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In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most
Merciful
By al-Ustaath Sayyid Qutb
The day Islam gave a new concept of values and standards to
mankind and showed the way to learn these values and standards, it also
provided it with a new concept of human relationships. Islam came to return man
to his Sustainer and to make His guidance the only source from which values and
standards are to be obtained, as He is the Provider and Originator. All
relationships ought to be based through Him, as we came into being through His
will and shall return to Him.
Islam came to establish only one relationship which binds
men together in the sight of God, and if this relationship is firmly
established, then all other relationships based on blood or other
considerations become eliminated. "You will not find the people who
believe in God and the Hereafter taking as allies the enemies of God and His
Prophet, whether they be their fathers or sons or brothers or fellow
tribesmen." (58:22)
In the world there is only one party of God; all others are
parties of Satan and rebellion. "Those who believe fight in the cause of
God, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of rebellion. Then fight the
allies of Satan; indeed, Satan's strategy is weak." (3:78)
There is only one way to reach God; all other ways do not
lead to Him. "This is My straight path. Then follow it, and do not follow
other ways which will scatter you from His path." (6:153)
For human life, there is only one true system, and that is
Islam; all other systems are Jahiliyyah. "Do they want a judgment of the
Days of Ignorance? Yet who is better in judgment than God, for a people having
sure faith?" (5:50)
There is only one law which ought to be followed, and that
is the Shari'ah from God; what is other than this is mere caprice. "We
have set thee on a way ordained (by God); then follow it, and do not follow the
desires of those who have no knowledge." (45:18)
The truth is one and indivisible; anything different from
it is error. "Is anything left besides error, beyond the truth? Then
whither do you go?" (10:32)
There is only one place on earth which can be called the
home of Islam (Dar-ul-Islam), and it is that place where the Islamic state is
established and the Shari¹ah is the authority and God's limits are observed,
and where all the Muslims administer the affairs of the state with mutual
consultation. The rest of the world is the home of hostility (Dar-ul-Harb). A
Muslim can have only two possible relations with Dar-ul-Harb: peace with a
contractual agreement, or war. A country with which there is a treaty will not
be considered the home of Islam.
"Those who believed, and migrated, and strove with
their wealth and their persons in the cause of God, and those who gave them
refuge and helped them, are the protectors of each other. As to those who
believed but did not emigrate, you have no responsibility for their protection
until they emigrate; but if they ask your help in religion, it is your duty to
help them, except against a people between whom and you there is a treaty; and
God sees whatever you do. Those who disbelieve are the allies of each other. If
you do not do this, there will be oppression in the earth and a great
disturbance. Those who believe, and migrate, and fight in the cause of God, and
those who give them refuge and help them, are in truth Believers. For them is
forgiveness and generous provision. And those who accept Faith afterwards and
migrate and strive along with you, they are of you." (8:72-75)
Islam came with this total guidance and decisive teaching.
It came to elevate man above, and release him from, the bonds of the earth and
soil. A Muslim has no country except that part of the earth where the Shari'ah
of God is established and human relationships are based on the foundation of
relationship with God; a Muslim has no nationality except his belief, which
makes him a member of the Muslim community in Dar-ul-Islam; a Muslim has no
relatives except those who share the belief in God, and thus a bond is
established between him and other Believers through their relationship with
God.
A Muslim has no relationship with his mother, father, brother,
wife and other family members except through their relationship with the
Creator, and then they are also joined through blood. "O mankind, remain
conscious of your Sustainer, Who created you from one soul and created from it
its mate, and from the two of them scattered a great many men and women. Remain
conscious of God, from Whose authority you make demands, and reverence the
wombs which bore." (4:1)
However, Divine relationship does not prohibit a Muslim
from treating his parents with kindness and consideration, inspite of
differences of belief, as long as they do not join the front lines of the
enemies of Islam. However, if they openly declare their alliance with the
enemies of Islam, then all the filial relationships of a Muslim are cut off and
he is not bound to be kind and considerate to them. Abdullah, son of Abdullah
bin Ubayy, has presented us with a bright example in this respect.
