Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
If the importance of a particular day depends on whether or not Allah the Exalted has bestowed a blessing on humanity on that day, then Mab’ath is definitely the greatest and the most important day of the year. This is because sending down the Holy Prophet (S) for humanity was greater than all divine blessings throughout history.
Peace and tranquility is another essential need of humanity. In order to achieve intellectual development, in order to move things forward, in order to achieve peace of mind, human beings need tranquility and a secure and peaceful atmosphere in their minds, in their family environments, in their societies and in international environments. Tranquility, security and peace are among the most essential needs of humanity.
Islam is the harbinger of peace, security and well-being. This is why we say that on the basis of Quranic teachings, Islam is a religion that is compatible with innate human characteristics. The path that Islam has opened up in front of humanity is the path of innate human characteristics, the path of fulfilling innate human needs.
Allah the Exalted appointed the Holy Prophet (S) to fulfill this comprehensive goal and He promised salvation to mankind.
“Surely We have sent you with the truth as a bearer of good news and as a warner.”[1]
Primarily, this good news is the promise of a peaceful life, a life that is accompanied by justice, a life that is adjusted to the innate characteristics of mankind. Of course, it is also the promise of divine rewards, which is related to the eternal life of mankind. Therefore, Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) was in fact the beginning of mercy: God bestowed His mercy on all human beings through Be’that.
This path was opened up in front of human beings. It introduced justice as well as security and well-being.
“Indeed there has come to you light and a clear Book from Allah. With it Allah guides him who will follow His pleasure into the ways of safety and brings them out of utter darkness into light by His will and guides them to the right path.”[2]
With these commands and teachings, the Holy Prophet (S) showed the path to security and well-being. This path to peace and security is related to all areas that are important to humanity – inner aspects of one’s being, aspects relating to society, aspects relating to family environments, aspects relating to business environments, aspects relating to social environments, aspects relating to international environments. This is what Islam is after.
The target of Islam’s attacks is exactly the areas that are not in tune with the general outline of human life. Those who are opposed to justice, those who are opposed to peace, security and tranquility, those who are opposed to spiritual purity and transcendence of mankind – those people are standing against the call of the Holy Prophet (S). It was because of justice that Allah the Exalted made Jihad obligatory for Muslims.
And Jihad is not limited to Islam: it exists in all divine religions. Those who stand against the call of the Holy Prophet (S) are opposed to peace, tranquility and transcendence in society and they are opposed to the collective interests of human beings. This is the point that Islam targets. From the beginning of Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S), Islam targeted particular areas through the Quranic revelations.
The first few Ayahs of Sura al-Alaq appear to have been revealed to the Holy Prophet (S) at the beginning of his Be’that. The other Ayahs of this Sura were revealed later on, but they are related to Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S). In this Sura, Allah the Exalted says,
“If he desist not, We would certainly smite his forehead, a lying, sinful forehead. Then let him summon his council. We too would summon the braves of the army.”[3]
Those who stood against the call to mercy, the call to tranquility and security, are threatened in the Sura which was revealed first.
Similarly, in the blessed Sura al-Muddaththir, which was also among the first Suras that were revealed to the Holy Prophet (S), emphasis is placed on the elements that run against the daily life of people.
“Leave Me and him whom I created alone, and give him vast riches, and sons dwelling in his presence, and I adjusted affairs for him adjustably, and yet he desires that I should add more. By no means! Surely he offers opposition to Our communications. I will make a distressing punishment overtake him.”[4]
It is pointed out in these Ayahs that there will be resistance against those who are opposed to the Holy Prophet (S), those who are opposed to the collective interests of human communities, those who are opposed to truth. Therefore, there is Jihad in Islam, but this Jihad is a battle against those who are opposed to peace in human life, those who are opposed to justice, and those who are opposed to salvation of human beings.
For this reason, if you study the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (S), you will realize that from the day an Islamic government was established, there were certain non-Muslim people who were leaving a peaceful life thanks to the Holy Prophet (S).
