The Muslims Internet Directory

Introduction
On the Islamic Movement

What Do We Mean By Islamic Movement?

By "Islamic Movement", I mean that organized, collective work, undertaken by the people, to restore Islam to the leadership of society, and to the helm of life all walks of life.

Before being anything else, the Islamic Movement is work: persistent, industrious work, not just words to be said, speeches and lectures to be delivered, or books and articles are indeed required, they are merely parts of a movement, not the movement itself (Allah the Almighty says, Work, and Allah, His Messenger and the believers will see your work} [Surat al-Tawba: 1 05].

The Islamic Movement is a popular work performed for Allah's sake

The Islamic movement is a popular work based mainly on self-motivation and personal conviction. It is a work performed out of faith and for nothing other than the sake of Allah, in the hope of being rewarded by Him, not by humans.

The core of this self-motivation is that unrest which a Muslim feels when the Awakening visits him and he feels a turmoil deep inside him, as a result of the contradiction between his faith on the one hand and the actual state of affairs of his nation on the other. It is then that he launches himself into action, driven by his love for his religion, his devotion to Allah, His Messenger, the Quran and the Muslim Nation, and his feeling of his, and his people's, neglect of their duty. In so doing, he is also stimulated by his keenness to discharge his duty, eliminate deficiencies, contribute to the revival of the neglected faridas [enjoined duties] of enforcing the Sharia [Islamic Law] sent down by Allah; unifying the Muslim nation around the Holy Quran; supporting Allah's friends and fighting Allah's foes; liberating Muslim territories from all aggression or non-Muslim control; reinstating the Islamic caliphate system to the leadership anew as required by Sharia, and renewing the obligation to spread the call of Islam, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and strive in Allah's cause by deed, by word or by heart - the latter being the weakest of beliefs - so that the word of Allah may be exalted to the heights.

Inadequacy of Official Work

It is by this popular work performed solely for Allah's sake that the Islamic Movement is established. The official, or semi-official work, such as establishing boards, higher councils, associations or unions for Islamic affairs supervised by the ministries of awqaf [lit. endowments, used in a wider meaning to refer to Islamic affairs] or any other government bodies, could more or less benefit Islam and Muslims, in proportion to the intent and enthusiasm of those in charge of it, as well as to how much they place their loyalty to their religion before their loyalty to this earthly life that embraces them and embraces those who appoint them to their positions.

However, this official or semi-official work is always inadequate and deficient in many ways, as follows:

1. It revolves in the orbit of the domestic policy of the state that starts and finances it. Its very movement is dictated by that policy, and hence it does not express pure Islam or the greater Muslim nation as much as it expresses that particular state.
    
2. It is not based, in most cases, on men proven by work, seasoned by struggle and tested in the field, but on "appointed" men who are in the favour of the financing state and therefore seek to please it out of their ambition or out of their fear. Such men cannot, therefore, disobey the state's orders, or ask "Why", or say "No". I am speaking of the overwhelming majority here, as among the "official" workers there may exist some who do better than some "popular" workers in their loyalty to Allah, their jealousy for their religion and their endeavouring to realize this religion in a proper way.
    
3. It often lacks the true intent to defend Islam, and may even be aimed at a purely political gain. In most cases, this sort of work is similar to "the Mosque of Mischief" mentioned in the Quran: its superficial objective may be to serve worship and piety, but its hidden aim is to divide the believers and hinder the efforts of faithful workers.
    
4. It is, for all these reasons, under accusation from the masses and peoples, and deprived of their sympathy and support. Even those official "ulama" (scholars) who put themselves at the service of the state's policy - that is, speaking up of keeping silent as required - lack the confidence of the masses, who call them "the scholars of the authorities" or "the agents of the police".

For all these reasons, the official or semi-official Islamic work, so long as Muslim rule is absent, is unable to establish a true Islamic Movement. However, given its capabilities, it can render some academic and practical services and provide financial and moral support to the popular Islamic work and its institutions, especially if such official or semi-official work is headed by faithful, brave leaders.

The Movement is an Organized, collective work

Besides being a popular work done solely for Allah's sake, the Islamic Movement is an organized collective work. It is not enough for Islam's well - being that volunteering individuals should work (separately and in scattered areas, though their effort will be added to their balance on the Day of Judgment, for Allah shall not waste the effort of man or woman, and everyone shall be rewarded for his deeds according to his intention and perfection of his work. And anyone who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it)' [Surat Al-Zalzalah:7].

