(Resorting to) Al-Ghaibiyaat (unseen matters) and the thinking about causes and effects

Answer to a question:

There is no doubt that the Ghaibiyaat (unseen matters) represents a kind of easy exit or escape in the face of troubles and crises in comparison to exerting effort to thin deeply about the causes and effects which in fact represents the correct method for escaping troubles and crises. The Islamic Ummah has indeed witnessed (in its past) many difficult periods and she used to escape from the troubles and crises by utilising enlightened thought in order to overcome them. This was by acquiring knowledge of the causes and effects and by applying thought to them. However in the period of descent and following that her thinking became affected by obscurities which obscured the minds and twisted the thoughts. The Ghaibiyaat spread within her and kept her from exercising enlightened thought as she resorted and turned to the Ghaibiyaat and trod the path represented in the easy escape or exit. This is led to the absence of their ability to overcome the difficult periods and so the difficulties increased and lasted for longer and so she fell into misfortune until she collapsed.

A person choosing the easy escape or exit is natural in respect to a human being in respect to him being human and as such he seeks the easy exit whatever it maybe whether it is found within the Ghaibiyaat or somewhere else. However the Ghaibiyaat pose a greater danger to mankind than any other direction and as such resorting to them hits a vital area and is destructive to the human being.

The place which allowed for the Muslims to resort to the unseen matters (Ghaibiyaat) was their Imaan in Al-Qadaa Wal-Qadr and their certainty that Allah creates everything and does everything. As such it became an easy exit for the person to have reliance upon the Qadr. This is by saying that the matter is destined and that Allah is the one who brings it about so it is the wish of Allah and His will. And in this simplest of ways the thought related to the causes and effects halted whilst the destinies were surrendered to.

The truth of the matter is that just as Allah (swt) said:

فَلَمْ تَقْتُلُوهُمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ قَتَلَهُمْ

And you did not kill them but it was Allah who killed them (Al-Anfaal 17).

He (swt) also said:

انْفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا وَجَاهِدُوا بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنْفُسِكُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

Go forth, whether light or heavy and perform Al-Jihaad with your wealth and lives in the way of Allah (At-Taubah 41).

And:

قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ يَلُونَكُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ

Fight those adjacent to you of the disbelievers (At-Taubah 123).

And:

وَاقْتُلُوهُمْ حَيْثُ ثَقِفْتُمُوهُمْ

And kill them wherever you overtake them (Al-Baqarah 191).

And just as He (swt) said:

لَوْ أَنْفَقْتَ مَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مَا أَلَّفْتَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ أَلَّفَ بَيْنَهُمْ

If you had spent all that is in the earth you could not have brought their hearts together (Al-Anfaal 63).

He (swt) also said:

وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا

And hold fast to the rope of Allah all together and be not divided (Aali ‘Imraan 103).

And:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ

Verily Allah loves those who fight in His way in a row as if they are (one single) structure joined firmly (As-Saff 4).

The truth is also that Allah (swt) has wished (or willed) things for us (or to befall upon us) and He has wished for things from us. That which he has willed and wished to happen to us He has concealed from us whilst that which He (swt) has wished from us He has commanded us with it. We have not been informed about the Qadr of Allah because it is hidden from us and so we are unaware of it and it is impossible for us to know it. As for what Allah (swt) has wanted from us then He (swt) has commanded us with that. He (swt) has wanted from us to carry the Da’wah to the disbelievers and even if He knew that they would never believe. He (swt) has demanded from us to fight the disbelievers and to fight the rebels and even if He knows that we will be defeated by them. He wanted from us to be a single State even if this were to cover the whole world and even if he knew that the Muslims would be multiple States and that even a small piece of land will be divided into a number of States. He (swt) wanted from us to be severe and strong with the disbelievers and merciful amongst ourselves and even though He knew that the feelings of hostility amongst ourselves would become severe indeed. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: ‘I asked Allah for three (things) and so He responded positively to two (of my requests) but did not in regards to the third. I asked Him to not destroy my Ummah by plague and so He responded positively, I asked Him to not destroy my Ummah by drought and so He responded positively and I asked Him to not make the harshness (or harm) amongst the Muslims to be severe and He did not respond affirmatively’. So when Allah Ta’Aalaa commands us with a matter then this does not mean that he has not destined upon us the opposite of that and when He (swt) forbids us from a matter that this does not mean that he has not written for us other than that. This is because we have not been commanded in respect to that which He (swt) has made Qadar for us (destined) or written for us but rather we have only been commanded to implement that which He has commanded us without paying any consideration to what has been destined or written for us.

