The following is the translation of an Arabic article.
Al-‘Izzah is a manifestation from the
manifestations of survival or remaining in respect to the human. There is no
human upon the face of the earth except that he seeks to attain it. That is
because he has been created upon that as his Fitrah. It is known that what drives
the human towards his conducts in this life is only his instincts and organic
needs and in the case where Al-‘Izzah is from the manifestations of Al-Buqaa’
(survival or remaining), then the original position in respect to the human is
that he is driven to realise it like his being driven to fulfil the rest of his
instincts. Therefore, the seeking of ‘Izzah is Fitriy (natural) and there is no
question about that.
However, this going forth or drive is not
inevitable or certain. That is because every manifestation of survival (i.e.
attached to the instincts) within the human has two faces to it. That is like
generosity and stinginess which are both linked to the survival instinct for
example, and bravery and cowardice which are also linked to the survival
instinct. Similar to these, Al-‘Izzah (honour) and Adh-Dhillah (lowness, meekness,
obsequiousness) are also linked to the matter of survival (i.e. the instinct).
The original position, is that the human goes forth to realise the good
manifestation. However, when the thought is absent, the Aqeedah becomes weak
and the human is led by other than guidance, then his drive, in most cases,
proceeds towards the ugly or bad manifestation. That is due to its ease and its
harmony with what the human has been created upon in terms of his love or
longing for laziness.
When the discussion is about ‘Izzah (honour and
might), the human often or on most occasions distances from realising this
manifestation due to the cost of proceeding in its direction in addition to
what could possible arise in terms of trials and tests. For that reason, the
work to generate this manifestation within the human is essential and that
would happen by planting the correct thoughts based upon the correct Aqeedah,
which by its nature constantly urges the realisation of Al-‘Izzah.
The manifestation of Al-‘Izzah is from the
manifestations which influence the direction of the human in his life and
consequently turn it upside down or around. The one seeking the ‘Izzah, in
contrast to other people, is always active and always searching for that which
will realise that for him, rising up against anything that brings him down or
humiliates him or his Ummah, even before he has a specific viewpoint
controlling his conduct. It is therefore necessary to generate the
manifestation of the ‘Izzah amongst the individuals and the groups. That is
because if it is not alive within them, then all of the concepts in the world
will never activate or move the lowly person the distance of a single hair.
An extreme amount of care must be given to the
manifestation of the ‘Izzah and to instigate or agitate it within the person
via a variety of means. That is because it is like the other manifestations (of
the instincts) which can be provoked and agitated with an agitation that is
necessary. That is so that life flows into the Nafs of the person and accepts
the thought of bringing change. Indeed, so that he strives for it rapidly
regardless of what he expends in the way of that in terms of sacrifices.
Whoever’s condition was like that, then discussing with him about bringing
change is very easy and productive at the speed of lightning. However, if the
manifestation of Al-‘Izzah was not agitated within him and the lowliness or
submissiveness remained deep set in him, then the discussion with him would be
unproductive.
Allah Ta’Aalaa has created the people with
disparity in respect to the manifestation of the instincts amongst them just as
there is disparity amongst them in respect to all of their attributes, due to
the wisdom of His creation. From among them is the generous who exhibits
extreme generosity and from them is the stingy who exhibits extreme stinginess,
and from them there are the brave and also from theme are the cowardly and so
on … All of that is by the Fitrah (i.e. creation) and it applies upon all of
the manifestations (of the instincts) in respect to the human, in relation to
strength and weakness. Included amongst them are Al-‘Izzah and Adh-Dhillah,
which differ from one individual to the next in terms of strength and weakness.
However, despite that, Allah ‘Azza Wa Jalla did
not leave these manifestations to have a free rein. Rather, he sent the
Messengers and regulated them with His knowledge, Subhaanahu, with a regulation
or organisation dictated by His Hikmah, in a manner that does not come to the
heart of a human. And so He satisfied the opposites when he made Al-‘Izzah and
striving for it obligatory, and also made Adh-Dhillah (lowliness, meekness and
humbleness) obligatory upon them. That was when He made it obligatory for them
to manifest Al-‘Izzah with the disbelievers and Adh-Dhillah with the believers.