Individual work, under the contemporary circumstances of the Muslim Nation, will not be enough for bridging over the gap and realizing the aspired hope. Collective work is a must, and it is ordained by religion and necessitated by reality.

Religion advocates "the sense of congregating" and opposes "straying". Allah's hand is with collective effort, and he who strays shall stray into Hell. It is only the stray sheep that the wolf devours, and a prayer is not invalid if the worshipper performs it separately from the congregation or stands ahead of the rank. A believer to another believer is like one firm brickwork each part supporting the other. Cooperation in righteousness and piety is one of the faridas of religion; and the mutual teaching of truth and patience is one of the preconditions of saving oneself from loss in earthly life and the Hereafter.

The sheer state of affairs makes it inexitable for a hopefully fruitful work to be collectively done. It takes two hands to clap, and one is weak by himself, strong by his fellows. Great achievements are only made through concerted efforts, and decisive battles are won only through the unity of hands, as the Quran says: (Allah loves those who fight in His cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure) [Surat al-Saff: 4]

Collective work should be organized and based on a responsible leadership, a solid base and clear- cut perceptions that define the relationships between the leadership and the grassroots according to fundamentals of obligatory shura [consultation] and compulsory seeing obedience.

Islam recognizes no collective work that is not organized. Even collective prayer is based on organization, for Allah shall not look at the row which is not straightened; and rows are to be closed. No gap should be left in a row of worshippers for it will be filled by Satan standing shoulder to shoulder and foot to foot. It is a unit of movement and appearance as much as it is a unity of doctrine and direction "do not differ so that your hearts may not differ".

An Imam is required to oversee the alignment of the row behind him until it is straightened and closed before starting prayer, and he advises the worshippers to "be responsive to the [guiding] hands of your brothers", as the prayer in congregation requires a measure of flexiband responsiveness for harmony of the rank as a whole.

Then comes the obedience to the imam, (The imam is appointed to be followed: say "Allah Akbar" after he utters it bow when he bows; prostrate when he prostates and listen when he recites.
Nobody is allowed to break the rank, or precede the imam in bowing or prostrating so that he may not introduce a wrong note into this harmony and create an irregularity in such an organized, coordinated structure. He who does that should fear that Allah will metamorphose him into a man with a donkey's head.

However, should the imam make a mistake, it is the right, even duty, of those behind him to rectify this mistake, whether it is the result of impropriety or forgetfulness, involves word or deed, or happens in recital (of the Quran) or in other fundamental parts of prayer.

Even women in the back ranks in prayer are allowed to clap their hands if the imam makes a mistake, so as to attract his attention to the mistake.

Congregational prayer is a miniaturization of the overall Islamic congregational system and of what the interrelation between the commander and the troops should be like: there is neither infallible leadership nor absolute, blind obedience.

The Movement's mission is to revive Islam

What is the mission of the Islamic Movement?

The Islamic Movement has come into existence to revive Islam and reinstate it at the helm of life once again, after removing the obstacles from its path.

The revival of Islam "is not an expression of mine: it was used by the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the sound hadith narrated by Abu-Hurayra: (Allah shall send down a man who will revive the religion of this Nation at the start of every hundred years) [Abu-Dawud & Al-Hakim].

Most of those who interpreted this hadith tended to take the word "who" to mean a specific individual who will revive the religion. They have actually tried to name such individual from among the prominent theologions and imams whose death fell near the end of a century of the hijra calendar, such as Omar ibn-Abdel-Aziz (died 101 A.H.) and Al Shafe'i (died 204 A.H.) and so on. However, they differed much on the issue of who the reviver of the third hundred years might be.

Meanwhile, some of the hadith commentators regarded the word "who" in this hadith as suitable to imply the plural just like it would be proper to imply the singular, indicating that the "reviver" could well be a group and not an individual. This is what Iban Al-Athir thought most likely in his book "Al Jam'i Lil Usul - collection of fundamentals". Al Hafez, Al Dhahabi and others supported this concept, too.

I have more to add to this: the reviver of Islam should not necessarily be a group in the sense of a number of people including so and so and so, but may be a group in the sense of a school, a movement of thought and action that works in union to revive the religion.