The Holy Prophet (S) entered into an agreement with the Jews of Medina and let them live a peaceful life next to Muslims, but they conspired and fought the Muslims. They stabbed the Muslims in the back. As a result, the Holy Prophet (S) stood against them. If the Jews of Medina had not waged a war on the Muslims, if they had not shown hostility, if they had not betrayed the Muslims, the Holy Prophet (S) would have never attacked them. Therefore, the Islamic call is a spiritual call. It is based on reasoning. It invites human beings to living a happy life.
Certain people might decide to stand in the way of this. Islam removes them from its path. Islam does not adopt a passive position. If there are people who are opposed to salvation of mankind, if there are people who are opposed to the call to truth, Islam stands against them and fights them. Compare this with the way aggressive powers of the world have acted throughout history: they wage wars to increase their power, to spread injustice.
Notice that today the domineering and arrogant powers of the world are manufacturing weapons to threaten humanity, not to spread justice. They produce weapons to spread injustice. They produce weapons to take security away from those who refuse to surrender to them, not to bring about security for mankind.
Today this is the issue of the world. This is why we refer to the kind of jahaliyya that has been established in the modern world as “modern jahaliyya”. The era of jahaliyya is not over. Jahaliyya means confronting truth, confronting monotheism, confronting human rights, confronting the path that Allah the Exalted has opening up for human beings to achieve happiness.
This jahaliyya still exists in the world, but it has appeared in a modern form and makes use of science, advanced technologies, nuclear weapons and different kinds of weapons in order to fill the pockets of the owners of industries that are detrimental to human life.
The story of manufacturing weapons and military expenditures is one of the tragic stories in the modern world. Today weapons manufacturing companies build various kinds of weapons in order to sell them.
They start wars in the world, turn people against each other, pit governments against each other and create threats so that they can carry out their treacherous thoughts and satisfy their greed.
As long as superpowers are in charge of global issues, there will be wars in the world. War brings about material benefits for them. This kind of war is not for the sake of justice. The Americas, who say that they start wars in order to bring about security, are lying. What they do is the opposite. Wherever they have military presence, they cause insecurity and injustice and they make life difficult for the local people. Since the time these modern tools were introduced, human beings have been living under pressure.
According to official international reports, in forty five years from the end of World War II to the year 1990 which is known as the “Cold War” era, there were only three weeks in which there were no wars in the world. Throughout this forty five year period, there were wars in different corners of the world. Who caused those wars? The same people who manufacture weapons. Military expenditures of the superpowers are extremely high. According to their own statistics, last year the military expenditures of the American government totaled more than six hundred billion dollars.
Today we see that part of this money is being spent in the neighboring countries. This money is being spent in Afghanistan in order to suppress the Muslim people of Afghanistan. It is being spent in Iraq in order to keep the people of Iraq under their hegemony. It is being spent on helping the evil Zionist regime keep the Middle East volatile. Today this is the orientation of the corrupt powers. Islam fights and opposes these powers.
The people whose interests lie in the existence of wars among Muslim peoples and governments, the people whose interests depend on the existence of hatred and fear among Muslim peoples and governments they are the same people whose arrogant and colonial power depends on the existence of wars in the world. For them, war is an instrument for plundering the resources of other nations. Why would so many people be killed?
Why would so many national resources be spent on buying weapons? Why would so many resources be spent on manufacturing expensive weapons? So that owners of big companies make more money and enjoy their lives more. This is the Taghuti, jahaliyya-based and dangerous system that has unfortunately dominated the life of those who have drifted away from the path of monotheism.
Definitely this system will not survive, because it is against truth, because it is falsehood and it must vanish.
“The truth has come and the falsehood has vanished: surely falsehood is a vanishing (thing).”[5]
Falsehood is what goes against the laws of creation and it will decline and vanish: it cannot survive. The signs of this decline can be witnessed today. The conditions of the world show signs of this decline.
