Three Point Action

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Three-Point Action Agenda

for the Muslim Ummah

Dr. Israr Ahmad

English Translation

Dr. Absar Ahmad

Lahore

Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Quran2001


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Original Title in Urdu

First Printing December 1997 1100

Second Printing December 2001 1100

Printed at: Shirkat Printing Press, LahorePublished by: Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Quran Lahore

36-K, Model Town Lahore 54700 (Pakistan)Phone: 5869501-03 Fax: 5834000E-mail: [email protected]

The Anjuman does not reserve to itself anycopyright for the publication of this tract. It may

be published by any person who happens to beinspired by the same purpose as the writer.

Price Rs: 60

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Translators Notehe ideas and arguments put forward in this booklet were originally presented by Dr. IsrarAhmad, Ameer of Tanzeem-e-Islami, in his

numerous lectures, particularly two of his publicspeeches delivered at Karachi in 1985 and 1990. Despitethis gap of five years, the two lectures were published

together in Urdu on account of their common purposeand subject matter, which is to educate and enlighten allthose who profess to be Muslims regarding theresponsibilities of the Muslim Ummah as a whole, aswell as the duties of its individual members.

The issues that are discussed in these lecturesrevolve around three ayaat of the Holy Quran, whichoccur in the middle of its third Surah. The remarkablefeature of these ayaat is that they describe, in just a fewwords, the entire plan of action that must be adopted by

Muslims if they are to succeed in the Hereafter andredress their continuing humiliation in this world.

The present English translation, being a summaryof the points covered in the public addresses mentionedabove, was initially published in three issues of themonthlyHikmat-e-Quran, and now its revised version isbeing presented in the form of a booklet. It is hoped thatthis translation will go a long way in introducing thefundamental conceptions behind the establishment ofMarkazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Quran Lahore and

Tanzeem-e-Islami the spearheads of revivaliststruggle initially in Pakistan and later spreading out tothe entire world.

Absar AhmadDecember, 1997

T


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hree ayaat (102-104) of Surah Aal-e-Imran are ofimmense significance as they contain in a

nutshell the comprehensive three-point plan ofaction Muslims are commanded to undertake in orderto attain terrestrial success as well as salvation andfelicity in the Hereafter. These ayaat and their Englishtranslation are as follows:

Believers! Heed Allah as He should be heeded,and see that you do not die except in the state ofIslam.

And hold fast, all together, to the Rope of Allah(which He stretched out for you), and be notdivided among yourselves; and remember with

T

!

!

!


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gratitude Allahs favor on you, for you were onceenemies and then He joined your hearts in love,so that by His Grace you became brethren; andyou were on the brink of the pit of fire, and Hesaved you from it. Thus does Allah make HisSigns clear to you, that you may be guided to theright way.

Let there arise from among you a band of people

(i.e., a party) who invite people to all that is good,and enjoin the doing of all that is right and forbidthe doing of all that is wrong. It is they who willattain true success.

These ayaat occur almost in the middle of theSurah Aal-e-Imran and as such occupy a pivotalposition in the numerous themes with which theSurah deals. As is commonly believed by Muslims,every single ayah of the Quran contains boththeoretical wisdom and practical guidance. Similarly,

though the above mentioned three ayaat too havephilosophical points of wisdom or theoretical hikmah,I shall mainly dilate upon the practical guidanceprovided by them. I personally believe that pureacademicism or too much philosophical or criticalacumen exercised in understanding a particular pointquite often hides from the scholar the concrete andpractical guidance contained therein. Moreover, whatthe Muslim Ummah as a whole needs today is a clearand precise perception of the religious obligations

and imperatives and a resolve to act upon them in theright earnest.

The first ayah tells the Muslims very precisely, andyet very comprehensively, the obligations which theyhave to fulfill as members of the Muslim Ummah


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the priorities in the conduct of life and the value-structure to be upheld during the course of this-worldly life.

The second ayah enlightens the Muslims about the binding-force which unites and welds them into anUmmah (a religious fraternity) the instrumentwhich turns them into a disciplined community with

a common aim.

The third ayah delineates the objective and goal ofthe Muslim Ummah in general and that of the activistIslamic group or hizbullah in particular. In otherwords, it deals with the question: What is the missionand the target for which the Ummah has to strive?

One can very easily see that there is a stronglogical relationship between these three points. Everyorganizational effort or collectivity depends

ultimately upon the individual members theirexistential commitment to the groups world-viewand determination to act accordingly. How can agroup or a collectivity proceed in the right directionunless its individual members act and behave in theright manner? If individuals do not conductthemselves on the prescribed lines, how can thegroup as a whole work appropriately and achieve itsenvisaged targets? It is quite logical, therefore, that inorganizing a collective effort the individual personhimself comes first. In the context of Islamic Ummahsmission and goal, the foremost point is that anindividual Muslim should realize and perform hisreligious obligations. He should be quite clear as towhat Islam requires him to do, and he must fulfillthose requirements.


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Let me illustrate this point with the help of anexample. Suppose a person has to ascend a platformwhich has three steps. The surest and safest way forhim will be first to rise up to the first step, then to thesecond and finally to the last. If, on the other hand, hetries to jump at the top he is most likely to fall down,thus failing to achieve his target. The ayaat cited

above similarly unfold before us three steps or stagesthrough which Muslims should pursue their ummaticgoal.

So let us focus our attention on the first ayah thatreads:

Believers! Heed Allah as He should be heeded, andsee that you do not die except in the state of Islam.

Here two points are noteworthy before weembark upon an in-depth analysis of the contents of

the ayah: First, almost two-third of the Quran consistsof Makkan Surahs in which the expression OBelievers! has not been used even once. This way ofaddress was employed in the Medinan period whenthe Muslims had formally became a community. Thusthis expression marked the formation of MuslimUmmah and Allah Almighty (SWT) used these wordswhile addressing all the members of the Islamicpolity.

Secondly, a major portion of Surah Aal-e-Imran

was revealed in the third year after Hijrah,immediately after the battle of Uhud (Shawwal, 3A.H.). If one tries to visualize, with the help ofauthentic historical accounts, the state of the Muslimcommunity at that time in Medinah, one sees that thefaith and belief of the community presented a wide


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spectrum. At the one end of that spectrum were true,staunch, and pious believers (among both Ansar andMuhajiroon) the depth of whose inner certitude andunflinching belief (Iman) was fathomless, whereas atthe other extreme were those who lacked firmcommitment and dedication to Islam thevacillating and faint-hearted among the Prophets

(SAW) followers. The highest degree of this attitudewas exhibited by those whom the Quran terms asMunafiqun people who had rancor or hatredagainst true Muslims and suffered from incredulity,impiety, shiftlessness, and dissimulation. Theimportant point to note, however, is that these peoplewere never treated as a separate group; rather theywere included among the Muslims and the addressstarting with the expressions O Believers! alsocovered them. This point has far reachingimplications. Legally, even the hypocrites are to betreated as Muslims in an Islamic society as theyprofess the Oneness of Allah (SWT) and prophethoodof Muhammad (SAW). That is why in the whole ofthe Quran we do not read even once the words OHypocrites! even though a complete Surah entitledAl-Munafiqun (the Hypocrites) deals with thewiles, plots, and false pretexts of the dissemblers,whom the Holy Book likens to propped-up timbers.At other places the hypocrites, faint-hearted, andweak-willed Muslims are described as a menace to

military discipline, quislings under pressure andvacillators always guessing at their shifting fortunes.All those who profess to have Iman, the Quran says,are not necessarily trule believers; many havediseases of feebleness or hypocrisy in their hearts:


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And there are some men who say: We believe inGod and the Last Day; but they are not really believers ...in their hearts is disease. (Al-Baqarah 2:8-10)

The Bedouins say, We believe. Say: You do not(truly) believe, rather say, We have (outwardly)surrendered for faith has not yet entered yourhearts. (Al-Hujurat 49:14)

O Messenger, let those who vie with one anotherin (the way of) kufr not grieve you, from amongthose who say with their mouths We believewhile their hearts believe not. (Al-Maida 5:41)

So, here in this world, true and staunch believersas well as weaklings and hypocrites are all mixedtogether. However, Almighty Allah (SWT) will makea clear division between them on the Day of Judgment, when everybody will be rewarded on thebasis of his belief and deeds (see Al-Hadeed 57:13). In

other words, in this world a mans being Muslim (i.e.,his verbal attestation of the basic beliefs of Islam andoutward actions) is all that matters; but in theHereafter only true and sincere belief Iman anddeeds performed with the sole intention of pleasingAllah (SWT) will save one from the torments of hell-fire.

