The following is a transcript of a talk delivered on this subject.

As da’wa carriers it is vital that we all adhere to the Shariah of Allah (swt) completely, as we are Muslims first and then da’wa carriers. Therefore we are all Ibadallah – slaves of Allah (swt) and are obligated to follow all of his commands and avoid all of his prohibitions.

As da’wa carriers we would be hypocrites if we were calling for the implementation of the shariah and not following the shariah ourselves.

The Muslim is commanded to conduct his actions according to the Shari'ah rules. Allah (swt) says:

"No by your God, they shall not have true belief until they make you judge in all disputes between them, and find in their souls no resistance against your decision, but accept it with the fullest conviction." [TMQ 4-65]

He (swt) also says: "Whatever the Messenger brought you take it and whatever he forbids you abstain from it and fear Allah." [TMQ 59-7]

Therefore, the Muslim should in principle abide by the Shari'ah rules. Besides the Shari'ah principle states: “Every action requires a shariah rule and every rule requires a daleel.” In other words, no matter should be given any rule whatsoever before the advent of the rule of Allah pertaining this matter. The Shariah rule is: “The address of the Legislator related to the actions of the servants.” Therefore, anything that has not been mentioned in the address of the Legislator cannot be considered a Shari'ah rule.

If a Muslim wanted to perform any action, it would be incumbent upon him to abide by the rule of Allah (swt) pertaining that action; thus, he must search for that rule until he recognises it and abides by it. This is what the verses and the Ahadith have indicated clearly. Therefore, it is forbidden for a Muslim to undertake any action or to act towards anything in contradiction to the Shari'ah rule; he should rather abide by the Shari'ah rule in every action he undertakes and in every matter. After Allah (swt) revealed:

"Today, I have perfected your Deen for you, completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your Deen." [TMQ 5-3]

And after He (swt) revealed: "And We have sent down to you the Book explaining everything." [TMQ 16-89]

There is not any action left without a Shariah rule and evidences that establish it from the Quran and the Sunnah. It is forbidden for anyone, having perceived these two verses, to claim that some actions and some things or some situations are devoid of the Shari'ah rule, meaning that Shari'ah has completely ignored.

Every action has a hukm either Wajib/Fard, or Mandub, or Haram, or Makruh or Mubah.

In fact the meaning of Taqwa itself is to follow the commands and prohibitions of Allah (swt).

The son of ‘Ali (ra), Al-Hasan (ra) once said, “The people who have taqwa (al-muttaqoon) are the people who avoided whatever Allah (swt) has prohibited and have done whatever Allah (swt) has ordained.”

‘Umar ibn Abdul Aziz (ra) once said, “Taqwa is not by fasting the day and not by praying the night. And its not by mixing between the two of them. But taqwa is leaving what Allah (swt) has made Haram and by doing what Allah (swt) has made Fard. After one has done this, Allah (swt) will provide good things for that person.”

Sometimes it is possible that we may overlook the details of the shariah rules when it comes to our lives and may even be unaware of them. This is unacceptable for the Muslim and especially the da’wa carrier.

So today I want to give some examples which we think are relevant to us in terms of follwing the details of the shariah rules. As many of us come from backgrounds where we are not used to following the shariah rules in many areas. The areas I will focus upon are mainly to do with the social and economic rules.

Mixing between men & women
Islam has restricted the relationship between unrelated men and women and only allowed it in certain circumstances.

This separation is established by the overall Ahkam Shari'ah (divine rules) addressing the man separately, the woman separately, and both of them together. It is also established by the Qur'anic speech to women as women and men as men such as Allah's saying:

"The men and women who give charity and fasting men and women, and the men and women who guard their chastiity and the men and women who remember Allah much..." [Al- Ahzab: 35]and other verses. Such a segregated type of life is also reported as the actual practice in collective form since the days of the Prophet and throughout all the times of Islam.

In Islam, the basic principle of the interaction between men and women is segregation. This means that in all areas of life and in all places whether private or public, contact between men and women is generally prohibited. Many evidences establish the principle of not mixing between the sexes, and there are many ahadith which clarify that this is the case in both public and private areas:

Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, "The best row for men is the front row, (furthest to the women's row) and the best row for women is the back row and the worst is the front row (just behind the men)."

Ibn Umar said, "The Prophet prohibited men from walking between two women." Abu Daud.

Abu Daud narrated that the Prophet (saw) saw men and women outside the mosque moving side by side in the crowd. He stopped the women saying, "It is not proper for you to walk in the middle of the path, you had better walk along the walls."

This means that the Muslims should avoid contact with members of the opposite sex, whether Muslim or not, as a general rule. However, there are exceptions to this general rule, where the mixing or interaction between men and women is permitted in certain situations.

For example, it is permitted for men and women who are Mahrem to each other to mix freely for any purpose that Islam permits. As well, there are certain areas where it is permitted for non-Mahrem men and woman to interact with each other, such as for the purpose of Da'awa (invitation to Islam) or trade. However, the type of mixing that can occur here is not free, and is restricted by the shari'ah to be within certain guidelines and boundaries, and the Muslim must be sure to understand these before any type of mixing takes place. The ahkam (rules) to do with mixing also vary with regard to the kind of place in which the mixing takes place.

1) Medicine: It is allowed for men and women to mix for the purpose of seeking medical treatment. The Sahabiyat used to treat the Sahaba and the Prophet (saw) consented to that.

2) Da’wa: It is allowed for men and women to be present in the same class if the purpose of their mixing is learning about Islam or other types of education permitted by the Shari‘ah. The sister of Umar (ra) was being taught from the Quran by Khabab ibn Arrat (ra) with her husband when Umar entered upon them. It has been narrated that Umm Salamah and Aisha (ra) who used to do da'wa to men and women

3) Marriage: If a man is looking to marry a woman then he is allowed to talk to her about issues related to finding out about her and related to the marriage. A man came to the Messenger Muhammad (saw) to ask about marrying a girl and the Prophet (saw) told him to go and see her i.e. see her in her Mahram’s presence.

