Thieves of culture

Glorification of Muslim peoples to Shari`ah texts is an axiomatic matter and all the people who leaf through the Islamic heritage will find that the feature which characterized Islamic peoples in different times is submissiveness and glorification of Shari`ah texts which appears clearly in their books and letters. Imam Al Shafi`y (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) was asked about something, then he answered: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said such and such Hadith. Thereupon, the man said: O Abu `Abdullah, do you consider such view? Al Shafi`y stood up angrily and said: Which land can carry me and which sky can cover me if I narrate a Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and I do not act accordingly?!

Waki` ibn Al Jarrah said to someone who objected to his opinion by the saying of one of the Followers: I say to you that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said and you say: Ibrahim said?! It is proper that you are detained until you give up your saying; those examples are numerous.

Muslim peoples have a clear identity since the advent of Islam which is glorification of Shari`ah texts and going with them toward understanding life and new events of the current time. Those conditions have continued until theologians and those who came after them of those who advance reason to Shari`ah texts and belittle the prestige of Shari`ah texts but soon their defects were revealed and their aberration was exposed. So, do not think that Muslim peoples satisfy that anyone violates their immune fence by clashing Shari`ah texts or stand against them. Even in our current time when some pervert ideas came to us such as Liberalism and Secularism, they did not find a place among Muslim peoples in their Western conception.

Recently, those who have leafed through some Electronic sites and magazines will find that some people who believe in the previous Western ideas appeared, but they have tried to anoint their ideas with the Islamic style and instead of clashing the Shari`ah texts by their ideas, they adopted these Shari`ah texts and circulated their ideas under the meaning of juristic differences or objectives and interests of the Shari`ah. Given that they know that any battle against Shari`ah texts will end decisively against them and they will not win it no matter they have tried. Therefore, they came to the public and circulated their old ideas in new Islamic style and Shari`ah proofs, so they did not defy the texts and did not clash with them, but harmonized with them in order to be in their side.

When cultural robbery -the advocates of knowledge and culture- penetrate this immune fence of the nation, it will be a dangerous indicator which scholars and students should draw attention to it and exposed its aberration and falsehood. These are some pauses with these ideas which the advocates of culture circulate among Muslims and Muslims accepted them.

The cover of Juristic differences:

It is not hidden from people that the juristic heritage is full of differences, but these differences trace back to the lack of texts or differences in understanding these texts; hence jurists start with the texts, to which they end, by which they judge, and for arbitration they resort.

If people have a quick glance to some writers who cover their pervert views and ideas by juristic differences, they will find out that they decide their principles first, specify their ways, and formulate their ideas then search the juristic heritage to search for anything that supports their views, then they say to his opponents: This is supported by the view of so and so, or says: This is a disputable matter. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And if you differ in anything amongst yourselves, refer it to Allâh and His Messenger (peace be upon him)." [Surat An-Nisa': 59]. So, the judge here is the book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) not following one's whims. Choosing one of the juristic views should be based on following the proof because it is not possible that a person looks into different views and choose one of them that corresponds to his whim.

However, their false method is not hidden and anyone looks at their views will find out easily the difference between those who formulate their views first then look at proofs or another sustainable evidence from those who formulate their views based on proofs. The views of such people will be full of contradictions, following whims, and ignoring texts. When one of them speaks about the congregational Salah and state that it is not obligatory, he calls you to leave out the congregational Salah as if the origin is to offer Salah at home and those who offer Salah in congregation have committed a deniable act. Then he keeps repeating this issue as if he has studied all issues and explained them to the people and this is the left-over issue which he has to explain to the people.

Islamization and the issue of "His own business":

It is his own business, you have only to advise, do not prohibit or prevent, this is a matter between him and his Lord.

All these phrases are circulating among youth these days, and this dangerous thought which leaked into our nation resulted from Islamization which we are talking about. When secularism came to our nation in the Western style which indicates ignoring religion ultimately, it did not find large acceptance from Muslim peoples. When that idea was failure, advocates of culture who adopted secular style and could not imprint it in the minds of Muslim nations, they tried to Islamize secularism to reduce its knocking sound. So, instead of ignoring Islam, they adopted Islamic teachings, hence a person who adheres to the rites of his religion knows his own interest, whereas the other does not know his own interest and you do not have the right to oblige him to do them; just advise him and leave him alone.

Those people ignore the Prophet's teaching: "Whoever amongst you sees an evil, he must change it with his hand." So, the first way of changing a deniable act is stopping the deniable act first, and when obligations are ignored in Islam, what will be the case? Whoever says that man is free and we cannot oblige him with anything, he will be in arena of secularism even if he ignored its name and acquitted himself of it.

Another concept prevailed in the Muslim nation which is democracy. They do not say that we should ignore religion and do not resort to it for arbitration, but we say that we should take the opinion of people for it, and when the majority agree to Islam, we shall resort to it for arbitration otherwise we shall resort to something else which is a great danger. Since when Islam has become applicable according to people's whims? When we make Islam just laws or articles in the constitution that means if the majority choose to cancel it, it will be cancelled?! This is a very dangerous thinking that spread in our time because the advocates of culture seek to change Islamic concepts and anoint their secular ideas with some Shari`ah texts to imprint them in the minds of Muslim generations.