This is what I take to be the most likely interpretation in understanding and applying this hadith to the century [A.H.] that has just ended and the century that has just started. We pray to Allah to make our present days in this new century better than our past days, and to grant us still better days in our future.

How should the required revival be achieved?

The revival to be achieved by the Islamic Movement should I take three directions:

The first direction would be the formation of an Islamic vanguard, capable, through integration and cooperation, of leading the contemporary society with Islam without isolation or leniency, and remedying the ailments of Muslims with medicines that have been prescribed by Islam alone. This vanguard must comprise individuals whose ranks are glued by deep-rooted faith, sound learning and close ties.

The second direction would be the formation of a Muslim public opinion representing the broad popular base which stands behind Islam's protagonists, loving and supporting them after having become aware of their general objectives and confident of their faithfulness and capability, and also after having rid itself of the effects of the mud-throwing campaigns against Islam and Islam's protagonists and movements.

The third direction would be the preparation of a world, public climate that will accept the existence of the Muslim Nation when it understands the true aspects of the Islamic Message and civilization, and becomes free of the evil effects left by the fanaticism of the Medieval Ages and the lies and distortions concocted by anti-Islam campaigns. Such public opinion would tolerate the emergence of Muslim power beside other global powers, realizing that Muslims have a right to rule themselves according to their own creed since they are the majority in their own countries - as called for by the democratic principles that are so often praised and advocated - and to promote their universal humanitarian message as one of the great ideologies of the world: an ideology that has a past, a present and a future and lays claim to over one thousand million adherents in this world in which we now live.

The multitude of the Movement's fields of action, and which is more deserving

Diversification of Fields of Work

The fields of work awaiting the Islamic Movement in the coming phase are wide and expansive. The activist leaders and intellectual theorists of the Movement should make a careful scientific study of these fields. Such a study must be based on documented and confirmed statistics and data.

There is Educational Work

This field of work is important for forming human "cadres" and Islamic vanguards bringing up the aspired generation of victory, whose members will understand and believe in Islam in full, including knowledge, work, call and struggle. Members of this generation will carry the call of Islam to their Nation first and then to the rest of the world. They will be able to do that only after they commit themselves to Islam as a clear - cut perception in their minds, a deep - rooted doctrine in their hearts, a line of behaviour governing all aspects of their life, worship of Allah and dealing with other people, and a path of culture that will improve the state of affairs of the Nation and bring it together on the Word of Allah and lead the confused humanity to what is best and most proper.

There is Political Work

This kind of work would be aimed at extricating the rule from the hands of weaklings all traitors to place it in the hands of the powerful and honest who seek neither to be high and mighty on the land nor to corrupt it, who, if Allah establishes them in the land, establish prayer and give alms, enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.

There is Social Work

This work would be aimed at remedying poverty, ignorance, disease and vice, and facing up to those suspect institutions that make social and philanthropic work a tool for altering the Nation's identity and weakening its ties with its creed.

There is Economic Work

This sort of work would contribute to the development of the community to free it from subordination and lift off its burden of usury - based loans, as a prelude to building Islamic economic institutions.

There is the Work of Struggle (Jihad)

It would be aimed at liberating Muslim land, fighting the forces that oppose the Islamic Call and the Muslim Nation, and preserving the freedom of the Muslim will and the independence of the Muslim decision.

There is Media and Propaganda Work

It would be aimed at spreading Islamic ideas and explaining the teachings of Islam in such a way that would restore their middle - course nature and comprehensiveness and eliminate all the ambiguities and lies that may mar their clarity. It should use all the types of media available, from publications to audio and visual aids.

There is Intellectual and Scientific Work

It would be aimed at correcting the perception of Islam in the minds of Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and setting right those wrong concepts and deficient fatwas (legal Islamic opinion) which have proliferated among some groups of the Islamists themselves, so as to lay down a mature, inspired understanding of the Islamic Movement. Such understanding will be based on a legal foundation derived from the texts and goals of Sharia, and it must be especially established among the elite of educated and cultured Muslims who did not actually have a chance to know Islam in a right and proper way.

Distribution of Forces Among the Fields of Work

I believe that all these fields are necessary and that none of them should be neglected or put off. What must be done is to distribute forces and capabilities among them according to what each of them needs on the one hand and what forces and capabilities we have on the other hand.
The Holy Quran forbade that all of the Muslims at the Prophet's time should go to the field of jihad - and what a holy field it was! - and neglect another field that was no less sacred than the field of jihad, and might even have been more sacred at some times because it paved the way for it and reminded Muslims of it and warned them against neglecting it: it is the field of learning their religion well.