4) Duress or Compulsion: At times of absolute necessity or emergency, such as earthquakes, war or hurricanes, the necessary mixing is permitted for men and women in order to remove any danger or threat.

5) State arrest: The evidence for this is from Uthman and Umar (ra) said, "O women, cover yourselves we are entering" and he entered a house to arrest someone with his army and there was Ijma of the Sahaba (consensus of the companions) on this.

6) Eating: In Surah Nur Allah (SWT) says:

“The blind is not to be blamed, the crippled is not to be blamed, nor is the handicapped to be blamed, just as you are not to be blamed for eating at your homes, or the homes of your fathers, or the homes of your mothers, or the homes of your brothers, or the homes of your sisters, or the homes of your fathers' brothers, or the homes of your fathers' sisters, or the homes of your mothers' brothers, or the homes of your mothers' sisters, or the homes that belong to you and you possess their keys, or the homes of your friends. You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals. When you enter any home, you shall greet each other a greeting from Allah that is blessed and good. Allah thus explains the revelations for you, that you may understand.” [TMQ 24:61]

For men and women to eat together is permitted in the places mentioned in the verse such as the home of your fathers or your friends as it says, “You commit nothing wrong by eating together or as individuals”.

However people should be careful that even though eating together with the women at a friends house is permitted that they should leave once they have eaten and beware of socialisation with the opposite sex which would be exceeding the permit.

7) Silat ar-rahm (maintaing the relationship between kith and kin): It is allowed for non-maharam relatives to sit with their non-maharam (people to whom marriage is permitted) for the sake of silat ar-rahm as long as it is without khalwah (privacy). There exist a number of hadith concerning the keeping of good relations with the relatives.

It was narrated by Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: "Whoever loves that he be granted more wealth, and that his lease of life be prolonged, then he should keep good relations with his kith and kin". It is narrated by Abu Hurayra that the Prophet (saw) said: "Allah created His creation, and when He finished it, the womb got up and said, I seek refuge with you from Al-qatia (ties being severed with me)". On that Allah (swt) said: "Don’t you accept that I bestow my favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severes your ties?" On that it said, "Yes, Oh my Lord!" Then Allah (swt) said: "That is for you".

However it is not allowed to mix for the purpose of entertainment or just to socialise. For example the Prophet (saw) used to leave when Aisha (ra) friends used to come as it is not allowed to socialise with your sisters or wives friends if they are not related. Another example which is common today is the mixed weddings.

The Mixed party in weddings is haram. This includes the entrance of the bridegroom to the women’s room, sitting on the bridal throne besides his bride, taking photos for and the celebration of the women with him, when they are usually uncovered particularly if they are not mahrem to him. All of such mixing is haram as it mixing for a purpose which Islam did not allow i.e. entertainment. There should be separate halls for men and women or there should be a partition which would stop the women being seen, this should be at least a shoulder height partition.

We know that in reality today many weddings contradict these ahkam and even before the weddings such as mixed mehndi parties where the women and her friends play tricks on the groom to be and his friends. I know many brothers look for the halal alternatives – so when they attend their relatives weddings they ask to sit in a separate room or place which is physically segregated from the women. This creates problems with some relatives and families who do not follow and understand the shariah rules. But as Muslims we must understand that life is a test – in these are part of the tests from Allah (swt).

In some places the da’wah carriers are tested with their lives through torture, removal from their jobs, arrest and harassment of their families and they stick to the Deen. So who are we, if we cannot stick to the shariah rules just due to upsetting some people or our relatives?

Khulwa - Seclusion
Khulwa relates to the presence of a non-Mahrem man and women being on their own together without the presence of a Mahrem or any other person. This could happen in a private place, or a public place. In either case Khalwa is forbidden from Islam, and both the man and women involved are sinful.

Khalwa in a private place: This could occur in any place that requires permission for entry, such as a house or bedroom in a residence building.

Khalwa in a Public Place : This could occur in any public place whose nature is that no other person people would be likely to pass by or come there. Such a place would be in a forest or an isolated room in a university or at work.

Muhammad (saw) said, "If a man and a woman are alone together in an isolated place, then the third is Shaitan."

Responsibility to family
Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6].

This Ayah makes it obligatory upon us to maintain ourselves and our direct family such as our children, wives, brothers and sisters abide by the ahkam shariah and avoid the hellfire.

There are different shariah rules dealing with the different types of direct relations. I will address some aspects of these rules which we feel are relevant:

Children: It is our Fard to culture our children with the understanding of the Deen and to encourage them in following the shariah rules.

Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud that the Prophet (saw) said: ‘Order your children to pray at the age of 7 and beat them when they are 10 (if they do not pray) and separate their beds.’

This means that we have to order our children to pray – we are responsible for this. They should pray at 7 years old and if they do not by 10 years we should beat them lightly, this does not mean that we beat them heavily in a haram way. The scholars said that the beating meant here is by a miswak and not harshly – it is more for the psychological effect.

It is not allowed to leave our children to be cultured by the Kufr society around us such that they are left for ours absorbing the corruption from Zee TV and the bollywood movies – without refuting such corruption and working to build the Islamic personality within them. It is not acceptable for them to start imitating the practises of the Kuffar while we do nothing, for example – when children participate in school events like Valentines day or celebrating the festivals of the Mushriks and Kuffar. The Prophet (saw) said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them”.

If we spend so much time trying to ensure that our children get good education then how can we ignore their culturing with Islam?

How do we fulfil this duty? The Prophet (saw) said, “Each one of you is a guardian and he is responsible…The man is a Shepard and he is responsible over his family”. The Prophet (saw) also said, “If you see a munkar change it with your hand, if you cannot then with your tongue and if you cannot then hate it in your heart and that is the weakest of Iman”.

So if we are capable and the shariah has given us the right to stop a munkar by our hand then we are obliged to do so. So for example for our daughters we can prohibit them from leaving the house if they do not wear the Hijab and Jilbab as we are their fathers and shariah has given us this right. Also we can make our children pray.

