rabb; a night where acts of worship and good deeds performed are worth more than a 1000 months (83 years) of worship – a whole LIFETIME of ibadaat; and a night of great forgiveness from Allah سبحانه وتعالى for our sins, for the Prophet ﷺ said,
«مَنْ قَامَ لَيْلَةَ الْقَدْرِ إِيمَانًا وَاحْتِسَابًا، غُفِرَ لَهُ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَنْبِ»
“Whoever stood for the prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven….”
So as Muslims we seek out Laylatul Qadr, striving to do as much prayer, recitation of Qur’an, dhikr, dua, seeking of repentance, engaging in discussions of Islam and other actions pleasing to our Lord, Allah Azza Wajjal on this precious night. However, during these last 10 days of Ramadan, we should also spend some time reflecting on the reason for the great importance and weight that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given to ‘Laylatul Qadr’ and the significance of this night to our Deen.
Firstly, the name that is ascribed to this night itself – “The Night of POWER” reflects its majesty and greatness in the Sight of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. In Surah Al-Qadr, Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,
وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ
“And WHAT will explain to you what the Night of Power (al-Qadr) is?”, essentially saying to us, “What in the world could ever explain to you what this night of power is? How could you ever appreciate or imagine the weight of this night?”, emphasizing its magnificence and importance.
Then He سبحانه وتعالى informs us that the angels descend in abundance in this night with uncounted blessings and mercy – giving the greetings of Salaam to the believers who are busy in the worship of Allah till Fajr. The Mufassireen in their tafseers of Surah Al-Qadr describe the earth being congested with so many of the Malaika, such is the blessings of this night. Then Allah سبحانه وتعالى gives the night even more weight by informing us that the ‘Ruh’ – Jibrael (AS) – the greatest of the angels also descends on this night – the one who communicated with the Prophets; the one who brought the message of the Qur’an to our beloved Prophet ﷺ, the one who our Rasul ﷺ described as having 600 wings, with each wing filling the entire horizon (i.e. from the east to the west as far as the eye can see) – magnifying even further the status of this night.
But WHAT is it that gives this night such a great status, weight, and importance? It is because it is the night which Allah سبحانه وتعالى chose for the revelation of the Mighty Qur’an. Allah سبحانه وتعالى says,
إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُّبَارَكَةٍ إِنَّا كُنَّا مُنذِرِينَ * فِيهَا يُفْرَقُ كُلُّ أَمْرٍ حَكِيمٍ * أَمْرًا مِّنْ عِندِنَا إِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ * رَحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ
“Surely We revealed it (the Qur’an) on a blessed night – Surely! We are ever warning. Therein every wise affair is made distinct, a command from Us; surely We are the senders (of apostles), a mercy from your Lord, surely He is the Hearing, the Knowing.” (Ad-Dukhan: 3-6)
So the great status of Laylatul Qadr is directly linked to the great status that Allah سبحانه وتعالى bestows upon the Qur’an and the message that is contained within it. And the magnificence of this night is linked to the magnificence of a new way of life that was born for the world that night that would take mankind from the DARKNESS into LIGHT. So to truly appreciate the Night of Power is therefore to also appreciate the TRUE WORTH of the CONTENT of the Qur’an.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says about this Qur’an,
وَلَوْ أَنَّ قُرْآنًا سُيِّرَتْ بِهِ الْجِبَالُ أَوْ قُطِّعَتْ بِهِ الأَرْضُ أَوْ كُلِّمَ بِهِ الْمَوْتَى بَل لِّلّهِ الأَمْرُ جَمِيعًا
“And if there had been a Qur’an with which mountains could be moved (from their places), or the earth could be cloven asunder (split apart), or the dead could be made to speak (it would not have been other than this Qur’an. But the decision of all things is certainly with Allah.” (Ar-Ra’d: 31)
In this verse, the Lord of the Worlds سبحانه وتعالى informs us of the sheer weight and significance of the message that is contained in the Qur’an – that if given to the mountains, despite the magnitude and enormity of these structures, they would be moved by the weight of the ideas, the content, and the solutions to mankind’s problems contained in this Glorious Book.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى also says,
وَلَوْ أَنَّمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ مِن شَجَرَةٍ أَقْلَامٌ وَالْبَحْرُ يَمُدُّهُ مِن بَعْدِهِ سَبْعَةُ أَبْحُرٍ مَّا نَفِدَتْ كَلِمَاتُ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
“And if all the trees on the earth were pens and the ocean (were ink to write with), with seven oceans behind it to add to its supply, yet the Words of Allah (contained in this Q) would not be exhausted. Verily Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.” (Luqman: 27)
In this beautiful verse, He سبحانه وتعالى conveys to us in a powerful manner that even if all the trees in the world were pens and all the oceans were ink with seven more like them – they would not be able to match the content, and the solutions for life and humanity that are contained in the Words of Allah سبحانه وتعالى in the Qur’an. Indeed, if all the books in all the libraries, homes, institutions in the world on subjects such as politics, economics, law, sociology, and family life were pooled together, it would still pale into insignificance compared to the Qur’an and this Deen and what they bring mankind of answers to their problems. Indeed, it would be like comparing the Knowledge and Wisdom of the Creator to that of creation – there is absolutely no comparison.
Therefore, the significance of this Night of Power is that it marked the revelation of the Glorious Qur’an and the birth of a COMPREHENSIVE DEEN that brought with it solutions to every problem that mankind would face as individuals, as a society, or on a state-level – be it in spiritual, moral, economic, family, social, legal, or political matters – solutions that are unmatched to anything that mankind can produce; and unlike the laws of man are applicable for all generations and all places without exception. It marked the birth of an unrivalled system that would bring peace and tranquility to the heart and mind of a person, and that would uproot corrupt and unjust ideas, traditions and laws, elevating human beings from the confusion, chaos, corruption, and misery caused by laws from the desires and minds of men; a system that would bring harmony and justice to all human beings, their society, and state through the values and laws of the Creator سبحانه وتعالى – a true mercy and light for humanity.
And it was a system that was implemented for 1300 years – starting at the time of the Prophet ﷺ in Madinah and then after him, implemented by the KHILAFAH SYSTEM – until 1924 – spreading justice, economic prosperity, excellence in education, science and medicine, security, dignity for women, and harmony between Muslims and non-Muslims from Spain to China.
But today, with the absence of this Khilafah state, the laws from the Glorious Qur’an are no longer implemented as a whole in our Muslim lands, extinguishing the light and mercy that Islam brought humanity from this world. Its unmatched solutions – superior to the content of all the books in the world have gone – submerging this Ummah and mankind in darkness, mass poverty, indignity, insecurity, and suffering.
Eradicating Poverty:
Today we see millions from amongst humanity suffering from soul-destroying crippling levels of poverty and even dying from starvation even though Allah سبحانه وتعالى has created enough wealth and resources for every single person and beyond to live a good life. He سبحانه وتعالى says,
وَبَارَكَ فِيهَا وَقَدَّرَ فِيهَا أَقْوَاتَهَا فِي أَرْبَعَةِ أَيَّامٍ
“He blessed the earth and measured therein nourishment for all things.” (Fussilat: 10)
And today we see our brothers and sisters surviving on bread and dirty water and living in disease-ridden slums, our mothers picking food from garbage to feed their families, and our grandmothers begging on streets even though Allah سبحانه وتعالى has blessed our Muslim lands with the majority of the world’s oil, gas, gold reserves and millions upon millions of acres of the most fertile land in the world – such that our Ummah should not suffer a single day of financial hardship. Indeed it is said that if zakat was collected from just the 20 richest people in Pakistan it would generate over $600 million; and that just 2% of the reserves of the Thar coal fields in Pakistan could provide electricity for the country for the next 40 years without the people suffering a second of blackouts; and that if Nigeria alone were farmed properly, it could feed the whole of Africa. Subhanallah!
The dire economic state of our Ummah today is a result of abandoning the mercy of the laws contained in the Qur’an and how to organise the wealth of our lands as Allah سبحانه وتعالى has commanded. But when these laws were implemented under His سبحانه وتعالى’s System, the Khilafah, it was a very different story. Under this state, in the 8th century, when Umar bin Abdul Aziz was the Khalifah of the Muslims, he once wrote to one of his officials in Iraq, Abdul-Hameed ibn Abdur-Rahman, telling him to pay the people their dues (their basic needs). ‘Abdul-Hameed wrote back to him, “I have paid the people their dues and there is still money in the Bayt al-Mal (Central Treasury).” Then Umar wrote telling him to look for everyone who had borrowed money and pay of his debts. Abdul-Hameed wrote back to him, “I have paid off their debts, and there is still money in the Bayt al-Mal”. Umar wrote back telling him to look for every single man who had no money but wanted to get married and to arrange his marriage and pay the mahr for him. Abdul-Hameed wrote back to him saying, “I have married off every single man I could find, and there is still money in the bayt al-mal of the Muslims.” Umar then wrote to him, telling him to look for everyone who owed the kharaj (land tax) and needed help to cultivate his land, and lend him whatever he needed to help him do that.
Subhanallah! This is no dream. This is the mercy and fruits of implementing the Islamic economic laws contained within the Qur’an and Sunnah upon a land – that can create prosperity and ensure that everyone has their basic needs met.
Establishing Political Justice:
Today the Muslim world is plagued with political repression – whether governed by democracies or dictatorships. We have leaderships who govern through fear – spying on their citizens, gagging the media from accounting their corrupt and unjust actions, and arresting, imprisoning, torturing and even killing with impunity anyone who speaks out against their oppressive rule. They are rulers who view themselves as above the law, change constitutions and abandon the people’s rights at a whim, pocket the wealth of the Ummah, and criminalise the act of accounting those who govern the state.
This is the direct result of abandoning the political system of Islam, the Khilafah, and instead adopting non-Islamic secular or theocratic systems to govern our lands where human beings legislate the laws, and not the One who created the human being. And as a consequence, we now have leaderships who are indifferent to the needs and sufferings of the people but rather are consumed with preserving their selfish interests and seats of power.
In stark contrast, under the political system shaped by the laws from the Qur’an and Sunnah, the Khilafah, political justice, accountability and transparency in governance, the rule of law, and the prohibition of arbitrary arrests, spying on citizens, or torture are integral principles of ruling. Indeed, the Islamic political system created rulers of taqwa who would urge and encourage their citizens to account them in their duties and support and facilitate them to fulfil their Islamic obligation of commanding the Maruf and forbidding the Munkar.
For example, Umar bin Al-Khattab (ra), upon assuming the office of Khalifah gathered the people and called them to account him as their ruler if he ever strayed from his responsibilities. He said, “In the performance of my duties, I will seek guidance from the Holy Book, and will follow the examples set by the Holy Prophet and Abu Bakr. In this task I seek your assistance. If I follow the right path, follow me. If I deviate from the right path, correct me so that we are not led astray. Once a person shouted out to him in a public meeting, “O Umar! Fear Allah!” The audience wanted to silence him but Umar prevented it, saying: “If such frankness is not shown by the people, they are good for nothing and, if we do not listen to them, we would be like them (i.e. good for nothing.).” But this was not just lip service, for every year at the time of Hajj, he made all the high officials of the state report to him and at this time any person was able to raise any complaints they had against the authorities of the state which were immediately attended to. Once a person complained that a governor had lashed him for no fault of his. After investigation, the governor was also publicly lashed with the same number of stripes.
This importance given to political justice and supporting the people in raising grievances against the state and accounting the ruler continued throughout the centuries of Islamic rule. Mamoon Ar-Rashid for example, one of the Abbassid Khalifs, would specifically set aside Sundays for his public audience to hear their complaints. From early morning till afternoon, everyone – men and women – were free to present to the Khalifah their grievance which was instantly attended to. One day a poor old woman complained that a cruel person had usurped her property. “Who is that person?” asked the Khalifah. “He is sitting beside you,” replied the old woman, pointing to the Khalifah’s son, Abbas. Abbas tried to defend his action in a hesitant tone while the old woman was getting louder and louder in her arguments. The Khalifah stated that it was the honesty of her case that had made her bold and gave a judgement in her favour and against his own son.
These are but a few examples of the unrivalled justice established within a society governed by the Laws contained in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Protecting the Life and Honour of the Muslims:
Today we also see that there is an utter absence of security and protection of the blood, lives and honour of our Ummah – whether it be in Syria, Palestine, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Central Africa, China and beyond. The blood of our brothers and sisters has become cheaper than water and there is no state or system that moves to protect their blood or even provide them sanctuary where they can live dignified lives, enjoying the full rights of citizenship that Islam affords those who live under its rule – regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion.
This is the result of having leaderships in our lands today who rule according to their own whims and desires rather than according to the laws and solutions contained in the Qur’an. These non-Islamic regimes therefore use their armies to protect their selfish national interests or thrones of power rather than mobilising them in the interests of the Ummah and the Deen as Commanded by Allah سبحانه وتعالى. These leaderships have an utter disregard and contempt for the verse in the Qur’an that says,
إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ إِخْوَةٌ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَ أَخَوَيْكُمْ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ
“The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy.” (Al-Hujraat:10)
And that says,
إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ
“Verily this Ummah of yours is one Ummah, and I am your Lord so worship Me” (Al-Anbiya: 92)
And that says,
وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ وَاذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَاء فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِ إِخْوَانًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىَ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it.” (Al-i-Imran: 103)
However, when the Qur’an was the basis of the system which ruled our lands, then this Ummah enjoyed as one of its countless blessings – full protection, security, and guardianship under the leadership of this true Islamic system – the Khilafah. For example, during the rule of Khalifah al-Mu’tassim Billah in the 9th century, a Muslim woman was captured and abused by a Roman soldier. Frightened and alone, the woman called out the name of the Khalifah in distress and help; “[Ya Mu’tasim] Oh Mu’tasim.” When news of the incident reached Mutassim, he responded, “Labbaik [I am here at your call].” And he said, “Wallahi, I will send an army that is so big that when it reaches them it will still be leaving our bases. And tell me the strongest city of these Romans and I will send the army to that city.” It was the month of Ramadan but he did not delay in this action. Rather he immediately dispatched a formidable army 90,000 strong to the city of Amurriyah, the strongest fort of the Romans to rescue the woman. The city was liberated from its oppressors and came under the rule of Islam, and Al-Mu’tassim freed the woman with his own hands, even apologizing for the brief time she had to wait for him, saying, “Dear sister, I could not come earlier, for the way from Baghdad to you is quite a far one.” Hence, a whole army was sent to rescue just one woman for such is the great status of honour and protection that Islamic rule affords the citizens of its state; and such was the duty and capability of the Khilafah that was able to unite its resources and soldiers from its vast lands to defend its Ummah without hesitation.