The conditions of the world have changed. The peoples of the world have awakened. Fortunately this awakening is more prevalent among Muslim peoples. Muslim peoples and governments are witnessing the importance of Islam, the greatness of this reliable source of support. Today Islamic Awakening in the world of Islam has caused the superpowers to lose their power.
The situation of America is different today. The same is true of the powers that emerged after America. This is clear. Muslim peoples should appreciate the path of monotheism and they should consider divine promises as truthful. Today happiness of Muslims depends on their unity, centered on Islam.
Of course, Islamic Awakening is and will be faced with hostilities. Wherever Islamic Awakening is more prevalent, the enemies of humanity will feel more threatened and as a result they will show more hostility. We are well aware of the significance of the hostilities that the Islamic Republic is faced with. We are fully aware of the cause of these hostilities. The Islamic Republic is carrying the flag of Islamic Awakening among Muslim peoples, the Islamic Republic is calling Muslim peoples and governments to unity and dignity, the Islamic Republic is calling on Muslim peoples and governments to appreciate their Islamic dignity: these are the causes of the hostilities and we know this.
We know that these hostilities will prove futile, just as they have so far. They have been working against the Islamic Republic for thirty one years and by Allah’s favor, the Islamic Republic has been growing more powerful on a daily basis over the past thirty one years. This trend will continue in the future. The more the hostilities continue, the more our people and other Muslim people in the world of Islam will become aware of their identity and the more they will appreciate their value.
We hope Allah the Exalted helps all Muslim governments and peoples to develop confidence in themselves, to rely on themselves, to stand against the arrogant powers without fear, to understand that the arrogant powers are declining. The power of the arrogant powers is fake and false, and this falsehood cannot survive. The only thing that will survive is what benefits humanity:
“That which is for the good of mankind remains on the earth.”[6]
Signs of human being’s tendency to return to benefitting from the existence of the Holy Prophet (S)
Thanks to Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S), we hope Allah the Exalted helps us move closer to the path of Islam, makes our heart more familiar with divine commands and teachings, makes the hearts of Muslim peoples grow closer to one another, and joins the hands of Muslim governments so that the Islamic Ummah can restore its power, glory and pride.[7]
The birth of the Holy Prophet (S) was the beginning of a brilliant dawn in the life of humanity. His birth made the people of his time see the divine warnings with their own eyes. The castles of oppressive kings collapsed. The fire temples went out. Divine power put an end to superstitious beliefs in different parts of the world. The birth of the Holy Prophet (S) was a prelude to his Be’that. And this Be’that was a blessing for all people throughout the world. As the Holy Quran says,
“And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the Worlds.”[8]
The entire world has benefited from his holy existence, and it will do so in the future as well. The advances made by humanity, the scientific advances, the different areas of knowledge and the great discoveries that have been made in the world are all because of the emergence of the light of Islam in that amazing historical era. And this blessing was made available to people. If humanity had more knowledge, if humanity enjoyed a deeper understanding, if humanity knew the Holy Prophet (S), if humanity was familiar with Islam, if humanity knew the message of Islam, today the scene of history would be a different scene.
The ignorance of human beings and their short-sightedness have made them fall behind. Definitely the more time passes and the more human beings increase their capacity for understanding, the more this brilliant sun will reveal itself. Then human beings will benefit more from this light of life. And today we can see the signs.
Today the world is frustrated at the heavy impositions of materialistic civilization, and it is looking for a way out. Today the wave of Islamic Awakening that you see in certain Islamic countries, such as Egypt and Tunisia, is a sign that humanity is frustrated. When demons dominate the life of people – human demons are more dangerous than Jinn demons – and when the arrogant powers of the world mislead the people of the world by interfering in the personal life of people, their economy, their understanding and their ideologies, life enters a dark void. This darkness goes against the nature of human beings, and it awakens the human nature of people. This is what is happening in the world.
