Global Intifada

As Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi put it, ignorance is the disease of our times. There is no fitnah among us today that is greater then the fitnah of jahiliyyah. Many of the problems that we as a global community face can be attributed to the lack of the proper understanding of the deen. The exploitation and coercion of our people would not be possible without the systems of capitalism, democracy, secularism and the illusion of international law coercing us. However, this coercion would not be possible without the silent consent of the majority of the people who do not oppose these systems simply because they don’t understand them nor the Islamic sciences. If they studied both Western theories of social organization and the Islamic sciences, they would realize that a fundamental contradiction existed between them that makes them mutually exclusive towards one another. Democracy in Muslim lands creates an illusion that people have control over their destiny, when in reality, Western military’s and corporations are the one’s calling the real shots all over the world. If people had the proper understanding of the Shari’ah, however, none of these systems of exploitation would have been able to set foot one inch on Islamic territory. The Shari’ah simply is not compatible with the core tenets of either capitalism, democracy, or secularism. The lack of understanding the Shari’ah in a holistic fashion has also produced the monstrosities that call themselves “Islamic movements” such as Ikhwan al Muslimeen, Hizb e Tehrir, Jam’at e Islami as well as those that refer to themselves an “Islamic government.” In America, there is this misplaced misconception that our community is divided because of differences of opinion and it is the ‘Ulema who are responsible for them. This is a blatantly false accusation. Most of the matters which people attribute to the faults of the ‘Ulema are actually faults in themselves or external factors. They also fail to recognize that many of the matters of fiqh are not differed upon at all and if they are differed upon, the differences are absolutely minute. Changing our fiqh is not going to liberate Masjid al Aqsa. We lack a conceptual framework for dealing with ikhtilaaf because we do not understand what real ikhtilaaf is. Real ikhtilaaf is the ikhtilaaf between the fuqaha and the lay people have nothing to do with this ikhtilaaf. Ikhtilaaf is not when lay people make up their own legal verdicts, whether they recognize they have done so or not, and argue with the ‘Ulema.

One thing I’ve noticed in various communities is that the primary way people acquire knowledge of the deen is simply by asking questions on random bits of information. They either ask their friends, or look it up themselves, or read it in books, or search the internet. The knowledge acquired by this method is probably about as spiritually beneficial as browsing through wikipedia to find out the answer to a fiqh question. The best and most appropriate way of learning Islam is not by asking random questions to unreliable sources, but by engaging in a systematic study of the religion at the feet of the ‘Ulema.

In addition to going to improper sources, people have the wrong priorities of what to study. Certain people want to “study” Islam by listening to overly emotional and hyped up speeches because they want this “spiritual high.” This bastardizes our religion because it transforms it from a methodology for spiritual progression into merely as an alternative form of entertainment to the capitalist media. While some of these speeches and events are undoubtedly necessary to create a love for Islam and assists in the formation of Islamic identity, it is ultimately an artificial bubble that will not assist them in progressing on the spiritual path. The first step of this path entails seeking knowledge that is fardh ‘ayn and prepares one for the meeting with their creator.

Prior to studying, the student must learn to prioritize the knowledge which they seek to acquire. The test for what is knowledge and what is merely information is simple: ask yourself “Will this benefit me on the Day of Judgment.” If hearing a lecture about history or politics may motivate you and you find it interesting, but it doesn’t assist you in perfecting your worship of Allah (subhana wa ta’ala), then perhaps its not really knowledge. This does not mean that one shouldn’t listen to that lecture, but merely that one should supplement that information with knowledge that is obligatory and necessary for the perfection of one’s faith.

Knowledge is that which creates khushoo in one’s worship, humility in one’s demeanor, and fulfills the obligations of the Shari’ah.

Until we have a systematic method of acquiring knowledge of the deen, we cannot have a systematic reform of our selves nor can we have a systematic reform and revival of the Ummah. When we become a people of consistency, it is only then we will progress. Until that time arises, we will become the victims of history instead of its purveyors; like leaves in the wind who float hither and thither spontaneously and without purpose.

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