Again, this is not a dream. It is the mercy and protection brought to this Ummah by ruling our lands according to the laws and solutions contained in this Glorious Qur’an.
So, as we seek out Laylatul Qadr in these last 10 days of Ramadan, pleading to our Lord for His Forgiveness, Mercy and Rewards, and striving to complete the recitation of the Glorious Qur’an, let us also reflect on what gives this Night of Power its great significance and importance – which is the revelation of the Book of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and all it contains. And with this, let us also ask ourselves if we have given this Qur’an the status in our lives and this world that it deserves – a status that reflects the magnificence ascribed by the Lord of the Worlds سبحانه وتعالى to the night in which it was revealed – a night better than a 1000 months! For this Glorious Qur’an is not merely a spiritual book for recitation, or one that defines a handful of rules and regulations that we live by. No! Rather it is a book revealed by the Creator of mankind سبحانه وتعالى to His Messenger ﷺ to shape the whole of our lives and govern all of our affairs – political economic, judicial, social and beyond – in a manner that brings the Mercy of Allah to humanity, and the light of his Deen to this world. To think of this Book otherwise or treat it as anything less than this is to underestimate the value of this gem that we have in our hands that would have moved mountains if revealed to them!
The Prophet ﷺ said,
«إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْفَعُ بِهَذَا الْكِتَابِ أَقْوَامًا، وَيَضَعُ بِهِ آخَرِينَ»
“Allah will elevate some nations through this book and degrade others with it” [Muslim]
-
Making the Lessons of Ramadan be a Guide for the whole year
Alhamdulillah we have been blessed to be alive in another Ramadan, this is truly a gift from
Allah Almighty as Allah سبحانه وتعالى in His infinite generosity opens the way for His forgiveness during this time. In the last ten days of Ramadan, we are commanded to increase our efforts in worship and good actions as we plan for Laylatul Qadr and make extra effort to be closer to our Lord سبحانه وتعالى.
Ramadan is a time when the believer looks deep into themselves and reflects upon one’s character, we see our strengths and our weaknesses more clearly and struggle to refine our character leaving thoughts of Dounia far behind us and we focus our vision on the Akhirah and the next life after death. Ramadan is like a dear friend reminding us of the best that we want to be. The month of Quran increases our taqwa inshaAllah. However, after our good friend leaves, we may find ourselves drifting into old, not so positive, habits and the question arises:
How can we maintain the progress we have gained in this month and make it something that lasts throughout the entire year?
The Women’s Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir would like to share 5 points that we all recognize in this blessed month to help us maintain the positive effects of Ramadan for the rest of the year so we may continue being better in our Deen, InshaAllah.
1. In Ramadan we increase in our effort to make all of our actions the best for the sake of Allah
In Ramadan we fast for Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى sake only with a pure intention, and we try to perfect our Ibadat (worships) in observing all of the rules that Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given. It would be impossible for us to allow drinking water and only stop eating food as Allah سبحانه وتعالى did not allow both of these during daylight.
Having Ihsaan – or the perfection in our actions is a command from Allah سبحانه وتعالى as discussed in the following hadith:
On the authority of Abu Ya’la Shaddad bin Aws (ra), that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ الْإِحْسَانَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، فَإِذَا قَتَلْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الْقِتْلَةَ، وَإِذَا ذَبَحْتُمْ فَأَحْسِنُوا الذِّبْحَةَ، وَلْيُحِدَّ أَحَدُكُمْ شَفْرَتَهُ، وَلْيُرِحْ ذَبِيحَتَهُ»
“Verily Allah has prescribed ihsan (perfection) in all things. Thus if you kill, kill well; and if you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to the animal he slaughters.”
The focus we have in Ramadan is to perfect our fasts by studying the hukm (rulings) from Quran and Sunnah and implementing them without fail, is a lesson we should seek to perfect throughout the year. It is easy for us to do actions out of habit, tradition or simply because it is easy, but every action should be for Allah’s سبحانه وتعالى sake and should be done in the manner that He asked – or we are not worshipping Allah سبحانه وتعالى but following our own desires which is unacceptable to Allah سبحانه وتعالى.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى has given rules for all areas of life, not only matters relating to fasting or prayer, we recited the rulings of economics, social laws and punishments for crimes during this blessed month. But these ayat are not just historical facts they are commands given by Allah سبحانه وتعالى for living life, solving daily problems and perfecting all of our acts of worship.
So during the rest of this year after Ramadan, we should have a vision to continuously seek knowledge so that we check all of our actions are as Allah سبحانه وتعالى wills without compromise even when there is difficulty, or challenges ahead of us. Striving to have Ihsaan – the perfection in doing all things for the sake of Allah سبحانه وتعالى should become our habit as the Aqeedah of Islam teaches us that every second of our lives is meaningful. Surah Al Zalzalah reminds us that there is not a single action in our lives that will go unrecorded by Allah Almighty and it will be either for us or against us on Yaum al Qiyama (Day of Resurrection).
فَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًا يَرَهُ * وَمَنْ يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ شَرًّا يَرَهُ
“Then shall anyone who has done an atom’s weight of good, see it! And anyone who has done an atom’s weight of evil, shall see it.”
2. During Ramadan we become more aware in competing with each other to do good regularly.
Everyday we join the Ramadan race to complete the Quran and maximize the rewards that are multiplied in this time, it is as if Allah سبحانه وتعالى opens the heavens and allowed free money to rain down on us for 30 days ONLY and all of us want to join in the grabbing frenzy. All over the globe young, old, rich and poor check with each other regarding how many Juz one has completed in a day – and we are jealous of those that – come day 20 of Ramadan, they may have already finished two readings of the Quran and are onto their third!!!! MashaAllah!!!!
We struggle each night to stay awake in extra Ibadat competing with each other on how little sleep we can have! Competition in getting closer to Allah سبحانه وتعالى is a good thing that we should continue to have the whole of the year after Ramadan has finished. In fact it is a matter commanded by Allah سبحانه وتعالى Himself in Surah Al Baqarah verse 148:
وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا فَاسْتَبِقُوا الْخَيْرَاتِ أَيْنَ مَا تَكُونُوا يَأْتِ بِكُمُ اللَّـهُ جَمِيعًا إِنَّ اللَّـهَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) Towards all that is good. Wherever you are, Allah will bring you Together. For Allah Hath power over all things.”
Allah سبحانه وتعالى loves His slave to love getting closer to Him, so much that jealousy/envy (Hasad), normally a negative emotion has been made permissible by Allah سبحانه وتعالى Messenger in the following hadith narrated by Ibn Masud Volume 2, Book 24, Number 490:
«لاَ حَسَدَ إِلاَّ فِي اثْنَتَيْنِ رَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ مَالاً فَسَلَّطَهُ عَلَى هَلَكَتِهِ فِي الْحَقِّ، وَرَجُلٌ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ حِكْمَةً فَهْوَ يَقْضِي بِهَا وَيُعَلِّمُهَا»
“I heard the Prophet saying, “There is no envy except in two: a person whom Allah has given wealth and he spends it in the right way, and a person whom Allah has been given wisdom (i.e. religious knowledge) and he gives his decisions accordingly and teaches it to the others.””
So another Ramadan lesson that we wish to keep forth rest of the year is to continue motivating each other in competing for Allah سبحانه وتعالى reward, and keep good company with those that can help you remember the next life and stay far from wasting time and useless discussion and agendas that make you think about worldly success only.
3. Ramadan is a time we practice patience for the sake of Allah
Whilst fasting in Ramadan we leave many of the things that we desire most. This requires great Sabr (patience) and we realize how our abilities to endure hardships and discomfort are much greater than we thought! SubhanAllah. Our power to do this comes directly from Allah سبحانه وتعالى as He aids His believers personally. In Surah Muhammad verse 7:
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ
“O believers! If you help Allah, He will help you and make your feet firm.”
Fasting is indeed a great training process for exercising patience, as this is a quality commanded by Allah سبحانه وتعالى and is mentioned in the Quran 90 times!
وَٱصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ إِلَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَكُ فِى ضَيْقٍ مِّمَّا يَمْكُرُونَ
“And be patient for your patience is but by Allah”
(an-Nahl 16:127)
This quality of Patience should be applied throughout the year after Ramadan is over if we are to be better in our Deen. Allah سبحانه وتعالى promised the believers that He will test us in our Iman, this is mentioned clearly in Surah Al Baqarah:
لَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَىْءٍ مِّنَ ٱلْخَوْفِ وَٱلْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ ٱلْأَمْوَٰلِ وَٱلْأَنفُسِ وَٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ * ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَآ أَصَٰبَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّآ إِلَيْهِ رَٰجِعُونَ * أُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَٰتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُو۟لَٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُهْتَدُونَ
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to as-Saabireen (the patient ones). Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Inna lillaahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raaji’un (Verily to Allah we belong and verily, to Him we shall return).” They are those on whom are the Salawaat (i.e. who are blessed and will be forgiven) from their Lord, and (they are those who) receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided-ones.”
(2:155-157)
As Muslims we can expect many adversities throughout the next 11 months after Ramadan and if we are to succeed in overcoming these challenges we must be consistent in doing the right thing and keeping away from Haram.
The key to this is having Sabr (patience) in the same way we applied these whilst we fasted so that we do not rush into being reactionary and following our own emotions and ideas.
From time to time it is very easy to become overwhelmed and hopeless when we feel overburdened by one issue or another, but the Muslim does not allow such feelings to dwell or dominate their lives as we know Allah سبحانه وتعالى has the power to relieve hardship and the rewards Jannat (Heavens) are waiting for us for our patience and good actions even when we may feel we are the only ones facing a particular hardship.
4. Ramadan shows us the importance of Unity between the Muslim Ummah.
One of the most remarkable and amazing features of Ramadan is that even though fasting is a very personal action between you and Allah سبحانه وتعالى, your actions are being copied and shared by millions of Muslims across the world!
During Ramadan you will find believers united in doing the same thing for the same reason.
In the last 10 days of Ramadan all Muslims young and old, rich or poor, from every background seek the Laylatul Qadr as we all agree that this winning the praise of Allah سبحانه وتعالى on this one night is better than a thousand nights – better than an entire lifetime!
This global solidarity we have with our brothers and sisters is increased in Ramadan when our fasting makes us appreciate the many mercies of Allah سبحانه وتعالى, how endlessly generous He is with us in our risk and our thoughts where millions in this Ummah are experiencing great hardships and dangers.
This unity that we see globally is not just something that should be experienced in Ramadan, it is a command of Allah سبحانه وتعالى that we have unity on a political manner as well. We cannot allow ourselves to solely think of our own lives in isolation of the rest of the Muslims globally as Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not accept that we are individualistic in our characters and accept any kind of nationalism or racism as this is clear in Surah al Imran verse 103:
وَاعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ اللّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves;”
Being politically aware of the matters affecting our Ummah should be a Ramadan lesson that we take for the rest of the year as the Hadith of the Prophet ﷺ informs us in a Sahih Bukhari Hadith that the Prophet ﷺ described the Ummah as one body if one part of the body is sick then the rest of the body shakes with fever. Unfortunately our global body is affected by many great disasters and the hadith mentioned gives us advice that our own comfort and ease does not separate from us from the rest of the Ummah’s problems. We cannot be silent to the suffering of other Muslims when we have the ability to speak or Allah سبحانه وتعالى will punish our neglect and put us together with the oppressors in the world. In one hadith Al-Hakim has reported a hadith narrated by Jabir that the Prophet ﷺ said: «سيد الشهداء حمزة بن عبد المطلب، ورجل قام إلى إمام جائر فأمره ونهاه فقتله» “The master of the martyrs is Hamza, and whoever is killed speaking truth in the court of a tyrant ruler.” Indeed we are in times of many unjust Rulers and throughout the rest of our year after Ramadan we should strive in the example of the great Sahabah (may Allah be pleased with them) and speak out against the problems all of our brothers and sisters globally.
5. During Ramadan we make extra effort in obeying the commands of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and make them the center of our life.
The meaning of Ramadan is more than just being hungry and thirsty. Ramadan becomes a lifestyle. We are so careful not to break the specific commands ordered at specific times. We may live in non-Muslim lands where most are not fasting but we are proud to be different or even face people insulting us for obeying laws that make no sense. We organize our day to maximize the good actions to the extent we feel ashamed to sleep more than the absolute minimum! SubhanAllah how great is our love of Allah سبحانه وتعالى and His Messenger. This lifestyle of Ramadan is one where we have a heightened focus to increase our Taqwah and make obeying Allah سبحانه وتعالى the center around which every other thing in our lives revolves around, at the time of Iftar we stop all other pursuits to break fast regardless of what may be happening around us. After Ramadan, this lifestyle of making Quran and Sunnah the center of all of being should continue the rest of the year as all other worldly objectives are temporary and can serve us only for the time we have in this dounia. They cannot do anything for us in making us more successful in the next life, we are reminded of this is Surah Al-i-Imran:
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَآئِقَةُ ٱلْمَوْتِ وَإِنَّمَا تُوَفَّوْنَ أُجُورَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَٰمَةِ فَمَن زُحْزِحَ عَنِ ٱلنَّارِ وَأُدْخِلَ ٱلْجَنَّةَ فَقَدْ فَازَ وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلْغُرُورِ
“Everyone shall taste death. And only on the Day of resurrection shall you be paid your wages in full. And whoever is removed away from the fire and admitted to Paradise, he indeed is successful. The life of this world is only a deceiving thing.” (3:185)
When you make pleasing Allah سبحانه وتعالى the Centre of your life it is always a win-win situation, you have the correct guidance and dignity in this life and eternal reward and victory in the next life. When we understand that Jannat has levels why would we want to remain forever in the lowest level, surely the clever Muslim, the truly visionary Muslim is ambitious for their next life and wishes that their permanent home is one in Janatul Firdous! But of course we are reminded in the Quran that the path to Jannat is filled with may hardships whilst the path to Jahannum (Hellfire) is filled with ease! So in the last 10 days of Ramadan we ask Allah Almighty to make us stronger in our ability to make Islam the Centre of all of our lives, to forgive our mistakes and make the rest of the year in which we become better in our obedience to Quran and Sunnah. We pray for the victory of truth over false ideas and we pray for the return of the Khilafah upon the method of the Prophet ﷺ that will allow every Ayah to live in reality, not just on the pages of Quran!