The issue of the Ghaibiyaat represents surrendering and giving in to what we have believed to have been destined and written for us whilst not undertaking that which Allah Ta’Aalaa has commanded us to undertake. This is because surrendering is easier than implementing the commands and the person in accordance to his nature chooses the easier and lighter option over the harder and more difficult one (when presented to him). For this reason he chooses surrender instead of undertaking that which is harder and more difficult whilst taking the Imaan in Qadar to support and provide credence to his choice.

Allah (swt) has commanded us to have Imaan in Qadar its good (Khair) and its bad (Sharr) however He did not teach or inform us about that which he has made Qadar for us and written for us. Rather He has commanded us with His clear and apparent commands whilst forbidding us from specific forbiddances and He has informed us of these and made them clear to us. Therefore mixing the Imaan with what He (swt) has commanded us to believe in with the commands that He (swt) has commanded us to implement is what has caused ambiguity and confusion in respect to the action and the manner of how to proceed. It is therefore this mixing that has led to the infiltration of these Ghaibiyaat (unseen matters i.e. Qadar) and it is what has made taking these unseen or unknowable matters as the basis of reliance in respect to choosing the easier and the lighter over the harder and more difficult or burdensome. As such it is from this mixing that the danger of surrendering has arisen and the danger of refraining and sitting back from undertaking action.

It is true that Allah (swt) is the effecter of what He wishes and the creator of everything however Allah (swt) has made rules and laws for this creation (and universe) according to which it proceeds and He has made laws for things and matters which are formed in accordance to them and which change and remain in accordance to these laws. He (swt) can break these rules and laws however He (swt) has done this for the Nabi or Rasool. As such the Imaan in Allah’s power to grant victory to the believers over the disbelievers does not mean that the believers will be victorious whilst they do not take into account or adopt the causes or reasons (Asbaab) for the victory. This is because victory without adopting its causes is not possible whilst the power (Qudrah) of Allah does not relate to the impossible. So the fact that Allah (swt) has power over a matter does not mean that the individual, group or Ummah is powerful or capable over it (and its achievement). The Qudrah (power) of Allah is a specific attribute belonging to Him whilst the Qudrah (power and capability) of the servant is specific to him and it has no relation to the Qudrah of Allah. As such mixing between the Qudrah of Allah and belief in it and the Qudrah of the servant and his undertaking of what Allah has commanded him with, is what has led to the sitting back and abstaining from action (or work for change) and it is what leads to the sedation of nations and peoples.

Verily Allah (swt) said:

وَلَيَنْصُرَنَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ

Allah will surely grant support the one who supports Him (Al-Hajj 40).

This means that He (swt) has made an oath to be the support and one to provide victory to the one who supports Him and this text is Qat’iy Ath-Thuboot (definite in transmission) and Qat’iy Ad-Dalaalah (definite in meaning or import). As such Imaan in it is Fard whilst denying it is Kufr and there is no doubt in regards to that. However this belief has been mixed (or confused) with the action making the one who is meant to support Allah abstain from action because He (swt) will definitely grant him victory. So the one who supports Allah has been commanded by Allah to undertake action. Even though He (swt) has informed him that He will grant him victory He has however at the same time commanded him to undertake work or action. So his reliance and dependency upon the promise of Allah and his abstention from undertaking action represents a disobedience to Allah rather than representing a support for Him. His abstention from undertaking the action therefore negates that he will be supported or granted victory by Allah and as such the absence of victory for the one who claims that he is supporting Allah whilst he does not engage in work or action does not mean that Allah (swt) has gone against His promise. Rather it means that the person by not undertaking that which Allah has commanded him to undertake in respect to taking into account and adopting the Asbaab (reasons or causes) of victory has disobeyed Allah and as such has gone outside from those whom Allah will provide victory to. This is because supporting Allah means performing His commands and abstaining from that which He has forbidden. This person will not then be granted victory as long as he has not supported Allah by undertaking the actions that he has been commanded to undertake.

