Proceeding upon the path of revival:
We have stated: It is not possible to bring the revival except after the human has understood the meaning or purpose of his existence within the life so that he is able to form the correct concepts about it. In other words: Until he is able to organise his relationships, define his conduct and satisfy his hungers and urges (organic needs and instincts). This must inevitably take place with other than him from amongst the people, other living creatures and the material things that he requires in life. This is because he is a human who lives amongst other people and other nations from amongst the different creations upon this earth within this vast universe. So how can he interact with the people or with other living creatures or material things to fulfil his needs and satisfy his wants if he does not possess a viewpoint for this life that he is living and if he doesn’t understand this life and his position within it?
For this reason it is necessary for his answer to the meaning of his existence in the life to be preceded by a true knowledge and understanding of all of these things together. So he must have a fundamental thought about the human, the living creatures and the universe which means that he must have a fundamental and comprehensive thought for all of these things together. This fundamental thought will be the principle (or basis) of his thought and the place from which every concept about this life springs from, and it will be the regulator and organiser of every conduct and relationship. If he truly wants to revive and elevate to the status and level that Allah (swt) has honoured him with, to the level of the human being, he must possess this. This is where he elevates with that which Allah (swt) has bestowed upon him in terms of his mind, that is unique to him and differs from the other life components of his body that he shares in common with other existing things in regards to their material and elemental composition. However if he wishes to remain forever attached to the earth, stick firmly to it and live in the same way as other living creatures like cattle for example, then he would be making his ears deaf to what he hears and his eyes closed to what he sees and he would have abandoned the blessing and favour that Allah (swt) had specified for him.
This type of person has been described by Allah (swt):
They have hearts with which they do not understand, they have eyes with which they do not see, and they have ears with which they do not hear. Those are like livestock; rather, they are more astray. It is they who are the heedless (Al-A’araaf 179).
Or His statement (swt):
And recite to them, [O Muhammad], the news of him to whom we gave [knowledge of] Our signs, but he detached himself from them; so Satan pursued him, and he became of the deviators. And if We had willed, we could have elevated him thereby, but he adhered [instead] to the earth and followed his own desire. So his example is like that of the dog: if you chase him, he pants, or if you leave him, he [still] pants. That is the example of the people who denied Our signs. So relate the stories that perhaps they will give thought (AL-A’araaf 175 - 176).
For this reason the one who desires revival must possess a comprehensive idea about the universe, the human and the life, and about what is before the life of this world and about their relationship altogether with what is after the life of the Dunyaa (world). Therefore they must possess an intellectual (rational) Aqeedah that forms the basis of their thinking and from which all of their systems and laws emanate. It will also define their viewpoint in life which means that it specifies for them the basis upon which they must interact and behave with the people and things that they come across within life. This is from one angle and from another angle this comprehensive thought must include bases that explain the manner of implementing these systems and laws, just as this comprehensive thought must include the method that explains the manner of bringing it into existence within life’s reality and make it reach all people. In summary they must have an ideology (Mabda’) that they are led by, lead with and lead others from mankind with. This therefore dictates that they should be in their collective, as if they are the live ideology that runs through the people. This is because they, their culture and conduct and behaviour represent the mirror of the image of the ideology that they carry and so that the thought that they are calling for is imprinted upon them.
Similarly it is a duty upon them, whilst their work is aimed at reviving the Ummah and moving the society towards a better state and condition, to be knowledgeable of the reality that they are working in. They need the knowledge that will enable them to present a fitting treatment or a suitable prescription for every issue, incident or reality from the fundamental diseases or the side diseases which eat away at the Ummah’s body, tear apart the society and poison the atmospheres. Therefore it is not sufficient for the knowledge or what is being called for to be restricted to the Aqeedah and the understanding of its thoughts and rulings.
In regards to providing details of this we will say that the following is required from them:
It is well known that carrying the Islamic Da’wah is Fard (an obligation) upon every Muslim as it is a message that has been entrusted to be conveyed and spread amongst the people: (For Allah to guide one man by your hands is better for you than all that the sun has risen and set over) (As-Suyooti Al-Jaami’ As - Sighaar Hadeth Hasan) and in another narration: (Better for you than what the sun has risen upon) as reported by At-Tabaraani from Ibn Raafi’.