In Surat Al-Tauba [Repentance], which denounced those who held back from jihad and promised severest punishment for those who dragged their feet on the way to the battlefield, Allah the Almighty says "Nor should the believers all go forth together. If a contingent from every expedition remained behind, they could devote themselves to studies in religion and admonish their people when they return to them, so that they (may learn) to guard themselves" [122].

This is a strong call for specialization and for distribution of forces among the fields that need them.

Chapter One
The Islamic Movement In The Field Of Intellect And Knowledge

The Government In The Field Of Intellect And Knowledge

The first and foremost field, in my opinion, is the intellectual field, for it is the basis for the enhancement of the call and Islamic Education.

It appears to me that our dilemma is an intellectual one in the first place. There is a clear deficiency in the understanding of Islam among many people, and an obvious lack of knowledge of Islam's teachings and their relevant hierarchy of importance, which is higher and most important, which is just important, which is not important at all. There is a lack of knowledge of the present time in which we live; of the reality that surrounds us.

There is an ignorance of others, in which we fall prey to either overestimation or underestimation, while others know everything about us and have laid us bare up to the very marrow!

There is even an ignorance of ourselves. Up to this day, we have not put our finger on our points of strength or weakness, often making a mountain out of a molehill, or seeing a blizzard as a sheer storm in a teacup. It is the same whether we are looking at our capabilities or at our shortcomings.

This ignorance is not restricted to Muslim masses, but it does also include the vanguard on which the hope for helping the cause of Islam now rests, and which represents the groundwork on which the aspired Islamic work will be built.

Our Need For a New Fiqh

In fact, we need a new fiqh, so that we may deserve to belong to those described by Allah as "people who understand" . By 'fiqh" here I do not mean fiqh as it is used in Islamic terminology, i.e. the science of jurisprudence that determines the particular terms and judgments of Shari'ah from their detailed evidence, such as the terms and conditions of ablution, impurity worship, transaction, marriage, divorce, baby - nursing etc. Important as it may be, this is not what we mean here. Neither do we mean the sense in which the word "fiqh" is used in he Quran and hadith, since it was among those words and concepts that have changed overtime, as Imam Al-Ghazali said in the Chapter on "knowledge" in his well-known encyclopedia called. Ihya ulum al-Din "Revival of the Sciences of religion".

The Quran had mentioned the root "F. Q. H. " (to understand) in its Meccan surats before the detailed rules of what is allowed and what is forbidden under the Shari'ah were sent down, and also before the faridas, hudud (punishment) and judgment were ordained. Read What Allah the Almighty says in Surat al An'am (65) , which was sent down in Mecca, "say": has power to send calamities on you, from above and below, or to cover you with confusion in factional strife, giving you taste of mutual vengeance- each from the other.
See how we explain the Signs by various (symbols); that they may understand" (65) (65) See how we explain the Signs by various (symbols); that they may understand" (65)

Also read in the same Surat, (It is He Who has produced you from a single person: Here is a place of sojourn and a place of departure. We detail Our signs for people who understand) (98)

But Allah the Almighty uncovered their secret, unveiled their hesitation and disclosed their deception in many verses. See for instance: (They try to deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves and do not realize [i]) [Surat al-Baqara: 9].

In short, they have been scandalized before Allah and people, lost earthly life and the Hereafter, and they will certain!, be thrown into the Lowe depths of Hell. What stupidity could be more abysmal?
No doubt that anyone meeting this description enjoys no even a grain of understanding!

The Types of ,fiqh [Understanding] We Need

The Fiqh of Balances

By the fiqh of balances we mean several matters, as follows:

1. Balancing interests against each other, in terms of size and capacity; value and effect; as well as, endurance, so as to determine which should be given precedence and which should be discarded.
    
2. Balancing evils against each other in the same way of balancing interests, so as to determine which could be accepted and which has to be avoided.
    
3. Balancing interests against evils if they contradict, so as to determine when to give the avoidance of evil a precedence over the gaining of interests, and when to forgive evil for the sake of interests.

The Need for Two Levels of fiqh

Integration of the Two Types of  Fiqh in Examining Interests and Evils

Both the  Fiqh of Shari'ah and  Fiqh of factual experience should be integrated so that we may reach the proper academic balancing process that is free from both extremism and neglect.

