Explanation of the Book ‘Mafaaheem Hizb ut Tahrir’
Ash-Sheikh Haafizh (Fareed) Saalih (rh)
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Part Three - The explanation of Mafaaheem Hizb-ut-Tahrir by Ash-Sheikh Haafizh Saalih (rh)
The Cultural attack and invasion:
Then there was the cultural invasion that the West undertook after its failure in the crusader wars and after realising that the Muslims could not be overcome by force. The intellectual and industrial revolution had begun and the West saw that the eyes of the Muslims had become dazzled by the European revival and this is when they began the intellectual and cultural invasion. They hid behind fake mechanisms like the missionary expeditions, educational missions and the provision of medical assistance as examples. They began to spread their poison within the body of the State and the minds of the Muslims. They carried to the Muslims a Hadaarah (civilisation) which was not their own, a culture (Thaqaafah) which was not their culture and concepts which were not their concepts. The Muslims persuaded themselves that this civilisation and these concepts were taken from Islaam, deducted from the spirit of Islaam. How often is that we have heard in our current time ordinary people saying that the West had taken and adopted our Islaam and revived upon it whilst leaving us as we were? It was not only the ordinary masses who were duped by this deception and trickery alone but rather it also encompassed the majority of the educated and even the Sheikh ul-Islaam passed a Fatwaa stating that whatever does not oppose Islaam is permitted to take whilst producing the principle: ‘That which does not oppose Islaam is from Islaam’. In this way our Sheikh passed a Fatwaa without understanding its danger whilst being ignorant of the fact that Islaam is the Wahi alone and nothing else! And there was ignorance in respect to distinguishing between the Aqeedah and its thoughts, and the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah and their dimensions. His Fatwaa represented a great calamity and through it western laws were permitted to be inserted into the body and entity of the State.
Similarly they were given the picture that Islaam only came as a Rahmah (mercy) to mankind i.e. that it came only to bring Masaalih (benefits) and to ward off or repulse harms or corrupting matters (Mafaasid). So wherever the Maslahah the lay then that was the Shar’a of the Allah and based upon this for example they permitted the opening up of banks and dealing with a little Ribaa due to the bank presenting a great interest and benefit to the Muslims. It also led to other general concepts that tore up the Ummah like those thoughts of nationalism, freedom, justice and equality which the Muslims repeated without knowing their dimensions or consequences.
This is in respect to the texts and the understanding, and the conformity of Islaam to the reality and its proceeding along with it. However, in respect to the practical application of Islaam within life’s reality by the State, then many factors have come together which have led to the mis-application of Islaam. These include:
1) The political parties which arose and those which took the military actions as a means to reach the ruling like the a) ‘Umawiyyoon, b) the ‘Abbaasiyyoon and c) the Faatimiyyoon.
2) The thought of ‘Wilaayat-ul-‘Ahd (hereditary rule) or what is similar to this idea which led to those who were not capable of being entrusted with the affairs of the Muslims assuming the position of ruling.
3) The Wilaayah Al-Mutlaqah (unrestricted Wilaayah i.e. independent).
4) The silence of the Muslims in respect to the presence of two Khaleefah’s (or more than one authority in the Islamic lands) like what happened with Andalus and the Faatimiyyah State.
The negligence of the Arabic language:
The above represents some of the factors that led to the rapid decline of the Islamic world and its arrival to where she is today. And we also find that from the main reasons that led to this condition and indeed the reason for most of the calamities is the severe weakness that overcame the minds in respect to understanding Islaam. And the reason for this weakness was the separation of the power (or potency) of Arabic from the power (or potency) of Islaam and this occurred due to neglecting the affair of the Arabic language which is the language of Islaam and an essential part of it, it is the language that Islaam is understood by and the language which Islaam must be carried by.
It should not be said that Islaam is a Deen from Allah Ta’Aalaa for all of mankind:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا كَافَّةً لِلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And We did not send you except to the whole of mankind as bringer of glad tidings and as a warner. But most of mankind do not know (Saba’a 28).
And that the meanings that it comprises of and the thoughts that it came with have only come for (the benefit) of humans:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ
And We did not send you except as a mercy for mankind (all of creation) (Anbiyaa’ 107).
And that its address to him is in his capacity as a human being and as such the address is not restricted to one people to the exclusion of others:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالًا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا
O Mankind, fear your Lord, who created you from one Nafs and created from it its mate and dispersed from both of them many men and women. And fear Allah, through whom you as one another, and the wombs. Indeed Allah is ever an Observer over you (An-Nisaa’ 1).
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ مَا غَرَّكَ بِرَبِّكَ الْكَرِيمِ
O Man, what has deceived you concerning your Lord Al-Kareem (Al-Infitaar 6).