Turning now to the meanings of the ayaat, onenotes that they address all who claim themselves tobe believers, and the first demand that is made is: O

Believers! Heed Allah as much as He should be reallyheeded. This means that people who profess faithare being commanded to be true believers and to havefear and awe of Allah (SWT) to the utmost degree.The Arabic word Taqwa is very meagerly


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transliterated in the English word fear. Fear isobviously of many kinds:

the abject fear of the coward;

the fear of a child or an inexperienced person inthe face of an unknown danger, more properlycalled dread;

the fear of a reasonable man who wishes to avoidharm to himself or to people whom he wishes toprotect;

the reverence which is akin to love, for it fears todo anything which is not pleasing to the object oflove.

The first is unworthy of man; the second isnecessary for one spiritually immature; the third is amanly precaution against evil so long as it isunconquered; and the fourth is the seed-bed of

righteousness and piety. Those mature in faithcultivate the fourth; at earlier stages, the third or thesecond may be necessary. But even here it is both fearand reverential awe of Allah (SWT). The first, on theother hand, is a feeling of which anyone should beashamed. To respond to the call of Allah (SWT) andHis Messenger (SAW) even after one has been smitten by injuries indicates that one fears God. Taqwa isindeed God-consciousness that makes a personrighteous and pious. Steadfastness and perseverance

in obedience and loyalty to Almighty Allah (SWT)necessarily characterize the pious (i.e., a muttaqi).According to the Quran, Taqwa is an all-embracingmoral-cum-spiritual quality of the highest order the inner driving force that keeps a Muslim on theright track.


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Let us try to understand Taqwa a little further.Taqwa does not merely imply any particular form,appearance or life-style. Rather, it is a state of mindand heart which no doubt does reflect in every aspectof life. It permeates the whole being of a true believer;it is not a mere veneer or outward show. Essentially,it can be termed God-consciousness: a human beings

awe of God, consciousness of ones duty towardsHim, and an awareness of ones accountability toHim; to be conscious of the fact that the world is aphase of trial where Allah (SWT) has sent us for aspecified period of time; that Allahs decisions on theDay of Judgment on an individuals future in theHereafter will depend on how he makes use of hisenergies and capabilities in the period of time at hisdisposal in this world. A conscience which is fired byconsciousness of Allah (SWT) becomes alive. Manssensitivity becomes sharp under this influence and heavoids everything that is against Allahs will. Hestarts examining his own thoughts and feelings to seewhat tendencies are being nurtured within him. He begins to scrutinize his life to find out in whatactivities he is spending his time and energy.

Once the second Caliph Umar (RAA) asked UbaiIbn Kab (RAA) as to how he would define Taqwa andwhat its essence is. Ubai Ibn Kab (RAA), acclaimed by the Holy Prophet (SAW) as a great scholar and

reciter of the Quran, explained it in such a convincingand vivid manner that everyone of the Companionssitting in that meeting appreciated it. The explanationgiven by him may be paraphrased like this: If a manhas to cross a jungle with thorny bushes on both sidesof a narrow track, he will take extreme care and tuck


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up his garments in order to avoid any harm to hisclothes or to himself. This attitude of caution and careis to be called Taqwa.

Keeping this connotation ofTaqwa in view, let usfirst understand what Iman or Islamic religions beliefis. Iman signifies that a person has acknowledged theunity of God and believed in Him as the Creator and

the Sustainer of the universe, one has testified to theDay of Judgment, and, finally, believed themessengership of Muhammad (SAW). This tripartite belief entails crucially important practicalimperatives, which are, in the words of the Quran, asfollows:

So, obey Allah and obey His Messenger; but ifyou turn back, the duty of our Messenger is butto proclaim the Message clearly and openly. (Al-Taghabun 64:12)

So take and put in practice what the Messengerassigns to you and deny yourselves that which hewithholds from you.... (Al-Hashr 59:7).

Then guard yourselves against the Day when onesoul shall not avail another, nor shallcompensation be accepted from her, nor shallintercession profit her, nor shall anyone behelped. (Al-Baqarah 2:123)

In a nutshell, the first and foremost demand ofIman on a Muslim is that he should have Taqwa. Not

only does a person with Taqwa scrupulously avoidthings which are explicitly prohibited, he alsohesitates from getting involved in affairs which are inany way dubious or worthless. His sense of dutymakes him fulfill Allahs commands in a spirit of totalsubmission. His fear of God causes a feeling of deep


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anxiety and agony whenever there is a possibility thathe may be in danger of exceeding limits prescribed byAlmighty Allah (SWT). Ensuring the discharge of hisobligations towards God and towards his fellow- beings becomes his way of life; he shudders at thevery thought of doing anything unjust and against theIslamic Shariah. He keeps a vigil on whatever his

bodily limbs (arms, legs, eyes, ears, sexual organs)perform. He thinks himself accountable for allvoluntary acts performed through them. Since,according to the Quran an angel always recordswhatever a man speaks out, a God-fearing man isvigilant about what he utters. This vigilance, control,concern, and caution are the hallmarks of the Taqwa-based attitude in life.

Again, the words which accompany and qualifythe commandment for Taqwa are immensely

noteworthy: ...as He should be heeded. Whilereciting this ayah we generally take a cursory andcavalier view of these words. How radically differentwas the attitude and response of the Companions ofthe Prophet (SAW) when they came to know of thischallenging demand! They became extremelyperturbed and thought that it was impossible for oneto fear Almighty Allah (SWT) to the highest degreedue Him. They, therefore, inquired from the Prophetabout this and got consolation only when the

following words of Allah, Most Merciful and MostCompassionate, were revealed: So heed God asmuch as you can... (Al-Taghabun 64:15). On hearingthis, they were relieved of a terrible anxiety. AllahsTaqwa combined with as much as you canobviously means: lead lives of self-restraint and


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righteousness to the highestpossible degree. And theCompanions of the Holy Prophet (SAW) amply actedupon this Divine injunction. However, on our part weshould not absolve ourselves of our obligation byunderestimating our own capacities and capabilities.One should not deliberately forego the struggle forrestraint and piety on the false (and self-deceiving!)

pretext that he lacks the required mental and physicalstrength. The All-Knowing Allah (SWT) knows wellhow much strength and capability He has given toeach person and everyone will be judged according tothat measure.

Now let us discuss the second injunctioncontained in the ayah: and see that you do not dieexcept in the state of Islam. What does Islam literallymean? It means submission and surrender to Allah(SWT). Islam implies belief in the unity of God and

the prophethood of Muhammad (SAW). Anyone whotestifies to this belief fulfills the legal requirement forentry into the fold of Islam. This belief has verysignificant practical ramifications. The edifice of acomplete Islamic life can only be built on a belief inGods unity (Tauheed) that permeates a persons entirepersonal and social life, and which is so strong that heconsiders himself and all that he possesses as reallybelonging to Almighty Allah (SWT); he accepts Himas the sole rightful Owner, Object of worship,

Receiver of obedience, and Law-giver for himself aswell as for the rest of the world; he considers Him thefountain-head of guidance, and is fully aware thatdisobedience to Allah (SWT) or indifference to thedivinely revealed law constitutes deviation from theright path of Islam. Indeed, controlling the baser


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prompting and desires of the self and always strivingto act according to the dictates of the Quran andSunnah of the Prophet is what Islam essentiallymeans.

Moreover, the command given in a mostemphatic style and see that you do not die save inthe state of Islam is very significant and subtle. As

a matter of fact, nobody knows as to how long he isgoing to live and where and in what conditions hisdeath will take place. We often hear that a persontravels in the morning to a certain place on a businessor pleasure trip. His family members fondly expecthim back after a few days, but instead in the eveningof the very same day he left his house, his wife andchildren receive his dead body. Thus, if a personfirmly decides that death does not take him except inthe state of submission and total surrender to Allah

(SWT), he will have to be extremely and ceaselesslyalert so that not even a single moment of his life isspent in sinful activity. Nobody has any guaranteewhatsoever that he is not to die at the time ofindulging in sin and thus transgressing the limits setby the Quran and the Sunnah.