The Shari'ah aspect here is clear in principle It was discussed in the books of Usul Al-Fiqh (principles of Jurisprudence), starting with "Al-Mustasfa" and up to "Al Muwafaqat"", as well as the books on rules, similarities and differences. When interests conflict, lower interest is sacrificed for the sake of higher interest, and private interest is sacrificed for the sake of common interest, and the owner of private interest is to be compensated for his loss. Also in cases of conflicting interests, temporary interest is forsaken in favor of long-term or permanent interest; superficial interest is neglected for the sake of real interest, and sure interest is given precedence over uncertain interest.

In the Treaty of Hudaibia, we saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) give prominence to real, basic and future interests over some considerations that others would never have relinquished. He agreed to such conditions that at first glance seemed unfair or humiliating to Muslims; he agreed to the removal of the phrase, "In the name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate", in whose place was written "In They name O God": He also agreed not to be mentioned as the Messenger of Allah in the pact, and to write his name only as Mohammad Ibn Abdullah. The examples are many. If evils conflict, and some of them are indispensable, then one should chouse the lesser of two evils and the lower of two degrees of harm prescribed.

Muslim Scholars have prescribed that harm should be eliminated as much as possible and that a lesser harm should not be eliminated with a greater harm. A minor harm should be tolerated if such tolerance would make it possible to avoid a major harm, and private harm should be accepted for the sake of avoiding common harm.

Many examples of this are mentioned in books on the "rules of  Fiqh" or "similarities and analogies".

If interests and evils conflict, they should be examined carefully in terms of their size, effect and duration.

A slight evil should be forgiven for the sake of realizing a major interest.

A temporary evil should be forgiven for the sake of realizing a long - term or permanent interest.

Even a great evil should be accepted if its elimination would lead to a greater evil.

In normal conditions, the avoidance of evil should come before the realization of interest.

It is not enough that we should accept this concept in theory, but rather we have to apply it in practice, for many of the differences among the active Islamist groups are related to these balances.

The Difficulty of Practice in Real Life

It is easy to lay down a principle, but difficult to put it to practice. The  Fiqh of balances is not easy to grasp by the layman and by others who can raise a hue and cry for the slightest cause.
The erudite scholar, Mawdudi, and his followers met much resistance and embarrassment when he, in the light of the fiqh of balances, was of the opinion that electing "Fatima Jinnoh" was less harmful than electing "Ayyub Khan". They became a target of a ferocious campaign invoking the hadith (A people who appoint a woman to lead them will never thrive). So how about a people who appoint as their leader a tyrant, would they do any better? Never!

The fiqh (of balance) here examines the two evils to choose the lesser one and avoid the greater of them.

Dr. Hassan Al-Turabi and his brothers in Sudan were attacked by some Islamists because they had decided to join the Socialist Union and had accepted some government appointments under Ja'far Nimeiri s regime, even before he announced the application of Islamic Shari'ah in Sudan.

Our brothers in Syria fared the same (opposition) when they decided to ally themselves with some non-Islamic forces to resist the regime that was seeking to annihilate them, although Prophet Mohammad allied himself with the tribe of Khuza'a who were polytheists, and he sought the support of one polytheist group against the other at times, too.

However, I am not taking sides here. I am only advocating a principle: the fiqh of balances, on which the structure of Shari'ah politics" should be built.

In positions taken by the Prophet and his Companions, and in the provisions of our comprehensive Shari'ah is much evidence supporting this argument: that it is permissible to participate in a non-Islamic rule or ally with non-Muslim forces.

Proof of the Fiqh of glances from the Holy Quran

If we carefully examine the Holy Quran, with its Meccan and Medinan revelations we will find much proof of the fiqh of balances and how to weigh things against one another.

A balancing of interests is present in Aaron's reply to Moses (may Allah have peace on both of them) "O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard nor by (the hair of) m! head. Truly I feared that you should say, (You have caused a division among the Children of Israel and did not respect my word) (Surat Taha: 94).

A balancing of evils is found in the explanation given b) Al-Khidr when he scuttled the boat, (As for the boat, it belonged to poor people who plied on the water, and I wanted to render it unserviceable, for there was after them a king who took every boat by force) [Surat Al-Kahf: 79].

If the boat would be kept by its owners because it was scuttled, then the situation would be less damaging than it would be when the boat was to be lost completely. Saving some is certainly better than losing all.