Mixture:

When you read the articles of the advocates of culture, you will find this phrase repeatedly in their articles: "We have to consider some of the Shari`ah rulings according to the objectives of the Shari`ah or the requisites of the current time or we have to consider the change of time in regard to Fatwas." They want to raise the slogan of "Islamic objectives" for the sake of their pervert ideas.

Islamic objectives according to the scholars who wrote about them such as Al Juwayny, Al `Ezz ibn `Abdus-Salam, Shaykh-ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and Ash-Shatiby were general matters extracted from comprehensive investigations to all texts and partial rulings. It was not proper to ignore any partial ruling according to the view of Ash-Shatiby when he said: As it is not proper to adopt partial rulings and ignore the general rulings, it is wrong to adopt the general and ignore the partial rulings.

As for the objectives according to those people, they are not the objectives of the Shari`ah, but they are the objectives of sick souls though which they seek to ignore some undesirable Shari`ah rulings. Thus, you find them say: The prescribed punishment contradicts the freedom with which the Islamic Shari`ah came or that covering women's faces contradict the honor of women. Thus, they ask people to consider the Shari`ah rulings or what they call "the objectives of the Shari`ah," but if we follow these views, nothing of Islam will remain as is because anything can be rejected under what is so-called: Freedom, tolerance, and so on.

Likewise, the people who mix between the truth and falsehood and place them in one stage, so you find them say: We have to allow non-Muslims to build churches in Muslim countries or allow false religions because we do the same and call to Islam in their homes. Or they say: We should not prohibit insulting Allah and His Messenger because we insult their ideas or religions. They also stress on the necessity of opening the door for atheism under the pretext of Islam is not obligatory and calls for embracing it by free will without compulsion, so we should not block the way before atheism. This a clear mixture between the truth and falsehood, and how can we equate between the truth and falsehood. Allah says: "Shall We then treat the Muslims (believers of Islamic Monotheism, doers of righteous deeds) like the Mujrimûn (criminals, polytheists and disbelievers, etc.)? * How do you judge?" [Surat Al Qalam: 35 -36].

If we speak about the thieves of culture, we should identify the spot of imperfection; what did produce those people and from where they extracted their ideas?

To answer this, we have to understand several matters:

1- Cultural leaks have a great role in producing these people. Imagine with me a man who surfs sites that broadcast pervert ideas, reads their articles, and debates with them, and after a short period you find that some ideas leaked to him wherefrom he does not know, defend them, and approve them without refuting them. One of the greatest reasons of this leak -regardless depending on oneself and not to consult scholars- is submitting to comprehensive issues that are not based on the Qur'an or the Sunnah, but they have become facts due to the dialogues which he establishes with those people.

For example, when the West calls to guarantee the freedom of Muslims and allows them to call to Allah and build masjids, it is said: Why do not you allow Christians to build churches?

Such people reply: Islam guarantees freedoms, and you are in our homes so you have the freedom to build churches and call to your religion. This is mixture between the truth and falsehood as we have previously spoken.

2- Their belief is to call the people to introductions and intellectual proofs for which he searches and spends his entire lifetime in reading them without previous Shari`ah basis then he falls into the forbidden matters. The mistake of those people who engaged in theology was advancing reason to Shari`ah texts.

They said: We have to convince the opponents with intellectual proofs. They ended up to advancing and glorifying reason and making it the origin and the judge.

Those people who adopt the same ideas should know that guidance is in hands of Allah (Glory be to Him): "Verily, you (O Muhammad peace be upon him) guide not whom you like, but Allâh guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided." [Surat Al Qasas: 56] and that the disbelievers want proofs other than which they state: "And they say: "We shall not believe in you (O Muhammad peace be upon him), until you cause a spring to gush forth from the earth for us;" [Surat Al Isra': 90] and if they discover the truth, they shall not believe: "And they denied them (those Ayât) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their ownselves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayât) are from Allâh, and Mûsâ (Moses) is the Messenger of Allâh in truth, but they disliked to obey Mûsâ (Moses), and hated to believe in his Message of Monotheism]." [Surat An-naml: 14]. The total description is: "It is not for any person to believe, except by the Leave of Allâh, and He will put the wrath on those who are heedless." [Surat Yunus: 100].

3- Thinking that Salafism is a group not a method. They believe that Salafism is a group and when this group makes a mistake in some matters, they extend their mistakes to Salafism as a method and detest from it. They forgot that Salafism is a method not a group which states submission to the Shari`ah texts, glorifying them, and following them according to the understanding of the Pious Predecessors.

These are some issues which I collected about thieves of culture who are numerous, and scholars should explain their methods and danger so as not to fall into their traps. I searched for these issues in the book entitled "the battle of texts" with its two parts, and peace be upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.