The western world, which is enslaved by the hegemony of material power, is frustrated today. If we Muslims could present Islam appropriately and if we could adjust our behavior according to Islam, the entire world would definitely turn to Islam. The problem is with us. We are the first people addressed by the Holy Quran and the message of the Holy Prophet (S). We should reform ourselves. We should improve ourselves.
The signs of Islamic Awakening in the contemporary world
Thanks to Islam, nations have awakened today. One can see this awakening throughout the world of Islam. The first effect of this awakening is the expression of hatred toward the presence of the arrogant powers in the region. The Americans are trying to keep away from the great popular movement which can be seen today in certain Islamic countries. But this is not possible.
The primary purpose of these movements is to oppose the hegemony of the arrogant powers over this region. It is the hegemony of the arrogant powers that has humiliated the nations of the region. It is the machinations and interference of the arrogant powers in the region that have prevented Muslim nations from extending a hand of brotherhood towards each other, from understanding each other, from pooling their resources, from establishing a genuine Islamic Ummah. It is necessary to put an end to this state of affairs.
Nations should get rid of the interference and hegemony of the arrogant powers. This is the key to resolving the problems of the region. The problems of the regional peoples and movements – governments which have moved away from their people – are due to the presence of the arrogant powers, especially America, in the region. The solution to the problems of the region is that the peoples and governments should wake up to the reality and prevent the Great Satan from dominating and interfering in the destiny of their nations.
America’s Middle Eastern policies have turned the peoples of the region against their governments. These policies have created a chasm between the peoples and governments of the region. If the people of a country join their government, no foreign power will be able to dominate that country. No foreign power can resist the power of the people. What we see today in certain Islamic countries is the presence of the people on the scene. When the people are present on the scene, the sword of the superpowers becomes blunt.
Then the superpowers cannot bully the people. The superpowers help their friends and mercenaries dominate the people – bully the people. When the people step into the arena, their governments receive support, providing that their governments join their people. This is the solution to the problems of this region.
Today the fake Zionist regime is like a cancerous tumor in the region, a tumor that has plagued the region. The arrogant powers have focused all their efforts on safeguarding this cancerous tumor in the region. The existence of this cancerous tumor in the region has caused war, discord and wrong policies in the region. They are doing everything in their power in order to safeguard this tumor and preserve their stronghold in the region. Today we are witness to the signs and consequences of these efforts: the reaction of the peoples of the region. When the people awaken, they do not tolerate such conditions.
I believe that the movements which we see today in certain Islamic countries are the reaction of the peoples to the long-standing humiliation that the arrogant powers have imposed on them. Today they have found an opportunity, and they have stepped into the arena.
The responsibility of political, scientific and religious personalities of the world of Islam to safeguard and continue Islamic Awakening
Religious scholars and political, scientific and academic figures have a very heavy responsibility to shoulder. Today the people of these countries are in need of the guidance of these prominent figures – political figures, scientific figures, academic figures, religious figures. They have a heavy responsibility. They must not let the system of arrogance use the different tools they enjoy and hijack this great popular movement.
They must not let the system of arrogance steal this popular movement. They must be vigilant. They should guide people towards the goals and ideals which are lofty for all countries. If this happens, the region will have a bright future the future of the Islamic Ummah will be bright.
There are about 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. In terms of our strategic position and our natural resources, we Muslims enjoy a very sensitive position in the world. But it is others who are ruling us. It is others who determine our destiny. They make decisions about our oil and our governments. This state of affairs must be transformed, and there is no doubt that it will be so. The signs of this transformation are clearly visible today, and Islamic Awakening is one of these signs.
Islam tells its followers:
“Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm against the disbelievers, compassionate among themselves. You will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure. Their marks are in their faces because of the effect of prostration.”[9]
These are the characteristics of the Islamic Ummah. Reliance on God, remembrance of God, engaging in Dhikr, humility before God these are the signs of the spirituality that members of the Islamic Ummah enjoy. Islam educates such people. Its followers are humble before God and kind towards their religious brothers, but they stand firm like a mountain against oppressors and arrogant people.
