ABOUT THE PHASES
OF AN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION
When I
carried out a
study of Seerah of
the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in
order to understand his methodology of revolution a clear picture of the different stages of
revolutionary struggle
emerged, and in
the context of this picture
I found the entire
events of the Seerah to be extremely
coherent, congruent and meaningful. The conclusion I have arrived
at is that the revolutionary
struggle consists of six stages or phases.
The first stage is that of "Invitation to the faith and conveying its message". In other words, spreading or disseminating to the masses the revolutionary ideology. The revolutionary ideology of Islam is enshrined in the concept of "Tauheed". It should be clearly noted that this core concept is highly revolutionary in import with far-reaching consequences. In the social domain Tauheed demands that all human beings be treated as equal. All of them are the creation of the One God that is Allah (SWT). Nobody is born superior or inferior. All divisions, based on caste and colour or ethnicity, and language are completely negated. One corollary of the foundational belief of Tauheed is that only Allah is Sovereign. Absolute sovereignty rests with Allah Almighty alone. Man is there simply to establish the system that recognizes the sovereignty of Allah (SWT). To the extent that law making is within the boundaries of the Shariah given by Allah (SWT) (through His prophets), it can be done through mutual consultation in legislative assemblies. In the domain of politics no other revolutionary ideology could have greater impact. A couplet of Allama Iqbal depicts this in these words:
The first stage is that of "Invitation to the faith and conveying its message". In other words, spreading or disseminating to the masses the revolutionary ideology. The revolutionary ideology of Islam is enshrined in the concept of "Tauheed". It should be clearly noted that this core concept is highly revolutionary in import with far-reaching consequences. In the social domain Tauheed demands that all human beings be treated as equal. All of them are the creation of the One God that is Allah (SWT). Nobody is born superior or inferior. All divisions, based on caste and colour or ethnicity, and language are completely negated. One corollary of the foundational belief of Tauheed is that only Allah is Sovereign. Absolute sovereignty rests with Allah Almighty alone. Man is there simply to establish the system that recognizes the sovereignty of Allah (SWT). To the extent that law making is within the boundaries of the Shariah given by Allah (SWT) (through His prophets), it can be done through mutual consultation in legislative assemblies. In the domain of politics no other revolutionary ideology could have greater impact. A couplet of Allama Iqbal depicts this in these words:
None with
dominion's orb invest
But
the Most High alone:
He
is the Sovereign, all the rest
Are
idols carved from stone
Similarly what
does Tauheed demand in
the economic domain? It
asserts that Allah
(SWT) Alone is the Owner of all
that is in the
heavens and the
earth. Ownership was never
meant to be vested in man.
Whatever man possesses is merely
entrusted to Him
and he is
only a custodian. Allah (SWT)
is the True
Owner. An oft-quoted
Persian verse expresses this
truth thus:
This
trust (of anything) with
us is for few days
Actually the Owner
of everything is Allah Alone.
In
ownership there are no constraints on
the right to use or spend something. If
you own a certain
amount of wealth you may use it in whatever way you like.
Likewise if I own something I can use it
in any way I please. If it is my goat; I can slaughter
it whenever I want to as I
have a complete right over
it. But you cannot do the
same with something that has been-entrusted to you
or in other words you have been
made a custodian of it. For
things that are entrusted, their usage
and spending will be done in accordance with the wishes of the master
or owner. If the use or spending
is contrary to the
wishes of the
master or owner
it will amount to
a breach of
trust. So the
demands made by Tauheed
in three different domains have
been explained clearly. Human
equality at the social level,
sovereignty of Allah (SWT) and
the concept of Khilafah (vicegerency) at the political level,
and the concept of trustee
of property as opposed to
owner of property in the economic domain.