Many Quranic ayaat and ahadith emphasize thatan un-Islamic act cannot co-exist with Iman, indeed tothe extent that, at least while man is committing a sin,his Iman leaves him. Let me here quote a very

authentic hadith.Hadrat Abu Hurayra (RAA) says that AllahsMessenger (SAW) said: While one is committingfornication, he is not a believer; while one isstealing, he is not a believer; while one is takingliquor, he is not a believer; while one is


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plundering, as people look on, he is not abeliever; while one is committing fraud, he is nota believer; so beware, beware! (Bukhari andMuslim)

Leaving aside for a moment the arguments of thejurists and theologians about Iman and its relation toamaal (actions), one must try to understand the

matter in the light of the Quran. It is crystal clearfrom the Quran that the inner conviction of faith andthe practice of Islam are essentially interdependent.Allah (SWT) almost invariably mentions faith andrighteous conduct together. Verbal profession ofIslamic beliefs, though important in its own right, isnot sufficient for supporting the edifice of an Islamicmorality and way of life and for winning himsalvation in the Hereafter. Just imagine the uttermisfortune of a person whose soul is overtaken bydeath while he is committing a grievous sin and notime is left for him to repent and make amends. Thissituation can only be avoided by a Muslim whomakes Islam the ultimate, paramount and all-timeconcern in his life.

First things first. This, then, is the foremost andbase-line practical step or action which a true Muslimhas to undertake most earnestly. Withoutaccomplishing this, he cannot fruitfully move on tothe two higher steps of the action-agenda. Allah

(SWT) castigates the religious divines of the Jews withseverest reproach on this account thus:

Do you enjoin right conduct on the people, andforget (to practise it) yourselves, and yet youstudy the Scripture? Will you not understand?(Al-Baqarah 2:44)


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This attitude (of double standards) is alsoconspicuously visible in our own present day Muslimsociety. Many a preacher deliver moving andpassionate sermons to others on religion and moralrectitude. A large group of spiritual mentors is seenengaged in Islamic dawah activity across the Muslimworld. High-quality and first-rate academic papers

are being written and published by a host of scholarsin the Muslim lands. Yet, on closer examination, oneregrettably finds that most of these scholars, writers,and mentors do not practise Islam themselves. Theirown lives and conduct, far from being based on Taqwaand Iman, exhibit many deviations from Islamicprinciples. Unfortunately, they forget that the firstthing that Islam demands from them is to lead theirown lives as much as possible according to thedictates of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet(SAW).

The demand of the Quran as explained in theabove lines is that we are required to worship andlove Allah (SWT) with all our heart, with all ourmind, and with all our strength. In Islam, thereligious concern is ultimate, it excludes all otherconcerns from ultimate significance. The concern forIslam is to be unconditional: independent of anycondition of character, desire, or circumstance. Theunconditional concern is total: no part of ourselves or

of our world is excluded from it, there is no place toflee from it. The total concern is infinite: no momentof relaxation and rest is possible in the face of areligious concern which is ultimate, unconditional,total and infinite. The Quranic ayah: O Believers!Enter wholly in Islam... (Al-Baqarah 2:208) means


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exactly this. Allah (SWT) demands that man shouldsubmit, without reservation, the whole of his beingand life to His will. Mans outlook, intellectualpursuits, behavior, interaction with other people andmodes of behavior should all be completelysubordinate to Islam. Allah (SWT) does not accept thesplitting up of human life into separate

compartments, some governed by the teachings ofIslam and others exempt from them. Whether seenfrom the point of view of Islam or Taqwa (i.e., God-fearing attitude and God-consciousness), the Quraninstructs us to believe wholeheartedly and to bow insubmission and obedience to God totally andcompletely. It allows no fragmentation of life. Taqwais an all-embracing moral quality of the highest order.It manifests itself in an individuals whole way ofthinking and acting. The Quran emphasizes that theguidance given by Allah (SWT) cannot be split intoparts the peripheral, less important ones to befollowed, the fundamental, more important ones to beput in cold storage. We can see with our own eyes inthe lives of those who often enjoy great fame for theirTaqwa that they are so particular about the minutedetails of the Shariah that deviation from thesecondary injunctions of their own juristicpersuasions is to them tantamount to heresy andthreatened with hell-fire. But their neglect of thefundamentals of Islam e.g., prohibition of interest

in business and concern for economic exploitationand social injustice in society reaches such heightsthat compromise and expediency seem to dominatelives.

Taqwa or God-consciousness must assert itself


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both in public life and in the inner denizens of privatelife. In case it is shallow and fake, it will manifest onlyin the external veneer of living and conduct. Once theHoly Prophet (SAW) pointed to his breast thrice andsaid that Taqwa resides in here. If the heart of a man isenlivened by Taqwa, it will permeate his entire beingand dye his total personality with the color of

Allah. A Muslim has been commanded by Allah(SWT) not only to pray and fast, but also to put inpractice His injunctions with respect to the social,political, and economic aspects of life. Islam does notallow in the least the modern secular approach inwhich religion is confined to ones private life andmodes of worship. On no pretext whatsoever economic stringency, difficulties in interest-freemonetary transactions, extravagant customarypractices on weddings and other social occasions can a true and committed Muslim justify himself inindulging in un-Islamic behavior. This is the basicand foremost lesson that comes out so clearly andemphatically from this ayah of Surah Aal-e-Imran foranyone who aspires to live as a Muslim and die as aMuslim.

And hold fast, all together, to the Rope of Allah(which He stretched out for you), and be not dividedamong yourselves; and remember with gratitudeAllahs favor on you, for you were once enemies andthen He joined your hearts in love, so that by HisGrace you became brethren; and you were on thebrink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it.Thus does Allah make His Signs clear to you, thatyou may be guided to the right way.

The next ayah (ayah 103) of Surah Aal-e-Imran


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explains the second practical step that the MuslimUmmah is urged to undertake. All those who haveaccomplished to the maximum possible degree therequirement of the preceding ayah and attained thedriving force of Taqwa (i.e., God-consciousness) intheir lives are called upon to unite and jointogether for the cause of Islam. Until and unless they

join hands together and become like a solid steel-ribbed structure, they cannot achieve the supremacyand ascendancy of Islam at the global level. It is awell-established truth that any influential and wide-ranging mission, be it a moral or an immoral one,requires the concerted efforts of a group of people.

The noblest and loftiest end to make humanitysurrender to one God that Prophet Muhammad(SAW) achieved in his life time was only achievedwith the selfless, dedicated, and cooperative efforts of

his Companions (RAA). But the Prophet (SAW)himself could achieve this within the boundaries ofArabian Peninsula and the task of disseminatingIslam and making it dominant in the entire world wasput on the shoulders of Muslim Ummah. This giganticduty obviously calls for a united and organizedstruggle.

Now, just as a strong and solid wall requiresstrong blocks or bricks, the individual members of theIslamic Jihad movement should also be men of deep

inner conviction and noblest character, who strivetogether to bring all power and all powers underGod. If the individual Muslim suffers from lack ofcommitment to the Islamic cause and is not adedicated worker, the Islamic Ummah cannot


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accomplish its Divinely ordained mission. In otherwords, each Muslim must first himself become asincere, wholehearted, and authentic believer in orderto play his role in the discharge of Ummaticobligations. The consolidation and invigoration ofIman or Taqwa in the individual person is the subjectwhich has been dealt with most fully yet succinctly in

the preceding ayah of the Holy Quran. Now, wemove on to the second step.

We have seen that it is of utmost urgency forMuslims to join hands together for the realization ofUmmah's destiny as the standard-bearer of truth, theestablishment of Divine Order of social justice andequity on earth; in other words, bringing Gods earthunder Gods rule. The most important question thatarises here is: What is that bond or cementingmaterial which would bind the Muslims into a

strongly united group or collectivity? The Quranicayah under discussion provides answer to this veryquestion: And hold fast, all together, the cord ofAllah (that he stretched out for you), and be notdivided among yourselves....