In this year before the next Ramadan we should recognize that it is only the Khilafah that can make all of the Quran and Sunnah the center of lives and we should seek to work as the Prophet ﷺ and the Sahabah did in making the return of the Khilafah a reality.
We pray for the establishment of the Amir ul Mumineen – the Caliph like the ones before that will unify all the lands and come to the rescue of every oppressed believer and give all people a means to see the beauty and justice of Islam as was shown in its glorious history.
The Women’s Section of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir make dua that all of our actions are accepted in the blessed month of Ramadan and we pray that in the last ten days we accelerate our worship and that our Iman is made stronger throughout the rest of the year.
And we wish all of our Ummah globally a blessed Eid and that the next Eid is shared under the shade of the Khilafah (Caliphate) upon the methodology of the Prophethood, bi’thinAllah. Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.
-
Q&A: Is it permissible for the Khalifah to impose taxes on Muslims?
We present here an answer from the Hizb’s Ameer, Sheikh Ata Abu Al Rashta, on the question of taxation under the Islamic system of governance.
Question:
As-Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatuhu, May Allah allow you to persevere. I have a question that I hope that you can answer.
It is known that “taxes” are Muharramah (prohibited) in Islam. So how can the State treat the deficit particularly when there does not exist today At-Tawzheef, al-Ushoor and Al-Kharaaj.
From Khalid Aali Yaseen.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatuhu,
It appears there is some confusion in this question in respect to the subject area of the question. This is because you said: “Taxes are Muharram (prohibited) in Islam”. That is correct in its generality but is to be further specified in specific cases.
Similarly, you say: “That there is no ‘Ushoor and Kharaaj today” while it is known that the land of Muslims is either ‘Ushriyah or Kharaajiyah, and that they are (both) present.
You have (also) mentioned: “At-Tawzheef, Al-’Ushoor and Al-Kharaaj” whilst the word ‘At-Tawzheef’ here has no place (or context) for it.
In any case, I will provide the details of this subject area so that the answer is clear and so that there is no ambiguity in it, nor vagueness, Insha Allah.
1 – The Shar’a has forbidden the Sultan (authority) to impose a tax upon the Muslims based upon an order issued from him according merely to what he wishes. He ﷺ said:
«لا يَدْخُلُ الْجَنَّةَ صَاحِبُ مَكْسٍ»
“One who wrongfully takes an extra tax (sahib maks) will not enter Paradise” [collected by Ahmad and classified as Saheeh by Az-Zain and Al-Haakim]
The ‘Maks’ is the tax (customs) that is taken from traders upon the borders of the lands; however, the prohibition includes every tax due to the statement of the Messenger ﷺ in the Hadeeth that has been agreed upon and related from Abu Bakrah:
«إِنَّ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ وَأَعْرَاضَكُمْ عَلَيْكُمْ حَرَامٌ كَحُرْمَةِ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا فِي بَلَدِكُمْ هَذَا فِي شَهْرِكُمْ هَذَا…»
“Your blood, your properties and your honour are Haraam for you (to take from each other) like the inviolability of this day of yours in this land of yours in this month of yours…”.
It is ‘Aamm (general) including the Khalifah/Sultan just as it encompasses all of the people. It is therefore not permissible for the Khalifah/Sultan to impose a tax in order to spend from it; rather, he is to spend from the Bait ul-Maal (State Treasury).
2 – There are however cases or circumstances in which the Shar’a has made an exception from the general prevention of imposing taxes.
If what is in the Bait ul-Maal is not sufficient to spend upon, the spending (and its associated requirement to collect funds) transfers from the Bait ul-Maal to the Muslims. In this case a tax is imposed upon the wealthy in accordance to the amount of Nafaqah (spending) that is obligatory to meet those needs. This is done without any increase (above the need) and the collected funds are allocated in the places that they are needed in. The tax in this situation is not based upon the command of the Khalifah’s desire and according to his wishes; rather, it is based upon Allah’s commanding of it while the Khalifah/Sultan only implements the command that Allah has commanded of him.
Thus, if there are no funds in the Bait ul-Maal, or it has run out of funds, or it doesn’t have sufficient funds to meet expenditures, the Khalifah/Sultan would impose taxes upon the wealthy in accordance to the amount of those expenditures according to the Islamic rulings. It is not Haraam in this circumstance or situation.
3 – From what has been mentioned, it is clear that in order for it to be permissible for the tax to be imposed for a particular case, the following conditions have to be realised (or met):
– That sufficient funds do not exist within the Bait ul-Maal to spend upon this need.
– That a Shar’i text has come indicating that the expenditure in this case or situation is obligatory upon the Khalifah/Sultan.
– That the imposed tax does not exceed the amount of expenditure required for that need.
– That it is not imposed except upon the wealthy alone; that is, those who have a surplus above their basic (or fundamental) needs and their complimentary needs as measured by their standard of living (Bil-Ma’roof).
4 – Consequently, the tax is not imposed in Islam except in accordance to the above mentioned conditions i.e. that the Shar’a has brought a text indicating that the expenditure in a particular case is obligatory not just upon the Bait ul-Maal but rather upon the Muslims generally.
For example, the Nafaqah (spending) upon the Fuqaraa’ (poor): If the Bait ul-Maal is not sufficient to meet the needs of the Fuqaraa’, then a tax is imposed in accordance to the amount required to meet this need in accordance with the above conditions. This is because spending upon the Fuqaraa’ (poor) is not only obligatory upon the Bait ul-Maal but rather upon the Muslims generally as well. Al-Haakim collected in ‘Al-Mustadrak’ a relation from ‘Aa’ishah (ra) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَيْسَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِ الَّذِي يَبِيتُ شَبْعَانًا وَجَارُهُ جَائِعٌ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ»
“He is not a believer who spends the night satisfied whilst his neighbour next door is hungry” and in a narration recorded by At-Tabaraani in ‘Al-Mu’jam Al-Kabeer’.
It is related from Anas Bin Maalik (ra) that he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَا آمَنَ بِي مَنْ بَاتَ شَبْعَانًا وَجَارُهُ جَائِعٌ إِلَى جَنْبِهِ وَهُوَ يَعْلَمُ بِهِ»
“He hasn’t believed in me who passes the night satisfied whilst his next door neighbour is hungry and he is aware of that”.
And Al-Haakim recorded in ‘Al-Mustadrak’ a relation from Ibn ‘Umar (ra) that he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«وَأَيُّمَا أَهْلِ عَرْصَةٍ أَصْبَحَ فِيهِمُ امْرُؤٌ جَائِعًا، فَقَدْ بَرِئَتْ مِنْهُمْ ذِمَّةُ اللَّهِ»
“Whichever people of an area where people live together there awakens a person amongst them who is hungry, then the Dhimmah (protection) of Allah has been taken away from them”.
Another example would be the Nafaqah (spending) upon Jihad. If the Bait ul-Maal was not sufficiently able to meet the needs of Jihad, then a tax is imposed in accordance to the amount required to meet this need (in accordance with the above-mentioned conditions) which would be imposed upon then wealthy. This is because spending on it is not only obligatory upon the Bait ul-Maal but rather upon the Muslims generally.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:
وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ
“And strive in Al-Jihaad with your lives and your wealth in the path of Allah. That is better for you if you but knew” (At-Taubah: 41)
There are also other well-known evidences in addition to the above.
Another example is the Nafaqah upon the Arzaaq (wages) of the soldiers. If the Bait ul-Maal was not sufficient to meet soldiers’ wages, then a tax is imposed in accordance to the amount required to meet this need (in accordance with the above conditions). This is because the Nafaqah (spending) upon the wages of the soldiers is not just obligatory upon the Bait ul-Maal but rather upon Muslims generally.
Imam Ahmad recorded in his ‘Musnad’ a relation from ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr that he said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لِلْغَازِي أَجْرُهُ، وَلِلْجَاعِلِ أَجْرُهُ وَأَجْرُ الْغَازِي»
“The Ghaazi (one who goes out to fight) has his reward and the Jaa’il (one who pays for another to go to fight) has his reward and the reward of the Ghaazi”.
Another example is the spending to set up a hospital in a town that does not have one in the case where harm will befall the people if there was no hospital. If the Bait ul-Maal is not sufficient to meet the need of setting up the hospital, then a tax will be imposed in accordance to the amount required to meet the need (in accordance with the above conditions). This is because the spending for the setting up of a hospital is an essential matter and harm results from its absence.
This setting up is Waajib not upon the Bait ul-Maal alone but rather is obligatory upon the Muslims at large and that is because the Nahi (prohibition) of the Darar (harm) is general. Al-Haakim related in ‘Al-Mustadrak’ with a saheeh chain that it was related from Abu Sa’eed Al-Khudri (ra) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَا ضَرَرَ وَلَا ضِرَارَ، مَنْ ضَارَّ ضَارَّهُ اللَّهُ، وَمَنْ شَاقَّ شَاقَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ»
“There is no Darar and no Diraar (harming and reciprocation of harm), whoever harms, Allah harms him and whoever causes hardship (or inconvenience) then Allah brings hardship (or inconvenience) upon him”.
Another example is the spending on an emergency and sudden events or incidents that occur upon the Ummah like a famine (drought), flood or earthquake. If the Bait ul-Maal is not sufficient to meet this emergency spending, then a tax is imposed in accordance with the above conditions. This is because the spending upon emergency events and occurrences is Waajib not only upon the Bait ul-Maal but rather upon the Muslims at large.
Abu Dawud extracted in his ‘Sunan’ in a relation from Ibn Hujair Al-‘Adawi that he said: I heard ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab relate from the Prophet ﷺ in respect to this story he said:
«وَتُغِيثُوا الْمَلْهُوفَ وَتَهْدُوا الضَّالَّ»
“And to come to the assistance of the anxious (or troubled) and guide the astray”.
The evidences of the famine that we have mentioned above also apply upon this.
5 – As for the Nafaqaat (expenditures) which are only obligatory upon the Bait ul-Maal and not also obligatory upon the Muslims, these are not spent upon unless there are sufficient funds within the Bait ul-Maal.
If there are not sufficient funds, then taxes are not imposed for them but rather the Khalifah waits until there are funds available. This is like the spending upon a Maslahah (interest) form amongst the interests of the Muslims the absence of which does not bring about a harm upon them. Examples of these include the opening of a secondary road whilst there exist others or opening a second hospital in a locality while there exists one than can be sufficed with. It also includes the like of opening up production projects the absence of which will not incur a harm upon the Ummah,or the setting up of a factory to extract coal or a reservoir to build trade ships and so on, the absence of which doesn’t have an immediate harm. These matters and what are similar to them are not spent upon from the Bait ul-Maal unless there are sufficient funds for them.
6 – As for the taxes not being imposed except upon the wealthy: this is because the tax is not taken from the individual except from that which is surplus or excess of the satisfaction of his basic or fundamental needs (Al-Haajjaat Al-Asaasiyah) in accordance with what is usual or customary for that time’s standard of living (Bil-Ma’roof).
Thus, in respect to the one who has a surplus beyond the satisfaction of his basic and complimentary needs, s/he is the one on whom the tax is imposed. That is while the one who does not have any surplus after the satisfaction (of his needs) does not have anything taxed of him. This is due to the statement of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
«خيرُ الصدقة ما كان عن ظهر غنى»
“The best Sadaqah is that which was (given) on the back of Ghinaa (sufficiency)”recorded by Al-Bukhari and related from Abu Hurairah.
The ‘Ghinaa’ is that which the person can do without, which refers to the level of sufficiency in respect to satisfying his needs.
And Muslim related from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«ابدأ بنفسك فتصدّق عليها، فإن فَضَلَ شيءٌ فلأهلك، فإن فَضَلَ عن أهلك شيءٌ فَلِذي قرابتك، فإن فَضَلَ عن ذي قرابتك شيءٌ فهكذا وهكذا – يقول فبين يديك، وعن يمينك، وعن شمالك»
“Begin with your own self and give Sadaqah to it. And then if there is anything left over from it, give it to your own family, and then if there is anything left over from your family, then give it to your relatives, and if there is something left over after giving to your relatives, give it in such and such way – saying ‘to whoever is in front of you, to whoever is to your right and to whoever is to your left”.
Thus, the one whom he must spend upon is delayed from himself. The tax is similar to that because it is like the Nafaqah and like the Sadaqah, as Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ
“And they ask you about what they should spend. Say: ‘Al-‘Afwa’ [Excess beyond needs]” (Al-Baqarah: 219)
Which means that in which there is no effort in respect to its spending and which is the surplus beyond the need. Therefore, tax is taken from the wealth that is surplus to the need, meaning that it is only taken from the wealthy. Consequently, a tax is not taken from the Fuqaraa’ (poor) whilst the Aghniyaa’ are known to the department that deals with the Zakah.
7 – As for taxes not being imposed except in accordance to the amount of need and sufficiency, this is because the Shar’i texts have permitted the taking of tax to meet needs of particular types and that is what it has exempted from the prohibition of taking from the property of the individual without his consent.
It is therefore obligatory to stop at the limit that has been mentioned in the texts, otherwise is would be a Dhulm (oppression). This is because it not permissible to take the property of a person except by Tayyib An-Nafs (consent) from him/her, whereas specific cases or circumstances are exempted where the text has permitted the imposition of taxes in accordance to the amount or level of need and sufficiency.
8 – From what has been previously mentioned, it becomes evident that the assumption of the presence of a “permanent or semi-permanent” deficit in the “budget” within the Khilafah represents an assumption as to the status quo. The situation of deficit – where the sources of revenue do not meet the expenditures – is a matter that is contrary to the natural position in the case where Islam is applied competently. In this regard it is worth noting:
A – The Ahkaam have explained in detail the manner of raising funds by the Khilafah and how they should be spent; the deen did not make these fall under the Ijtihad of the people and their estimations. Rather, it made spending upon some matters unrelated to the existence of funds or the non-existence of funds within the Bait ul-Maal because such spending is an obligation upon the Bait ul-Maal and upon the Muslims generally.
To this end we have explained above the matters in which it is obligatory for spending to be undertaken whether there do or do not exist funds in the Bait ul-Maal, with the result that taxes are imposed for these if there are no funds in the Bait ul-Maal for them.
As for the obligatory Nafaqaat (expenditures) that are only a duty upon the Bait ul-Maal and not also a general duty upon the Muslims, they will not take place unless there are sufficient funds in the Bait ul-Maal, with taxes not being imposed to meet them.