Quite in point on the fiqh of balances is Allah's saying ("They ask you about fighting in the Prohibited Month Say", "Fighting therein is a grave. [offence], but graver it is, in the sight of Allah, to deny Him, to prevent access to the Sacred Mosque, and drive out its members". Tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter) [Surat Al-Baqara: 217].

Allah the Almighty is telling us that fighting in the Prohibited Month does constitute a grave offence, but may be undertaken for resisting something graver.

For a comparison between abstract and concrete interests, let us read the Almighty's admonishment of Muslims after the Ghazwah of Badr. (It is not fitting for an apostle to have prisoners of war until he has thoroughly conquered the land. You look for the temporal goods of this world, but Allah looks to the Hereafter, and Allah is Exalted in might, Wise) [Surat Al-Anfal: 67].

For a balancing of interest and evil, let us read the Almighty's saying, (They ask you about wine and gambling. Say, "In them, there is great sin, and some profit, for men, but the sin is greater than the profit) [Surat Al-Bakara: 219].

In comparing non-Muslim groups and forces one to another, let us read the opening verses of Surat Al-Rum (the Romans) which predict the Romans' victory over the Persians. On that (though both parties are non-Muslims [the surat says,day the believers shall rejoice) though both parties are non-Muslims [the surat says,day the believers shall rejoice) though both parties are non-Muslims [the surat says, day the believers shall rejoice) (4) because the Romans were people of the Book, which made them closer to Muslims than the Persians who worshipped fire.

The Opinion of Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymia

Sheikh Al-lslam Ibn Taymia gave a very strong opinion on the permissibility of assuming some public offices in an unjust state, if the occupant of such office would seek to alleviate some of the injustice or curb evil and corruption (see Annex. 1).

He also wrote a comprehensive chapter on the conflict of good things or bad things, or their combination if they came together and could not be separated but were to be taken as a whole or left as a whole (see Annex. 2).

A Muslim symposium devoted to Islamic economics and comprising some jurisprudents and some economists opined that it was legal [from the Shari'ah point of view] to subscribe to the shares put up for public sale by companies and enterprises which are established in Muslim countries to operate in authorized fields but could have a tinge of suspicion of riba [usury] in their transactions. The symposium, examining that issue in the light of the fiqh of balances, saw that such vital and effective concerns should not be left to non-Muslims or unreligious Muslims, as such action would entail a grave danger, particularly in certain countries. Shareholders can donate a proportionate part of their profits as a sadaqat [charity] for that part of the profit he may deem as resultant from riba - related transactions.

According to this fiqh, conscientious Muslim youth were given the religious opinion that they should not leave their jobs in banks and insurance companies and their likes, albeit their stay would entail some sin, because their stay would make them gain experience that they might use to serve Islamic economy. They would be rejecting the evil, even if only in their hearts, while they joined efforts with those who seek to change the whole order into an Islamic one.

When the Fiqh of Balances is Absent

If we do not apply the fiqh of balances, we will be closing many doors of good and blessing in our own faces, making the philosophy of rejection a way of dealing with everything, and taking self - isolation as a pretext for avoiding problems and shirking a confrontation with the adversary on his home ground.

It would be so easy for us then to say "No"! or "This is haram [prohibited by Shari'ah]!" to every proposal that requires thought or ijtihad [passing a legal opinion on some issue that is not specifically dealt with by Shari'ah].

But if we apply the fiqh of balances, we will find a way to compare one situation to another and weigh profits against losses in the short and long runs and at individual and collective levels, and then choose what we judge as leading to the realization of interest and the avoidance of evil in the best way possible.

Over ten years ago, I was invited to write for the "Doha" magazine that was published in Qatar. It was a general publication of literary and cultural pursuits, and most of its editorial staff were secularists, while its predominant line, though not against Islam, was not pro-Islamic or defending Islam either.

I hesitated for a long time, but, thinking of the proposal in a balancing manner, I judged that to write for the magazine would be better and more useful than boycotting it, because its readers represented a broad base of the cultured masses, most of whom do not usually read Islamic magazines. The readers of that magazine are unlike those who read the "Al-Umma" magazine and the like, so we have to make our word reach them whenever we have a chance. It is our divine duty to the Call to do so.