The simile used here is that of people strugglingin deep water, to whom a benevolent Providencestretches out a strong and unbreakable cord or rope ofrescue. If all hold fast to it together, their mutualsupport adds to the chance of their safety. One may

wonder here as to what habl Allah the cord of Allah(SWT) really means. Mention of a fewmethodological points with regard to the commentaryon, and understanding of, the Holy Quran will be inthe fitness of things!


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The first principle to be kept in mind in theinterpretation and understanding of the Quran isthat its one ayah or portion is sometimes explainedand elaborated by another ayah or portion of theQuran. In case one does not find such explanationwithin the Quran, then the second recognizedprinciple is to explore the backgrounds of the

Quranic revelations called the occasions ofrevelation. They were recorded by the Companionsof the Prophet (SAW) as a necessary aid for fixing thecorrect meaning of the Word of God. And linked withthis is the belief with regard to Prophet Muhammad(SAW) vis--vis the Quran, for he clarified andelaborated the Quran, supplementing its broadgeneral principles by giving them precise anddetailed forms, and incorporating them into practicallife, his own as well as those of his followers. Thus theQuran affirms this role of the Prophet in these words:

And we sent down the Book to you for theexpress purpose that you should make clear tothem those things in which they differ, and that itshould be a guide and a mercy to those whobelieve. (An-Nahl 16:64)

In the light of these principles, for anunderstanding of the expression cord of Allah, weshould turn to the traditions of the Holy Prophet(SAW). In the presence of authentic historical

traditions of the Prophet (SAW) about a particularissue or point, it is wrong to resort to free-play ofreason or fancy. Indeed such interpretation ofarbitrary opinion (tafseer bil-raay) has never foundfavor with orthodox Muslims. Many Urdu translatorsand exegesists of the Quran have not bothered to


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study the more than one available authentic (i.e.,sound in terms of chain of transmission) statements ofthe Prophet (SAW) himself which elucidate theexpression. For one renowned scholar, the expressiongenerally refers to the religion of God. I see noreason why one should deal with it so cavalierly andignore a genuine, trustworthy and marfu hadith (in

which the saying of the Prophet itself is reported). Asa matter of principle, knowledge of Arabic language,grammar, lexicography, Arabic literature, andfamiliarity with Arabic idiom of the times of theProphet (SAW) are all important as instruments forwriting commentary on Quran. But recourse tosemantic and linguistic analysis or personal opinionshould not in any way overrule the primaryimportance of the Prophets sayings and explications.Following this paramount principle of Quranicexegesis, I shall mention here very briefly threeahadith of the Prophet (SAW) which explicate withoutan iota of doubt the real import and meaning ofhablAllah.

1. A rather lengthy historical tradition on the Quranhas been narrated by the fourth Caliph Ali (RAA), inwhich the Prophet (SAW) is reported to have saidabout the Quran: It is this very Quran that is thecord of Allah. (Tirmidhi & Darimi)

2. In another hadith, reported on the authority of

Abdullah Ibn Masud (RAA), the Prophet (SAW) said:This Quran is the cord of Allah which He hasstretched from the heavens to the earth.

3 The third hadith has been reported by Jubair IbnMutim (RAA) and included in Tibrani Kabir. This


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couplets thus:

That is to say, the collective life and Ummaticexistence of the Muslims is due to the Quran thatprovides them with a common legal framework andcode of life. The multitudes of Muslims have nosignificance; all significance rests with the Quran thatfunctions like a throbbing heart in the socio political body of the Muslims. Iqbal, therefore, advises theMuslims to hold fast to the Quran as it is the cord ofAllah (SWT).

The second imperative that is laid down by ayah

103 is, therefore, that all Muslims are commanded byAllah (SWT) to hold fast to the Divine cord, theQuran. The Arabic verb itesam used in this ayah isalso very significant. The root of the verb ismat means security and protection; and the meaning ofthe verb itesam is to hold fast to something orsomebody for security and safety in the face of dangeror threat. Its real sense comes out clearly when we seea child who, in all his innocence, clings to his mother,thinking that she can protect him from all sorts of

dangers and odds. Clinging or holding fast tosomebody for security is itesam. So Almighty Allah(SWT) enjoins upon the Muslims to hold fast to theDivine cord the Holy Quran.

The Arabic expression Jameean used in the ayah


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can be interpreted in two ways, and I think bothmeanings are to be taken here. First, it may mean thatall Muslims should jointly hold fast and cling to theQuran. Secondly, it may also signify that the whole,and not a few parts, of the Quran is to be taken asguide for life. If only some fragmentary injunctions ofthe Divine writ are put into practice and others are

simply ignored, this will be like the attitude of theIsraelites who were reproached very strongly byAllah (SWT) in these words:

Do you believe in a part of the Scripture andreject the other? What else, then, could be theretribution of those among you who do this thanthey should live in degradation in the present life,and that on the Day of Resurrection they shouldbe sent to the severest chastisement? (Al-Baqarah2 : 85)

Belief in the Quran remains imperfect until thecode of life it lays down is accepted in its entirety. It isironic to see that the majority of Westernized andsecularized Muslims take a partial view of Islamic lifeand do not at all see the need to extend, strengthen,and complete its Quranic foundations, with the resultthat the door to the highest stages ofTaqwa and Ihsanare supposed to be open for a judge of court who maygive judgments in violation of the Quran, for alawyer who may argue on the basis of laws contraryto the Shariah, for the administrator who maymanage the affairs of life in accordance with a systembased on kufr, for the political leader and his followerswho may work for founding and building of life onthe social and political principles of the disbelievers__ in short, for everyone, provided he fashions his


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outward style of life after a certain pattern andobserves a few rituals and ceremonies of worship.

The reason for the use of the word habl (cord) isthat the Quran both establishes a bond between manand God and joins all believers together in thereligious fraternity. To take a firm hold on this cordmeans that the believers should attach utmost

importance to their religion: this should always be thecenter of their concerns; they should continuallystrive to establish it; and the common desire to serveit should make them cooperate with each other. Assoon as Muslims turn their attention away from thefundamental teachings of their faith and lose sight ofestablishing its ascendancy in life they begin toconcern themselves with matters of secondaryimportance. And, just as they rent the communities ofthe former prophets, enticing people away from their

true objective in life, so schism and dissension arebound to plague their lives. If Muslims do this theyare bound to suffer indignity and disgrace both in thisworld and the Next as happened with the followers ofthe previous prophets. So a true Muslim is only onewhose whole being is permeated with Islam; it is nota mere veneer or outward show.

After this, an historical evidence from the periodin which the Quran was being revealed waspresented and the believers were addressed thus :

And remember with gratitude Allahs favor on you,for you were enemies and He joined your hearts inlove, so that by His grace you became brethren.

Yathrib, and indeed the whole of Arabia, wastorn with civil and tribal feuds and contentions before


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the Prophet of Islam set his sacred feet on its soil.After that, it became the city of the Prophet (SAW), anunmatched brotherhood, and the pivot of Islam.Before the advent of Islam, there were animositiesamong the tribes which regularly broke out intofighting and devastation; every now and then therewas much bloodshed. Things had reached a point

where the entire Arabian nation seemed to be on theverge of destroying itself. It was due to the blessingsof Islam alone that it was saved from being consumedby the fire to which this ayah alludes. The people ofYathrib (which later came to be known as Medinah)had embraced Islam some three or four years beforethis ayah was revealed. They had witnessed the blessing of Islam as it unified into one brotherhoodthe Aws and the Khazraj, two tribes which had long been sworn enemies. Moreover, both tribes treatedthe migrants from Makkah in a spirit of sacrifice andlove seldom seen even among members of the samefamily. The ayah under consideration ends with thewords: Thus Allah makes His signs clear to you thatyou may be guided to the right way. That is to say, ifpeople had eyes to see they could conclude forthemselves whether their salvation lay in adheringfirmly to the teachings of the Quran or in abandoningthem and reverting to their former state. They coulddecide very easily whether their true well-wisherswere Allah (SWT) and His Messenger (SAW) or those

Jews, Polytheists, and hypocrites who strove toplunge them back into their former despicable state.