Ibn Jarir, on the authority of Ibn Ziad, has reported that
the Prophet called Abdullah, son of Abdullah bin Ubayy, and said, "Do you
know what your father said?" Abdullah asked, "May my parents be a
ransom for you; what did my father say?" The Prophet replied, "He
said, "If we return to Medina (from the battle), the one with honor will
throw out the one who is despised." Abdullah then said, "O Messenger
of God, by God, he told the truth. You are the one with honor and he is the one
who is despised. O Messenger of God, the people of Medina know that before you
came to Medina, no one was more obedient to his father than I was. But now, if
it is the pleasure of God and His Prophet that I cut off his head, then I shall
do so." The Prophet replied, "No". When the Muslims returned to
Medina, Abdullah stood in front of the gate with his sword drawn over his father's
head, telling him, "Did you say that if we return to Medina then the one
with honor will throw out the one who is despised? By God, now you will know
whether you have honor, or God¹s Messenger! By God, until God and His Messenger
give permission, you cannot enter Medina, nor will you have refuge from me!?
Ibn Ubayy cried aloud and said twice, "People of Khazraj, see how my son
is preventing me from entering my home!" But his son Abdullah kept
repeating that unless the Prophet gave permission, he would not let him enter
Medina. Hearing this noise, some people gathered around and started pleading
with Abdullah, but he stood his ground. Some people went to the Prophet and
reported this incident. He told them, "Tell Abdullah to let his father
enter". When Abdullah got this message, he then told his father,
"Since the Prophet has given permission, you can enter now."
When the relationship of the belief is established, whether
there be any relationship of blood or not, the Believers become like brothers.
God Most high says, "Indeed, the Believers are brothers", which is a
limitation as well as a prescription. He also says: "Those who believed
and migrated and strove with their wealth and their persons in the cause of
God, and those who gave them refuge and helped them, are the protectors of each
other." (8:72)
The protection which is referred to in this verse is not
limited to a single generation, but encompasses future generations as well,
thus linking the future generations with the past generation in a sacred and
eternal bond of love, loyalty and kindness. "Those who lived (in Medina)
before the Emigrants and believed, love the Emigrants and do not find in their
hearts any grudge when thou givest them something, but give them preference
over themselves, even though they may be poor. Indeed, the ones who restrain
themselves from greed, achieve prosperity. Those who came after them (the
Emigrants) say: 'Our Lord forgive us and our brothers who entered the faith
before us, and leave not in our hearts any grievance against those who
believed. Our Lord Thou art indeed Most Kind, Most Merciful.'" (59:10)
God Most High has related the stories of earlier Prophets
in the Qur'an as an example for the Believers. In various periods the Prophets
of God lighted the flame of faith and guided the Believers. "And Noah
called upon his Lord and said, 'O my Lord, surely my son is of my family, and
thy promise is true, and thou art the Justest of Judges'. He said, 'O Noah, he
is not of thy family, as his conduct is unrighteous; so do not ask of me that
of which thou hast no knowledge. I give thee the counsel not to act like the
ignorant.' Noah said, 'O my Lord, I seek refuge with Thee lest I ask Thee for
that of which I have no knowledge, and unless Thou forgive me and have mercy on
me, I shall be lost'". (1:124)
"And when Abraham said, 'My Lord! Make this a city of
peace and feed its people with fruits, such of them as believe in God and the
Last Day'. He said, 'And those who reject faith, I will grant them their
pleasure for a while, but will eventually drive them to the chastisement of the
Fire. What an evil destination!'" (2:126)
When the Prophet Abraham saw his father and his people
persistent in their error, he turned away from them and said: "I leave
thee and those upon whom thou callest besides God. I will only call upon my
Sustainer, and hope that my Lord will not disappoint me." (19:48)
In relating the story of Abraham and his people, God has
highlighted those aspects which are to be an example for the Believers.
"Indeed, Abraham and his companions are an example for you, when they told
their people, ŒWe have nothing to do with you and with whatever you worship
besides God. We reject them; and now there is perpetual enmity and danger
between you and us, unless you believe in One God." (60:4)
When those young and courageous friends who are known as
the Companions of the Cave found it impossible to live, with their faith, among
their family and tribe, they left them all, migrated from their country, and
ran toward their Sustainer so that they could live as His servants. "They
were youths who believed in their Lord, and We advanced them in guidance. We
gave strength to hearts, so that they stood up and said, 'Our Lord is the Lord
of the heavens and the earth. We shall not call upon any god apart from Him. If
we did, we should indeed have said an awful thing. These our people have taken
for worship gods other than Him. Why do they not bring a clear proof for what
they do? Who can be more wrong than such as invent a falsehood against God? So,
when you turn away from them and the things they worship other than God, take
refuge in the cave. Your Lord will shower mercies on you and will provide ease
and comfort for your affairs!" (18:13-16)
the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot were separated from
their husbands only because their beliefs were different. "God gives as an
example for the unbelievers the wife of Noah and the wife of Lot. They were
married to two of Our righteous servants; but they were false to their
husbands, and they profited nothing before God on their account, but were told,
'Enter you both into the fire along with those who enter it.'" (66:10)
Then there is another kind of example in the wife of Pharaoh. "And God
gives as an example to those who believe the wife of Pharaoh. Behold, she said,
'My Lord, build for me in nearness to Thee a mansion in heaven, and save me
from Pharaoh and his doings, and save me from those who do wrong.'"