The second
stage of the
revolutionary struggle is
called "Discipline" or
"Organization". That is to organize people who
have made a conscious decision to respond positively to the revolutionary
call of Tauheed into a group or
party of followers. This is needed
because a revolution cannot
be brought only through invitation
to faith and conveying
its message unless backed
by a group
of 'fedayeen' or 'warriors' loyal
and completely committed
to Allah's Cause. Take
the example of a communist
revolution. Unless party comrades
sacrifice their lives,
fill up prison cells and
consider the executioner's sword
to be the ultimate test
of their selfless
devotion, can a communist revolution take
place? Similarly an
Islamic Revolution needs such
cadres of committed and
selfless devotees (to Allah's Cause)
who have been
rigorously disciplined.
Discipline of the kind
for which our
religion has a term called سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا Sami'na wa ta'na meaning
'listen and obey'.
In other words, discipline
should be such as is found
in the armed forces. A revolution
cannot be brought about if discipline is slack and loose.
What then
is the third stage? It is training and
purification (or purging one's
body and soul) through
abstinence (from evil desires), which means imposing on oneself first, the commandments of Allah (SWT)
in whose path
one is striving. Weave
into the fabric
of your character
every trait of the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) in whose true following you are setting
out to bring a revolution. Unless and
until this is
done all other
endeavours will prove fruitless. Suppose
for a moment that a party worker
is very active, is constantly
involved in the
organization's or party's work
and works very
hard but shows
negligence, laziness, and apathy in performing the duties
imposed on him by
his Faith (Islam).
Such workers are
incapable of taking the fight
ahead for Allah's Cause.
People like these prove to be of
no use in
a situation of
trial and test. Therefore the third
very important stage is that
of training and purification through
self-development and
strengthening moral I spiritual character.
The noble Companions, (RAA) who were the living models of perfection of the Prophet Muhammad's training, are the true ideals for us to follow. And the truth is that the training imparted to the noble Companions (RAA) by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is unparalleled in history. This is a fact which even their enemies testified. During the Caliphate of Hazrat Umar Farooq (RAA) when the Muslim armies were battle-arrayed against the Persian might, Rustum - the commander of the Persian army - sent some spies to gather information about the state and activities of the Muslim army. After disguising themselves they slipped into the Muslim encampments and closely it observed the activities around them. Upon returning they gave Rustum the report that they are a remarkable people. "At night they are ascetics whereas in the day they are skilled horsemen and warriors." The world had, till then, seen these contrasting shades of human behaviour separately.
Christian monks and priests were found in large numbers at that time. You must have heard the story of Bahira the monk who had recognized Muhammad (SAW) as a little boy to be the final Prophet (of Allah SWT). Up till the time the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) there were very sincere priests among the Christians. It was one of these priests who had guided Hazrat Salman Farsi (RAA) to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advising him to go forth and try his luck in the 'land of the dates' (Arabia) where the time had come for the appearance of last of the prophets. Just imagine how learned a scholar and spiritually elevated priest he must have been! But in those days priests were such that a priest during the night was also a priest in day time. They were never found to carry swords.
In the same way the world had witnessed the lives and character of armed forces of Roman and Persian emperors. A soldier during the day was also a soldier at night and often behaved like a beast. It would be no less than a miracle for any woman, living in the vicinity of a place where the army chose to pitch camp for the night, to have her honour preserved. All through the night there would be riotous debauchery, bouts of drinking and revelry to the fullest. Now just look at how remarkable the Prophet Muhammad's training and process of purification was that it fused together two contrasting shades of human behaviour most remarkably.
The noble Companions, (RAA) who were the living models of perfection of the Prophet Muhammad's training, are the true ideals for us to follow. And the truth is that the training imparted to the noble Companions (RAA) by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is unparalleled in history. This is a fact which even their enemies testified. During the Caliphate of Hazrat Umar Farooq (RAA) when the Muslim armies were battle-arrayed against the Persian might, Rustum - the commander of the Persian army - sent some spies to gather information about the state and activities of the Muslim army. After disguising themselves they slipped into the Muslim encampments and closely it observed the activities around them. Upon returning they gave Rustum the report that they are a remarkable people. "At night they are ascetics whereas in the day they are skilled horsemen and warriors." The world had, till then, seen these contrasting shades of human behaviour separately.