يَا أَيُّهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَى رَبِّكَ كَدْحًا فَمُلَاقِيهِ
O Man, indeed you are labouring toward your Lord with (great) exertion and will meet it (Al-Inshiqaaq 6).
وَمِنْ آَيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآَيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ
And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your languages and your colours. Indeed in that are signs for those of knowledge (Ar-Room 22).
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُمْ مِنْ ذَكَرٍ وَأُنْثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
O Mankind, verily We have created you from a male and a female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Verily Allah is Aleem Khabeer (Al-Hujuraat 13).
It should not be said based upon the above or questioned: How can this Deen be restricted to one single language?
If the Deen is not restricted to a particular Qawm (people/nation) the how can the remainder of humankind be expected to understand it and how can the argument and proof (Hujjah) be established over them? This should not be argued because the requirement is to understand these texts which the Wahi has brought from Allah is speech or expressed by the most noble of Messengers in his language, the Arabic language. So how can the understanding of these texts be realised if man was to abandon or neglect this language? As for the meanings which it has brought then it is permitted to transmit and carry them to the world. Indeed it is obligatory for them to be carried to the world and it is required from the inhabitants of the world to believe in them. They are truthful thoughts and sublime meanings which address the minds of humankind and as such there is no human who has the capability to use his mind accept that he also has the capability and ability to comprehend its meanings and to understand their purposes and significance.
In the case where Islaam has overstepped the narrow sphere of nationalism and directed its call and invitation to the whole of mankind and made preference between men or between men and women based upon Taqwaa:
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you (Al-Hujuraat 13).
Then in this case, this human has been addressed with these thoughts and it is required from him to believe in them. He is not required to become a follower or second-class citizen but rather he has been addressed in his capacity as a human being. If he was to believe in these Afkaar (thoughts) then he will be allowed to become just like those who believed from the very first day from amongst the Arabs and the non-Arabs just as it will be open to him to take a position of leadership and undertake the responsibility of carrying the Da’wah which is the fundamental basic or original position of the Muslim and of the Islamic State. This is in addition to the fact that he has been requested or it has been demanded from him to regulate all of his actions within life by the Ahkaam Ash-Shar’iyah which emanate from the Aqeedah of this Deen. How then, in this case, will he be able to understanding these Ahkaam (rulings)? Yes there has been an easing in this matter as Taqleed has been made permissible despite the original position in respect to the person is for him to take the Ahkaam from its source (spring i.e. original water source)) and to not resort to (secondary) irrigation canals in other than in cases of necessity. As such the subject revolves around understanding and in the case where the understanding does not come about with other than this language, it then becomes obligatory to carry the language side by side with Islaam and where the one who embraces this Deen and believes in its Aqeedah learns the Arabic language in order to understand his Deen and to then rise up with this understanding to the seat or position of leadership and not to elevate in order to become an imitator or follower. This is particularly the case when he realises that his existence in this life is only for the sake of carrying the Da’wah.
This in respect to the individual Muslim and his attempt to elevate to the appropriate and fitting station or standing so that he can become in truth a Khalifah (vicegerent) of Allah upon the earth. As for the society and taking care of the affairs of the people, then it is well-known as an obvious matter that the problems in human life occur newly on a daily basis and that these problems are in need of solutions and treatments. Also that these solutions and treatments must be from that which the Shar’a has brought and that what this Shar’a has brought is manifested in the collection of texts (the Aayaat and Ahaadeeth). Therefore these solutions and treatments must be extracted from these texts and the process of this extraction is that of Ijtihaad. The process of Ijtihaad is to understand the problem in a precise (and accurate) manner and to gain understanding of it reaching a point and level that removes from it any obscurity, unclearness and ambiguity. This is followed by a study of the texts that are related to this problem in a precise manner leading to understanding their meanings (Ma’aaniy) , purposes (Maqaasid) and reasons (‘Illal), until a suitable solution is found within these texts. In the case where these texts are in the Arabic language it is therefore necessary for the Mujtahid (the one who undertakes Ijtihaad) to understand the Arabic language with an understanding that enables him to fully comprehend the meanings of these texts. Ignorance of the Arabic language leads to the halting of the process of Ijtihaad and the stopping of the process of Ijtihaad leads to the accumulation of problems and increases the difficulties and dilemmas. In the case where the problems necessarily require solutions in order to regulate the interests of the people then the situation will become such where solutions are sought from the Fiqh of others and their laws. Islaam will then appear to be incapable of keeping up with the times and age whilst a condition or state of stagnation and despair will manifest in the society and those in charge will slide into the abyss of subjugation and imitation to the Ahkaam (rulings) of Kufr.
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