B – The continuous (or permanent) revenues of the Bait ul-Maal are: Al-Fa’i, Al-Ghanaa’im, Al-Anfaal, Al-Kharaaj and Al-Jizyah.
In addition to these are the revenues of the public owned properties with their various types, the revenues of the state owned properties, the ‘Ushoor, the Khumus (5th) of the Rikaaz (buried treasure), the minerals and the Zakah properties. The natural situation is for permanent revenues of the Bait ul-Maal to be sufficient for the spending upon what it is obligatory for the Bait ul-Maal to spend upon. In this way the occurrence of a financial deficit to cover the expenditures is a matter that is unlikely to occur should competent management be the way funds are handled.
There are more elaborate details that we have explained in our books: The Economic System, The Funds in the Khilafah State, and the Introduction to the Constitution which we encourage you to peruse.
I hope that this answer has been sufficient by Allah’s permission.
Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
12th Sha’ban 1437 AH
19/05/2016 -
Q&A: Can Private Property become Public Property?
Question:
Assalaamu Alaikum our honourable Sheikh, I would like to ask you a question regarding public ownership. Can a private ownership transfer to a public ownership in accordance to the Shariah rules, like transferring water springs from a private ownership into public property if that is needed for the public good? And if the public no longer needs it, does it revert as private property? Similar to oil wells when they are depleted, can they become a private property?
Thank you, and May Allah help you and make your foothold strong, Wa Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu
From Nadir Az-Za’tari
Answer:
Wa Alaikum us Salaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatuhu,
If any type of public ownership was as a result of a divine reason (‘illah), then the rule will follow this divine reason, whether it exists or in its absence. If the ‘illah is present then that public ownership will remain, but if it was absent, then it will be permitted to privately own that type of property, however on the condition that the ‘illah is Shar’i found in a Shar’i text.
For example, public utilities are considered as public property, which have been explained by the Prophet ﷺ in the Hadeeth in terms of its description, and not its quantity: On the authority of Ibn Abbas that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«المسلمون شركاء في ثلاث في الماء والكلأ والنار»
“People are partners in three: Water, Pasture, and fire.” Narrated by Abu Dawoud and narrated by Anas from the Hadeeth of Ibn Abbas and he added: «وثمنه حرام» “And its price is Haram”.
Ibn Majah narrated from Abu Huraira that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«ثلاث لا يمنعن: الماء والكلأ والنار»
“Three that must not be prevented: Water, Pasture, and Fire.”
This is the evidence that people are partners in water, pasture, and fire; and that they are not permitted for ownership by individuals.
However, the Prophet ﷺ permitted individuals to own water in Ta’if and Khaibar, and they did so to irrigate their plants and fields.
Similarly, some Muslims privately owned wells in Medina; Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abdullah (ra) from the Prophet ﷺ that he said:
«مَنْ حَلَفَ عَلَى يَمِينٍ يَقْتَطِعُ بِهَا مَالَ امْرِئٍ مُسْلِمٍ، هُوَ عَلَيْهَا فَاجِرٌ، لَقِيَ اللَّهَ وَهُوَ عَلَيْهِ غَضْبَانُ»
“Whosoever gives oaths falsely to take the wealth of a Muslim illegitimately, he is a fajir (wicked), and will meet Allah while He سبحانه وتعالى is angry with him.”
And Allah سبحانه وتعالى revealed:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِعَهْدِ اللَّهِ وَأَيْمَانِهِمْ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا
“Indeed those who exchange the covenant of Allah and their [own] oaths for a small price.” (Al-i-Imran: 77)
Al-Ash’ath came and said: An Ayah was revealed about what Abu Abdul Rahman spoke to you about me, I had a well in the land of my cousin, he asked:«شُهُودَكَ» “Your witnesses”, I said I do not have witnesses, he said: «فَيَمِينُهُ» “his oath (is required)”, I said: O Messenger of Allah, then he must give an oath, then the Prophet ﷺ mentioned this Hadeeth, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى revealed the Ayah to support His truth.” End quote
If partnership in water, in and of itself, and not because of the need for it, it would have not been permitted for individuals to own it. From the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
«المسلمون شركاء في ثلاث في الماء»..
“People are partners in three: water…”
And the permission given by the Prophet ﷺ to individuals to own water, this extracts the ‘illah in the partnership in water, pasture and fire, and it is from the public utilities that people can not live without.
Hence the Hadeeth has mentioned three but they are based on ‘illah because they are public utilities. Therefore this ‘illah follows what is reasoned in its existance and absence; so anything that is considered as public utility is considerd as public property, but if it is not considered as public utility even if it was mentioned in the Hadeeth like water, then it is not public property, but it is considered as property that can be privately owned. Public utilities are decided when all resources are not available for a group of people, whether it is a group living in house made of tents, or living in a village or city or a state, and have disputed to get it, is considered public utility, like water source, pastures or woods, grazing areas for cattle, and the like.
-e.g. Minerals are considered as public property if found in abundance, like in mines and the like, these minerals are public property, and it is not permitted to be owned by individuals, due to what Tirmithi narrated from Abyadh Bin Jamal:
«أنه وفد إلى رسول الله r، فاستقطعه الملح فقطع له، فلما أنولّى، قال رجل من المجلس: أتدري ما قطعت له؟ إنما قطعت له الماء العِدّ، قال: فانتزعه منه»
“He came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked to assign him a salt (mine), so He ﷺ did, when he left, a man from his ﷺ council said: Are you aware of what you assigned him? You assigned him a perennial (‘id) spring of water, he said: so he took it back from him.”
“’Id” water is the continuous source of water, he drew the similarity between salt and water for its unlimited source. This Hadeeth is an evidence that the Prophet ﷺ has given a portion of mountain salt for Abyadh Bin Jamal, but when he ﷺ found out that the mineral is unlimited, he took it back from him and prevented its private ownership, i.e. it is public property. Salt here is an example of a mineral, what is intended is the mineral not the salt. From this Hadeeth it is cear that the‘illah of prevention of giving the portion of the mineral of salt is that it is ‘Id i.e. unlimited.
This ruling, that the unlimited mineral is a public property, which includes all minerals whether they are on the surface and easily accessed that people frequent and use, like salt, coal, emerald and the like, or it was found underground, that needs to be extracted with equipment, like gold, silver, iron, bronze, lead, and the like. And whether it is solid like crystals or liquid like oil, they are are minerals that come under the Hadeeth. Since unlimited minerals are public property for all citizens, the state is not permitted to give its ownership to individuals, companies, or allow individual or companies to extract them for their own use; instead the state must extract them itself on behalf of the Muslims, in looking after their affairs, and all that it extracts from them is public property for all the citizens.
Therefore, the property mentioned in the question will be considered as public ownership if they are public utilities, e.g. the water well in a village which is the only source of water, it is a public property and not allowed for individual ownership… But if the people in the village have another sufficient source of water, it will be permitted for an individual to dig a well in his land and own it, because it is not from the public utilities in this case, i.e. that the ‘illah of its public property is absent. But the well which was a public property does not become a private property but remains as a public property and it will be allowed to sell to individuals if there is sufficient water for the people and then it will be priced for the private ownership.
Hence, the water well is a public property if the people have no other source, but if there was an depletes or the people do not need it any more, i.e. the ‘illah is absent of it being a public utility, by the presence of a sufficient source of water, then it will be permitted to sell that well to individuals and it’s priced for private ownership. Oil wells for example are public utilities as long as it is unlimited, but if there were depletes, i.e. the ‘illah for being a public property is absent, then it is allowed to sell this well for people and its price is put for private ownership.
Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah15 Jumada I 1437 AH
24/2/2016 CE -
Q&A: Essence of Salatul Istikhara
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Answer to Question
Essence of Salatul Istikhara
To: Joud Ridwan RidwanQuestion:
Assalamu alaikum, I want to know what is Salatul Istikhara, and does the person who made Istikhara see something in his dream after performing the Istikhara? Please answer as soon as possible, Jazakoum Allah Khayran.
Answer:
Wa alaikoum l salam wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh,
The Prophet (saw) showed Salatul Istikhara via a thorough and adequate demonstration in a Hadith narrated by Bukhari and others on the authority of Jaber bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with both of them, he said: The Prophet of Allah (saw) would teach us to pray for guidance in all matters, as he (saw) used to teach us a chapter from the Quran, he (saw) said:«إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ، فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الفَرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ وَأَسْتَقْدِرُكَ بِقُدْرَتِكَ، وَأَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ العَظِيمِ، فَإِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلاَ أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلاَ أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الغُيُوبِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ خَيْرٌ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي – أَوْ قَالَ عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ – فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كُنْتَ تَعْلَمُ أَنَّ هَذَا الأَمْرَ شَرٌّ لِي فِي دِينِي وَمَعَاشِي وَعَاقِبَةِ أَمْرِي – أَوْ قَالَ فِي عَاجِلِ أَمْرِي وَآجِلِهِ – فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي» قَالَ: «وَيُسَمِّي حَاجَتَهُ» “When one of you has a decision, he should perform two cycles of prayer other than the obligations, then let him say: O Allah, I seek guidance from your knowledge and power from your might, and I ask you from your tremendous favor. Verily, you have power and I do not have power, and you know and I do not know. You are the knowing of the unseen. O Allah, if you know that this matter is good for my religion and my livelihood and my ending(or he said: if it is better for my present and latter needs), then decree it for me and make it easy for me and bless me in it. But if you know that this matter is evil for my religion and my livelihood and my ending(or he said: if it is worse for my present and latter needs), then divert it from me and keep me away from it, and decree for me what is good for me and make me content with it.” The Prophet added that the person should then mention his need. END.
It is clear from this Hadith how to perform the Salatul Istikhara (prayer for guidance), so whoever wanted to seek guidance from Allah (swt) should pray two cycles (rakah) of prayer other than the obligations (nafaleh) with the intention of seeking guidance and after completion from the prayer he should make Supplication of seeking guidance (Istikhara) that is mentioned in the Hadith. By this, he would have performed the prayer for guidance or the Supplication for guidance, as this is the method of performing the prayer for guidance… However, there are other matters pertaining to the prayer for guidance, which are:
1.If a person has a decision to make, after he has studied the matter from all sides, and he is inclined towards a certain act and wanted to go with it, by then he prays two cycles of prayer (rakah) and makes Supplication of guidance and does them while he prays to Allah (swt) to facilitate it for him if it is good or divert it away from him if it is bad. This means that he should not pray for guidance except until he studies the matter from all of its sides and is inclined to go for it, that is when he prays and makes the Supplication for guidance and then goes for it… He should not pray for guidance except after studying the matter and is inclined to go forward with it. Look at the Hadith: «إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ، فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الفَرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ…»“When one of you has a decisionhe should perform two cycles of prayer other than the obligations, then let him say: O Allah, I seek guidance from your knowledge…” (Narrated by Bukhari).
2. It is not proper to relate from the Prophet (saw) that he (saw) has connected prayer for guidance to a vision seen during a dream as far as I know that even though he (saw) recommended people to pray for guidance, he (saw) didn’t connect its result to dreams, as it was reported in a Hadith from Jaber who said:«فَاقْدُرْهُ لِي وَيَسِّرْهُ لِي، ثُمَّ بَارِكْ لِي فِيهِ» وقوله: «فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي»“then decree it for me and make it easy for me and bless me in it” and said: “then divert it from me and keep me away from it, and decree for me what is good for me and make me content with it” which show that he (saw) did not connect prayer for guidance with a vision seen in the dream. He rather made the matter connected to the facilitation and decree of Allah (swt), meaning that the person seeks to go with the matter which he prayed guidance for, so if there was good in it, Allah (swt) will decree it for him and facilitate it for him, else He (swt) will divert it away. Therefore, prayer for guidance is shifting the matter and the choice to Allah (swt) so that He (swt) chooses for the person praying for guidance, and to facilitate the matter which He (swt) sees as good for him. So, if He (swt) doesn’t deem it as good for him, He (swt) will divert it away from him.
3. The saying of the Prophet (saw) in the Hadith of Jaber:«فَاصْرِفْهُ عَنِّي وَاصْرِفْنِي عَنْهُ، وَاقْدُرْ لِي الخَيْرَ حَيْثُ كَانَ، ثُمَّ أَرْضِنِي»“then divert it from me and keep me away from it, and decree for me what is good for me and make me content with it”. Some people understand from it that the feeling of relief is considered a sign for the choice of Allah (swt), meaning that if someone feels relieved then he should go for the matter, but if he feels unsettled and he diverts from it then he should keep away from it, since the diversion of the person praying for guidance occurs when the heart feels unsettled and wants to stay away… Ash-Shawkani reported in the book “Neil Al-Awtar” from An-Nawawi who said: “It is supposed that after performing the prayer for guidance to do what makes one relieved, so he is not supposed to rely on a feeling of relief that he had prior to the prayer for guidance. Instead, the person praying for guidance should leave his choice directly or else it would not be praying for guidance from Allah (swt), it would rather be praying for guidance according to his wishes. He might also be dishonest in asking for a choosing and acknowledging lack of knowledge and ability and affirm their presence in Allah (swt), so if he honest in this, he would acknowledge his lack of ability and strength and of choosing for himself.” END. However, what I am tending for is that this sign is not correct because there is no text about it, and the Hadith which some people rely on in this matter is a Hadith with a very weak chain of narration as the researchers mentioned, and the Hadith is:Ibn As-Sinni reported in “The Work of the Day and Night” stating Abu Al-Abbas bin Qutaiba Al-Asqalani informed us, and told to us by Obeid Allah bin Al-Himayri, praised by Ibrahim bin Al-Alaa bin An-Nadr bin Anas bin Malik, praised by my father, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather, said: The Prophet of Allah (saw) said: «يَا أَنَسُ، إِذَا هَمَمْتَ بِأَمْرٍ فَاسْتَخِرْ رَبَّكَ فِيهِ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ انْظُرْ إِلَى الَّذِي يَسْبِقُ إِلَى قَلْبِكَ، فَإِنَّ الْخَيْرَ فِيهِ»“O Anas, if you have decided about a matter, then pray for guidance about it from your Lord seven times, then look at what your heart is inclined towards, then there is goodness in it”. Ibn Hijr in Fatih Al-Bari “… An-Nawawi said in “Al-Athkaar” to do after prayer for guidance what brings the sense of relief to the person, and his evidence for that is a Hadith reported by Anas at Bin As-Sunni: “If you have decided about a matter, then pray for guidance about it from your Lord seven times, then look at what your heart is inclined towards, then there is goodness in it”, if it could be confirmed then it could be relied on, but its chain of narration is very weak…”
Therefore, what only remains is what we have mentioned in the first point that the Hadith mentions that prayer for guidance occurs after going for a matter, meaning that after making the decision of doing something based on a holistic study of it and all aspects suggest the inclination towards it… What testifies to the validity of this understanding is the Hadith narrated by Al-Hakim in his Mustadrak upon the account of Abu Ayyoub Al-Ansari that the Prophet of Allah (saw) said:«اكْتُمِ الْخطْبَةَ ثُمَّ تَوَضَّأْ فَأَحْسِنِ وُضُوءَكَ، ثُمَّ صَلِّ مَا كَتَبَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لَكَ، ثُمَّ احْمَدْ رَبَّكَ وَمَجِّدْهُ، ثُمَّ قُلِ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ تَقْدِرُ وَلَا أَقْدِرُ، وَتَعْلَمُ وَلَا أَعْلَمُ، وَأَنْتَ عَلَّامُ الْغُيُوبِ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ لِيَ فِي فُلَانَةٍ، – يُسَمِّيهَا بِاسْمِهَا – خَيْرًا لِي فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَآخِرَتِي فَاقْدُرْهَا لِي، فَإِنْ كَانَ غَيْرُهَا خَيْرًا لِي فِي دِينِي وَدُنْيَايَ وَآخِرَتِي فَاقْدُرْهَا لِي»،“Keep the engagement a secret, then perform ablution and perform it well, then pray as much as Allah (swt) has written for you, then praise Allah and glorify Him, then say: O Allah You are Able and I am not, You know and I do not, You know the Unknown, so if You see that this person – name her by her name – is good for me in my Deen, my life, and my afterlife then decree her for me, but if there is another person who is better for me in my Deen, my life, and my afterlife, then decree her for me”. It is clear from this Hadith that the person praying for guidance has decided to get engaged to a certain woman, but he didn’t publicize it rather kept it a secret, then he prayed for guidance from Allah about it and left it in the Hands of Allah (swt) so that He decrees her for him if there is goodness in her, or to decree someone else for him if there is goodness in someone other than her, and he didn’t connect what he saw in the dream or in the feeling of relief…
In conclusion, what I am tending towards in the topic of prayer for guidance is:
If a person decided about something after he has studied it from all its angles, and he is inclined towards going for it and is aiming to do it, only then that he pray two cycles and say the Supplication of praying for guidance and to do that while he is supplicating to Allah Almighty to facilitate it for him if there is goodness in it or divert it away if there is evil in it.