Christian monks and priests were found in large numbers at that time. You must have heard the story of Bahira the monk who had recognized Muhammad (SAW) as a little boy to be the final Prophet (of Allah SWT). Up till the time the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) there were very sincere priests among the Christians. It was one of these priests who had guided Hazrat Salman Farsi (RAA) to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) advising him to go forth and try his luck in the 'land of the dates' (Arabia) where the time had come for the appearance of last of the prophets. Just imagine how learned a scholar and spiritually elevated priest he must have been! But in those days priests were such that a priest during the night was also a priest in day time. They were never found to carry swords.
In the same way the world had witnessed the lives and character of armed forces of Roman and Persian emperors. A soldier during the day was also a soldier at night and often behaved like a beast. It would be no less than a miracle for any woman, living in the vicinity of a place where the army chose to pitch camp for the night, to have her honour preserved. All through the night there would be riotous debauchery, bouts of drinking and revelry to the fullest. Now just look at how remarkable the Prophet Muhammad's training and process of purification was that it fused together two contrasting shades of human behaviour most remarkably.
There cannot
be a more comprehensive
description of the Seerah and the
character of the noble Companions
(RAA) than 'at night one finds
them to be ascetics and in
the day they are skilled
warriors'. They are
found prostrating before the
Almighty Allah, reciting
the Quran whilst standing up
in prayer and
the prayer rugs
where they prostrated (before
Allah SWT) were wet
with tears (from fear of Allah SWT).
Yet it is the very same people
who are excellent warriors and horsemen during daytime, and
they fight with tremendous
velour.
It
must be noted that
for any revolutionary
struggle these are the first
three stages. Invitation to Faith, Discipline (or Organisation) and
Training and purification of
self through strict adherence to Sharia. These should ultimately result in
the formation of
a group (or
a party) of individuals that
eventually develop into
a potent force.
What should be the plan of action of this force?
During the period in which it is gaining in strength and growing in size it should maintain a strong and close relationship among its members, constantly strive for progressively better discipline, try to expand its circle of influence and broaden its base through its missionary work i.e. invitation to faith (Islam). Until it is powerful enough to confront the system based on falsehood it should act on a policy of "passive resistance". "Keep your hands tied" (restrain your emotions and engage in no counter activity) was the order given by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). 'Do not retaliate even if you are cut to pieces!' I have already discussed this briefly earlier. Passive resistance is of singular importance in the revolutionary struggle for the reason that if the revolutionary group or party resorts to aggression or becomes violent in the initial stages, the oppressive elements in society find a moral justification to crush this small revolutionary force. On the other hand if such a revolutionary group adopts the policy of passive resistance and patiently endures the suffering inflicted on them by the cruel and unjust, the general opinion of the people in the society will over time shift in their favour. People will ask themselves and others questions like:
What should be the plan of action of this force?
During the period in which it is gaining in strength and growing in size it should maintain a strong and close relationship among its members, constantly strive for progressively better discipline, try to expand its circle of influence and broaden its base through its missionary work i.e. invitation to faith (Islam). Until it is powerful enough to confront the system based on falsehood it should act on a policy of "passive resistance". "Keep your hands tied" (restrain your emotions and engage in no counter activity) was the order given by Prophet Muhammad (SAW). 'Do not retaliate even if you are cut to pieces!' I have already discussed this briefly earlier. Passive resistance is of singular importance in the revolutionary struggle for the reason that if the revolutionary group or party resorts to aggression or becomes violent in the initial stages, the oppressive elements in society find a moral justification to crush this small revolutionary force. On the other hand if such a revolutionary group adopts the policy of passive resistance and patiently endures the suffering inflicted on them by the cruel and unjust, the general opinion of the people in the society will over time shift in their favour. People will ask themselves and others questions like:
'Why are these people being
tormented?
What are they guilty of?
Is
it theft or robbery that
they have committed?
Have they dishonoured someone?
Are they
guilty of committing an immoral
act?
Are they
blameworthy simply because
they believe in Allah
(SWT) and are
associated with the
message and person of Muhammad
(SAW)?'