This is what makes us agree to be interviewed by reporters of newspapers and magazines whose line may not gain our approval. Some of our brothers still blame those who write in the daily newspapers which do not follow an explicit Islamic line. Some even blamed me for serializing my book, "The Islamic Awakening Between Allowed Difference And Rejected Dispersal" in the Saudi Asharq Al Awsat newspaper because that newspaper had adopted certain attitudes they did not approve of, but I had realized the benefit of publishing the book in such a widely-read newspaper.

There are even those who believe in boycotting mass media in all their forms - the printed, the audio and the visual, c account of their deviated thoughts and practices. They forget that; leaving the mass media will only make them worse and will give a chance to the secularists and dirty - minded to infiltrate deeper into them and sabotage them, while it will deny us chances c which we do not find equivalents. If we examine this issue in the light of the fiqh of balances, we will find that entering these important and vita fields is not only legal but desirable, even imperative, as well because it represents a means for discharging the duty of the Call and fighting evil as best we can. If something is required b' duty, then it is a duty in itself, as it is already known and established.

The Fiqh of Priorities

By fiqh of priorities", we mean putting everything in true perspective; no prominent issue should be postponed, and no minor issue should be given prominence; no big matter should be underestimated, and no small matter should be exaggerated.

This is what the laws of nature and the rules of Shari'ah dictate.

I mean that Allah's creation and commands (Verily His is the Creation, His the Command) [Surat Al-A'raf: 54] make it imperative to observe true perspective.

The Fiqh of Priorities in the Prophet's Surat (biography)

During the Meccan phase of the Message, the Prophet's mission was confined to calling the people to the Cause of Allah and bringing up the faithful generation that would carry the Call later to the Arabs and then take it to the four corners of the world. At that time, the Prophet focused on establishing the creed, cultivating monotheism, eliminating polytheism and idol-worship and nurturing values and virtues.

The Holy Quran supported this trend during that phase, so it did not distract Muslims with particulars or secondary provisions, but urged them to concentrate their efforts on building the Muslim image mentioned in Surat Al-Asr, (Those who have faith and do righteous deeds and [join together] in the mutual teaching of Truth and of Patience and Constancy) (3).

During the Meccan phase of the Message, the Prophet did not allow Muslims to take their axes and destroy the idols they saw around the Ka'ba everyday, or brandish their swords to defend themselves or fight their and Allah's enemies who were meting out torture to them. He only told them what the Quran said, (Hold back your hands and establish regular prayers)Hold back your hands and establish regular prayers)Hold back your hands and establish regular prayers) [Surat Al-Nisa: 77] at the time when they came to him beaten and wounded. There is a proper time for everything. If something is sought before the time is ripe for it, it will most likely be harmful, not useful.

The Interrelationship Between the fiqh of Priorities and the fiqh of Balances

The fiqh of priorities is related to the fiqh of balances, and in the certain domains the two of them overlap or run parallel to each other, as a balancing process may lead to a certain priority, and thus fall under the fiqh of priorities.

The Necessity of Observing Proportions Among Shari'ah Taklifs [Legal Commands or Mandates]

The fiqh of priorities embraces the observance of proportions among actions and Shari'ah taklifs.
Upsetting the proportions set by Islam among Shari'ah taklifs would badly damage both religion and worldly life.

In Islam, belief comes before work, as belief is the foundation and work is the building. No building can stand without a foundation.

Belief precedes actions, which are very diversified. The Prophet said in a sound hadith (Belief is divided into seventy-seven levels: the highest is "There is no God but Allah" the lowest is removing harm from the road [of people]).

The Holy Quran tells us that deeds are divided into higher lower orders before Allah, not one order only. Allah the Almighty says (Do you make the giving of drink to pilgrims or the maintenance of the Sacred Mosque equal to [the pious service of1 those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive in the Cause of Allah? They are not comparable in the sight of Allah, And Allah does not guide those who do wrong. Those who believe and suffer exile and strive in the Cause of Allah with their property and their persons have the highest rank in the sight of Allah. They are the people who will achieve [salvation]) [Surat Al-Tawba: 19-20].

This is why Sheikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymia said that the acts of jihad were better than the acts of hajj [pilgrimage]. The Hanbale jurists and other faqihs even classify jihad as the best physical activity to be volunteered.