This means that he doesn’t pray for guidance only until he studies the matter from all angles and is inclined towards going for it, then he prays and supplicates for guidance and then goes for it… Look at this Hadith: «إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ، فَلْيَرْكَعْ رَكْعَتَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ الفَرِيضَةِ، ثُمَّ لِيَقُلْ: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْتَخِيرُكَ بِعِلْمِكَ…» “When one of you has a decision, he should perform two cycles of prayer other than the obligations, then let him say: O Allah, I seek guidance from your knowledge…” (Narrated by Bukhari).
This is what I have outweighed from the Hadith, that he should not pray for guidance while waiting to see something in a dream, or wait until he sees what he is inclined to do from either matters, because the Hadith says: «إِذَا هَمَّ أَحَدُكُمْ بِالأَمْرِ…»“When one of you has a decision…”. As I mentioned earlier, this is what I found most preponderant from some of the sayings, but only Allah (swt) knows what is most right.
Your Brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah -
Q&A: Disputes between a major independent state and its subordinate state
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu
Can agent states or satellite (orbiting) states be in conflict with each other? If this is possible, then how can we explain this, if they follow the same major state? Wouldn’t this conflict affect the interests of the major state that they follow? If there is no such conflict taking place, then how can we explain, for example, what is going on between Iraq and Turkey, or between Iran and Saudi Arabia, or between Turkey and Iran? Thank you.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum As-Salaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu
The broad outline of the subject is as follows:
1. It is inconceivable that the agent states to the major states will undertake an action that would harm those major states, because following the major states in foreign policy means following the plans drawn by the major states for them or in the policies they implement in every detail. Therefore their external actions are subject to the will of the major states and they cannot carry out any action without consulting the major states and following their orders, like Jordan with Britain: Jordan’s rulers carry out the orders of Britain in foreign policy only after consulting with it. Unless the policy is well-known and was followed previously, it can take an action within that policy such as when Jordan contacts Qatar, which also follows Britain, to undertake an action that serves the British policy.
2. As for the follower state to a major state “i.e. revolves in its orbit”, they are linked to major state based on interest and not subordination, it may leave the “orbit” in one aspect of the foreign policy because it is looking for its interest, while it revolves in the orbit of the major state, and this depends on the influence exercised by the major state in the arrival of the rulers of those state to power, as stated in the answer to a question on 30/7/2013: “…it should be noted that there are factors of influence and pressure used by the major state, which prevent the orbiting state from partially exiting its orbit. The strength or weakness of this prohibition depends on the extent of the impact that the major state has stretched out on the ruling class in the orbiting state. If the impact of the major state is strong, then even the partial detachment of the orbiting state is extremely difficult. The smaller the impact of the major state on the orbiting state is, the more the latter will be able to detach from the foreign policy of the major state be it in one fraction or more.” For example, Canada revolves in the orbit of America as well as the orbit of Britain according to its benefit. However, Canada announced on 29/9/2015 that Iran is a state that harbors terrorism, and it closed down the Iranian embassy in Canada. It even considered Iran to “pose the most danger to global peace and security in the world today”, as mentioned by its Foreign Minister John Baird.
This took place after the nuclear deal orchestrated by America to engage with Iran openly in the so-called attainment of peace and security in the region. This action by Canada that revolves in the orbit of America disagrees with America in this aspect of the policy and it is not supportive of the US policy. It is America’s interest that Canada accepts Iran as a country seeking peace and security, and not to cut relations with it and declare it a terrorist state that threaten international peace and security. Thus the follower state that revolve in the orbit of a major state can disagree in some parts of the policies with the major state, if there was no influence of the major state on the rulers coming to power.
As for Turkey, it is stated in the answer to the question mentioned on 30/7/2013: “America’s influence on bringing the ruling class to power is strong, so Erdogan feels that he cannot reach power and reinforce his authority internally except with America’s help, so he sees that his fate is tied to America which has great control in Turkey so that it is able to command the government, rulers, judges, economy, army and security forces… And therefore America’s influence on the government in Turkey is strong, and consequently Turkey’s stepping out of line of any American foreign policy is extremely difficult”. The conclusion to the answer to the question was: “i.e., Turkey currently revolves in America’s orbit, and the impact of America in Turkey’s affairs is strong, so if the situation continues as it is now of Turkey’s strong links with America, Turkey would then become closer to the full subordination to America and it revolving in its orbit would then become questionable!”
Therefore, Turkey is not at the level of Canada, but the United States’ influence on it is very strong to the point that Turkey has not been able to depart in any part from American policy, but it worked to bolster its relations with America and agreed with it in every major and minor issue, when Turkey said in the words of Assistant Turkish Foreign Minister, Feridun Snarli Oglu to (CNN, the American channel) on 11/8/2015: “The two countries (Turkey and the United States) have agreed to the establishment of a safe area with a length of about 100 kilometers and width of about 50 kilometers.” And the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement that “the Syrian opposition forces will take control of this region, while America and Turkey will provide air cover.” The United States denied that through the words of US State Department spokesman, Mark Toner on the next day, i.e. 12/8/2015, when he said: “there is no agreement on a safe area, and that he had not seen the Turkish statements and cannot comment on it.” He also said, “We were clear from this podium and on several other occasions, that there will be no safe area …”
Turkey has not been able to depart from America in this part, and when it wanted to establish the safe areas, it stated that it had agreed with the United States, i.e. it cannot undertake any action in foreign policy before coordination with America and its approval, and if there is no approval then the action will not be taken. The moderate opposition’s training, for example, which began a year ago by the United States and approved by Turkey without objection, as well as the opening of the US base that serves American interests. The Turkish Foreign Ministry has announced on 29/7/2015 the signing of an agreement with the United States of America of opening the Incirlik Air Base to the US to carry out attacks in Syria; and there are many other incidents. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine that Turkey under Erdogan will break away from the American policy in any area. Its actions in foreign policy shows full subordination to the United States, and did not disagree with it since the arrival of Erdogan to power 13 years ago. Erdogan has recently visited King Salman in Saudi Arabia, which is an American agent state, and announced on 30/12/2015 the establishment of a ‘strategic cooperation council’ for closer ties between them. Turkey has agreed with Saudi Arabia to establish a military alliance to fight terrorism, as was announced by the second Saudi Crown Prince, Muhammad the son of King Salman.
3. As for Iran, it is revolving in the orbit of America and did not depart from any part; it has almost reached the point of becoming a subordinate state, especially at the time of the current President Hassan Rouhani and his team at the Foreign Ministry, headed by Javad Zarif, who is an American agent. Iran has coordinated with Turkey on the issue of Syria, the spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry Levent Jamrkaji revealed on 28/11/2013 the existence of “full agreement on the development of bilateral relations between the two countries” and for having “positive talks on Syria”, and “full agreement on commitment of Cooperation between the two countries to resolve the crisis in Syria and stop the bloodshed in it.” Erdogan visited Iran on 7/4/2015 to strengthen relations between their two countries; this means that the ideological difference between them did not prevent their agreement in foreign policy and following the US line. Turkey supported Iran’s nuclear program negotiations.
4. A conflict in the sense of the conflict between the states or countries that are subordinate or revolving the orbit of a state, if they follow the same major state, is unlikely, because the major state is the one that run the foreign policy in general, and this policy is usually what controls the conflict … this is in terms of the conflict. But in terms of having a dispute while not being in a conflict with each other – it is clearly explained in the case of the follower states (revolving the orbit of major states) – it is possible in three cases:
The first case: If it is through the distribution of roles to serve the interests of major state.
The second case: If the dispute was due to an internal motive without external influences affecting the major state’s foreign policy, which these countries revolve in its orbit.
The third case: if it is a matter of supporting one of the agents by “stirring up” an event- if he “was calm”- between him and another agent, and then the calm returns after the end of the requirements of the support.
An example of the first case:
Turkey and Iran are implementing US policy in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but in different roles, on the surface it seems in contradiction, but the reality is different, each of them plays a role for the benefit of America that fits both of them:
– Iran is supporting the American agents in this region. Massoud Barzani is one of the British agents, so Iran supports the American agents there against him, including the Gorran movement, a secular political party that is active in the Kurdistan region. It was founded by the Kurdish politician, Nuchiran Mustafa, in 2009, after his resignation from the Kurdish National Union Party, loyal to America after the weakness of this party in Kurdistan, since its President and Founder Jalal Talabani became president of Iraq. The party became involved in acts of corruption along the lines of Barzani’s party, so America saw a need to establish another party with a new look, and so the party of Gorran’s movement emerged, to raise the slogan of the fight against corruption and became active in the opposition against Barzani and works to weaken him or topple him. The Party demanded elections for the presidency of the region by a parliament and not by popular vote, and demanded to reduce the powers of the President of the region and give them to the parliament, It participated in parliamentary in elections held in the region in 2013 and won 24 seats out of 111 seats, and it became the second largest party after Barzani’s party, which won 38 seats. Meanwhile, Talabani’s Party slipped to third place with 18 seats.
– As for Turkey, it is working to make Barzani under its influence and wants to contain him in favor of America, by establishing many economic projects in the region, and at the same time working to pressure him to cut any support for British agents within the PKK, who are based in Mount Qandil in northern Iraq and not to carry out military acts against Turkey. The Turkish planes bombs them in that region without Barzani’s objection, because he is in need of Turkey, which receives him as head of state and has set up a consulate for the region in Turkey, and buys oil from him.
Thus they appear to be contradicting each other, but they are working harmoniously within US policy.
An example of the second case:
– The recent tension that took place between Saudi Arabia and Iran as a result of the execution of Al-Nimr. Al-Nimr have been sentenced to death over a year ago in 16/10/2014 at the time of the former King Abdullah who is loyal to Britain, but the king died before the implementation of the death penalty … and that Sheikh Al-Nimr was calling for the separation of Qatif and al-Ahsa to annex them back to Bahrain to form a single independent province. And it is well known that Iran claims that Bahrain belongs to it, and it considers it as its fourteenth province. Not carrying out the execution may cause embarrassment internally for the current King Salman, who is loyal to America. Therefore he announced the execution of 46 people other than Al-Nimr, including 43 people that the regime considered as Kharijites, Takfiris and those belonging to terrorist organizations.
This is from Saudi Arabia’s side, as for Iran, its sectarian and religious reality forces it to protest against the killing of such a Sheikh because of the internal situation that is sectarian and religiously charged.
But this tension does not affect the implementation by the two parties to the American plans, and America has moved to defuse the tension. The US State Department spokesman John Kirby said, “We believe that diplomatic dialogue and direct talks remain essential tools to resolve differences and we will continue to urge the leaders of the region to take positive steps to calm the tensions.” (Al-Quds Al-Arabi, 04/01/2016). US Secretary of State John Kerry contacted his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif and discussed with him the situation, afterwards Kerry said, “We want to tamper tensions and establish a dialogue between them to reach a peaceful and diplomatic solution between them.” (CNN 4-1/2016) … then Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel al-Jubeir told Reuters 04/01/2016, “Tehran must act as a normal state for the severed diplomatic relations to return.”
Abdullah Al-Mu’almi, the Saudi delegate in the United Nations said, “The crisis with Iran will have no impact on the peace efforts in Syria and Yemen. We will participate in the upcoming talks on Syria, scheduled in principle as of January 25th in Geneva under the sponsorship of the United Nations “… and the international envoy to Syria de Mistura, after his visit to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with Foreign Minister Jubeir, said: “Saudi Arabia confirmed that tensions with Iran will not impede the talks on the political process in Syria scheduled in Geneva this month” (Al-Jazeera, 05/1/2016). This means that these tensions between the two countries in internal issues do not affect the operation of the two countries for the implementation of the US project to end the Syrian Revolution and aborting its Islamic project and the preservation of the criminal secular regime in Syria.
Thus, the internal motivations may show a temporary dispute; until the removal of those motives or calming them down, but the dispute is within control and does not affect the interests of America.