However the meaning of changing the munkar means that we should attempt to change their thinking and behaviour – not just to prohibit them in a robotic manner but to change their concepts and criterion for action. This means we must make the attempt to engage in da’wa with them.

Ibn Majah narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Teach your children and teach them properly”. Ibn ‘Abbas narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, “Act upon the obedience to Allah and avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and order your children to abide by the commandments of Allah and to avoid the prohibitions of Allah, and by that you protect yourself and them from the Hellfire.” [Ibn Jurayr]

Allowing children (under the age of puberty) to be sent to schools where Kufr is taught to them is haram.

There are general texts regarding seeking knowledge. He (saw) said: ‘Seek knowledge’. This is general (‘aam) and includes all types of knowledge. So it is allowed for the Muslim to learn any discipline/science but if these sciences lead to a harm (Darar) then learning such sciences would be forbidden and the other sciences would remain permitted in accordance with the Shari’ah principle which states: ‘If any aspect of a permitted thing leads to a harm, then that aspect is prohibited, but the thing remains permitted’. Hence learning something, which causes one to deviate from the beliefs (‘aqaa’id) is considered a harm and learning such harmful ideas will weaken and effect children easily. Therefore, it is forbidden to send children to schools of the Kuffar, which teach the Kufr thoughts and beliefs on the primary level. This is because children are affected by what they learn at this level, and the family is ordered to protect its family members from the Fire of hell. Allah (swt) says: ‘Ward off from yourselves and your families the Fire...’ [TMQ At-Tahrim: 6]. Protecting their children from the fire would be by not sending them to the schools of the Kuffar that teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts.As for the existing schools of the Kuffar in the Muslim lands which teach the same curriculum taught in Muslim schools, it is not forbidden to send ones children to them. This is because their reality differs from the schools of the Kuffar in Kafir countries, which teach Kufr beliefs and thoughts. Also, just because one of the teachers is a Christian does not mean it is forbidden to study in this school, because the education is linked to the curriculum taught. So if Kufr beliefs and thoughts are not taught in a primary school and the lessons are from the general sciences then it is allowed for children to study there, whether the teachers are Muslims or if one of them is a Christian. If the one who teaches Kufr beliefs and thoughts is a Muslim it is Haram for the children to learn this from him. The fact that the teacher is a Muslim does not make the children’s study of Kufr thoughts and beliefs from him Halal.

Wives:
Allah (swt) said: “The man is the guardian of the woman”

This means that the man is the Amir and guardian of the household but not the master as people conventionally portray. Guardianship means responsibility. Similar to our children we have a duty to embed Islam within our wives. When many of us came into the da’wa we may have already been married for a number of years and our wives may not have been practising Islam fully. However this does not mean that we become da’wa carriers and we leave our wives as they are and make minimal attempts to change them and make them Islamic personalities and da’wa carriers as well.

We are not absolved from the duty to build Islam within our wives and making them adhere to the shariah rules just because we are da’wa carriers. We cannot just leave our wives to be cultured by the Bollywood movies and kufr propagated in the media and society. We should aspire to make our wives like Aisha (ra), Khadija (ra) and the other wives of the Prophet (saw).

Economic issues
We have to be careful of being affected by secularism such that we separate Islam from our lives such as our economic dealings. We must seek the hukm shari before undertaking any actions.

In this area there are many issues which can be overlooked. I will not go into the issue of Riba as it is well known that it is haram in all its forms whether giving, taking or being part of the transaction of Riba even as a witness. I have selected issues that sometimes may be overlooked.

Rishwah (Bribery)
The system of Rishwah or bribery is very common in most of the third world for example bribing the police, government officials such as for getting planning permission for building or maintaining electricity or water supplies, education officers and the like.

Bribery is basically when someone in any position takes an action which is not obliged upon him by his contract in exchange for money or another benefit. So as an example you get stopped by police for something and you pay them to let you go. Bribery is not a wage, as the wage is defined according the legitimate shariah contract.

Bribery is forbidden by the explicit texts. Ahmad and Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi and ibn Majah narrated from Abdullah bin Amur who said: The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: “Allah cursed the briber (rashi) and bribe-taker (murtashi).” Ahmad narrated from Tawban who said: “The Messenger of Allah (SAW) cursed the briber, bribe-taker and the mediator meaning the one who walks between the two.” These ahadith are general covering all bribery whether it is seeking a right or something null whether it is seeking to repel a harm or gain a benefit, to remove imposing injustice; all are forbidden. There is no illah or shariah reason for why bribery is haram. It is haram in all its forms, full stop as the texts are absolute on this issue.

Insurance
Today many forms of insurance exist such as insurance on property such as houses, life insurance, vehicle insurance and the like.

Insurance whether on life, goods, property or any of its numerous types is a contract. It is a contract between the insurance company and the insuring person in which the latter asks the insurance company to give him a promise (ta’ahud) that it will compensate him for that thing (‘ayn) which is spoilt or destroyed or for its price with regard to goods or property, or a certain sum of money with regard to life and the like. This takes place if the specified accident/incident (haadith) occurs within a defined period, in exchange for a certain amount of money (premium); and the (Insurance) company accepts this.

All forms of insurance are haram. Insurance is haram due to different reasons. One of the main reasons is:

It is a contract because it is an agreement between two parties, and it includes offer and acceptance, where the offer is from the insuring party and the acceptance is from the company. So in order that this contract be legitimately valid from the Shar'a (divine revelation) point of view, it must contain the Shar'a conditions of the contract. If it contains such conditions it becomes valid, otherwise not. From the Shar'a point of view, the contract should apply upon an object (‘ayn) or a benefit. So if it did not apply upon either a thing or benefit it would be invalid, because it would not apply upon a matter that makes it a legitimate contract. This is so because the legitimate (Shar'a) contract applies either to a thing/object in exchange (for something else) as is the case with selling, company and the like, or it applies upon a thing without an exchange like the gift. Or it applies upon a benefit in exchange for compensation like leasing, or to a benefit without compensation like lending. Thus the legitimate contract must apply upon something.