This
was precisely the reason why in
Makkah the order was given to keep
one's hands tied
and not to retaliate
even in self-defence. Thus the worst kind of torture was inflicted
by the Kuffar (non-believing pagan Arabs
of Makkah) on the Muslims
which they bore with remarkable
patience. But of course
not all Makkans
were stone-hearted. Their
silent majority was witnessing
the unjust persecution
of the Muslims. It was
this moral victory of the Muslims that later
manifested at Badr when a fully armed force of a thousand Kuffar proved no
match against a
small band of
three hundred and thirteen (313) poorly
armed Muslims, who massacred them in a most humiliating
manner.
As I
mentioned earlier, passive
resistance is a
very important stage of this
revolutionary movement. When we
list these stages
in order, passive
resistance comes in the fourth
place but in reality it starts right from the day the call or invitation
to faith is made. And is involved in each of the first three stages
namely, "Invitation to the Faith,
Discipline (or Organisation) and
Training". The truth is that
to show patience and steadfastness in
the face of
torture and persecution is
an extremely difficult
stage and this continues until enough
power has been acquired
to directly challenge the existing
system. It should
be clearly understood that a
revolution cannot be achieved without
a clash and conflict.
Never has a revolution been achieved thorough mere
sermons and advice.
But at the same time if a premature showdown, without the necessary preparation, were to take place
the entire effort would be wasted.
Earlier I
stated that there
was a reason
why retaliatory action was
not allowed by
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) despite severe
persecution and continuous
torture caused by the Mushrikeen
of Makkah for twelve years. 'Endure with patience all
cruelty and if by
Allah's grace you
have the moral strength,
respond to their
abuses with words
of prayer' were words
of support by
the prophet to
his followers. In this way the
believers were being
tested in their faith and
trained for greater sacrifices at the
same time.
But
when sufficient power has been
developed so that the Islamic
Revolutionary Movement thinks it can
openly challenge, strike a direct blow
at, and can fight the unjust social order the revolution will enter its fifth stage which is that
of "Active Resistance". In other
words the vulnerabilities or
weaknesses of the unjust social
order will now be challenged. I will deal with this point
rather briefly here although
it requires longer
explanation. If curiosity sparks a further
interest, do read my Urdu
book Manhaj-e-lnqilab-e-Nabawi (The Prophet's Methodology of Revolution) that I had mentioned earlier in my discourse.
Today if such
an Islamic revolutionary
movement comes into
existence the question as to whether there is sufficient power so
that it can enter
into the next
stage of "Active Resistance" will depend
on the Ijtihad of the Ameer (Leader of the Movement). In the case of the Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) this decision was
made by Allah (SWT). When
the Hijra (migration to
Madina) was underway,
the following Ayah of Surah Hajj
was revealed:
To
those against whom war is made Permission is given
(to fight), because they Are
wronged --- and verily, Allah (SWT) is Most Powerful for their aid. (22:39)
Who sent
this decree? Allah
(SWT) did, by revealing
it to His Messenger (Muhammad
SAW). But now the
door of revelation has been
closed forever. Today this decision
will be made through the exercise
of Ijtihad. Full use will have to be
made of the faculties of reasoning
and comprehension to decide
whether there is
sufficient power to
confront the system based on falsehood
(the Unjust Social Order). If
after consulting the advisory
council the Ameer
of the organisation concludes
that they have
activists in the required
numbers who are disciplined,
trained to listen and obey,
committed to Allah's cause and raised on
Islamic principles, have undergone
purification of their inner
selves through adherence to
Islamic practices and
have as their ultimate goal
dying for Allah's Cause
and would prefer
to have their bodies
riddled with bullets
than show their backs.
If they are
baton charged they
would not cower down
and flee. If they were to be
thrown into lock-ups they would
prefer to stay there rather
than plead guilty. When it is
felt that there
is requisite power to
make a challenge, active resistance will be initiated with
full force. So the final decision
in this matter will be made by
the Ameer.