“That is their description in the Torah and their description in the Gospel – like sown corn that sends forth its shoot and strengthens it and rises firm upon its stalk, delighting the sowers.”[10]
These are the developmental stages of the Islamic Ummah. It rises from under the ground, grows, thrives and becomes strong, “delighting the sowers”. Even those who prepared the ground for its growth are surprised. It is the hand of divine power that helps human beings grow like this.
“That He may enrage the disbelievers with (the sight of) them.”[11]
When the arrogant enemy looks at the faithful individual educated by Islam in this way, he is understandably enraged. This is how we should act. We should reform ourselves. We should adjust our lives according to the Holy Quran. We should adjust our behavior towards friends, enemies and arrogant powers according to the Quranic plan. Allah the Exalted has promised that He will reward those who act like this, and this reward will be offered both in this world and in the hereafter.
In this world the reward includes glory and the divine beauties and blessings which have been made available to human beings. And paradise is the reward in the hereafter.
This is the path that you dear people of Iran are treading. By Allah’s favor, you will continue treading this path. Fortunately we see that today Muslim nations from different parts of the world of Islam are gradually moving towards this path. Allah the Exalted says:
“And the end is for the God-fearing.”[12]
If we practice fear of God as a principle in our actions, there is no doubt that ultimate victory will belong to the Islamic Ummah. And by Allah’s favor, this future is not far away.
I hope Allah the Exalted will enable all Muslim nations and the Islamic Ummah – particularly the elites and influential figures of the Islamic Ummah – to benefit most from the teachings of the Holy Prophet (S) and the Holy Quran.
I pray to Allah the Exalted to bestow His bountiful blessings on our magnanimous Imam who opened up this path in front of us and on our dear martyrs who sacrificed their lives on this path.[13]
Mab’ath: The Most important, the greatest and most auspicious day of the year
If the importance of a particular day depends on whether or not Allah the Exalted has bestowed a blessing on humanity on that day, then Mab’ath is definitely the greatest and the most important day of the year. This is because sending down the Holy Prophet (S) for humanity was greater than all divine blessings throughout history. Therefore, one can say with certainty that Mab’ath is the best, the greatest and the most auspicious day of the year. We should commemorate the event that happened on Mab’ath and we should visualize the greatness of that event.
The Commander of the Faithful (a.s.) said, “God sent the Prophet when the mission of other prophets had stopped and the peoples were in slumber for a long time.”[14] Be’that happened at a time when humanity had been deprived of the presence of divine prophets for a long time. It was about 600 years after Jesus Christ.
Humanity had not seen a divine messenger for hundreds of years. What was the result? “The world was devoid of brightness, and full of open deceitfulness.” 15
The world was a dark place. Spirituality had left the world. Humanity was living in ignorance, deviation and arrogance. Allah the Exalted sent the Holy Prophet (S) in such a situation.
The Holy Prophet (S) was the person who had been prepared by Allah the Exalted for such a great mission in the entire history of mankind. Therefore, the Holy Prophet (S) managed to start a movement in 23 years, and this movement has pushed human history forward in spite of all the problems. Twenty three years is a short time, and thirteen years of it were spent in unfair battles. It started in Mecca with five, ten, fifty people. Only a small number of people managed to resist under the unbearable pressure of prejudiced, blind and ignorant enemies of Islam.
Firm foundations were built so that Islamic society and Islamic civilization could be based on them. Later on Allah the Exalted prepared the way for the immigration of the Holy Prophet (S) to Medina, and he managed to establish this Islamic system and this civilization in Medina.