The insurance is not a contract that applies upon an object or a benefit; rather it is a contract that applies upon a pledge i.e. guarantee (dhamana). The pledge or the guarantee does not represent an object for it cannot be consumed (istahlak) nor its benefit used; nor does it represent a benefit, because no benefit derives from that guarantee itself either by leasing or by lending. As for obtaining money based upon this pledge/promise, this is not considered its benefit; rather it is a result of a transaction. Therefore, the insurance contract is not considered to apply upon a thing or a benefit, and it does not include all of the conditions required by the Shar'a in a legitimate contract, so it is void.

Public Limited Companies (PLC)
Today many Muslims are involved in buying and selling shares in PLC companies on the stock markets. PLC companies are basically companies which float on the stock exchange to generate capital by selling shares, however when people buy these shares they do not have any liability on the company such as being liable for its debts or the business it engages in.

Islam prohibits Public limited companies and prohibits the stock market. There are many evidences from the Quran and Sunnah for this. E.g. Islam does not allow people not to pay their debts and if they are partners in a company they must repay the debts which the company owns therefore having the current share system is prohibited because the owners of the shares and not liable for any of the debts of the company. The Prophet (saw) said:

“He who takes money from people with the intention of paying it back, Allah will pay on his behalf, and he who takes it with the intention to waste it Allah will waste him.”

Other examples
There are many other economic ahkam that we may break due to ignorance, I will not go into their details – however we can read about them in our culture like in the book the Economic system of Islam and you can ask about them in the question and answer session.

For example:

Prohibition of transporting haram goods

If the prohibited goods which one wants to transport is alcohol then moving it is Haraam due the hadeeth mentioned regarding it. If its other goods such as canned meat of animals not slaughtered according to the Sharee’ah way or pork; if one is moving them to destroy them or discard them in refuse containers then it is allowed. However, if they are moved in order to benefit from them or take a wage for doing that such as the worker in shops. If he is hired to stack them or move them then this would be Haraam because this comes under benefiting from the Haraam.

· Selling things you do not have is haram
· The 5 types of company structures in Islam
· The rules of currency exchange
· The rules of contracts

In conclusion, we must stick to the Shariah of Allah (swt) and not deviate from it at all:

The Prophet (saw) said: “Any action done not in accordance with what I have brought it is rejected”

May Allah (swt) give us the strength to fulfil his commands and be of the Mutaqoon.

The following is the translation of an Arabic leaflet.

There are many issues in a person's life which take over his intellect and take up his time. Hence he would constantly exhaust his efforts, on various levels, in order to perform the onuses and fulfill the commitments which these issues entail.

                             

If we were to contemplate these issues to which a person dedicates his life, we would perceive that these take various forms and disparate incentives. These issues are strongly linked to the person's instincts and organic needs. Therefore, people's concerns towards their issues vary from one person to another and from one issue to another. This disparity would be in essence related to the different viewpoints which people hold towards their instincts. Some of them make the survival instinct the dominant factor in their behaviors, actions and concerns. This dominance could sometimes lead to the neglect of other instincts. Others make the spiritual instinct the absolute dominant over other instincts. Hence we find that the religious person, spurred by his instinct rather than his perception, would zealously engage in religiousness, not lending any attention to his other instincts.

The truth of the matter is that by looking into the Sharia'a rules and principles which organise people's relations, it would become clear that a person's engagement in satisfying one instinct would always be at the expense of another instinct, and this fits perfectly with life's requisites. However, despite all this, there ought to be a scale of priorities. It is true that Allah (SWT) has commanded the capable Muslim to work in order to support himself and his dependents, it is also true that Allah (SWT) has commanded the Da’wah carrier to perform all that which the Da’wah demands of him. The Da’wah in fact should take primacy over all other commands. Allah (SWT) has made the Da’wah at the top of the scale, for He (SWT) has made the carrying of the Da’wah the main duty of the Islamic state, also the main duty of every Muslim. The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: "I have been ordered to fight people until they profess that there is no god but Allah, if they said it, their lives and their wealth would be inviolable to me except by right, and their fate would be up to Allah." It is evident that this Hadith reflects the position of the Messenger of Allah (SAW) in his quality as head of state. As for the Hadith which reflected his position before then, this was his reply to his uncle Abu Talib when he said to him: By Allah oh uncle, if they were to put the sun in my right hand, and the moon in my left hand, in order to relinquish this matter, I shall never do so until Allah makes it triumphant or I die without it." 

Therefore, the actions performed by the Muslim would be a means to achieve one objective. This objective would be the Da’wah to Islam. This Da’wah to Islam would take various aspects, the most important and most prominent of which would be the enjoining of Ma'aruf and the forbidding of the Munkar. In the Holy Qur'an this is repeated tens of times in various Surahs, and Allah (SWT) has made it an individual duty upon every Muslim, in addition to having already made it an obligation when He (SWT) commanded the establishment of an Islamic party to fulfil this duty.

We gather from the above that the enjoinment of the Ma'aruf, the forbidding of the Munkar and the Da’wah to Islam or to the resumption of the Islamic way of life, represent a host of carefully targeted aims which result from carrying the Da’wah. It would be therefore imperative to undertake a host of specific tasks in order to achieve the above mentioned results. These tasks are not of less importance than the results themselves, for the results could not be achieved unless these tasks were undertaken.

If we were to display these tasks, we would soon realise that they could not be narrowed down nor could they be counted. However, they could be summarised in several points:

1- The Islamic commitments:

Despite the fact that the total adherence to the Islamic commitments would be to the Da’wah carrier a postulate, thus judging that it would be unnecessary to carry the Da’wah if one did not abide to the letter by the Halal and Haram, or if he did not adopt this as the basis of his discipline, his work and his thinking, even the basis of his whole life. It would be wrong to assume that the Da’wah carrier need not be reminded about these issues. This is so because the prime obligation upon the Da’wah carrier would not only be confined to nursing a genuine desire for Jannah and a genuine fear of hell fire, thus seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT), he should rather aim at conveying this sensation practically and intellectually to the people around him. He would not succeed in conveying this unless the genuine sensation and the true awareness about this were reflected in his actions and his sayings. Hence, it would be conveyed through the actions and the thought to the people.

