Friday 30 October 2015

Jewish Revival - Lessons From History



Jewish Revival


As  mentioned  before,  the  beginning  of  the  third  and final phase of rise for the Muslims is coincidental with the temporary upswing of the Jews. It can be seen that, at the present moment, the upward trend in the history of the Muslim Ummah is not only very slow and gradual, but that it is still in its initial stages. On the other hand, the same trend among the Jews not only started much earlier, but that it has shown a far more rapid and swift progress. Thus, the ingenious scheme prepared by the “Elders of Zion” in 1897, and the political Zionism of Theodore Herzel (1860-1904), bore fruit within a short period of twenty years,  resulting  in  the  Balfour  Declaration  by  the  British Government on November 2, 1927, that paved the way for the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” Finally, the illegitimate state of Israel was born on May 14, 1948, with the British Government acting as midwife.

The  situation  at  the  moment  is  that  not  only  Israel herself is a formidable military power, but the entire Western world is also there to support and patronize her, both economically and with respect to arms supply. The “Supreme Power” of our time — the United States of America — is practically in the tight grip of a small Jewish minority, who is able to exert an immense amount of control over its international policies. This last mentioned fact has been forcefully proved by former US Congressman Paul Findley, in his best-selling book They Dare to Speak Out. More importantly, the global financial system is virtually in the hands of Jewish bankers, who, through the  institution  of  interest  or  usury,  have  become  powerful enough  to  command  the  obedience  of  entire  governments. Finally, the monarchs and rulers in most of the Arab countries have  either  made  their  peace  with  Israel  or  are  desperately looking for opportunities to demonstrate their servile acquiescence. It seems, therefore, that there is no power on earth that can prevent the establishment of “Greater Israel.”

Under these apparently hopeless circumstances only the predictions of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith can reassure us. According to these predictions, the third phase of rise for the Muslims will be accompanied by the global domination of Islam, which will last till near the end of the world, whereas the present rise  of  the  Jews  is  going  to  be  ephemeral.  Moreover,  as mentioned  before,  the  conflict  between  the  Jews  and  the Muslims is going to result, ultimately, in the total extermination of the former, according to the Divine law of “annihilation of the worst.” However, the most significant role in this conflict — which is gradually warming up to its grand finale — is going to be played by a third power, the Christians.




Friday 23 October 2015

Islamic Resurgence - Lessons From History



Islamic Resurgence

We are definitely indebted to the arduous and often un- acknowledged efforts by our Ulama, as they have succeeded in keeping  the  structure  of  traditional  beliefs  and  rituals  intact during the extremely unfavorable period of Western colonialism. However,  the  most  significant  aspect  of  the  process  of  our revival concerns an entirely different type of response to the decline of Muslims. The forerunners in the revivalist movement include all those organizations and groups which were created with this very purpose in mind, i.e., to re-awaken the Ummah and to re-establish the domination of Islam. Such groups and parties have categorically rejected the two common responses to Westernization: either withdrawing in the shells of tradition or blindly accepting whatever arrives from the West. Instead, they have emphasized again and again that Islam is not merely a collection of dogma, rituals, and customs, as are other religions, but that it is the God-given Deen, i.e., a complete way of life encompassing the whole spectrum of human activity, including its social, cultural, legal, economic, and political aspects. And, most importantly, like all other ways of life, Islam demands its complete and total ascendancy, and the struggle to establish that ascendancy is the duty of every Muslim.


For a number of centuries, India and Egypt have held the distinction of being the two most prominent centers of culture and learning in the Muslim world. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the two major revivalist movements of the twentieth century — Jama‘at-e-Islami and Al-Ikhwan Al- Muslimun — rose from the Indian subcontinent and Egypt, respectively. Although, at a certain point in its history, the Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimun of Egypt had become the focus of all revivalist aspirations due to its unprecedented fervor and widespread influence, the fact remains that the real superiority — in this field too — belongs to the Indian subcontinent.

The first person to invite the Muslims towards the struggle for Islamic revival in the Indian subcontinent was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958), who, during the early part  of  the  present  century,  called  for  the  establishment  of “God’s Kingdom” through his pioneering magazines Al-Hilal and Al-Balagh, and, in order to reach that goal, formed a group known  as  Hizbullah.  His  ability  to  motivate  the  audience through a unique style of writing and oratory, which became especially prominent during the Khilafat Movement, made him a well-known public figure throughout the subcontinent, and his own sincerity and enthusiasm conquered the hearts of millions of Indian Muslims. If it were not for the opposition and obstructions  created  by  some  of  the  traditional  scholars,  he would have been selected as Imamul Hind (supreme leader of Indian Muslims) during the early 1920s. Disillusioned and frustrated by the lukewarm response from the religious establishment, Abul Kalam gave up his mission altogether, and, from then onwards, dedicated his life to the nationalist politics of India, until his death in 1958.