The Holy Prophet (S) organized, built and managed this system in only ten years. It was a short time. Such events usually disappear in the flood of other important events, and they are usually forgotten. Ten years is a very short time. But the Holy Prophet (S) managed to plant, water and nurture this sapling in that period of time. He managed to start a movement that led to a civilization, and this civilization stood at the peak of human civilization during a certain period. That is to say, during the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Hijri calendar, Islamic civilization was greater than all earlier civilizations. This is one of the miracles of Islam.
This was while different bitter events happened to the Islamic Ummah after the Holy Prophet (S) passed away. Problems, disagreements and internal conflicts emerged. In spite of all these things, in spite of the deviations that emerged over time, in spite of the impurities that appeared and grew, the Holy Prophet of Islam (S) and the message of Be’that managed to give rise to that greatness in 3, 4 centuries, and the modern world and all civilizations of the modern world are indebted to Islamic civilization of the 3rd and 4th Hijri centuries.
If humanity considered the issue in a fair way, it would acknowledge that human beings’ salvation and their movement towards perfection will be possible only through Islam. We Muslims were ungrateful. We were unappreciative. We failed to appreciate Islam. We failed to preserve the foundations that had been developed by the Holy Prophet (S) for prominent and advanced human societies.
We were ungrateful, and we paid the price. Islam has the capacity to help humanity achieve prosperity and perfection. It has the capacity to help humanity achieve material and spiritual growth. The foundations that were established by the Holy Prophet (S) – faith, rationality, struggle and dignity are the main foundations of an Islamic community.
We should strengthen our faith in our hearts and in our actions. We should utilize human wisdom, which is the great gift of God to humanity. We should engage in Jihad in the way of God in military, political, economic or other arenas. We should appreciate our Islamic and human sense of dignity.
When these things are revived in a society, that society will definitely follow the path of Islam and the path of the Holy Prophet of Islam (S). Thanks to the message of Islam and thanks to the call of our magnanimous Imam, we Iranian people managed to practice part of these things in our life, and we can see the positive results.
Today the world of Islam has awakened. The movements that we see today in certain North African and Middle Eastern countries are the result of using the light of Islam and following the guidance of the Holy Prophet (S). Therefore, by Allah’s grace, the future of this region and these countries is bright.
Futile efforts of the arrogant powers to counter Islamic Awakening
The obstinacy of the westerners is futile. Their insistence on their wrong positions is futile. What we see today in Egypt, Tunisia and certain other countries tell us that a new chapter has begun in the history of this region. The wrong and oppressive balance that western arrogant and colonial powers established in this region 100-150 years ago and imposed it on the destiny of this great and strategic region, has been upset. A new chapter has begun.
Of course, today western arrogant powers are resisting. They do not want to accept the great and undeniable fact that the regional nations have awakened. They do not want to accept that the regional nations have turned back to Islam. But this is a fact. The Islamic spirit has been revived in Muslim countries. The puppets of America and the west did something that these nations had no option but to rise up, start an impressive popular movement and carry out a revolution. Therefore, they started following this path. These movements will definitely achieve the desired outcome.[15]
References
[1] Sura al-Baghara, Ayah 119
[2] Sura al-Maeda, Ayahs 15-16
[3] Sura al-Alaq, Ayahs 15-18
[4] Sura al-Muddaththir, Ayahs 11-17
[5] Sura al-Isra, Ayah 81
[6] Sura ar-Ra’d, Ayah 17
[7] Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on July 10, 2010 in a meeting with government officials of the Islamic Republic on the occasion of the Holy Prophet’s (S) Be’that
[8] Sura al-Anbiya, Ayah 107
[9] Sura al-Fath, Ayah 29
[10] Sura al-Fath, Ayah 29
[11] Sura al-Fath, Ayah 29
[12] Sura al-Qisas, Ayah 83
[13] Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on February 21, 2011 in a meeting with government officials of the Islamic Republic and ambassadors of Islamic countries on the occasion of the Holy Prophet’s (S) birthday anniversary
[14] Kafi, Vol. 1, P. 60
[15] Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 89
The Above written by Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei, the Leader of Iran Islamic Republic.