If the Shab succeeded in acquiring this genuine sensation of seeking the pleasure of Allah (SWT), then the first step towards establishing a nation inspired by this genuine sensation would have been achieved, and this would in turn motivate her towards sacrificing all that which is priceless in order to achieve her objective and reach the position expected of an Islamic Ummah, spreading the guidance, the goodness and the happiness throughout the whole world.

2- Tilawa (recitation) of the Qur'an:

It goes without saying that the Qur'an is the basis of this ideology which we pride ourselves with before the whole world. It is the revealed word of Allah (SWT), with which we are made to worship Him (SWT). In addition to the great reward gained from its recitation, the Qur'an is worthy of whetting the determinations and exhort the people who had set their hearts and minds in working towards making the phrase of "There is no god but Allah, Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah" reign supreme. There is no heavier burden than the carrying of the Da’wah, all the more reason for the Da’wah carrier to recite the Qur'an. For the Qur'an charges the believer with this amazing energy which revives the idle souls and turn them into dispositions who trivialise hardships and make light of all the worldly pleasures, for the sake of gaining the bliss of Jannah, or even to gain the pleasure of Allah (SWT). Why do we have to go far since we are absolutely certain that victory is from Allah (SWT)? That we have no other hope but in Allah (SWT)? So why should we not be eager to take provisions from the source of the Qur'an, ponder over its meanings and acquaint ourselves with its aims?

Therefore, it would be inconceivable for the Da’wah carrier, who feels a weakness in his soul, to seek a better remedy than reciting the verses of the Qur'an over and over again. The Holy Qur'an would never become shabby no matter how much it were recited, no matter how old it became and no matter how many the reciters were.

The Islamic ideology carries all the meanings of strife and struggle, thus it would be wrong to separate this ideology from strife and struggle. Since there were no better incentive than the Qur'an to help carry the burden of struggle and strife, for the Muslim Ummah had become a nation of Jihad and sacrifice since she interacted with the Islamic ideology, and this was only thanks to the eternal Book of Allah (SWT).  To neglect the recitation of the Qur'an would therefore be interpreted as a decline in the perception of the Islamic ideology which ought to be at all times reflected in the high scale of sacrifice and struggle.

3- Contacting people:

There is no doubt about the fact that contacting people represents the general aspect of carrying the Da’wah. Therefore, how could we call ourselves Da’wah carriers if we did not establish contacts with people and if we did not acquaint ourselves with their current affairs. It would be inconceivable to enjoin the Ma'aruf and forbid the Munkar if we did not find people to command and forbid, nor would it be conceivable that we would be able to explain and convey the thoughts and rules of Islam if we were to remain in isolation from other people. The Da’wah carrier would not be worthy of this title simply because of his party affiliation, because the party affiliation is subjected to the administrative rules drawn on paper. The affiliation is in fact no more than an administrative matter. Therefore, the precept would lie in the contacts, and the familiarisation which the Da’wah carrier establishes with people. The precept would also lie in the actions which the Da’wah carrier undertakes, in terms of studying people's state of affairs, dealing with their sensations, reconditioning their thoughts with the thoughts and rules of Islam.

If we were to stand in awe of anything, it would be of those who had known their exact positions in the fierce battle they are engaged in against the Kufr and its systems, and yet they plunged into a deep slumber, hence forgetting, or pretending to have forgotten that they are fighting at the first line of defence. We have never known throughout the history of the Islamic Da’wah a person who had embraced the Islamic ideology and then lived in isolation from other people. Abu Tharr Al-Ghafari (R) embraced the Islamic ideology, then the Messenger of Allah (SAW) ordered him to return to his folk, but he refused to depart from Makkah before crying out the two Shahadas within earshot of the Mushrikeen of Makkah, thus enduring a beating under which the strongest of men would succumb, and at the time he knew from Islam none save for the two Shahadas.

Islam is a collective and universal ideology, not an individual one, an ideology whose natural environment is within the masses ,as a ruling authority and in the international arena. As for those whose desire is to confine Islam to the darkness of prayer rooms and minarets, they are in fact assisting the Kuffar and their agents, intentionally or unintentionally, in their quest to isolate Islam from temporal life and current affairs in a way which would leave it devoid of the streak of Islam. The truth of the matter is that Hizb-ut-Tahrir was the first political structure to be established on the basis of Islam for many centuries. The hope is pinned on the party that Allah (SWT) would grants the Muslim Ummah the great victory at its hands, for a simple but a very important reason, which is that Hizb-ut-Tahrir carries Islam to the masses and aims at generating a public opinion based on the awareness of the rules of Islam. Anyone who chooses to be with the party should undertake to follow the party in all its phases and its steps, and his collective spirit should also be developed. In order to achieve this, it would be sufficient to adopt the Islamic ideology soundly. However, if the Shab continues to lay an isolating siege around himself, away from people, this would have no other explanation but the fact that he did not adopt the ideology in a sound way. This is so because isolation in fact is a blend of cowardice and despair. In other words, the cause of isolation could be interpreted as cowardice, or despair, and these should never find their way to the believer's heart. As for the other causes which may be imagined, these would be in fact excuses rather than causes; and he who searches for many excuses would eventually resort to lying a great deal, we seek Allah's refuge from this. Therefore, there would be no excuse for the Da’wah carrier, once the party has clearly and elaborately explained the thoughts of Islam, to make these thoughts his private entailment and not convey them to others.