Before we proceed further, it is quite appropriateto see if the historical evidence alluded to in this ayahhas any special bearing on the current political


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scenario of Pakistan. As Muslims, we believe that theteachings of the Quran have eternal and everlastingvalidity and that, as a source of guidance, theQuranic principles have applicability for all placesand for all times to come. Seen in this perspective, wecan better appreciate the gravity of the conditionsprevailing today in Pakistan, and, at the same time,

see a ray of hope offered to all believers in theQuranic ayah under discussion. Just as Allah (SWT)welded the warring Arab factions into a strongbrotherhood fourteen centuries ago He can now turnthe disarrayed and conflicting provinces of Pakistaninto a strong unity, provided the people of Pakistanearnestly act upon the three-point action strategyexplained in these three ayaat.

It is an undeniable historical fact that the Indiansubcontinent was partitioned on the basis of Two-

Nation theory, and that Pakistan was established onthe foundation of Muslim Nationhood and in thename of Islam. Muslims living in the widelyseparated areas of India were united by the bond ofIslamic faith, and demanded a separate homelandwith the objective that Muslims of India, by removingall the taints of decadent and monarchical Islam, getan opportunity to re-establish the pristine Islamicsystem of political, economic, and social justice whichis the most important manifestation of the Holy

Prophets (SAW) universal mercy and blessing. Weregret to say, however, that in spite of the fact thatforty seven years have passed since Pakistan wasestablished, no real progress has as yet been madetowards achieving the envisaged goal. The politicaland economic system inherited from the British Raj


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twice.

7. Mixed (non-segregated) social living that debasedthe West as far as modesty and chastity areconcerned. It destroyed the domestic peace andconfounded the family structure. And this evil is suchthat it did not take roots in our society even duringthe British rule to the extent it is now in vogue, and is

increasing by leaps and bounds every day.8. The distinction between the tribal and settledareas in the N.W.F.P. is still continuing.

The current scenario of Pakistan calls for a totalchange in the entire body politic and socio-economicsystem of the homeland. Unity among the people ofPakistan and the establishment of Islamic Social Justice is the need of the day. This, in fact, was thereal purpose of establishing Pakistan, and only thiscan ensure her continued existence, stability and

progress. It is on account of deviation from this verycause that the Muslim nation of Pakistan got dividedinto different regional, ethnic and linguisticnationalities. This breaking of our vow with Allah(SWT) and disloyalty to His Deen has led totremendous plunder and bloodshed among thepeople of various regions. Divine punishmentwhipped us in 1971 and even now if we do not makeheadway towards the real objective of Pakistan,Divine punishment could whip us again any time and

would whip us more severely. Indeed, Pakistan has toprepare herself to face all the threats posed by theNew World Order. If, on the contrary, Pakistanis donot come out of their deep slumber and do not giveup their materialistic pursuits, the anti-Islamicdesigns of the so-called supreme world power will


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subjugate it to the point of virtual nonexistence. Anostrich-like attitude will not save us from perilousdangers, and it is imperative that we, at the earliestand in right earnest, read the writing on the wall.

If a true Muslim reflects on the conditions ofPakistan diligently and thoughtfully, he will realizethat the situation of Pakistanis totally resembles that

of the Arabs before the advent of Islam depicted inthe words of the Quran you stood on the brink ofa pit of fire. And the only way out of this pit of fire isthe one delineated by these ayaat of Surah Aal-e-Imran. As the Quran is the eternal Divine messagefor all humanity, its teachings too have abidingefficacy and applicability. No matter how degenerateour conditions and circumstances may be, the Quranoffers a sure panacea for all our ills.

In the Khatm Al-Quran prayer we most humbly

pray to Almighty Allah (SWT) that Quran may bemade our leader, guide and beacon of light. But,surely, we cannot get it all merely for the asking. Wehave to struggle hard to achieve our solicited desires.Holding fast together to the cord of Allah the HolyQuran is, therefore, the second practical point ofthe strategy laid down by the Divine Book.

To summarize the action-agenda so far covered inthese pages: the first practical step of the three-pointQuranic strategy is with regard to Taqwa and Islam.

That is to say, a true Muslim should remain steadfastin his obedience and loyalty to God. He should avoideverything which is not pleasing to Him and live hisentire life in total submission to His commandments.As a corollary, acting on the injunctions of the HolyProphet (SAW) is also included in it, as the


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commandments of the Prophet (SAW) are in fact thecommandments of Allah (see Al-Nisa 4:80). Thesecond practical step is with regard to the Quran:itesam bil-Quran holding fast and attaching oneselffirmly to the Quran. And this obligation is to bedischarged in a unified manner. Division anddissension among Muslims is thoroughly

disapproved by Allah (SWT).Now the question is : What does holding fasttogether the cord of Allah mean and imply inpractical terms. In the booklet The Obligations MuslimsOwe To the Quran, I have made an impassioned call tothe Muslims to return to the Quran, to rededicatethemselves to its study, and make it the sole guide fortheir lives. Instead of making purely academicattempts at describing the unique merits andmagnificence of Quran, the most pertinent thing forus to do is that we should clearly understand ourresponsibilities towards the Quran and then assessfor ourselves whether or not we are conscientiouslyfulfilling them. Paying lip service or pompoustributes to the Quran will not be enough and thesecannot substitute for actually discharging ourobligations towards the Holy Book. Now what arethese obligations? Or, in other words, what does theQuran demand from us? An objective study of theBook makes it amply clear that it makes five demandsfrom every Muslim. Put in a simple language, these

demands or obligations are as follows:

1. A Muslim is required to truly believe in theQuran.2. He is required to read it properly.3. He is required to understand it.


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4. He is required to act upon its teachings in hisprivate life to struggle for the implementation ofShariah and the establishment of Social Justice at thestate level.5. He is required to disseminate its teachings toothers and operationalize Islam at the global level. Hemust spend most of his energies and monetary

sources for this cause.As a matter of fact, if Muslims rejuvenate theirrelationship with the Quran on these lines, it willweld them into one Ummah with utmost mental andemotional unity as well as unique singularity ofpurpose and objective. All sorts of dissension, strifeand antagonism among them will automaticallyvanish, and they will become united like a solidcemented structure (in Quranic expression, bunyanmarsus). And this will indeed be a concreteexemplification of the Holy Prophets sayingaccording to which Almighty Allah (SWT) willbestow dignity and honor on those people who holdfast to the Quran and will degrade and disgracethose who turn a deaf ear to it and do not dischargetheir obligations towards it. Allama Iqbal hasexpressed these very ideas in beautiful Persian versesthus:

To sum up: there are the two practical steps


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through which a man personally becomes a true believer and the collectivity of believers takes theform of a strong ideological fraternity. Now thequestion that crops up is: what methodology is to bepursued by this ideological group for its globalstruggle? This indeed is the subject matter of the nextQuranic ayah to be explained in the sequel. It is a

happy coincidence that this methodology too consistsof three points and we will dwell upon them at somelength.

Let us now concentrate our attention on the thirdayah (ayah 104 of Surah Aal-e-Imran) the Englishtranslation of which reads:

And from among you there must be a party (a groupor band of committed Muslims) who invite peopleto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of all that isright and forbid the doing of all that is wrong. It is

they who will attain true success.

An objective and detailed study of the precedingtwo ayaat of the Surah leaves no ambiguity or doubtin the mind of the reader that both of them call for acollectivity of believers, and that a serious and sincereaction on their dictates necessarily demands theformation of a group or party. Now the questionarises: what is the objective or goal this group shouldkeep in view and work for? As a matter of fact, allcreations and artifacts are made for serving some

purpose. Even a small and modest association ofpeople is constituted and organized for achievingcertain goals defined in the memorandum of aimsand objectives. So the question that quite naturallyarises is: what is the purpose or goal of that group


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which results from collectively clinging to theQuran? This exactly is what is explained in the ayahunder review.