We find
active resistance in
the Seerah of the
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when after
migrating to Madinah he
did not settle down to a life of
ease and comfort. Look at the brazenness
of the Orientalists and Western
historians that they translate
the Hijra as 'Flight to
Madina'. Flight actually means escape.
Escape is literally to run
away from danger to
seek refuge elsewhere.
Muhammad the Messenger
of Allah (SAW) did not
go to Medina
to take refuge,
Allah forbid. Hijra actually signifies
the provision of a
base by Allah Almighty
for the Messenger Muhammad (SAW) and
his followers (RAA)
from where they
could launch a movement
for an Islamic
Revolution up to its successful conclusion. Soon
after arriving at
Madina the Prophet (SAW) spent six months
to establish internal stability
and peace to the situation
in Medina. During this
time he did three
things. The first was the construction of the Prophet's Mosque a
Community Centre, so to say, was established. The second
was to forge
brotherhood between the Muhajireen---the emigrants from Makkah
and the Ansar --- the helpers
of the Prophet Muhammad
SAW, in Allah's Cause, from Madina.
And the third thing which
he did was to enter into treaty
with three tribes of the Jews. In this way he had them
firmly bound in three
separate agreements. It was agreed
that they would be free to
practice their religion and their
civic rights would be
retained but if ever
there were to be an attack on Madina
from any side they
would either join the Muslims in defending Madina or remain completely neutral.
After this
initial period of six months
comes the phase of "direct action" or
"open resistance". The
Prophet (SAW) dispatched
small groups of raiding
or surveillance parties. In this
way he reached for the
lifeline of the Quraysh and imperiled their
trade caravans. I
have already discussed about these expeditions in brief. It was
in fact the result of such direct
action (or open
resistance) that a
thousand strong army of the Quraysh armed to the hilt had marched against the
Muslims. And thus
began the sixth
and the final phase
in the revolution
of Prophet Muhammad, namely that
of "Armed
Conflict". Now the time had
come for the swords
and spears to
decide the fight.
Now the time had come for the two groups
to pitch their full might against each other.
The
sixth and the final phase is spread
over a period of six years.
During this period
many ups and
downs were witnessed. At
Badr seventy Kuffaar
(unbelievers) were killed whereas
only fourteen Muslims
were martyred. At Uhud
seventy Companions (RAA)
were martyred. According to the
Quran
"They fight in the way of Allah (for Allah's Cause). They kill and are also killed" (9:111).
"They fight in the way of Allah (for Allah's Cause). They kill and are also killed" (9:111).
Allah did not give believers the guarantee that they would not get
hurt if they
fought in His
Way (or His
Cause). Nowhere was such a thing
guaranteed. What Allah (SWT) wants
to see instead is
that you lay
down your lives
as proof of your sincerity
towards the faith
of Islam. How could the
ordinary believers be
given such a
guarantee, when no such guarantee was
given to the Prophet (SAW).
Was the Prophet's blessed body not injured when he was pelted with stones at Ta'if?
At Uhud when his blessed face received a blow from a sword were not his blessed teeth lost in Allah's cause?
Did blood not spurt from his wound because of this?
And wasn't his blessed cheek scratched by the rings of his own helmet at Uhud?
They (i.e. the Muslims) underwent all of this .... Only after going through all these tribulations and after sacrificing all in Allah Almighty's cause the moment arrives when Allah grants victory to the believers. Allah has promised to ultimately crown such efforts with success. The Holy Quran asserts 'quite emphatically:
Was the Prophet's blessed body not injured when he was pelted with stones at Ta'if?
At Uhud when his blessed face received a blow from a sword were not his blessed teeth lost in Allah's cause?
Did blood not spurt from his wound because of this?
And wasn't his blessed cheek scratched by the rings of his own helmet at Uhud?
They (i.e. the Muslims) underwent all of this .... Only after going through all these tribulations and after sacrificing all in Allah Almighty's cause the moment arrives when Allah grants victory to the believers. Allah has promised to ultimately crown such efforts with success. The Holy Quran asserts 'quite emphatically:
You
must gain mastery if you are true in faith.(3:139)
To Be Continued....