4- Reading:

What we mean here by reading is the reading of the books which contain the party culture and those which contain the general culture, be it Fiqhi, intellectual or political. One may however ask: "Since the party had already put its culture in books which it adopted or published, and since the Shab adopts what the party adopts, so why do we concern ourselves with searching and investigating other books? In answer to this we say that we are indeed obliged to propagate the thoughts which we had adopted and we are not obliged to propagate other than that. However, we are aware of the fact that the books adopted by the party are deep and enlightened and they do not exceed the fact that they are a host of rules related to certain realities, thus it would be wrong to be satisfied with learning and quoting the rules, for these could not be separated from the realities which apply upon them. Indeed the party explains some of the realities in its books, but this was an abridged explanation which serves the purpose of highlighting the rule, however, this explanation would not be sufficient to make one understand the true nature of the realities, thus the other books represent the realities and therefore they should be referred to and they should be read, so that our perception of the party culture is coupled with awareness and not exposed to storms. Therefore, the Shab who frequently reads and researches would always remain in a better position to understand and perceive the thoughts and the culture of the party.

Besides, he who is eager to influence other people, should acquire sufficient awareness about what these people carry in terms of thoughts, opinions and Mathahib (schools of thought). Therefore, we would not be far from the truth if we said that the Shab who had acquired a greater deal of knowledge and study, would be capable of influencing people's thoughts and relations. For Instance, when we say that the Khilafah system is a distinguished system, which is unlike any other system, that no other system is like it, and that it is the only system valid to redress people's state of affairs, for it is a system revealed by He Who knows better about the human being than the humans themselves, i.e. Allah (SWT); and when we also say that the democratic system cannot bring happiness to humanity, but it is in fact just like the other systems, the cause of the humanity's anxiety and instability, for these systems are systems of disbelief, i.e they are man-made systems, and the human cannot establish a system for himself, let alone establish a system for other people and implement it upon them, unless he does this by force. When we say this we are here satisfying ourselves with the party culture, and this understanding would remain nearer to the theoretical rather than the practical understanding. 

What makes it an influential and practical understanding, close to the heart and the mind, would be our study of the Kufr systems and more specifically the democratic system, this would enable us to practically acquaint ourselves with the corruption of these systems and their inability to bring happiness to those who come under their line of fire.

This study could be acquired from the books which talk about the various political systems of the world. The party books would only give the judgement concerning these systems, but they do not sufficiently diagnose the reality of these systems in a way that would allow us to understand their elaborate details.

The same thing could be said of the Sharia'a rules adopted by the party, which are subject of difference among the Mujtahideen and the scholars. Therefore, the study of the evidences listed by those Mujtahideen and scholars, with the aim of ascertaining the extent of their validity would strengthen our confidence in the evidences which the party relied on. This study would be found in the books of the distinguished scholars.

We can list tens of examples to prove that reading other books, be it political or intellectual, as well as the party books, would be indispensable for the Da’wah carrier. We do not wish to say that reading would broaden the perceptions and develop the mentalities, nor do we wish to say that reading would set the reader on the first steps towards political awareness. What we wish to say is that carrying the Da’wah could not be achieved in an efficient and influential way unless reading and study were taken up.

5- Pursuance:

We mean by pursuance the follow up of current affairs and daily news, for this would be different from reading, even though it is connected to it. Pursuance would specifically include the reading of political newspapers and magazines and the listening to the news and anything similar. The pursuance of news represents the basic elements of politics, for there would be no politics without it. When we say pursuance or following we mean exactly that. It means to continue diligently and relentlessly, and not to break even for one single day. This is so because the daily events are a long running chain of events that are interlinked together. Therefore, it would be essential to pursue this long running chain so that the understanding of news and events is perfected, and so that we put ourselves in a position to pass on these news and events a true judgement. We are not in this context trying to highlight the importance of political work and its effects in establishing the Islamic idea within the field of implementation and transactions, this is because we are supposed to have surpassed the stage of realising the importance of political work, to reach the stage of getting involved in political work and to perform its various commitments. The point at issue in this context is to realise the importance of pursuing the news and the events in the political work. Analysing the news would undoubtedly be an important matter, so would be the voicing of one's opinion regarding these news, and linking the Islamic viewpoint to that opinion is most important. However, all this would firmly depend on the pursuing of the daily news and events. Events do not wait for the one who pursues them, they tend to take place and leave their marks even if no one pursued them, thus we ought to obtain the news as they occur, and make sure that no event is passing us by without knowing about it and analysing it, and by Allah, how could the one who has no firsthand experience in pursuing events be able to make events happen in the not too distant future Inshallah? 

The pursuance leads the pursuer to live the events, and turns him into a person pulsating with energy, for he could live in the heart of society and catch their attention. This would enable him to attract them and lead them. It would be wrong to ask whether the daily reading of a local newspaper or the listening a news bulletin in the radio would be sufficient to follow the events; this question should not be asked because the precept lies in the obtaining of the news from its most likely places, regardless of whether the source were a newspaper or a radio. This is so because one could read a newspaper everyday without fulfilling the purpose of pursuance, for most of the time, reading the newspaper would not compensate for the listening to the news bulletin on the radio, and sometimes, the same thing could be said about the radio as well. The main point would be not to allow the events to pass us by without at least acquainting ourselves with them.  

These five matters, the Islamic commitments, Tilawa of the Qur'an, contacting people, reading and the pursuance of news, should be given ample care and attention in order to meet their requirements, and in order for the Shab to fulfil the criteria of the Da’wah carrier. These actions are not a difficult and intractable matter, and they do not require the Shab to extricate himself from all his worldly activities so that he could perfect them. If the party had set a time for the performing of these actions, it did not intend by this pushing the Shab to reduce his working hours in order to concentrate on the Da’wah, what was intended was for the Shab to perform these action in person, to motivate and constrain himself to perform these actions. The whole issue could be down to one single and specific question: Have we made of the Da’wah the cornerstone in our life and our concerns? He who has placed the Da’wah at the heart of his action and his thinking would not be tired of coming up with ploys to perform these actions, whereas he who has not made of the Da’wah the centre of his attention and concern, he would undoubtedly find the world too small for him, and he would come up with the most trivial of excuses. Eventually, he would become a victim of life and her temporal bliss. May Allah make us from those who carry His trust in the best manner, He is Al-Sami'i Al-Mujib. Ameen.