This ayah has been translated in two differentways by the translators. For some, the preposition minofminkum in the ayah is general and descriptive, whilefor some others it is of particularizing nature. Leaving

aside the technicalities of the two types of min justmentioned, let us see what difference, if any, is madein the meaning of the ayah by either use of it.According to the former the ayah would be translatedas: And you should together form a group thatinvites people to all that is good..., whereasaccording to the latter sense of min the translationwould be: And from among you there must be agroup or party that invites people to all that is good. Now in my view both these translations of the

ayah are entirely correct, and the logical import of themeaning of the ayah is hardly changed by the minorlinguistic difference of the two translations. If all theMuslims of the world unite and together constitute anideological fraternity (i.e., the Muslim Ummah) thatperforms the duties of inviting people to all that isgood, enjoin the doing of all right actions and forbidthe doing of all that is wrong this would be theimport of the ayah according to the descriptive orindicative use of min. But since this descriptive

function of the whole of Muslim Ummah is repeated alittle further on in ayah 110 of this very Surah, a largemajority of Quranic scholars take min in theparticularizing sense and interpret the ayah bymaintaining that it demands the formation of a groupcomprising of committed and motivated Muslims


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from among the vast Muslim fraternity of lessmotivated believers. That is to say, this ayah providesanswer to the question: what should be done when, by and large, the Ummah neglects its religiousobligations and thus pays no heed to its Divinelyordained duties.

Let us frankly acknowledge the hard facts and

conditions of present-day Muslims, howeverunpleasant they may appear to us. Theoretically, thewords Muslim Ummah cover in their fold all theMuslims of the world and as such it is a universalisticconcept. But, as a matter of fact, one global MuslimUmmah is at the moment a non-entity. Instead, thereare many Muslim nations in the world. Even AllamaMuhammad Iqbal, a great advocate of the unity ofMuslim Ummah, had to be realistic about the actualcondition of Muslims in the world. Accordingly, in

his lectures, entitled Reconstruction of Religious Thoughtin Islam, he wrote that there is no one united MuslimUmmah in the world; rather there are many Muslimnations living in different states. However, perhapsthis too was true more than half a century ago whenAllama Iqbal delivered the Lectures. The presentsituation of most Muslim nations is worse still andmost Muslim nations are split into numerousregional, ethnic, or linguistic groups.

The readers of these lines can very well

appreciate this fact if they consider the case ofPakistan. At the time of its appearance in 1947 as aseparate homeland for the Muslims of the Indiansubcontinent, Pakistanis were considered as oneMuslim nation by all. Both wings of Pakistan were


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united and considered Islam the basis of their unity.Soon afterwards, however, regional sentiments andconcern for regional languages came up on thesurface and eventually paved the way for the cedingof East Pakistan. Consequently, it became Bangladeshin 1971 and asserted her Bengali identity more thanthe former Muslim character. Every one of us laments

how savagely and brutally non-Bengali Muslims weretortured and murdered by the Bengali nationalists ofEast Pakistan. And in the truncated Pakistan, too,there is no ideological unity in the people. ThePakistani nation stands divided and fragmented onthe bases of ethnicity, culture, and language, anddifferent groups are constantly at loggers head witheach other. Since not a single province of Pakistan hasonly one ethnic community, we often hear news ofgruesome violence and brutalities among variouscommunities living in one province and even in onecity. For example, in Baluchistan there are at leastthree large ethnic groups, and to a lesser degree this isalso true of other provinces of Pakistan. In Sindh theMohajirs (migrants from India) have formallyassumed the status of a politico-cultural entity.Indeed, from the very beginning, distinction wasmade almost every where in the country butparticularly in the province of Sindh between thelocals and the migrants, and this discriminationeventually led to the formation of MQM in urban

Sindh. Again the Arab world, where all speak andwrite Arabic, is divided in a number of nation-statesand people there identify themselves with referenceto distinct nationalities.

So the hard fact that we must accept is that today


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a united world Muslim Ummah is non-existent. The defacto position is frankly none other than this. TheUmmah only exists as an ideal concept in the minds ofMuslims who consider theoretically all believers ofIslam and the Prophet (SAW) as members of oneglobal religious fraternity. According to this belief,each confessor of Muhammads (SAW) Prophethood

is regarded a member of the universal Muslim brotherhood. This belief in itself is perfectly correct, but the question is whether Muslims all around theworld do in fact behave as a well-knit ideologicalgroup? Is there any discipline among the Muslims? Isthere a plenary leadership among Muslim nationsand are the directives and recommendations of thatleadership heeded by the member states? I regret tosay that the answer to all these questions is in thenegative. Was not a large part of Afghan army withthe Russians when the latter were killing Afghanpeople mercilessly? Were not the most inhumanatrocities against Afghans committed by their ownIslam-professing Afghan brethren? Again was not thelong and devastating war between Iran and Iraq between two Muslim countries? Armed clashesbetween different factions of Muslims in Lebanon andbrutal and murderous assaults on Palestinian refugeecamps are known to anyone who is in touch withmodern media. And the recent Gulf war has provedbeyond any doubt that, as a matter of fact, one world-

wide Muslim Ummah does not exist.

In the light of these facts the ayah underconsideration with the particularizing sense ofpreposition in the expression minkum assumes specialsignificance and its meanings become quite


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intelligible. In effect, what it means is that even whenthe vast multitudes of people in the Muslim Ummahare in a state of slumber, are divided amongthemselves and pursuing only secular ends, theremust arise a group or party within the larger Ummahthat performs the duties laid down by the Quran inthis ayah, and also make the rest aware of them.

Some readers may wonder as to what an Ummahwithin the Ummah means. I am sure you must befamiliar with the expressions of a state within astate and a party within a party. For instance,those among you who have read about the freedomstruggle of the Indian subcontinent know very wellthat the Indian National Congress was a big politicalparty and there was a forward block of it within theCongress that consisted of rather more revolutionarymembers. The forward block stood for more radical

strategy as compared with the ordinary politicalpolicies approved by the Congress. Despite theirmembership and loyalty to the Indian Congress, theyconstituted a separate group under the leadership ofSubhash Chandra Bose.

Similarly, since in the contemporary context theuniversal Muslim Ummah has been reduced to thelevel of an abstract concept, its reification is needed inthe form of a smaller group (from among the largerUmmah) consisting of such Muslims as have fulfilled,

to the maximum possible degree, the requirementsand demands made in ayah 102 of the Surah withrespect to the individual behavior and practice of atrue Muslim. They attain the driving force ofTaqwa intheir hearts and meticulously observe the


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commandments of the Holy Prophet (SAW).Moreover, in compliance, to a fair degree, with theimperatives of the next ayah, they hold fast to theQuran for guidance even in minor details of theirlives, and unite and join together as comrades inorder to make up an ideological group. Ayah 104 ofSurah Aal-e-Imran enlightens us about the three aims

and objectives this collectivity of God-conscious andmotivated Muslims is to work for:

1. Calling and inviting people to all that is good andnoble.

2. Enjoining and dictating the doing of all that isright and virtuous.

3. Forbidding the doing of all that is wrong andimmoral.

First of all, let us discuss the first two objectivesand goals of the real and hard-core Muslim Ummahsstruggle. The Islamic summons have, by and large,been understood by Muslims to be in general call toIman andAmal Saleh (righteous action) in conformitywith the guidance of Revelation, summoning peopleto God and inviting them to follow His and HisMessengers dictates. But the crucial question thatmust be asked here is: Do the Quranic injunctionscalling and inviting people to all that is good andenjoining the doing of all that is right mean one andthe same action? We, however, cannot think for a

minute that Almighty Allah (SWT) has usedsynonymous expressions in the same ayah forpointless repetition. They certainly mean and implydifferent performances or levels and intensity ofoperations. dawah ilal-khair and amr bil-maroof are


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obviously semantically distinct expressions and thusconnote different types of activities. Most probably,dawah ilal-khair means calling and inviting people tothe Quran, as according to the Holy Quran thehighest khair (i.e., good) is the Quran itself. Tosubstantiate this the following ayaat of Surah Yunuscan be cited:

O mankind! There has come unto you anAdmonition (or an Exhortation) from your Lord,and a Healing for the diseases in your hearts, andfor those who believe a Guidance and a Mercy.Say: In this bounty of Allah and in His Mercy,therein let them rejoice; it is better than all (theworldly wealth) that they may amass! (Yunus 10:57, 58)