Many traditions praise jihad. Those include Abu-Hurayra narrated. He said, (One of the Prophet's Companions passed a ravine where a sweet-water spring r Liked the ravine and said, "How I would like to isolate from other people [to worship Allah]! I will not do it I asking the permission of the Messenger of Allah (may have peace on him)". The man told the Prophet of his wish.  the Prophet said, "Do not do it. Your striving for the Cause Allah is better than praying in your house for seventy years" [A/-Tirmidhi & Al-Hakim].

The hadith narrated by Salman (and traceable to the Prophet) tells us of the merits of ribat (guarding Muslims infidels): "A r ibat for one day and one night is better fasting and night-praying for a month. and if one dies while state of ribat, he will have his good deeds kept counted h favor (as if he were alive), and (if alive) he will be safe the Tempter (the Devil)." [Muslim].

This is what made an imam like Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak who was in an encampment during jihad, write to his friend Al-Fudayl Ibn-lyad, a hermit worshipper who was always traveling between the two holy shrines in Mecca and Medina, saying, in verse: "O worshipper of the Two Shrines, if you could see us, You will learn that your worship is mere play. Some may wet their cheeks with their tears, wet our chests with our own blood. to the end 0 the poem.

According to the fiqh [in the sense of jurisprudence], a nafila [optional practice of worship in contrast to farida, which means a compulsory worship] should not be given precedence over afarida; an individual obligation has the precedence over a collective obligation; the collective obligation undertaken by an inadequate number of people or by nobody at all has the precedence (as a duty) over that which found people enough to fulfill its undertaking; an individual obligation related to the group or the Nation comes before that related to rights of individuals; and a duty whose time is limited and has already come has precedence over a duty whose time is ample. Fiqh also prescribes that the interests stated by Shari'ah vary in importance, from the indispensable through the needful to the dignifying in this same order of priority. Also, when the interests of the Nation conflict with those of individuals, the former should be given precedence. So, that's a point on which the fiqh of balances and the fiqh of priorities converge.

The Neglect of the fiqh of Priorities Among many Muslims

The problem with many groups of the Islamic Awakening advocates is that the fiqh of priorities is nonexistent to them, as they often seek the secondary before paying attention to the principal, try to examine the particulars before grasping the generalities, and hold to the controversial before familiarizing themselves with the established. It is a pity that we ask for instance about the blood of a gnat, and do not care about the shedding of Al-Hussein's blood, or fight for nafila, while the. people have wasted the faridas, or quarrel over a form, regardless of the content.

This is the situation today for Muslims in general. I see millions making the umra [minor pilgrimage] every year in Ramadan and other months and others making hajj for the tenth or even the twentieth time: if they saved the money they spent on these nafilas, they would accumulate thousands of millions of dollars. We have been running around for years trying to collect one thousand million dollars for the Islamic Philanthropic Institution, but have not collected a tenth, or even one-twentieth or one-thirtieth, of that amount. If you ask those performers of supererogatory umra and hajj to give you what they would spend on their voluntary journeys so that you may direct it to resisting Christianization or communism in Asia and Africa, or to combating famine here or there, they will not give you anything. This is a long-time ailment that no heart doctor has ever been able to cure.

The fiqh of priorities requires that we know which issue is more worthy of attention, so that we may give it more effort and time than we give others. The fiqh of priorities also requires us to know which enemy is more deserving of directing our forces and concentrating our attack against him, and which battle is more worthy of waging, for people are divided into several kinds in Islam's eye, as follows:

There are the Muslims, the unbelievers and the hypocrites.

Unbelievers have in their ranks the pacifists and the militant. They also include those who only did not believe, and those who did not believe and also blocked the path to Allah [before those who believed].

Hypocrites include those of the lesser hypocrisy and those of the greater hypocrisy.
With whom do we start, then? Which area is more worthy of work? Which issue is more deserving of attention?

The fiqh of priorities requires that we know the time-limited duty so that we may treat it properly and not delay it and thus waste a chance that may not present itself again until after a long time, if it ever does.

A poet admonishes us about the value of time by saying: "Avail the chance, for a chance, If unavailable, becomes a grief. Our Arabic adage also says: "Do not put off today's work till tomorrow".

When Omar Ibn Abdel-Aziz was once advised to postpone some chore to the next day, he replied, "I am already tasked by a day's work, how will I feel if I have two days work to do tomorrow? "
A wise saying by Ibn-Ata is "There are certain duties with plenty of time given for their fulfillment, so they could be cautioned within the time-l