And so He satisfied the two (instinctual) manifestations in the most amazing of
manners and made the love of the life which is situated at the head of the
scale of the human’s priorities, the tail of the scale in respect to the fields
of Al-Jihaad … and so on.
Allah has provided the ‘Izzah with a
distinguished station amongst the instinctual manifestations as it has made it
obligatory to strive for and has made His pleasure rest upon the striving for
it in actual practise. Allah Ta’Aalaa said:
وَلِلَّـهِ
الْعِزَّةُ وَلِرَسُولِهِ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And to Allah belongs [all]
honour, and to His Messenger, and to the believers (Al-Munaafiqoon: 8).
And He Ta’Aalaa said:
أَذِلَّةٍ
عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ
… Humble toward the believers,
mighty against the disbelievers (Al-Maa’idah: 54).
And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Al-Islaam
elevates high and nothing elevates above it”. Even if these texts are in the “Ikhbaar” form
(i.e. informing), they nevertheless establish the Talab (request) as they
oblige the Muslims to strive to attain the ‘Izzah and to not close an eyelid
until they have made their Deen and Ummah elevated and dominant over all else.
It is therefore not Halaal (permissible) for the Muslim to abstain from
striving for the ‘Izzah whatever that costs in terms of sacrifices.
It is similarly not Halaal for the Muslims to be
silent over the might of the crusaders, Jews and rest of the disbelievers
practised over them. It is therefore not Halaal for them to remain silent over
the disbelievers whom Allah Ta’Aalaa has described as being impure and
animalistic, whilst viewing them to be mightier, because they own the weapons and
the Muslims don’t, they rule over the Dunyaa and the Muslim lands which they
have usurped, they own the space whilst the Muslims find it hard to make a
paper plane, they practise their lives in ease and comfort whilst the Muslims
live in clamour, noise and fatigue …. It is not Halaal for the Muslims to
remain silent in a manner that Allah has revealed to authority for. That is
like the everlasting conviction that accepting and being content with the
situation is the best to go on (i.e. empty of aspirations beyond that) … And
what is similar to that in respect to rotten concepts which none other than
those who stay back and abstain vocalise. That is because all of that is Haraam
and does not lead to anything other than destruction of the Dunyaa and ones Aakhirah.
Striving to attain the ‘Izzah also means striving
for change and thinking about it and is not merely a thinking related to making
living more comfortable. The problem of the students of change in respect to
the people, which occurs on many levels, lies in the people’s lack of feeling
for the necessity of bringing change and their acceptance of the situation that
they are in. That is where each of them works to save himself i.e. to remain
content in a state of lowness and meekness, whilst the problem does not lie in
the correctness or error of what they are presenting (i.e. to the people) in
terms of ideas and visualisations. There is a great difference between the work
undertaken within a society which wants to bring change (i.e. Al-‘Izzah) and the
work in a society which wants the change to be brought to it. The Da’wah in the
first is easy, feasible without difficult and its results are quick and
dazzling, whilst in respect to the second reality, in most cases, the Da’waat
(calls) fail within it and nothing benefits it apart from force.
What happened with the Messenger ﷺ is the
best example of that. That is because the society of Makkah did not respond to
him ﷺ; not because the Messenger ﷺ did
not convince the people of Makkah and not because what he came with was
falsehood, but rather because the people of Makkah did not want to bring change
in origin. That is whilst the results in Al-Madinah were astounding in a record
period of time and that was because the people wanted change and wanted the
‘Izzah (honour and might).
Consequently, the work to instigate and agitate
the manifestation of the ‘Izzah within the people is essential because it
represents an agitation for change and undertaking the Da’wah for it. If that
was to happen within a particular society, it would make of the Da’wah carrier
a person directing a will that is ready and present amongst the people. On the
other hand, if he keeps working in a society in which its people do not want
change, then he will not be much different to the one who irrigates in the
water (i.e. his work will be futile).
Sheikh Abu Islam Yusuf Shaqeero, Palestine
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