These two ayaat clearly tell us how majesticallyQuran describes its own magnificence. Those who do

wrong have a disease in their hearts, which causestheir spirits to suffocate. Allah (SWT) in His Mercydeclares His Will (i.e., the Quran) to them whichshould direct their lives and provide a healing fortheir spiritual malaise. If they accept faith, the remedyacts; they find themselves in right guidance andreceive Allahs forgiveness and mercy. Surely thisguidance the Quran is far better a gift thanmaterial gains, wealth, or possessions. Therefore,according to this ayah, the referent ofkhair is Quranitself, something far superior to what worldly peoplehoard. To be sure, worldly possessions and wealthhave also been termed as khair by the Quran. Forexample, an ayah of Surah Al-Aadiyaat reads:

... for, verily, to the love of wealth (khair) is hemost ardently devoted. (Al-Aadiyaat 100:8)


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This, of course, refers to a natural inclination anddisposition of man. Yet, we are told in very clear andcategorical terms that the Divine gift bestowed uponus in the form of the Quran is in reality far betterthan material riches and belongings. So dawah ilal-khair (that is to say, inviting and calling people togoodness) is, in fact, exhorting men to study and act

upon the teachings of the Quran.While the first objective or aim of the Ummahs

missionary work is specifically with respect to theQuran, the second one is quite general and broad. Itincludes advising, admonishing, preaching, andexhorting people to all that is morally right andvirtuous. However, the literal meaning of the Arabicverb amr is definitely more, and stronger, than justadvising or preaching sermons; it additionally impliescommanding and implementing with force. Thus amr

is quite a wide expression. Starting from moralizing itgoes right up to the bringing about of a revolution inpolitical leadership so that corrupt and ungodlypeople are forced to be righteous and follow Divineguidance.

Another difference between dawah and amr isthat the former (i.e., preaching and exhorting) is neverundertaken in an authoritative manner. On thecontrary, it is always performed in a warm and heart-moving manner. In dawah one pleads and even

requests people most humbly to uphold goodnessand probity. The daee (i.e., one who performs thedawah) is always on the look out for an appropriatemoment when he can approach people in a receptivemood. He even requests them in the name of God to


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order their lives according to the dictates of Islam. Hisrole is both of an evangelist (i.e., one who gives gladtidings on moral actions) and of a warner of thetorments of hell-fire. He is always very polite andnever harsh, aggressive, or authoritative. This indeedis the attitude which members of the Tableeghi Jamaathave adopted for the past several decades for their

missionary activities.In dawah, one speaks from the depth of ones

heart and strikes a cord in the interlocutors heart asthe preacher is definitely taken as a well-wisher. Thisdifference amply shows why calling people togoodness has been mentioned by the Quran asdistinct and separate from enjoining what is morallyright. The mild and polite manner to be adopted indawah was required of Prophet Musa (AS) andProphet Haroon (AS) when the two messengers were

ordered by Allah (SWT) to go to the Pharaoh. Weread in Surah Taha the following ayaat:

Go forth (then), you and your brother, with Mymessages, and never tire of remembering Me. Goforth, both of you, unto Pharaoh, for verily he hastransgressed all bounds of equity! But speak untohim in a mild manner, so that he might bethinkhimself or (at least) be filled with apprehension(Taha 42:44).

Thus amr bil-maroof is a step higher than mere

dawah ilal-khair or preaching and, as such, it calls for adifferent methodology and approach. The word amrliterally means to order, dictate, or enforce on thebasis of authority. This necessitates, at the societal orstate level, a change or revolutions in the wholepower structure so that the morally good and right is


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implemented and enforced with the authority ofgovernmental institutions. Supporting evidence forthis is also provided by the fact that the expressionamr bil-maroof was first used in Surah Al-Hajj whenthe Prophet (SAW) and his Companions (RAA) wereobliquely given the glad tiding of political power.English translation ofayah 41 of this Surah reads:

(They are) those who, if we establish them in theland, organize regular prayer and give regularcharity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong(Al-Hajj 22:41).

Soon after the revelation of this Surah, thefoundations of an Islamic state were laid in Medinah,and the Prophet (SAW) began to enforce the laws ofShariah and religious practices in the capacity of apolitical ruler. However, it may be noted that full andtotal authority in the Arabian peninsula was achieved

only after the conquest of Makkah, some ten yearslatter.

A very important point must be clearlyappreciated and understood by all of us at this juncture. Absence of Islamic political power at thestate level does not imply that the Quranic injunctionof amr bil-maroof has no scope or relevance forMuslims. Each individual Muslim who wields powerover some persons in his home, factory, office, or business establishment, is under obligation to act

upon this injunction. He or she must enforce religiousand moral commandments upon his or hersubordinates and dependents. If need be, even forceor moderate punishment may be resorted to in thisregard. No true Muslim can absolve himself of this


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obligation of amr bil-maroof (of course, within thesphere of his/her authority) on the pretext that thisduty can be discharged only by the Muslim politicalleadership of the State. Complete and totalobservance of Islamic law and morality, no doubt, ispossible only when a change or revolution in favor ofthe Quran and the Prophets (SAW) Sunnah is

brought about by the Islamic revivalist movement inthe countrys leadership. This all-important point wasvery clearly realized and forcefully presented by lateMaulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi one of thechief influential writers and leaders of thecontemporary Islamic resurgence. I shall here quote along relevant passage from his Tehreek-e-Islami kiAkhlaqi Bunyadain rendered into English by KhurramMurad. These lines will put into bold relief thedifference between dawah and amr bil-maroof:

The objective of the Islamic movement, in thisworld, is revolution in leadership. A leadershipthat has rebelled against God and His guidanceand is responsible for the suffering of mankindhas to be replaced by a leadership that is God-conscious, righteous and committed to followingDivine guidance. Striving to achieve this noblepurpose, we believe, will secure Gods favor inthis world and in the next. It is regrettable that both Muslims and non-Muslims have tended tolose sight of the significance of this revolution.

Muslims all too often consider it necessary onlyfrom the point of view of political expediency,and have no appreciation of its central place intheir religion. Non-Muslims, partly fromprejudice and partly from lack of information, donot understand that ungodly leadership is at the


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root of the evils afflicting humanity, and that it isessential for human well-being that the affairs ofthe world should be directed by moral and God-fearing people. Whenever corruption is let loosein the world, whenever injustice is done,whenever tyranny or oppression exists, wheneverpoison flows in the veins of human culture,economic life, and politics, whatever misuse of

resources and human knowledge for destructioninstead of welfare and enlightenment there maybe, the reason is bad leadership. There is no lackof good and high-minded people in society; theproblem is that power is concentrated in thehands of people immersed in materialism andungodliness. To change this situation it is notenough to preach sermons, exhort people to obeyand worship God or to invite them to adopt highmoral standards. Rather it is necessary formorally-just people to search each other out and

strive to achieve enough collective power towrest control of society from the morally corrupt.What is needed to change the centre of powerand authority is effort. The revolution requires acoming together of the righteous in a commoncause. (The Islamic Movement Dynamics ofValues, Power and Change; Edited by KhurramMurad)

After having understood the first two objectivesfor which the Muslim Ummah should earnestly workfor and the subtle but crucial difference betweenthem, let us now move on to discuss at length thethird one as delineated by the ayah viz., nahee anil-munkar or forbidding people from all that is morally bad and evil. Unfortunately, a large majority ofreligiously devout and noble people remain unmoved


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at the sight of evil deeds and morally wrong actions.They just remain complacent or unconcerned whilepeople are engaged in un-Islamic activities. Theythink that only inviting them to good and virtuousactions through advice and sermon is enough andsomething worth doing. The truth, on the other hand,is that I can at least cite nine such places from the

Quran where inviting or calling people to good andforbidding and stopping them from evil have beenmentioned jointly. They have been mentionedtogether so constantly that it seems as if the two areintegral aspects of one single activity or two parts ofone organic whole. Or else, one is, as it were,concomitant to the other. For example, in SurahLuqman, among the advice given by Luqman to hisson, we read:

O my dear son! Be constant in prayer, and enjoin

the doing of what is right and forbid the doing ofwhat is wrong, and bear in patience whatever (ill)may befall thee. (Luqman 31:17)

How much nahee anil-munkar is important andhow much emphasis was put on it by the Prophet(SAW) can be seen in the light of two Ahadith fromSahih Muslim one of the most authentic collectionsof Prophetic traditions. The first hadith goes like this:

Abu Said Al-Khudri (RAA) says that AllahsMessenger (SAW) said: If any of you sees some

wrong he should change it with his hand; if he isunable to do so, then with his tongue; if he cannotdo even that, then with his heart; and that is theweakest Iman.

