The historian continued, "O young man, we have discussed about the foundation of the Islamic Ummah, the core ideology as the first requirements for a movement to become global in nature and to survive and grow long after its founder.
Islam presented an ideology that promoted justice, social responsibility and activism against all forms of oppression. The theological basis was translated into actual actions and rules of life which became the temporal/social model. It is not enough in Islam simply to believe in the Oneness of Allah and in the Messengership of Muhammad (ﷺ). There are clearly specified actions that must be done to prove that one actually believes. The first among these is the Salah and the second, spoken of in the same breath is Zakat, the compulsory charity that every Muslim who has the means as specified in the Shari’ah must pay into a central fund. One is not separated from the other and in fact reinforces the other. Interestingly if you read early Islamic history it becomes abundantly clear that all the opposition to Islam was really rooted in the unwillingness to act according to the rules of Islam, almost all of which were social, family and state related, rather than any opposition to the central belief itself. This trend continues to this day and those who have difficulty in following Islam, including modern day Muslims, must look to their personal desires to identify the root of their reluctance or opposition. It is not the theological argument itself but the fact that in Islam is it not merely intellectual in nature but must be affirmed through action. If Islam were just a matter of believing conceptually in Tawheed the work of the Prophet (ﷺ) would have been very easy.
There is an incident recorded where the leaders of Makkah came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and told him that they were prepared to worship Allah on one day provided he (ﷺ) would agree to worship their gods the next. In today’s world this may seem like a very reasonable argument and people may actually call you ‘extremist’ or ‘fundamentalist’ if you don’t agree to such a ‘reasonable’ stance. However the Prophet (ﷺ) did not accept this proposal, because accepting this would have been to nullify the entire philosophy of a religion that claimed to be directly from Allah and was diametrically opposed to polytheism and which he(ﷺ) had been sent to propagate. These are tests that the leader has to face and no matter how difficult, refuse to compromise his stance in favor of any logic. If he doesn’t, he will then lose the edge that is his as a result of his differentiating from the rest.
The second requirement for a global movement is a central authority that can create the necessary conditions to propagate the ideology and for people to practice it. This would consist of three distinct parts, first, a Law which prescribes permitted and prohibited actions with concomitant rewards and punishments. The Law must necessarily cover all aspects of life and must have within it enough flexibility to cater to emerging situations that may not have existed at the time of the inception of the ideology. We know this as Legislature.
Second, those who interpret the Law and deal with any infringements, questions and clarifications. Is known as Judiciary. The Judiciary must at once be well versed in the Law as well as be well aware of modern issues and how they affect the lives of people. Only then will they be able to interpret the Law in a way that it continues to be applicable as one century succeeds another and times, lives and people change.
Third, the Civil Administration which ensures that the Law is followed, those adhering to it are facilitated and those who break it are punished. We know this as Executive. The Executive is the arm of the Central Authority and ensures that individual intransience does not jeopardize the fabric of the Core Ideology. The Executive must possess great integrity, wisdom, diplomacy and firmness in order to ensure that it treads the narrow middle path between anarchy and dictatorship. Both are detrimental to the long term viability of the Core Ideology.
The Prophet’s (ﷺ) big challenge in Madina was to create an Islamic government in a state which was pluralistic and multi-religious. Madina at the time of the Hijra had two major Arab tribes, Aws and Khazraj, who had Muslims and polytheists among their members. There were the Muhajirin who had emigrated from Makkah and elsewhere to Madina to be with the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Muslims. There were three major Jewish tribes, Banu Nadhir, Banu Qaynuqah, Banu Quraidha and then there were sundry people who were polytheists and some Muslims. It was essential therefore that a new law be created which would take into account the rights of all concerned and ensure that justice was done to everyone. The Prophet (ﷺ) created what was perhaps the first Constitution of any state until that time.