Therefore the mixing between the Imaan in regards to that which he has been commanded to believe in and undertaking the actions which Allah (swt) has commanded him to undertake leads to being deprived of that which Allah has promised due to abstaining from the work and not undertaking it.

The establishing of the State, any State, within a Jamaa’ah (collective), any Jamaa’ah, has laws and rules related to it and these are that the collective or the strongest faction within it accepts the concepts, criteria and convictions (Mafaaheem, Maqaayees and Qanaa’aat) upon which this State is to be established upon. A long as they have not accepted these concepts, criteria and convictions it is not possible to establish a State amongst them and even if it was overtaken by a dominating force and the strong took hold of the authority amongst them. This is because the original position in respect to establishing the State is the acceptance of the collective or most powerful faction of these concepts, criteria and convictions. These are the laws of the collectives and the laws related to the rule and the authority. These laws are witnessed and seen and an attempt to ignore them whilst taking the authority by force and might cannot bring into existence the Dawlah (State) even if it is possible to bring about those who have taken the authority by force for a while.

Removing the colonised State from those States which have colonised it has rules and laws attached to it and this is for those working to remove it to possess a material power that is can overcome its material power. It must also possess an intellectual (or thought based) power enabling them to comprehend and perceive the tricks (or strategies) and realise the meaning of the material power. Therefore if the intellectual power and the material power do not exist then it is not possible to remove the colonised State. The uprisings of nations and however great they are cannot remove the colonisation and even if it represents the enemy of Allah and as such it is essential to gain knowledge and understanding of the rules and laws of Allah in respect to (both) gaining mastery and colonisation.

The same then applies to everything in existence. Allah (swt) has created all that exists, He has created man and created laws and rules for their living and He (swt) has commanded him with commands and forbidden him with forbiddances. It is therefore necessary that mankind does not mix there Imaan in Him with that which He has commanded and forbidden i.e. to not mix the matters that they have been commanded to believe in with that which they have been commanded to undertake in terms of actions. It is this mixing that leads to resorting to reliance upon the unseen. He (swt) did command them to undertake action upon the basis that He is capable of breaking the (natural) laws and rules but rather He commanded them to believe in the fact that He (swt) is capable of any matter and all powerful over all affairs whilst (also) commanding them to undertake work or to act in accordance to these laws and rules.

He (swt) commanded them to believe in the existence of Jannah and hellfire and He (swt) promised them mercy and forgiveness however He (swt) did not command them with Jannah and the Naar or to act in accordance to what He promised them. Rather He Ta’Aalaa commanded them to act with that which enters into Jannah and protects from the Naar (fire) and He commanded them not to depend upon His Rahmah because just as He (swt) is Raheem (merciful) He (swt) is also Muntaqim (vengeful); He punishes the disobedient and rewards the obedient. Therefore it is essential to not mix between what He (swt) has commanded us to have Imaan (belief) in and what He (swt) has commanded us to act with. Similarly it is necessary for them to differentiate between that which He (swt) commanded them to believe in and that which He (swt) has commanded them to act with.

Therefore the issue of the Ghaibiyaat (unseen matters) comes about due to mixing between that which is obligatory to believe in decisively and that which it is obligatory to undertake in terms of actions. If this mixing or confusion had not existed then the (reality surrounding) the Ghaibiyaat would not have existed and as such it is necessary to differentiate between that which is obligatory to have Imaan in and that which it is obligatory to act with. If this differentiation was not to happen and the mixing took place then the issue of the Ghaybiyaat would still find its way into the people and the people will continue to resort to them in order to take the easiest and lightest way out in times of hardship and crises and particular in the difficult times encountered in life.

27/2/1974
5th Safar 1394