A close and thoughtful perusal of this Propheticsaying brings out the following noteworthy points:


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1. In this hadith there is no mention ofamr bil-maroofor enjoining the good. This means that nahee anil-munkar, i.e., changing or stopping the evil, is anindependent and equally significant activity in thevalue-structure and obligations of our faith. Areligiously wrong or evil action is in fact atransgression of the limits laid down by the Creator,

and, as such, a true and faithful believer cannotremain passive or unconcerned on the violation ofDivine commandments.

2. Changing or stopping evil with ones handobviously means that all available power andauthority should be used in curbing wrong action androuting out evil from the society. If there is an Islamicgovernment in the county, it is its duty andresponsibility to use all its force to eliminate un-Islamic practices. But in case the government remains

complacent in this regard, it is the duty of all trueMuslims to force people to shun evil and loathsomeactions within the sphere in which they can exerciseauthority. For example, a father or an employershould use a reasonable amount of force in correctingsuch subordinates who indulge in immoral andforbidden activities.

3. If neither the State authorities discharge theirduties with regard to nahee anil-munkar nor anindividual Muslim can muster the power to check all

that is wrong, he must, as the second best alternative,verbally denounce it and ask or request the personconcerned to give it up. In the present age this willalso include writing and publishing in the printmedia articles condemning un-Islamic patterns of


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behavior so that public opinion is mobilized againstthe evil. Indeed, changing or stopping the evil withtongue involves all the variegated moves of protestand agitation permissible in a democratic set-up. Bothindividuals in their private capacity and Islamicgroups collectively should use all their resources ofspeech and printed word for increasing peoples

awareness and sensibility against satanic tendenciesof thought and action. They should do this boldly,remaining undaunted by the criticism andharassment of the general public or government.

4. In case social and political conditions in a place areso repressive that a truly committed Muslim cannoteven use his tongue or pen in denouncing the evil,then he should at least feel pain inwardly. He shouldfeel disgusted and condemn evil with his heart. Farfrom showing apathy, he must feel disturbed and

perturbed. This will itself be a pointer to the fact thatthe person has Iman or faith, even though minimaland of the lowest degree. The word adafused in thehadith is of the superlative degree and as suchsignifies the weakest or the faintest. In anotherProphetic saying instead of the expression that is thelowest Iman, the following description has beenused: and after this, Iman is not present even in asmeager a quantity as a small grain. That is to say, ifone of the attitudes out of the above three is not

adopted by a Muslim, it would mean that true faithand Iman is almost nonexistent in the core of his heart.

5. The three attitudes mentioned and thecorresponding states of Iman are not to be measuredand judged by any external observer. No objective


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formula can be used in determining the faith-state ofa person. Each individual Muslim can be a judge inhis or her own case and choose the best and thehighest possible course of nahee anil-munkar. It alldepends on the intensity and depth of ones Iman andthe degree of ones commitment to the cause of Islam.Each individual Muslim himself can measure these

for himself. Nobody else can do it for him or make awholly correct judgment upon his assessment.Nevertheless, the inward state of ones Iman isreflected by the external attitude and behavior. Forexample if a person keeps silent or remains passivewhen his father or mother is publicly disgraced, thisattitude of his is a sure indication of his unconcern orapathy towards his parents. Or else it shows that helacks courage or even that he is impudent ordisrespectful. If a person is not shameless butsomehow lacks the means to physically counteract ordefend, at least his face will become red with rage,exhibiting utter disgust and displeasure.

The example given in the preceding paragraphalso sheds light in a parallel way on the degree anddepth of a Muslims commitment to Islam and Iman.If he is not in a position to check and physically stopanti-Islamic actions, he protests against them using allthe means at his command. He is even ready to facethe atrocities of State agencies like baton-charging

and firing. Indeed, his greatest desire is to lay downhis life for the cause of Islam. The last part of thehadith under consideration and that is the weakestIman implicitly demands that Muslims as acollectivity should try their utmost to acquire strengthand power so as to completely eradicate evil from the


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who say what they do not practise and do what theyhave not been commanded to do. And this is all themore true about we Muslims living in the 15thcentury after Hijrah. Temporally, we are so farremoved from the times of the Holy Prophet (SAW)and the Companions (RAA) that there is tremendousdeviation from ideal Islam as projected by the

teachings of the Quran and the Prophet (SAW). Andthe present hadith is a clarion call for changing andstopping all that is disliked and disapproved by theCreator of the universe.

This hadith too is a pointer to three levels ofnaheeanil-munkar, exactly in the same manner and order ofpriority as were delineated by the hadith discussedearlier. The three levels are:

1. Struggling against evil and un-Islamic actionswith hand;

2. struggling against them with tongue; and

3. struggling against them with heart.

The first two have already been explained in theabove paragraphs. Some additional points withrespect to the third level should be noted here.Disliking the evil inwardly and struggling against itwith ones heart necessarily implies that a true andcommitted Muslim will not develop warm and closerelationship with those indulging in un-Islamic

practices. But if he does not do that, he will begenerally taken to endorse or accept the un-Islamicpractices and thus lose the whole point of his protestagainst them. Indeed, according to another hadith ofthe Prophet (SAW), such a complacent and liberalMuslim gradually ceases to have even passive inward


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disapprobation of evil practices, and himself startsindulging in them openly. Serious notice of this pointshould be taken by all of us. The criterion and thenorm for all our likes and dislikes and for all oursocial relations and friendships should be Islam, andnothing else.

The last assertion of the Prophet (SAW) in the

above mentioned hadith is particularly noteworthy.The words ...beyond that there is not even a grain ofIman should provide an impetus to all God-fearingMuslims for deep thinking and soul-searching. Theyshould assess their own Iman in the light of this hadithand should refrain from making a judgment aboutothers. Earlier, in this essay, we have endeavored tostate clearly the distinction between Islam and Imanand so we can, at this juncture, very well appreciatethe point that the Iman that is being negated here is

the true faith and Iman of the heart or inner self. Aman failing in the said requirements or performativeswould not cease to be a Muslim in the strict legalsense of the term. However, on the Day of Judgmentonly true inner conviction and Iman would be ofsignificance in winning a man his salvation andfelicity. It will be the real basis of final loss or gain aswe read in Surah Al-Taghabun:

The Day that He assembles you (all) for a day ofAssembly that will be the day of mutual loss

and gain (among you); and those who believe inGod and work righteously, He will remove fromthem their sins and admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow to dwell thereinforever; that will be the supreme achievement(Al-Taghabun 64:9).


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The most significant point of the hadith should bekept very clearly in mind. The Holy Prophet (SAW)has enjoined upon all Muslims to struggle againstevils, in particular those perpetrated and supported by the so-called Muslim rulers and heads ofgovernments in Muslim countries. Since they controlthe print and electronic media and other influential

agencies, they can very effectively promote un-Islamic ideas and practices in the society. In thehadith, the Prophet (SAW) has explicitly mentionedthe gradual decline of religious and moral fervorparticularly in persons at the helm of communalaffairs, and has commanded the true believers toreform and correct them. Similarly, religious scholarsand spiritual leaders are also covered by this categoryas they too influence the populace through theirteachings and example. And if they go wrong,misconceptions and false notions may spread verywidely. As already explained above, this hadithbehoves all committed and true Muslims to mobilizetheir resources to the full and employ all thevariegated forms of protest and non-violent agitation rights of which are guaranteed to them by thedemocratic set-up to struggle against the evil-mongers and anti-Islam agents. A recourse here to thetechnicalities ofKhuruj (i.e., revolt or uprising againstthe established political authority) is simply besidesthe point and pure (and idle!) scholastic academicism

that kills the dynamism and religious activismrequired for Islamic revival.

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