The prophet (ﷺ) drew up an agreement between the Muhajirin and the resident population of Madina. This included the Muslims and the Jews who also lived in Madina. The agreement was binding on both parties and it was its violation by the Jewish tribes later that led to their eventually being expelled from Madina. This agreement can be said to be the Constitution of the Islamic State that the Prophet (ﷺ) founded and as such would perhaps be the first document of its kind in the history of the world which gave equal rights to all people irrespective of their religious belief. More than anything else, for the writer of such a document to be the head of a new religion that he founded is astounding to say the least. It is true that Islam was not a new religion because it was the religion of all the Prophets since the beginning of time but as far as the people of the time were concerned it was new to them and the Prophet (ﷺ) was its founder. Yet here he was prescribing equal rights to all people whether they belonged to his religion or not.
We have mentioned the covenant known as Ṣaḥīfat al-Madīnah or the Constitution of Medina. Key elements of the Covenant are, first, the law maker is the leader. The Prophet (ﷺ) wrote a document to regulate relationships and so his authority was established and he became the judge. All disagreements must be referred to Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). The only name mentioned is the name of the Prophet (ﷺ). The relationship of the Prophet (ﷺ) to Allah is clearly defined in this and so is the fact that the authority of the Prophet (ﷺ) came from Allah and so it is the rule of Allah that was being established here. Second, the Muslim Ummah is one community excluding others. So the distinct identity of the Muslim is an important part of this. Third, Jews had equality, permission to practice their religion freely and had the protection of the Muslims. They had to support the Muslims and give them advice and counsel. Nobody could leave Madina without the permission of the Prophet (ﷺ) much as you can’t leave your country without a passport today. Fourth, Madina was made Al-Haram – the center of Yathrib was made a sanctuary i.e no hunting, cutting trees or fighting.
Islam created the institution of the ‘Constitutional Ruler’ – the Khalifa who rules by the Divine Law. He rules by a law that he did not create and under which he is also answerable just as the lowest of the citizens under his care. The Khalifa was the true servant of the people, was elected on the basis of demonstrated piety, wisdom and ability at statecraft. As is clear from early Islamic history, the Khulafa ar-Rashida were elected by their peers who agreed to obey them because of the high respect in which they held them. So obedience was subject to the ideology.
The third requirement for a global movement is funding. Islamically our belief is that it is Allah, Who provides with His Power and by His Grace and Mercy but that one must make the necessary effort to ensure that all material means are adopted and all material rules are fulfilled. There are many examples from the life of the Prophet (ﷺ), our litmus test for all matters, to show that he took all precautions, made all material preparations and made every physical effort before he turned to Allah in prayer and dua. Islam doesn’t limit the amount of money that one can make but regulates the methods that can be employed in making it. Islam is concerned with the means of earning wealth and with how it is spent, not with how much of it is earned.
Islam insists that wealth is earned using fair means, without deception of any kind, without usury and interest, without exploiting labor or society. Islam insists that wealth must not be made at the expense of the wellbeing of others and so prohibits hoarding of civil supplies, especially food items. Islam insists that wealth is spent for the good of society and so makes charity compulsory and encourages one to give more after having fulfilled one’s obligation. The Prophet (ﷺ) never prevented or stopped anyone from trade and making money and even said that Allah put 9 out of 10 parts of blessing (Baraka) in trade. On one occasion when prices were very high, the Prophet (ﷺ) refused to enforce price regulation and instead encouraged people to behave responsibly towards all constituents of society. Islam follows the principle of free enterprise with social responsibility based on accountability to Allah and eventual reward with him in the Aakhira.
It is with this principle in mind that for any global movement to succeed, it is essential to have in place a mechanism for a centralized collection and administration of funds. This would consist of a structure for the collection of funds that is rooted in the Core Ideology, a method for collecting the funds and the infrastructure necessary for the collection and administration of the funds. It is necessary to have both obedience to the Central Authority and payment of the funds enshrined in the Core Ideology itself so that ‘believers’ will automatically become active financial supporters of the ideology. In this way also the movement is assured of a certain base amount annually which can be administered in accordance with its principles for its benefit.
Islam created the institution of Zakat as a compulsory payment to be made to the state. Islam legislated that a minimum of 2.5% of Zakat must be remitted into a common fund controlled by the state which is to be spent in welfare activities. The purpose of this was twofold. One was to enforce circulation of money into the economy. That is why Zakat is payable not only on monetary savings but also on gold and silver which is the most common way of securing one’s savings. Similarly Zakat is payable on crops, trade goods in stock, land purchased for the purpose of trade. All this to ensure that those who are rich cannot take money out of circulation and that a certain amount will always be forced back into the system.