An example of the third case:
– The objection of Abadi on the presence of Turkish troops. He wanted to reinforce his position and the position of his government, whose credibility is degenerated to the lowest level, so America wanted to polish the image of its agent Abadi and his government by raising this issue to support him morally, and make him appear as the guardian of the country! Turkey has replied that it has entered Iraq based on his request a year ago to train his troops. Turkey responded to him, and carried out a partial withdrawal and redeployment of its troops, and then the Arab League issued a statement supporting the demands of the Government of Abadi and calling on Turkey to withdraw. It is known that the Arab League is controlled by America. Thus the matter was settled without a conflict!
Note that America not only supports Abadi morally, but on top of that, it does not want the government of Abadi to fall in these circumstances, and in particular after Abadi has appeared shaken after he promised the liberalization of Ramadi, but was incapable to deliver, so he needed a dose of support provided by American, so it launched sustained air strikes in Ramadi amounting to 630 raids, as was announced by the White House, on 30/12/2015, and then it announced that the Iraqi army is in control of the government complex in Ramadi.
In conclusion, it is unlikely that a conflict in the sense of an actual conflict will take place between the agent countries or follower countries that revolve in the orbit of the same major state, but a calculated dispute may occur, which falls under the distribution of roles, or internal motives or to support an agent, and in all cases it will not harm the interests of the followed major state.
2 Rabii’ II 1437 AH
12/1/2016 CE -
Q&A: Rules (Ahkam) Related to Zakat
Question by Lut Abu Sunayna:
Our esteemed Sheikh, greetings blessed by Allah سبحانه وتعالى, Assalamu Alaikoum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu. My question is about the Nisab of the Zakat in trading merchandise. It was mentioned in the book, Funds in the Khilafah State (page 142-143), that the Nisab of the Zakat is 200 silver Dirhams, or 595 grams of silver, or 20 gold Dinars, or 85 grams. So, for today’s time, which of the Nisab should we rely on in our calculations for trading merchandise, while taking into consideration that there are vast differences between the price of gold and silver, as one gold Dinar is almost equal to hundreds of silver Dirhams, so if we calculate 5 gold Dinars it will over-exceed its equivalence in its Nisab in silver, so which of the Nisab should we rely on today? Baraka Allah feek and may we benefit from your knowledge.
Question by Muhammad Usman [copied as written]:
Aslamoaleikum Warahmatullah! I have a few questions regarding Zakat 1. What is the method to calculate Zakat? 2. If I possess the Nisab e.g. 120 grams of gold, will the Zakat be calculated on the gold exceeding 87.479 grams of gold or on the total i.e. 120 grams. Also what about the purity of the gold as it is available in 24 karat, 22 karat etc.? 3. If there is a total of 170 grams of gold at home, but the ownership is different that is half of it is owned by my mother and the other half by my wife, than the Zakat is still applicable as the individual owners do not have the Nisab on which Zakat is applied but the sum is? 4. I do not know the date from which the lunar year starts on the Nisab in this case how and from when to calculate Zakat?
Answer:
Wa Alaikoum al Salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Baraktuh,
All of the questions revolve around the same topic, and so the answers to them will be combined together:
1. The Nisab of the gold is 20 Dinars which is equivalent to 85 grams of gold, and it is not what has been mentioned in the question: 87.470 grams of gold. That is because one Dinar is equal to 4.25 grams of gold, so if it were multiplied by 20 Dinars, then the Nisab would be 85 grams of gold. The Nisab for the silver is 200 Dirhams which is equal to 595 grams of silver since one Dirham weighs 2.975 grams of silver, so if it was multiplied by 200 Dirhams, the Nisab would be 595 grams of silver… The evidence for that is what has been narrated by Abu Obeid about funds from Abdullah bin Amr, may Allah be pleased with them, he said: The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: «لَيْسَ فِي أَقَلَّ مِنْ عِشْرِينَ مِثْقَالا مِنَ الذَّهَبِ، وَلَا فِي أَقَلَّ مِنْ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ صَدَقَةٌ» “It is neither nothing less than 20 grams of gold, nor nothing less than 200 silver Dirhams as Sadaqa”. Also what was narrated by Bukhari upon the report of Yehya bin Umara bin Abu Al-Hassan: He heard from Abu Saeed, may Allah be pleased with him, saying: The Prophet ﷺ said: «لَيْسَ فِيمَا دُونَ خَمْسِ أَوَاقٍ صَدَقَةٌ» “It is not less than 5 ounces in Sadaqa” and its amount is valued to be equal to 200 Dirhams; since each ounce is 40 Dirhams.
2. If the gold reached the Nisab of 85 grams or the silver reached the Nisab of 595 grams, paying Zakat for them is not obligatory until it reaches the Nisab where a year has passed over it, that is from the day the gold or silver has reached the Nisab then the counting of a year over it begins, meaning the Hijri year. So, if the money reached the Nisab in the 10th of Muharram for example, then Zakat becomes obligatory for it when the 10th of Muharram of the next Hijri year arrives… that is according to what At-Tirmidhi has narrated on the account of Ibn Umar, he said: “Whoever receives money is not obliged to pay Zakat for it until a year has passed over it at His Lord”. The amount of the obligatory Zakat in the gold and silver is the quarter of the tenth, that is from the Nisab of the silver it is 5 Dirhams, meaning 14.875 grams of silver, and from the Nisab of the gold it is half a Dinar, meaning 2.2125 grams of gold, and that is according to what has been narrated by Ibn Majah on the account of Abdullah bin Waqid, on the authority of Ibn Umar, and Aisha, that the Prophet ﷺ: «كَانَ يَأْخُذُ مِنْ كُلِّ عِشْرِينَ دِينَارًا فَصَاعِدًا نِصْفَ دِينَارٍ، وَمِنَ الْأَرْبَعِينَ دِينَارًا دِينَارًا» “Used to take from every 20 Dinars and more a half of a Dinar, and from 40 Dinars a whole Dinar”. Still, when At-Tirmidhi narrated it on the account of Ali, he said: The Prophet of Allah ﷺ: ” «فَهَاتُوا صَدَقَةَ الرِّقَةِ: مِنْ كُلِّ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا دِرْهَمًا، وَلَيْسَ فِي تِسْعِينَ وَمِائَةٍ شَيْءٌ، فَإِذَا بَلَغَتْ مِائَتَيْنِ فَفِيهَا خَمْسَةُ دَرَاهِمَ». “Bring the Sadaqa with tenderness: from every 40 Dirhams a whole Dirham, and there is nothing upon the 190 Dirhams, but if it reached 200 Dirhams, then there should be 5 Dirhams”.
3. As we have mentioned earlier, Zakat is obligatory on the gold and silver if they have reached the Nisab and this Nisab passed a year over it, and the Zakat is paid from the whole amount and not only what has surpassed the Nisab. So, whoever owns for example 170 grams of gold and a year has passed over it, then he will need to pay the Zakat of the 170 grams which is the quarter of the tenth of the amount. That is: 4.25 grams of gold or pay a whole Dinar, and he doesn’t pay only for the 85 grams surpassing the Nisab, meaning that he doesn’t bring out only 2.2125 grams of gold or half a Dinar… The situation is the same for the silver, as it is obligatory to pay the quarter of the tenth on the whole amount as long as it has reached the Nisab and a year has passed over it.
4. The Hukm (rule) of the Zakat on gold specified for pure gold of 24 karats, as well as the Hukm of the Zakat on the silver specified for pure silver, if the gold was mixed with other substances or the silver was mixed with other substances, the weight of those other substances is subtracted according to its amount, where whatever has remained after the subtraction has reached the Nisab. So, if a person owned 85 grams of 18 karat gold, it would not have reached the Nisab because the amount of pure gold in it is less than 85 grams… The Zakat on a block of gold of 24 karats is different from a block of the same weight and of 18 karats, and the pure gold when accounting for the Nisab would make the Nisab of the gold of 24 karats 85 grams, but the Nisab of the gold of 18 karats would be more than that because it is mixed with materials other than gold being a quarter of the amount. Therefore, the gold of 18 karats has pure gold in it equal to ¾ of the gold of 24 karats, and upon that the Nisab of the gold of 18 karats is 1 and 1/3 of the Nisab of the pure gold which is 113.33 grams. Upon that, whoever owning 85 grams of pure gold of 24 karats would have reached the Nisab, so if a year has passed over it, he will need to pay the Zakat of 2.5% of its weight, but the one who owns 85 grams of gold of 18 karats has not reached the Nisab until what he owns reaches 113.33 grams, and if a year has passed over it, then he has to pay the Zakat of 2.5% of its weight, and it is clear here that the meaning behind the Zakat is on pure gold.
5. The Zakat is an individual ritual (Ibada) which is not obligatory on the money of the Muslim until it has reached the Nisab, so if a man owns 60 grams of gold and his wife owns, for example, 60 grams of gold, then there is no Zakat on neither his money or her money, even if the total of which they have together has surpassed the Nisab. It is only when the money of either one of them only has reached the Nisab, then the Zakat becomes obligatory on the money that has reached the Nisab. So, if the money of the husband has reached for example and he came to own 120 grams of gold, then he is obliged to pay the Zakat on his money, and he doesn’t combine his wife’s money; the 60 grams of gold.
6. If the money qualified for Zakat is paper currency, or trading merchandise, it is considered either Nisabs that is either the Nisab of the gold or the Nisab of the silver. However, if both Nisabs differ such as what is happening nowadays where the Nisab of the silver is very less in value than the Nisab of the gold, what I see if that the estimation shall happen with the least of the Nisabs, meaning the Nisab of the silver and not the gold. I say the least of the Nisabs because if the Nisab reached the lowest then it became qualified for Zakat and it is prohibited to bypass it in order to wait for the higher Nisab. He shall rather record the date when it qualified for Zakat, then after one year passing, he should pay the Zakat, as the Zakat is a right for the poor and the needy… ﴿إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ…﴾ “Zakat are only for the poor and the needy…” [At-Tawba: 60], ﴿وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَعْلُومٌ * لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ﴾ “And those in whose wealth there is a known right * For the needy and the deprived” [Al-Ma’arij: 23-24], and the Prophet ﷺ said: «فَأَعْلِمْهُمْ أَنَّ اللَّهَ افْتَرَضَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَدَقَةً فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ تُؤْخَذُ مِنْ أَغْنِيَائِهِمْ وَتُرَدُّ عَلَى فُقَرَائِهِمْ» “And inform them that Allah has mandated upon them a Sadaqa (charity) from their money which is taken from their rich and given back to the poor.” (Narrated by Bukhari). Upon this, it is the benefit of the rightful owner that is taken into consideration, and based on that the Nisab is calculated based on the lesser amount, meaning that it is calculated for the Nisab of the silver.
7. As for the method of calculating the Zakat, when the money reaches the Nisab the year count starts, so if the money reached its Nisab on the 10th of Muharram of the year 1437 AH, then paying Zakat on it becomes obligatory on the 10th of Muharram of the next Hijri year of 1438 AH. If the amount money has increased, it will join the previous amount and are counted as together when a year has passed over it. For example, if a person owned 100 grams of gold starting from the 10th of Muharram of the year 1437 AH, then used this gold in a trade where he gained an additional 150 grams until the 10th of Muharram of the next Hijri year 1438 AH, he must pay the Zakat of 250 grams of gold because the new money is the result of the old money, and so the rule is applicable to it… However, if new money was gained after the 10th of Muharram of the year 1437 AH without it being earned from the previous money, such as being gifted to him or he inherited it, then this new money has its own year to pass over it. So, if he owned it for example on the 10th of Shaban of the year 1437 AH, then he must pay Zakat for it on the 10thof Shaban of the year 1438 AH and not on the 10th of Muharram in the year 1438 AH because the date accounted for both monies are different…
8. Since it is allowed to hasten in paying the Zakat before a year has passed, it is allowed to pay the Zakat on the 10th of Muharram for the original Nisab and to hasten paying the Zakat of the money that was gifted or inherited on the 10th of Muharram instead of waiting until the 10th of Shaaban. As for hastening the Zakat, there are several Sharia evidence, some of which are:
- Al-Bayhaqi mentioned in As-Sunan Al-Kubra on the account of Ali: “Al-Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, asked the Prophet of Allah ﷺ about hastening (the payment of) his Sadaqa before a year has passed over it, and he ﷺ gave him permission to do that.”
- Ad-Darkatni mentioned in his Sunan on the account of Hujur Al-A’dawi on the account of Ali, he said: The Prophet of Allah ﷺ told to Umar: «إِنَّا قَدْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ الْعَبَّاسِ زَكَاةَ الْعَامِ عَامِ الْأَوَّلِ» “We have taken from Al-Abbas the Zakat of this year at the beginning of the year.”
Based on that, you can do the following to your money regarding the Zakat:
- Jot down the Hijri date when your money reaches the Nisab.
- After a whole Hijri year has passed, calculate how much money you have to see if it reaches the Nisab or not.
- Pay the Zakat of all this money that you have and not only of that which surpassed the Nisab, but rather the whole amount, meaning the Nisab and whatever surpassed it.
- After that, you calculate your money every year in this date and pay Zakat on them all if it has reached the Nisab or more.
9. If a person forgets the date of his money reaching Nisab, then he should estimate and take into consideration when making the estimate the interest of the beneficiaries of the Zakat because they have a right in receiving this money which has more priority over his right even though he is the owner of this money… Therefore, if his estimation is somewhere between the months of Muharram and Shabaan, let him make the beginning of the year at the beginning of the month of Muharram and not the month of Shabaan, as this is better for him in his Deen, bi’thinallah.
Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah
02 Safar 1437 AH
14/11/2015 CE
-
Q&A: Change with Relation to Actions and Achieving Results
Question: Does “Change” fall under the sphere that man dominates? If so, can man control the time and place of change? Furthermore, if an extended period of time passes and change does not occur, does this indicate that something is wrong with the people working towards it? Or does “Change” fall under the sphere that dominates man? If this is the case, then what is this verse referring to?
إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
“Truly, Allah does not change the situation of a people until they change what is within themselves first” [Ar-Ra’ad, 13:11]
Answer: If the word “Change” mentioned in the question is referring to “working towards change,” then yes, it falls under the sphere that man dominates. The Akham Shari’ee related to this are clear.
On the other hand, if the word is referring to “achieving change,” then this is not correct, since achieving change falls under the sphere that dominates man. Man may work and work, exerting serious and dedicated effort, but none of the expected change may occur as he was hoping, or change might occur after a short or prolonged period of time.