First Published : 2nd August 1975

Human beings are defined by what they are; not what they are not. Having a clear understanding of what a human is, his instincts, organic and vital needs and all that is manifested from them is crucial for humanity to be aware of the purpose of life and finiteness of the human being. An accurate and comprehensive understanding of these things will cause people to seek revival and progress in the path for humankind’s betterment. Humanity wants practical solutions for systematic problems; humans need to have their affairs organized as well as their instincts and needs satisfied in the proper way so that society will be in harmony and justice will prevail.

Types of Instincts

Human beings have three types of instincts:

1. The instinct of survival

2. The instinct of procreation

3. The instinct of worship

Instincts, such as the instinct of survival, manifest itself as an ensemble of organic and vital needs and drives. These needs and drives are not instincts but aspects that emanate from the instincts.

The instinct of survival

The need to defend oneself from danger either by the “fight or flight” response is one example of a manifestation of the instinct of survival. Other examples include having fear, courage, and hope; also, the desire to dominate and having power over others, the need for ownership, and many other manifestations are all included in the instinct of survival.

Emotions and attributes such as fear, courage and hope are used for the one’s survival. If a person were to be in a situation where his life is in jeopardy, he can use fear to escape the imminent danger or use courage to fight his way out of the predicament. Hope can be the yearning for things that will help an individual to survive. The propensity to control and dominate over others stems from the individualistic drive to maintain one’s status, in order to increase one’s chances for survival and to reduce the likelihood of being subjected to undesirable conditions. As for the need to possess things, the need to live in a place of shelter, to have food and clothing are all essential in maintaining one’s well being, which is important for survival.

The instinct of procreation

Sexual desire, parenthood, and the kindness for family are some of the manifestations of the instinct of procreation. Unlike the instinct of survival, the instinct of procreation is focused more on the survival and the continuation of one’s kind (humanity) as opposed to oneself. Sexual desires can be satisfied through sexual intercourse -- sexual intercourse can ultimately lead to the birth of a new child, continuing the existence of humanity by means of procreation. The love for one’s spouse is another aspect of the instinct of procreation. The tendency of a parent to love and even risk his or her life in order to protect the child is an example of caring for someone who came about as a result of the act of procreation; accordingly, this love is reciprocated by the child to the parent as well to one’s relatives, such as in the kindness to family.

The instinct of worship

From the monotheist to the atheist, the instinct of worship manifests itself as a reverence for something or someone that is regarded as higher than oneself. The object of veneration can be God or many gods, objects, people and even ideas and beliefs. Monotheists and polytheists believe in one god or many gods respectively; atheists or agnostics may not believe in God but the need to have their spiritual requirements fulfilled by the sanctification or devotion of something or someone such as an idea or a person exists in them as well.

Organic Needs Being Vital or Non-Vital

Hunger, thirst, sleep, sex, answering the call of nature, and many other organic and vital needs and drives are all manifestations of the different kinds of instincts. Hunger, thirst, sleep, and answering the call of nature, which all emanate from the instinct of survival, are vital organic needs that must be fulfilled; not fulfilling them will cause the subsequent death of an individual. Sexual desire, which comes from the instinct of procreation, should be fulfilled (in the proper manner), but not doing so is not vital for the survival of a person, although it will often cause the individual to be agitated. The worship of an entity fulfils the spiritual needs of an individual, but not satisfying the instinct of worship will not cause the subsequent death of a person, because the satisfaction of spiritual needs is not vital, although for many, it is essential to have the needs met in order to have a peace of mind and be in a state of well being.

Some manifestations of one kind of instinct can also manifest itself in another kind of instinct. Jealously can be part of the instinct of survival, as in the case of seeking leadership. It can cause a person to be jealous over a spouse, which is a manifestation of the instinct of procreation. It all depends on the situation at hand, which dictates what kind of instinct the manifestation is.

The need to satisfy organic needs is innate and independent of any external factors to stimulate the needs. For example, the presence of food is not necessary to cause a person to be hungry for the reason that the need to consume food and drink is an innate aspect of an individual. Furthermore, the organic needs cannot be satisfied at the expense of other organic needs. For example, one cannot satisfy the need to eat and drink by sleeping, because the need to eat and drink cannot be satisfied in any other way except by consuming food and drinks.

Why the Number of Instincts and Needs is not Indefinite

Many psychologists and scientists have contended that the human being has an indefinite amount of instincts. Consequently, many of these psychologists and scientists went on to formulate false theories based on their interpretation of instincts. The false theories and premises that they postulated have influenced society and its education; effectively, many attempts at rectifying the problems within a society were rendered futile because of the misunderstanding of the various aspects of the human being; satisfying the instincts and needs of humans in a way that does not lead to further problems was something that became elusive due to the lack of understanding and incorrect concepts.

One such example of such misunderstanding is the assertion that the brain is divided into segments that have distinct aptitudes; some brains have certain aptitudes that other brains may not have. Therefore, some will have a proclivity to a certain behavior while others will not, such as the inclination to be violent manifesting itself in some people and not in others. The truth of the matter is that the brain is one unit and the disparity of ideas comes as a result of the disparity of things that are perceptible through the senses and are understood by the previous information retained by the mind. There is no aptitude in one brain that is not found in another; all brains that are sound and healthy contain the ability to think about every matter whenever the tangible reality, senses, and previous information are made available to the brain. However, brains vary in their ability to digest and assess information, for example, the existence of divergence in the power of the senses – as in the natural

variation in eyesight. Therefore, it would be possible to feed any person with any type of data and he or she would have the ability to digest such data; hence, the claims that psychologists and scientists make about these aptitudes and their relationship with instincts are groundless.

An act such as murder or adultery cannot be justified by the claim that one has a predisposition to commit these acts, because while the instincts and needs require satisfaction**; the instincts do not force a person to take a specific method in the fulfillment of these instincts, needs and drives. The need to satisfy one’s hunger does not require a person to eat a specific food or object; it is a matter of choice of an individual to eat meat or vegetables; whether the individual chooses to eat a specific food or not is dictated by choice and not by instincts. Therefore, it is erroneous to link the method one chooses to satisfy the instincts and needs to a biological or genetic element in one’s physiological composition.