(66:11)
Similarly, the Qur'an describes examples of different kinds
of relationships. In the story of Noah we have an example of the paternal
relationship; in the story of Abraham, an example of the son and of the
country; in the story of the Companions of the Cave, a comprehensive example of
relatives, tribe and home country. In the stories of Noah, Lot and Pharaoh
there is an example of marital relationships.
After a description of the lives of the great Prophets and
their relationships, we not turn to the Middle Community, that is, that of the
early Muslims. We find similar examples and experiences in this community in
great numbers. This community followed the Divine path which God has chosen for
the Believers. When the relationship of common belief was broken-in other
words, when the very first relationship joining one man with another was
broken-then persons of the same family or tribe were divided into different
groups. God Most High says in praise of the Believers: "You will not find
any people who believe in God and the Last Day loving those whop fight god and
His Messenger, even though they be their fathers or their sons, or their
brothers, or their kindred. These are the people on whose hearts God has
imprinted faith and strengthened them with a spirit from Himself.
And He will admit them to Gardens beneath which rivers
flow, to dwell therein. God will be well-pleased with them and they with Him.
They are the party of God; truly the party of God will prosper." (58:22)
We see that the blood relationships between Muhammad-peace
be on him-and his uncle Abu Lahab and his cousin "Amr bin Hisham (Abu
Jahl) were broken and that the Emigrants from Mecca were fighting against their
families and relatives and were in the front lines of Badr, while on the other
hand, their relations with the Helpers of Medina became strengthened on the
basis of a common faith. They became like brothers, even more than blood
relatives. This relationship established a new brotherhood of Muslims in which
were included Arabs and non-Arabs. Suhaib from Rome and Bilal from Abyssinia
and Salman from Persia were all brothers. There was no tribal partisanship
among them. The pride of lineage was ended, the voice of nationalism was
silenced, and the Messenger of God addressed them: "Get rid of these
partisanships; these are foul things" and "He is not one of us who
calls toward partisanship, who fights for partisanship, and who dies for
partisanship."
Thus this partisanship-the partisanship of lineage-ended;
and this slogan-the slogan of race-died; and this pride-the pride of nationality-vanished;
and man's spirit soared to higher horizons, freed from the bondage of flesh and
blood and the pride of soil and country. From that day, the Muslim¹s country
has not been a piece of land, but the homeland of Islam (Dar-ul-Islam)-the
homeland where faith rules and the Shari'ah of Gold holds sway, the homeland in
which he took refuge and which he defended, and in trying to extend it, he
became martyred. This Islamic homeland is a refuge for any who accepts the
Islamic Shari'ah to be the law of the state, as is the case with the Dhimmies.
But any place where the Islamic Shari'ah is not enforced and where Islam is not
dominant, becomes the home of hostility (Dar-ul-Harb) for both the Muslim and
the Dhimmi. A Muslim will remain prepared to fight against it, whether it be
his birthplace or a place where his relatives reside or where his property or
any other material interests are located.
And thus Muhammad-peace be on him-fought against the city
of Mecca, although it was his birthplace, and his relatives lived there, and he
and his Companions had houses and property there, which they had left when they
migrated; yet the soil of Mecca did not become Dar-ul-Islam for him and his
followers until it surrendered to Islam and the Shari'ah became operative in
it.
This, and only this is Islam. Islam is not a few words
pronounced by the tongue or birth in a country called Islamic or an inheritance
from a Muslim father. "No, by they Sustainer, they have not believed until
they make thee the arbiter of their disputes, and then do not find any
grievance against thy decision, but submit with full submission." (4:65)
Only this is Islam, and only this is Dar-ul-Islam-not the
soil, not the race, not the lineage,. not the tribe, and not the family.
Islam freed all humanity from the ties of the earth, so
that they might soar toward the skies and freed them from the chains of blood
relationships-the biological chains-so that they might rise above the angels.