It is man’s responsibility to account himself before he is held to account; he avoids luxuries and focuses on serious work, he tries one style of da’wa and discards another, he changes his actions if he sees a weakness in it, and he strengthens his connection to Allah سبحانه وتعالى. But all this is nothing more than his implementing the Hukum Shari’ee that stipulates the obligation to work to change the evil into good, and change the falsehood into truth.
As for achieving this with certainty – at a defined point in time, today or tomorrow, in one place or another – none of this falls under the sphere that man dominates, but rather falls under the sphere that dominates man.
The evidence from the Islamic texts for this comes from the Seerah of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم and his actions. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم started conveying his message in Makkah, continuing his work there for over ten years, but, despite this prolonged period of time, change did not occur. It is not possible to conclude here that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم made a mistake in his strategy or method.
Furthermore, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم directly sought Nusrah (support from the people of influence and power) himself from the tribes in the region around a dozen times. Despite all this effort, these tribes did not respond favorably, and change did not occur – some of these tribes even responded very negatively. It is not possible to conclude here that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم made a mistake in his strategy or method.
Following this, those well-known few (Ansar) arrived in Makkah, and the first Bay’ah of Al-‘Aqaba took place, then the second, and Mus’ab (ra) achieved more change in a single year in Madina than the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم achieved during his entire time in Makkah – despite the fact that the work of Mus’ab (ra) cannot be compared in any way to the work of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم. After this, the Islamic State was established in Madina, and not in Makkah.
Therefore, working for change is achieved by refining one’s actions and perfecting them, improving the styles and means, and working in more than one place. All these things fall under the sphere that man dominates, thus he is accounted for them, and is responsible to put in serious and dedicated effort towards them, unaffected by the length of the path, unhindered by the difficulties of the journey, unimpeded by the trials and tribulations, never weakening in resolve. He remains a colossal pillar, upright and strong, standing firm on the truth like the mighty mountains, accounting himself day and night on the quality of his actions, putting his Tawakkul (trust) in Allah سبحانه وتعالى, praying during the late nights and parts of the day, praying for victory, and asking Allah سبحانه وتعالى to bless him with the honor of being involved in it.
Achieving change falls within the sphere that dominates us. We have no capacity to achieve it today or tomorrow, not in this place or that, and therefore it is incorrect for us to become frustrated or pessimistic if the waiting period becomes extended or if the difficulties become numerous; rather, we continue our work, with truthfulness, sincerity, seriousness and dedication, perfecting our styles and means, and double checking them constantly…and Allah سبحانه وتعالى takes care of the righteous.
An extended period of waiting does not necessarily indicate that the work undertaken by the person has failed or is incorrect. The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم worked for change in Makkah, and they stood against him; he صلى الله عليه وسلم sought Nusrah more than ten times, and they rejected him…and even became violent; the Nusrah in Madina followed this – not Makkah, where he صلى الله عليه وسلم originally began as a Prophet and Messenger…and not one person would ever consider the idea that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم had failed or was wrong, or that Mus’ab had “better” actions!
As for the Ayah:
إِنَّ اللّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
“Truly, Allah does not change the situation of a people until they change what is within themselves first” [Ar-Ra’ad, 13:11]
it is referring to a Hukum Shar’iee: Whoever wishes to bring about change, then it is upon them to work with seriousness and dedication, honesty and sincerity, as Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not change the situation of the lazy and those who are asleep, but rather He سبحانه وتعالى changes the situation of those who work hard, exhausting their efforts with truthfulness and sincerity.
In conclusion:
1- Working to bring about the desired change is a Fard (obligation), and falls under the sphere that man dominates.
2- Achieving change today or tomorrow, in this place or that, falls under the sphere that dominates man; therefore it is not permissible to give up or to stop working if the wait becomes prolonged.
3- The extended wait for change to occur does not necessarily indicate that there is something wrong with those working towards it; rather it is as Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the verse:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ قَدْ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدْرًا
“Truly, Allah will accomplish His Matter. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things.” [At-Talaaq, 65:3]
4- Allah سبحانه وتعالى does not bring about change through those who are lazy and sleeping, rather He grants change through the hard working, the honest and the sincere.
And Allah سبحانه وتعالى is the overseer of success.
6th of Rabi’ Al-Awwal, 1430 Hijri
2/3/2009 -
Q&A: Is it Permissible for a Menstruating Woman to Read Quran from the Internet or Mobile Phone?
Answer to the Question:
Is it Permissible for a Menstruating Woman to Read Quran from the Internet or Mobile Phone?
To: Raheeq Em YousifQuestion:
Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuhu,
I would like to inquire about the Shariah rule because I am confused… Is it permissible for the menstruating woman to read Quran from the internet or a mobile phone? I would like an answer. Wa Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah
Answer:
Wa Alaikum us Salaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakaatuhu
To answer the question three points must be made clear:
Reciting of the Quran orally i.e. not from the Mushaf, the touching of the Mushaf and reading Quran from it, and the carrying of laptops or mobile phones that contain Quran application and reading from it.
1- As for the rule of reciting Quran orally by the menstruating woman, it is an issue of dispute between scholars, some say it is forbidden while others allow it, and my outweighed opinion on the issue is that the oral recitation of the Quran by the menstruating woman is forbidden. Extracted by Al-Hakim in Al-Mustadrak on the authority of Sulaiman Bin Harb, and Hafs Bin Amr Bin Mara, from Abdullah Bin Salama, he said: We came to Ali (ra), myself and two other men, Ali (ra ) said:
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقْضِي الْحَاجَةَ، وَيَقْرَأُ الْقُرْآنَ، وَيَأْكُلُ اللَّحْمَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يَحْجُبُهُ عَنْ قِرَاءَتِهِ شَيْءٌ لَيْسَ الْجَنَابَةُ»
“The Messenger of Allah (saw) used to answer the call of nature, and recite Quran, and eat meat, and nothing stopped him from reciting it except the state of impurity (Janaba)”. Al-Hakim said this Hadith is of Sahih isnad (transmission), and it is authenticated by Adh-Dhahabi. What is clear from the Hadith of the Prophet (saw), that he (saw) used to recite Quran orally except when he was in a state of impurity; which means that it is forbidden for the impure person to recite Quran, and what applies to the impure person applies to the menstruating woman in terms of recitation of the Quran.
So my preponderant opinion is that the menstruating woman not to recite the Quran.
2- As for touching the Mushaf (Book) by the impure person and the menstruating woman is not permitted, it is Haram due to the saying of Allah (swt):
﴿لَا يَمَسُّهُ إِلَّا الْمُطَهَّرُونَ﴾
“None touch it except the purified” [Al-Waqi’a: 79].
And due to the noble Hadith on the authority of Imam Malik in Al-Muwatta from Abdullah Bin Abi Bakr Bin Hazm, that in the message written by the Messenger (saw) to Amr Bin Hazm:
«أَنْ لَا يَمَسَّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ»
“That only the purified person may touch the Quran”.
In another narration by Malik in Al-Muwatta, by the full name of Abdullah, as the following: (from Abdullah Bin Abi Bakr Bin Muhammad Bin Amr Bin Hazm), and by the authority of At-Tabarani in Al-Kabeer and As-Sagheer from Salim Bin Abdullah Bin Omar by the version: “from Sulaiman Bin Musa, I heard Salim Bin Abdullah Bin Omar narrating from his father, he said:
The Prophet (saw) said:
«لَا يَمَسُّ الْقُرْآنَ إِلَّا طَاهِرٌ»
“Only the purified person touches the Quran””.
Therefore it is preponderant that it is forbidden for the menstruating woman to touch the Quran and recites from it.
3- As for carrying the laptop or mobile phone which contains a Quran Application, the scholars have already discussed this issue that I like to start with, which is carrying of the Mushaf (Book) in a box or pouch; they have different opinions on it:
“The Hanafi and Hanbali schools follow the opinion that allows the impure or the one without Wudu to carry the Mushaf via a strap, or via a medium that is not attached to it, because the person will not be touching it, so he will be allowed to carry it similar to carrying the Mushaf among his luggage.
This is because what is forbidden here is touching of the Mushaf, and in this case there is no touching.
The Hanafi school of thought (madh’hab) says: If he carries it with a cover that is not sewed to it or it is inside a pouch, or the like, then it is not disliked to do so.
The Maliki and Shafi’i school and from a narration from Ahmad, they all follow that this is not permitted, the Maliki school says: only the purified carries it even if it was on a pillow or similar, like the Mus’haf’s stand, or by an attached or unattached cover.
And so said the Shafi’i school, what is correctly known of them: It is not permitted to carry or touch the pouch or box that contains the Mus’haf i.e. if they were prepared for the purpose of carrying the Mus’haf i.e. one is not allowed to touch or carry a box for the purpose of carrying the luggage which includes the Mus’haf.”
It is clear that there is a fiqhi difference of opinion in this issue, what I outweigh is that it is permitted to carry a mobile phone without the state of purity even if it contains Quran application program because it does not take the rule of the Mus’haf. The reality of the program stored in the mobile phone memory is not like the writing, and the mobile phone contains many programs as well as the Quran and it is used in many things other than reading the Quran and does not take the rule of the Mus’haf, with the exception of two cases:
First:
when the Quran program is opened and the emergence of the Quranic text on the screen of the device:
In this case, the written text takes the rule of the Mus’haf because it is a written text, and touching the screen with the written text is forbidden except for the purified, because it serves as the writing on the paper, sheets and leather, which the Quran is written on, and therefore if the mobile phone holder wanted to read the Quran on it by opening the screen, is not permissible for him, except in a purified state. This is also the case if the the screen is open to the Quranic text it must not be carried except in a purified state.
If the mobile phone is not open to the Quranic text:
In this case it may be carried by the impure person even if the Quran program is within the stored programs, because understanding the reality (manat) of the mobile phone, if the Quranic text is not on the screen, then this reality differs from the reality of the Mushaf.
Second:
The mobile phone does not contain except the Quran program, where it appears on the screen for reading, in other words that the phone is only used to read the Quran and it has no other programs. In this case, the impure person is not permitted to carry it.
This is what I outweigh on the issue, Allah Knows best He is Most Wise.
Wassalaam Alaikum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuhu
Your brother,
Ata Bin Khalil Abu Al-Rashtah17 Dhul Hijja 1434 AH – 1/10/ 2013 CE
-
Victory (Nasr) – Its Meaning, Cause, Two Conditions and Preventions
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Victory (نصر Nasr); Its Meaning, Cause, Two Conditions and Preventions
Abdul Karim Abu Mus’ab from Al-Waie Issue 384
(Translated)
We say, whilst Tawfeeq is from Allah (swt), that because of influencing cultures upon the Muslims and their distance from abiding by the Laws of Allah (swt), the understanding of Victory (نصر Nasr) has become confused within many. This further leads to disputes over how to achieve Victory. The misunderstanding has also affected attitudes towards what has befallen the Islamic world in our time.
Some Muslims consider Victory as a divine gift, bestowed by Allah (swt) upon whom He (swt) wishes from His servants, without merit, preparation, trials and tribulations. This understanding is incorrect in light of the verse,
﴿وَلَوْ يَشَاءُ اللَّهُ لاَنتَصَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَلَكِنْ لِيَبْلُوَ بَعْضَكُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَالَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَلَنْ يُضِلَّ أَعْمَالَهُمْ * سَيَهْدِيهِمْ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَهُمْ * وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ * يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ﴾
“And if Allah had willed, He could have taken vengeance upon them [Himself], but [He ordered armed struggle] to test some of you by means of others. And those who are killed in the cause of Allah – never will He waste their deeds. He will guide them and amend their condition. And admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them. O you who have believed, if you support Allah, He will support you and plant firmly your feet.” (Surah Muhammad 47:4-7).
Victory is from Allah (swt) and it has its Legal Prerequisites. It is not sought by mere wishful thinking such as that by the People of the Book. Allah (swt) said,
﴿لَيْسَ بِأَمَانِيِّكُمْ وَلاَ أَمَانِيِّ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مَنْ يَعْمَلْ سُوءًا يُجْزَ بِهِ وَلاَ يَجِدْ لَهُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيًّا وَلاَ نَصِيرًا﴾
“Paradise is not [obtained] by your wishful thinking nor by that of the People of the Scripture. Whoever does a wrong will be recompensed for it, and he will not find besides Allah a protector or a Naseer (نصير Granter of Victory).” (Surah Nisa 4:123).
Some think that the current reality will not allow Victory and that it is far away and so they have submitted to circumstances. Others link it to the coming of the Mahdi, the Hadiths about the End of Time and sayings in addition to these.
However, if we direct attention to the tide of history and the struggle of civilisations, we would see a universal rule regarding the rise and fall of states. There has neither been a state that has dominated all of human history, nor has there been a state that continued without an end. The changing of circumstances is a rule from the rules of Allah (swt) for human society. At times, Victory may be for the people of Falsehood and, at other times, for the people of the Truth. However, the final consequences are for those who hold to the Truth as long as they are firm upon it. This is a divine law that is a fixed law that neither favours anyone, nor excludes anyone, but by His (swt) permission. Whosoever falls under the scope of this law, it is applied upon him as it applies upon others, as is understood from the verse,
﴿إِنْ يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِثْلُهُ وَتِلْكَ الأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ وَاللَّهُ لاَ يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾
“If an affliction should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a affliction similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers.” [Surah Aali-Imran 3:140]
So, we found that it is necessary to shed light on the concept of Victory generally.
Victory (Nasr) carries many linguistic meanings, including help and support. However, by convention, Victory is conquering the enemies, overcoming them and gaining superiority. The word Nasr is found in the Quran with its derivatives in many different places.
As for Nasr by Islamic Legal definition, it is mentioned eleven times in the Quran. It varies in every place, depending on the context of the verse and what is of importance from its meaning:
Firstly: Protection and Defence, and most of these were in reference to threaten the kuffar and wrongdoers in several ways:
1- In the Seeghatul Nafee (صيغة نفي Form of Denying) of the protection from the torment of the Hereafter as in the verse,
﴿يَوْمَ لاَ يُغْنِي عَنْهُمْ كَيْدُهُمْ شَيْئًا وَلاَ هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
“The Day their plan will not avail them at all, nor will they be helped.” [Surah at-Tur 52: 46]
2- In the form of denying self-ability to defend torment as in the verse,
﴿وَيَا قَوْمِ مَنْ يَنصُرُنِي مِنْ اللَّهِ إِنْ طَرَدْتُهُمْ أَفَلاَ تَذَكَّرُونَ﴾
“And O my people, who would protect me from Allah if I drove them away? Then will you not be reminded?” [Hud: 56:30]
3- In the form of avenging against oppression,
وَلَمَنِ انتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُوْلَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ﴾
“And whoever avenges himself after having been wronged – those have not upon them any cause [for blame].” [Surah ash-Shura 42:41]
4- In the form of help and assistance,
﴿مَنْ كَانَ يَظُنُّ أَنْ لَنْ يَنصُرَهُ اللَّهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ فَلْيَمْدُدْ بِسَبَبٍ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ ثُمَّ لِيَقْطَعْ فَلْيَنظُرْ هَلْ يُذْهِبَنَّ كَيْدُهُ مَا يَغِيظُ﴾
“Whoever should think that Allah will not support [Prophet Muhammad] in this world and the Hereafter – let him extend a rope to the ceiling, then cut off [his breath], and let him see: will his effort remove that which enrages [him]?” [Surah al-Hajj 22:15]
And here the Ulema’a mentioned a difference between Victory (نصر Nasr) and Help (إعانة). So, Victory is only in the case of adversarial struggle, whilst Help is in all other cases. Thus, Help is more general than Victory.