However, fulfilling these instincts and needs should not conflict with their purpose and natural disposition. For example, it would be wrong for someone to satisfy the need to consume food by eating rocks or poison, because doing such a thing is not harmonious with the purpose of the instinct and natural disposition of a human being and will lead to problems, such as death and other health-related issues. The same goes for other instincts and needs; they cannot be satisfied in a way that goes against is purpose and natural disposition.

Evidently, psychology’s interpretation of the instincts and its claims about the brain are inaccurate; as a result, such erroneous views lead to the belief that humans have an indefinite amount of instincts and are inclined to do certain behavior because of these instincts and genetic and biological factors. There are only three instincts and anything else other than these three are merely aspects of these instincts; for instance, fear, domination, and ownership are aspects of the instinct of survival; sanctification and worship are aspects of the spiritual instinct; and parent- and brotherhood are aspects of the instinct of procreation.

Conclusion

Contrary to what many people believe, the instincts of human beings do not number more than the three nor do they cause an individual to be prone to acting a certain way. As was stated earlier, the three instincts of humans have many aspects and manifestations; they are not distinct instincts and the assertion that humans have an indefinite number of instincts is inaccurate. No one is born with the tendency to murder or lie; people choose to commit certain behavior because of the choices they make that are usually based on an adherence to the beliefs that shape their mentality and conduct.

The satisfaction of the needs and instincts must be done in a way that agrees with the human being’s natural disposition and purpose. It is mandatory -- for the betterment of humankind -- to implement a system that can address the need for humanity to satisfy the needs and instincts in a way that agrees with man’s nature and does not lead to deviant behavior and the consequent corruption of society. The quest to solve the problems of humanity must begin with understanding the correct concepts of what a human is and his relationship to this life and what preceded and what is to follow this life. Consequently, the true progress of humanity can be realized to the point where human beings are dignified at the level of a human being and not anything less than that; human progress should not be determined by the technological or scientific achievements of a society, but how human rights are observed and enforced so that no human is treated less than a human.

** require a method or system or a way to satisfy

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Allah (swt) emphasised thinking well of the believers when He (swt) said:

“Why then, did not the believers, men and women, then you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people.” [TMQ an-Noor: 12]

Furthermore Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “If a man says the people have perished then he has destroyed them.”

We must realise the importance of realising the goodness amongst the Muslims, for if we didn't see it would lead us to dismissing the Ummah resulting in the failure of the Da'wa and the negligence in the obligation. It would lead to us becoming disheartened souls with a minuscule vision. We would give up in achieving the victory even though the victory may be closer than we possibly imagined. The life of the Da'wa would be removed from us and we would become empty vessels revolving around ourselves.

Therefore it is incumbent upon us to realise the reality of the goodness within the Ummah and the reality of people in general. As we should know, people act on the basis of their concepts, therefore if their concepts are corrupt their actions would proceed in an incorrect manner, if their concepts were righteous then their actions follow in a manner leading to the gardens of bliss under which rivers flow as promised in the Qur'an.

If we apply this upon the people around us and to the millions in the Ummah we would see their incorrect actions resulting from the declined concepts. However we should realise that these millions possess the Islamic Aqeeda and the mind which Allah (swt) has blessed them with, this should be enough for us to realise their potential and not become detached from them. For if the Islamic Aqeeda existed in ones heart then this would be a starting point for us regardless of his behaviour. Even if this Aqeeda was held in an emotional manner we would make it rational. If it was rational yet the individual shaped his life from other than Islam then we would re-ignite his thought upon the implications of the rational Islamic doctrine and link this to all aspects of his life. If he is shallow in thinking, we would broaden his horizons thus turning him into a thinker rather than one who his led.

This potential definitely exists in the Ummah and we must look for the goodness in them rather than only focusing upon the negative points. So if one did not work for the resumption of Islam yet prayed the Salah and smiled to his brothers in order to achieve reward. We should see this and see that it is linked to Islam, we should attempt to understand the basis upon which he builds the rest of his life and rectify it.

If one was arrogant yet he dealt with his children in a kind way, we should realise his potential for the good actions and attempt to show him the errors of arrogance and pride, the dangers they would lead to and their non-conformance with Islam.

This mentality would make us productive thinkers, so if we were to face a society in which their was much lewdness and degradation in values, we would not get defeated. Rather we would look at the thoughts and sentiments that exist in that society and see the multitude of problems as something which would make it easier for the people to realise the error of the system and instil the desire to change it. The countries of the Indian sub-continent which many of us have visited may come to mind. We can see their potential for Islam, even the fact that the governments have to use the name of Islam should be a sign demonstrating the deep rootedness of the Aqeeda within the people. Even the armies in those lands possess a feeling for Islam.

Indeed even the ones who do not possess the Islamic Aqeeda have the potential for change. For if this wasn't the case then Islam would not have spread and it would have remained in the mind of the Prophet (saw). The fact that the Islamic message was embraced by millions demonstrates the reality of change. The Prophet (saw) did du'a to Allah (swt) asking him for one of the two Umar's to come to Islam, these two were Abu Jahl (whose real name was Umar) and Umar bin al Khattab. As we all are well aware of Umar bin al Khattab embraced Islam and was transformed from the one who used to bury his infant daughters alive to the one who became one with the most exalted behaviour, the one who became the Amir and Shield of the believers, the one who was praised by the Prophet and of whom it was said: "When Umar walks down one side of the street, the Shaytan walks down the other side"

Even though Abu Jahl never embraced Islam, the Prophet (saw) must have seen the potential for him to change otherwise he wouldn't have delivered the Da'wa to him or make the Du'a.

Many examples can be given that prove the power of the Islamic call and the influence it has in radically and comprehensively transform individuals and entire societies.

Inshallah understanding this should make us into people who urge to remove the darkness in the world with the light of Islam.