The homeland of the Muslim, in which he lives and which he
defends, is not a piece of land; the nationality of the Muslim, by which he is
identified, is not the nationality determined by a government; the family of
the Muslim, in which he finds solace and which he defends, is not blood
relationships; the flag of the Muslim, which he honors and under which he is
martyred, is not the flag of a country; and the victory of the Muslim, which he
celebrates and for which he is thankful to God, is not a military victory. It
is what God has described: "When God's help and victory comes, and thou
seest people entering into God's religion in multitudes, then celebrate the
praises of thy Lord and ask His forgiveness. Indeed. He is the Acceptor of
Repentance." (110:1-3)
The victory is achieved under the banner of faith, and
under no other banners; the striving is purely for the sake of God, for the
success of His religion and His law, for the protection of Dar-ul-Islam, the
particulars of which we have described above, and for no other purpose. It is
not for the spoils or for fame, nor for the honor of the country or nation, nor
for the mere protection of one's family except when supporting them against
religious persecution. Abu Musa relates: "The Prophet-peace be upon
him-was asked about one, who fights for bravery, another for honor and another
for fame, which one of these is in the cause of God? The Prophet replied,
"Only he is for the cause of God who fights so that the word of God may
remain supreme."
The honor of martyrdom is achieved only when one is
fighting in the cause of God, and if one is killed for any other purpose, this
honor will not be attained. Any country which fights the Muslim because of his
belief and prevents him from practicing his religion, and in which the Shari`ah
is suspended is Dar-ul-Harb, even though his family or his relatives or his
people live in it, or his capital is invested and his trade or commerce is in
that country; and any county where the Islamic faith is dominant and its
shari¹ah is operative is Dar-ul-Islam, even though the Muslim¹s family or relatives
or his people do not live there, and he does not have any commercial relations
with it.
The fatherland is that place where the Islamic faith, the
Islamic way of life and the Shari`ah of God is dominant; only this meaning of
'fatherland' is worth of the human being. Similarly, 'nationality' means belief
and a way of life, and only this relationship is worth of man¹s dignity.
Grouping according to family and tribe and nation, and race and color and
country are residues of the primitive state of man; these jahili groupings are
from a period when man's spiritual values were at a low stage. The
Prophet-peace be on him-has called them "dead things" against which
man's spirit should revolt. When the Jews claimed to be the chosen people of
God, on the basis of their race and nationality, God Most High rejected their
claim and declared that in every period, in every race and in every nation,
there is only one criterion; that of faith. "And they say: 'Be Jews, or
Christians; then you will be guided'. Say: 'Not so: the way of Abraham, the
pure in faith; and he was not among the polytheists.' Say: 'We believe in God,
and what has come down to us, and what has come down to Abraham, Ismail and
Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes (of Israelites), and what was given to Moses and
Jesus and to other Prophets by their Sustainer. We do not make any distinction
among the, and we have submitted to Him. If then they believe as you have
believed, they are guided; but if they turn away, then indeed they are
stubborn. Then God suffices for you, and He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. The
baptism of God and who can baptize better than God? And we worship Him alone.'
(2:135-138)
The people who are really chosen by God are the Muslim
community which has gathered under God's banner without regard to differences
of races, nations, colors and countries. "You are the best community
raised for the good of mankind. You enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil
and you believe in God." (3:110) This is that community in the first
generation of which there were Abu Bakr from Arabia, Bilal from Abyssinia,
Suhaib from Syria, Salman from Persia, and their brothers in faith. The
generations which followed them were similar. Nationalism here is belief,
homeland here is Dar-ul-Islam, the ruler here is God, and the constitution here
is the Qur'an. This noble conception of homeland, of nationality and of
relationship should become imprinted on the hearts of those who invite others
toward God. They should remove all influences of Jahiliyyah which make this concept
impure and which may have the slightest element of hidden shirk, such as shirk
in relation to homeland, or in relation to race or nation, or in relation to
lineage or material interests. All these have been mentioned by God Most High
in one verse, in which He has placed them in one side of the balance and the
belief and its responsibilities in the other side, and invites people to
choose: "Say: if your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your
spouses and your relatives, and the wealth which you have acquired, and the
commerce in which you fear decline, and the homes in which you take delight are
dearer to you than God and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait
until God brings His judgment; and God does not guide the rebellious people."
(9:24)
Similarly, the callers to Islam should not have any
superficial doubts in their hearts concerning the nature of Jahiliyyah and the
nature of Islam, and the characteristics of Dar-ul-Harb and of Dar-ul-Islam,
for through these doubts many are led to confusion. Indeed, there is no Islam
in a land where Islam is not dominant and where its Shari`ah is not
established; and that place is not Dar-ul-Islam where Islam's way of life and
its laws are not practiced. There is nothing beyond faith except unbelief,
nothing beyond Islam except Jahiliyyah, nothing beyond the truth except
falsehood.
Courtesy Of: Islaam.com
Source: kalamullah.com
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