Secondly: Victorious (غلبة Ghalbah) and Triumph (ظفر Zafar): This meaning comes to mind when you hear the word Victory, as in the verse,
﴿وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلاَّ بُشْرَى وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلاَّ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ﴾
“And Allah made it not but good tidings and so that your hearts would be assured thereby. And Victory is from none but from Allah . Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” [Surah al-Anfaal 8:10].
This confirms the confining of the reality of Victory to being from Allah (swt) alone.
Thirdly: Mushtaqaat (مشتقات Grammatical Derivatives) of Victory: There are many in the Quran, so we mention some of them only, by way of example: Fatah (فتح Conquest), Tamkeen (تمكين Establishment), Rise (ظهور), Fawz (فوز Winning), Furqan (فرقان Criterion), Nijaah (نجاة Deliverance), Victorious (غلبة Ghalbah)…
From the aforementioned, and from the Usuli (Foundation of Jurisprudence) definition of Sabab (سبب Cause), Sabab is, ما يلزم من وجوده الوجود، ومن عدمه العدم لذاته “that whose existence necessitates the existence and whose absence necessitates the absence by itself” So, we find that the Cause of Victory is in the Hand of Allah (swt) exclusively. And the Thaman (ثمن Price) for granting of Victory for His Deen has two conditions. The Usooli definition of the Shart (شرط Condition) is ما يلزم من عدمه العدم، ولا يلزم من وجوده وجود ولا عدم لذاته “that whose absence necessitates the absence but whose existence does not necessitate the existence, but not by the absence of itself.” Victory is the result of its Granter, which is Allah (swt). The two conditions for Victory are:
1- The Eman (إيمان Belief) that holds us to obey Allah (swt) and use Him alone and give Him recognition, and that’s in the verse,
﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ رُسُلاً إِلَى قَوْمِهِمْ فَجَاءُوهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا وَكَانَ حَقًّا عَلَيْنَا نَصْرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ﴾
“And We have already sent messengers before you to their peoples, and they came to them with clear evidences; then We took retribution from those who committed crimes, and incumbent upon Us was support of the believers.” [Surah Ar-Rum 30:47]
2- The strong I’adaad (إعداد Preparation) in its general meaning, a preparation which is achievable, though not arriving at perfection in preparation. Allah (swt) said,
﴿وَأَعِدُّوا لَهُمْ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ مِنْ قُوَّةٍ وَمِنْ رِبَاطِ الْخَيْلِ تُرْهِبُونَ بِهِ عَدُوَّ اللَّهِ وَعَدُوَّكُمْ وَآخَرِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِمْ لاَ تَعْلَمُونَهُمُ اللَّهُ يَعْلَمُهُمْ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا مِنْ شَيْءٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ يُوَفَّ إِلَيْكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لاَ تُظْلَمُونَ﴾
“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 and others besides them whom you do not know [but] whom Allah knows. And whatever you spend in the cause of Allah will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged.” [Surah al-Anfaal 8:60]
Victory has many types, including:
1-The Victory which Allah (swt) has promised us; the one we seek to deserve and the one for which we have fulfilled both conditions: Eman and preparing available power. Any negligence in this matter will result in Victory not coming to be. Our example is that of Uhud, where some Companions (ra) fell into error when the archers left their positions and violated the order of the Prophet (saaw). And also in Hunayn, when they fell into small shirk, because they were impressed by their opponents’ power.
2- There is also a preferential Victory. Here, it is the Wisdom of Allah (swt) that requires a party to be victorious over another party. By way of example are the verses,
﴿غُلِبَتِ ٱلرُّومُ * فِيٓ أَدۡنَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ غَلَبِهِمۡ سَيَغۡلِبُونَ * فِي بِضۡعِ سِنِينَۗ لِلَّهِ ٱلۡأَمۡرُ مِن قَبۡلُ وَمِنۢ بَعۡدُۚ وَيَوۡمَئِذٖ يَفۡرَحُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ﴾
“The Byzantines have been defeated. In the nearest land. But they, after their defeat, will overcome. Within three to nine years. To Allah belongs the command before and after. And that day the believers will rejoice.” [Surah ar-Rum 30:2-4]
3- There is a Victory for the principle, whereupon the human-being dies upon the principle, such that he is granted victory by Allah (swt). The example is like the people of Ukhdood, who all died, but won a Victory for the principle, because they have confirmed their Eeman in Allah (swt).
These are the types of Victory, but the Victory that Allah (swt) has promised us, and the one that was foretold by His Noble Messenger (saaw) is of the first type i.e. the victory that we are seeking to be deserving of and we ask Allah (swt) that it comes soon.
We will now discuss the relationship of Victory with tribulation, struggle and human effort. It is a firm fact from the Qur’an that there is no victory without tribulation. Yet, there are those who say: Is it necessary for us to be tested in order to attain victory? Yes, the Sunnah of Allah (swt) necessitates that there must be adversity and anguish, so that nothing of effort or energy is spared. Then victory comes after despair through all apparent reasons. Allah said,
﴿أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُواْ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوۡاْ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلۡزِلُواْ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٞ﴾
“Or do you think that you will enter Paradise while such [trial] has not yet come to you as came to those who passed on before you? They were afflicted by poverty and hardship and were shaken until [even their] messenger and those who believed with him said, “When is the help of Allah?” Unquestionably, the help of Allah is near.” [Surah al-Baqarah 2:214]
Were it not for Allah (swt) fighting the people of Falsehood by means of the people of Truth to overcome the people of Falsehood and Corruption, who oppress the righteous, the land would have been corrupted. That is why we find struggle before victory, that is, the truth strives against the Falsehood such that the struggle becomes more intense and direct. It is then when Allah (swt) supports the Truth with His Victory in speech, action and outcome. As He (swt) said,
﴿ٱلَّذِينَ أُخۡرِجُواْ مِن دِيَٰرِهِم بِغَيۡرِ حَقٍّ إِلَّآ أَن يَقُولُواْ رَبُّنَا ٱللَّهُۗ وَلَوۡلَا دَفۡعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعۡضَهُم بِبَعۡضٖ لَّهُدِّمَتۡ صَوَٰمِعُ وَبِيَعٞ وَصَلَوَٰتٞ وَمَسَٰجِدُ يُذۡكَرُ فِيهَا ٱسۡمُ ٱللَّهِ كَثِيرٗاۗ وَلَيَنصُرَنَّ ٱللَّهُ مَن يَنصُرُهُۥٓۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ﴾
“[They are] those who have been evicted from their homes without right – only because they say, “Our Lord is Allah .” And were it not that Allah checks the people, some by means of others, there would have been demolished monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques in which the name of Allah is much mentioned. And Allah will surely grant Victory to those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might.?” [Surah al-Hajj 22:40]
There are some misconceptions among Muslims today inherited through the concept of indifference. This is due to their ignorance of this Deen which is a divine approach to human life. Human effort must be within the limits of the material reality. As a result, in order to achieve human victory, a group from the people must carry this Deen and believe in it with full Eman, be tested within it until they are upright upon it, strive in achieving it in the hearts of others; thus, prevailing upon themselves with their steadfastness and adherence to the Deen. Then comes Victory, after human change is achieved, which is followed by divine change and victory being achieved, As He (swt) said,
﴿إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوۡمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ﴾ ‘Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.’ [Surah ar-Ra’ad 13:11]
Furthermore, there are Mawaani’a (موانعُ Preventions) in the way of Victory. In Islamic Jurisprudence, the Maania (مانع Prevention) is ما يلزم من وجوده العدم، ولا يلزم من عدمه وجود ولا عدم لذاته “that whose existence necessitates the absence but whose absence does not necessitate the existence and not by the absence of itself.” These include:
1. Dispute and division, Allah (swt) said,
﴿وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُۥ وَلَا تَنَٰزَعُواْ فَتَفۡشَلُواْ وَتَذۡهَبَ رِيحُكُمۡ وَٱصۡبِرُوٓاْۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ﴾
“And obey Allah and His Messenger, and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart; and be patient. Indeed, Allah is with the patient.” [Surah al-Anfaal 8:46]
The dispute is the difference that creeps in between the Mujahideen in the Path of Allah after their gaining power, as Allah (swt) said,
﴿وَلَا تَنَٰزَعُواْ فَتَفۡشَلُواْ وَتَذۡهَبَ رِيحُكُمۡ﴾
“and do not dispute and [thus] lose courage and [then] your strength would depart.” [Surah al-Anfaal 8:46]
2. Ma’siyah (معصية Sin) and disobedience of commands. Here, the sin is a disobedience of the commands of Allah (swt) as well as the disobedience of the leadership’s commands of the leaders which do not anger Allah (swt), and which are not for the sake of gains of wealth and position and other than that.
3. Mawaalaah (موالاة Allegiance) to other than Allah (swt), and Itibaa’a (اتباع Adoption) of a path other than His (swt) Path. If we want Allah to support us, we must not be loyal to other than Allah (swt) and we not adopt other than His (swt) Path. Allah (swt) said,
﴿يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لَا تَتَّخِذُواْ بِطَانَةٗ مِّن دُونِكُمۡ لَا يَأۡلُونَكُمۡ خَبَالٗا وَدُّواْ مَا عَنِتُّمۡ قَدۡ بَدَتِ ٱلۡبَغۡضَآءُ مِنۡ أَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ وَمَا تُخۡفِي صُدُورُهُمۡ أَكۡبَرُۚ قَدۡ بَيَّنَّا لَكُمُ ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ﴾
“O you who have believed, do not take as intimates those other than yourselves, for they will not spare you [any] ruin. They wish you would have hardship. Hatred has already appeared from their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater. We have certainly made clear to you the signs, if you will use reason.” [Surah Aali Imran 3:118].
And there are further Preventions as well.
After all this distance from Allah (swt), how do we wonder where is the promised victory of Allah (swt)? Victory may be delayed a little upon those who work with the truth and try to resume the Islamic life, because Victory does not come by accident, but is subject to the Sunnah of Allah (swt) and divine laws. Allah (swt) only delayed Victory according to His Foresight and from its forms are:
1. that the Ummah has not yet matured to attain Victory, and if Victory was granted, the Ummah would not be able to protect it.
2. or that the Ummah did not crystallize in its conviction that even if all the forces of the world combined, Victory is not guaranteed without Allah (swt).
3. or that the Ummah was not sure that their connection to Allah is the only guarantee for its establishment after Victory.
4. or that until all falseness and deceit are exposed to us, as well as the people of falsehood in all its forms.
As for the haste in Victory, it is not a defect or Haraam (Forbidden), because man is hasty by his nature,
﴿وَيَدۡعُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ بِٱلشَّرِّ دُعَآءَهُۥ بِٱلۡخَيۡرِۖ وَكَانَ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ عَجُولٗا﴾
“And man supplicates for evil as he supplicates for good, and man is ever hasty.” [Surah Al-Isra’a 17:11]
The Companions (ra) of the Messenger of Allah (saw) asked him (saw) to ask for Victory for them and supplicate for them, but he (saw) asked them to be patient. Khabbab bin Al-Art (ra) complained to RasulAllah (saaw) about their state while he was leaning against his sheet cloak in the shade of the Ka`ba. Khabbab (ra) said,“Will you ask Allah to help us? Will you invoke Allah for us?” He (saaw) said,
«كَانَ الرَّجُلُ فِيمَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ يُحْفَرُ لَهُ فِي الأَرْضِ فَيُجْعَلُ فِيهِ، فَيُجَاءُ بِالمِنْشَارِ فَيُوضَعُ عَلَى رَأْسِهِ فَيُشَقُّ بِاثْنَتَيْنِ وَمَا يَصُدُّهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ، وَيُمْشَطُ بِأَمْشَاطِ الحَدِيدِ مَا دُونَ لَحْمِهِ مِنْ عَظْمٍ أَوْ عَصَبٍ وَمَا يَصُدُّهُ ذَلِكَ عَنْ دِينِهِ، وَاللَّهِ لَيَتِمَّنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ، حَتَّى يَسِيرَ الرَّاكِبُ مِنْ صَنْعَاءَ إِلَى حَضْرَمَوْتَ لَا يَخَافُ إِلَّا اللَّهَ أَوِ الذِّئْبَ عَلَى غَنَمِهِ، وَلَكِنَّكُمْ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ»
“Among those who were before you a (believer) used to be seized and, a pit used to be dug for him and then he used to be placed in it. Then a saw used to be brought and put on his head which would be split into two halves. His flesh might be combed with iron combs and removed from his bones, yet, all that did not cause him to turn away from his Deen. By Allah! This Deen (Islam) will be completed (and triumph) till a rider (traveller) goes from San`a’ (the capital of Yemen) to Hadramout fearing nobody except Allah and the wolf lest it should trouble his sheep, but you are hasty.” [Bukhari]
After this simple clarification, we say: Yes, Allah’s (swt) Victory is coming inevitably when we satisfy His Conditions. However, the change begins from human beings such that each of us takes it upon ourselves to be a part of the group which carries the call to the Deen of Allah with all sincerity, and the sin falls of his shoulders due to him working with those who are working. Amongst them are those who do their very best and in these days many false masks, empty slogans and empty content have been exposed such that little is left in the arena. With a simple effort, the brother of the believer can find this group which has a clear project, an ideological goal, and which does not deviate from the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah of His Noble Messenger (saw). InshaaAllah, perhaps Allah (swt) has Good for you and enlighten for you insight, for you are the one who is requested to undertake effort and collective societal action for change, and your work is a vindication for your protection. And Allah is behind all purpose.