The echoes of his vehement and vociferous clarion call to the Qur’an and Jihad continued to reverberate in the four corners of Muslim India. Like the second runner in a relay race, another unconventional and courageous young man appeared on the scene with the firm resolve to continue the mission that was forsaken by Maulana Abul Kalam. He worked alone for nearly seven years as a journalist, presenting a methodology for the establishment of “God’s Kingdom” and the revival of Islam as a complete way of life. He then worked for sometime at Darul Islam — an Islamic research academy established by Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan, a devotee of Alma Iqbal. He finally laid the foundation of his own party in 1941, called Jama‘at-e-Islami, and started an organized movement. This young man was, of course, none other than Maulana Sayyid Abul A‘la Maududi (1903-1979).


The spirit of Islamic revivalism and the aspiration to establish the ideal Islamic system, as generated by the Jama‘at-e- Islami, has influenced a considerable section of Muslim youth in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent. Simultaneously, the same spirit — initiated by Hassan Al-Banna when he established Al-Ikhwan Al-Muslimun in 1928 — has been active throughout most of the Arab world. Although the widespread impact produced by these movements is beyond dispute, it must be realized that lack of a unanimous policy in relation to the all important matter of methodology has been responsible for the creation of a number of divisions among them, leading to the formation of various smaller parties and organizations. For example, though the Al- Ikhwan Al-Muslimun in Egypt and Jordan has, in general, taken the path of peaceful social and political struggle, some of its dissatisfied  offshoots  have  adopted violent and even terrorist methods for achieving the same objective.

However, such radical organizations, along with the enthusiasm of other non-violent but nevertheless revolutionary groups, have succeeded in bringing the goal of Islamic Resurgence a bit closer to reality — at least in the eyes of the West. The whole phenomenon has produced a sense of alarm among the Western powers and their “Muslim” stooges, despite the fact that the actual achievements of parties like Takfir-wal- Hijra,  Al-Jehad,  Islamic  Tendency  Society,  Jama‘a  Islamia, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, and Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), are as yet far from  the  establishment  of  an  Islamic  state.  One  can  have  a number of disagreements with each of these organizations, but it has to be admitted that these movements represent, as a whole, the  revivalist  aspirations  of  the  Muslim  Ummah,  and  have become a force that has to be recognized at the international level. The role of the revolution in Iran and the rise of Shi‘ite fundamentalism is also significant in this respect.



Friday 16 October 2015

Second Dimension (2/2) - Lessons From History

Imam 



It is obvious that, even today, our traditional Ulama are following in the footsteps of earlier reformers who had worked under completely different conditions. In other words, traditional Muslim scholars have, in general, restricted themselves and their abilities within a rather narrow circle of activity, which is essentially defensive rather than revivalist. Moreover, even the task of defending Islamic doctrines is not being properly done by the Ulama, as they are, more often than not, completely out of touch with developments in contemporary philosophical, social, and scientific thought. 

Imam Ghazzali (1058-1111) and Imam Ibn Taimiyyah (1263-1328) were able to defeat the onslaught of Greek Philosophy and Aristotelian logic only after a careful and deep study of these invading ideas. Similarly, in order to deal with the modern ideologies that are seeking to destroy the foundations of Islamic faith, we need first to clearly discriminate between what is and what is not against the spirit of the Qur’an. Afterwards,  we  need  to  refute  that  part  of  the  invading ideologies which is in opposition to the Qur’anic spirit, and to accept and incorporate the part that is in accordance with its spirit into a new and contemporary exposition of Islam. Unfortunately, this is not being done by our religious scholars.

The role of the Ulama today, instead of being that of an engine  capable  of  propelling  the  ship  of  Islam  forward,  is actually  nothing  more  than  that  of  a  heavy  anchor  which prevents the ship from drifting away in any wrong direction. Although, under the present circumstances, even this is a commendable and substantial service, the fact remains that this is by no means enough.

Another aspect of the activity of our Ulama that needs correction  is  their  unusually  strong  emphasis  on  sectarian matters. A serious stagnation of thought along with dogmatism has set in ever since the practice of Ijtihad was done away with. The religious seminaries and Ulama of every sect are therefore spending most of their time and energies in defending and propagating their particular brands of dogma and ritual, often insisting that any variation in such matters is nothing short of apostasy. Such narrow-mindedness has exacerbated the evil of sectarianism and the resulting intolerance among the masses has led to a dangerous trend towards sectarian militancy.

One very important movement that has originated from the School of Deoband, the great theological seminary in India, is that of the Tablighi Jama‘at, which has succeeded in causing a massive religious mobilization among the Muslims. Tablighi Jama‘at has made headway in focusing the attentions of a big section of the Muslim population towards the renewal of faith. However,  the  overwhelming  majority  of  the  people  who  are being influenced by the Tablighi Jama‘at are simple folks, untouched by the atheistic and materialistic philosophies of the West, and who already have a dormant inclination towards religious and moral virtue. Despite this limitation, the movement of the Tablighi Jama‘at certainly occupies an important position within the larger process of Islamic Renaissance, in relation to its effort for the regeneration of faith among the masses.