The Approach of Converting to Islam (9)

The Major Issues

However, here are two points must be noted:

A- The Prophet (peace be upon him) did not confine himself to talk about the matters of faith, but also - his similitude is like the prophet who came before him - had explained the moral and social results for that religion. These matters affect the heart more than the theoretical speech about faith, which is usually resulted in the opposition of other people to Islam and persecuting those prophets.



B- When calling the people to the new religion, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not speak to them in a purely assertive or passionate manner, but he resorted to the rational debate and to material evidence. He challenged them mentally, warned them faithfully, and asked them to look in history and consider. He explained to them the fact that he was inviting them to the only way that brings them the material and spiritual happiness in this life and in the next.


In fact that wise way to introduce people to Islam was not limited to the Makkan period, but it was referred to in the Hadith of the strangeness of the beginning and the end of Islam: “Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange. so good tidings for the stranger.”


This Hadith explains and proves what I said about the similarities in attitudes; a time will come to the people in which they will strangely to Islam as the people of Makkah did at the beginning of Islam. Ibn Taymiyah with his usual deep insight had concluded from that Hadith that when Islam becomes strange for the second time, we must hold the same methods used for its propagation when it began stranger in the first time. That means that we must focus on the core issues and use reason and logical discussions to establish the truth of those principles to uncover the falsehood of the counter doctrines.



We must therefore - according to the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) - do efforts explain the moral and social results of those fundamental facts, apply comprehensive criticism of our society, and offer a convincing alternative.



When we do this, it would be impractical and rigid to limit ourselves to the Makkan Islamic teachings because the current situation is completely different from the Makkan phase because many people know the details of Islam that were revealed in Madinah. Therefore, we cannot treat them as if they were ignorant of the Surahs that were revealed in Madinah, and we cannot refuse to answer some questions posed by such people without weaken our position. That stalemate is harmful because it deprives us of an advantage that Allah had placed at our disposal. All messengers who came before Muhammad - in addition to inviting people to the fundamental truth of religion - they cared about the social problems of those people to whom they were set. Thus, Moses cared about releasing his people from the tyranny of the Pharaoh and the eradication of economic injustice. Lut directed his efforts to the Elimination of social corruption and he meant that Islam to be for all people and for all the coming generations, therefore, it handles all the major humanitarian problems.



Now, due to the presence of that treasure at our disposal, and because people at a time and a place may suffer any of those problems, we can take them to the straight path by presenting to them the problem that disturb their comfort. I do not find any reason not to exploit that feature. In order to do that effectively and present Islam in a convincing manner to any society, we must be wary for the Islamic principles that were formulated in a confused historical context in some period in the past. We should include the Framework in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that principles are the substance and its application in a certain time is the variable external form. However, we must also beware of formulating those principles inappropriately simply because they shall be presented to a modern and advanced community in terms of material aspect, such as the United States.



3- I will now look briefly - in the light of the Prophet’s biography - to a set of misconceptions about the process of orientation to the Islamic trend:

A- Although some groups think that they are the only Muslim group and work and place according to that thing, therefore, they deny all the contributions of other Muslim groups, the individuals, and the official bodies trying to isolate itself from them. In fact, there was nothing Islamic in the Makkan period except the Prophet’s actions (peace be upon him) and the actions of the few Muslims who followed him, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) had encouraged everything that was harmony with the Islamic teachings. When he was in Madinah, he remembered Hilf Al-Fudul (the League of the Virtuous) and praised it. The goal of that league was to defend the oppressed and help the poor. The Prophet (peace be upon him) had participated in its composition when he was twenty years old, then why should we refuse to recognize the Islamic nature of a work or an action just because someone else has done it? I believe that the right direction is to recognize and encouragement of all Islamic things, no matter who did it and consider it a source of strength for directing to the Islamic trend.



B- There are some people believe that we cannot establish a Muslim State in a certain country:

1- except when all its members are true and faithful Muslims, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do so. Certainly, it would be wrong and impractical to believe that we cannot establish such a State in any country except after all its people believe or after giving an Islamic training and teachings to all staff who will occupy its institutions.


2- except when we make a blueprint for the future of this community. Once again, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not do so and was not done by any reformer or any revolutionary movement at any time.


3– except when we have leaders who have knowledge and piety, such as Abu Bakr and `Umar. We do not do any act of worship in the high form like that of Abu Bakr and `Umar although they did not reach the status of the Prophet (peace be upon him). So, let our state be defective like our Salah. Anyway, we will be better than any non-Muslim state, as our defective Salah is better than abandoning Salah at all.



Let us suppose now that a group of Muslims who is working to establish a Muslim state in any part of the world is:
A- Faithful.


B- Follow the correct method to shift to the Islamic trend.
Does this mean that they will certainly achieve that end? If not, so why? What are the point of their efforts?


The answer is that their success depends on another condition, which is those truthful and faithful Muslims should be wise in dealing with those who oppose them. Otherwise, they may be subject to assassination by their enemies, or may be forced to leave their homeland to another place such as the prophets, and many of the faithful believers are like the people of the groove.



Even at that time, their efforts will not be in vain:

First: Because Allah says:  “He will help you, and make your foothold firm.” [Surat Muhammad: 7].


Because Allah’s Help in that case did not come in the form of victory over the enemies because of the reason that we have mentioned, it is inevitable that it will come in the form of a punishment for these enemies as a result of what they have committed.


Thus, if the small groups of the faithful Muslims could not replace the large groups of non-Muslims, at least it will lead to their fall, thereby, they will succeed to reduce the evil in the world, and thus give a new opportunity for good to prosper.



Second: They will get the real reward in the real life, the eternal life after death, and will enjoy the extreme happiness because they will be in the company of Allah, the Almighty.