And Allah (swt) said:
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided (An -Nahl 125).
However the issue is not one of just carrying a Da’wah alone but rather it is the issue of carrying a Da’wah for the sake of a specific objective which is to build an Ummah and revive her upon a specific basis and to establish a State that will make Islaam present in the reality of life. With another expression it means the issue of making the Muslims aware so that they can implement a Shar’iy ruling which has been suspended, which is the giving of the pledge of allegiance to the Khaleefah.
The Messenger (saw) said:
(And whosoever dies without having a Bay’ah upon his neck, he dies a death of Jahilliyah (Muslim)).
Therefore the Da’wah must be carried for a specific aim and the achievement of this aim is not possible by the individual work and by preaching and exhortation. As such it is essential for this work to be performed within a party bloc or structure (Kutlah) and the individual work must be distanced from the minds of the people.
This therefore becomes the meaning of his existence in this life where he lives for the sake of this and for the sake of delivering the message and conveying it to the people and bringing it to the reality of life.
The one who wants to revive the Ummah must have an understanding of the ideology with its thought (Fikrah) and method (Tareeqah), where the Aqeedah (belief) is taken based on rational certainty (Yaqeen) and built upon the mind. He must understand that which emanates from the Aqeedah in terms of Ahkaam and solutions and have an understanding of the means and styles that lead to spreading it and conveying it to the people. This also includes understanding what this Aqeedah has come with and what emanates from it in terms of the rulings that explain the manner of safeguarding or protecting the ideology itself. He must also understand the rules that explain the manner of implementing what the ideology has come with, in addition to understanding the specific manner of spreading the ideology itself, so that it spreads to all people and becomes dominant through the expansion of the Islamic authority (the ideology) upon the people and thus enabling them to believe in it.
The manner or Tareeqah (method) which enables the establishment of the ideology within the life must be known. This knowledge starts from the point (in time) when the thought first begins to exist within a person or a number of people which is followed by the establishment of a party bloc (Takattul) that is established upon this thought. This Takattul is therefore built intellectually or by the thought. The carriers of this ideology and the members of this party bloc (Takattul) are cultured with a specific unified culture so that each individual becomes a representation of the ideology. This is coupled with making contact with the people and calling them to the ideology, so that their trust and confidence is taken by way of the ideology. The ideology is then carried through interaction in order to reach the possibility of placing the rulings and solutions in the position of being implemented i.e. the reaching of the rule and authority. In this way the ideology is established in the reality of the life just as the Messenger of Allah (saw) did it. It is therefore necessary to differentiate between the manner of delivering the ideology to life i.e. to the rule, and between the manner of implementing the ideology and spreading it i.e. undertaking the actions of ruling with all of its Ahkaam in terms of safeguarding the ideology, implementing the solutions, fostering and caretaking the affairs of the people and carrying the ideology to the world by way of Al-Jihaad.
The Messenger of Allah (saw) proceeded in accordance to the first manner (or method) beginning from the time of the descent of the Wahi (revelation) until the performance of the Hijrah and the establishment of the State which brought the ideology into the reality of life. He then moved on to the second part represented in the practical aspect of the method (Tareeqah). So he undertook the implementation of the Ahkaam (rulings) of this ideology and as a result he built the most elevated society that history has known and established a revival that the world has never witnessed an equal to.
Therefore it is obligatory to make the Tareeqah (method) of the Messenger of Allah (saw) with both of its parts the same method by which the Da’wah is carried today, whilst maintaining clarity in regards to the difference between them, so that each part is placed in its right place and context.
By examining the Tareeqah (method) of the Messenger of Allah (saw) we find that he established a political bloc (Takattul) that was established upon the ideology i.e. upon a single Aqeedah and thought. This can clearly be seen in the words of ‘Umar Ibn ul-Khattaab (ra) when he said: (There is no Islaam without the Jamaa’ah (collective), and there is no Jamaa’ah without Imaarah (leadership and authority), and there is no Imaarah without obedience). This negates the individual work which is contradictory to Islaam in regards to realising a specific aim. So how can it be individual work, when the aim has been defined by the ideology and when the nature of the work dictates the existence of a Jamaa’ah (collective group) with a leadership? This does not however mean any group with any kind of leadership but rather it means a political group, in addition to a political leadership.
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