The second purpose of Zakat was to give enough funds in the hands of the Central Authority to be able to utilize them according to an overall development plan. Zakat is the most effective way of development financing and if Muslims pay Zakat in the way it was meant to be paid; pay it in full and pay it into a common fund; then not only will there not be a single destitute Muslim in the world but the Muslims will be able to do a huge amount of social development of other deprived people all over the world. This would be the most powerful method of Da’awa which is the underlying intention in Zakat anyway.
References :Without a central method of collection and distribution it is not possible for the state to carry out any strategic development. The institution of Zakat was so important that it was combined with prayer itself and was declared to be another form of prayer – prayer in a financial form. People who refused to pay Zakat were declared to have exited Islam itself.
Allah ordered the Prophet (ﷺ) to collect Zakat from the people and called it a ‘purification’ of their wealth. The idea was for Zakat to be collected by the state and then used for different purposes. These were also specified. Allah said,
"Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [ Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing." - [QS.9:103]"Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah . And Allah is Knowing and Wise." - [QS.9:60]The historian paused and said, "There is one thing we need to keep in mind. History does not spare anyone who changes its rules. And neither did it spare the Muslims. As Muslims changed the purity of the model of global movement so also their fortunes were and continue to be affected. Their effect became less and less global and their presence was seen more in history books than in actual observable fact. It is interesting, though painful, to examine some of the dilution that took place and its effect on Islam and Muslims worldwide.
As Islam moved out of the Arabian Peninsula and further away from the times of the Prophet (ﷺ) in terms of time and entered Egypt, Syria, Iran and India it took into itself influences from Coptic Christianity, Greek and Roman philosophy and mythology, Zorastrianism and Hinduism. The purity of the doctrine of Tawheed – the Oneness of Allah without partners and interceders, the direct connection between the Creator and the slave – was clouded by theories of partnership in various ways.
But as the unique identity of Tawheed was corrupted, correspondingly Islam lost its own uniqueness. Islam and Muslims started resembling Hindus, Christians and others in terms of their lifestyle, rituals, customs and practices. They stopped being standard bearers to an ideology that was as clean and pure as the desert air that bore witness to its glory first. It became as cloudy as the muddy stream that meanders through the gloom of the forest, its waters moving slowly, unable to carry even the flotsam of dry leaves and its bottom murky with decomposing vegetation and slush.
As people stopped seeing the uniqueness of Islam, so also they stopped being attracted to it. What they saw was not much different from whatever they believed in and did not have any solutions to the problems that they suffered from and nothing much was changed except the name of the ritual or the idol that was worshipped.
Above all of this however, the true tragedy was the breakup of the Ummah. As different interpretations, philosophies and cults started, the Muslim Ummah started to break up. And correspondingly the conflicts became more internal than external against shirk and Kufr. Leaders of the different sects fanned the flames of mutual hatred in order to build their own little islands of support at the cost of the whole Ummah. Muslims started killing Muslims. Muslims refused to cooperate with Muslims. Muslims worked against Muslims. Race, nationality, tribe, color and sect all became more important than being Muslim. All the boundaries that had been erased with so much effort by the Prophet (ﷺ) once again came back into the Ummah and the Muslim Ummah went down the road of fragmentation as did those who came before them. And with the same results in terms of lost influence, power and wealth.
The first things to be attacked and weakened was the foundation of the Ummah or the core ideology. The beginning was the change from the Khilafat being an elected office to becoming a hereditary one. The Khalifa therefore became a king, though he was still called the Ameer-ul-Mo’mineen. The structure remained in the form of an empty shell under which lived a different being. Since competence was no longer a criterion of leadership and leadership had become hereditary, competence came to be seen as a threat by the incumbent leaders. Brilliant generals like Tariq bin Ziyad and Mohammad bin Qasim were recalled at the peak of their campaigns and were punished for being successful in their tasks. The example of the Prophet (ﷺ) in not choosing his own relatives to inherit his mantle of leadership ended very quickly after his death. Consequently Islam and its global position of dominance suffered and gradually and steadily declined.
Times changed and so did the behavior of the Khalifa. Khulafa like Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddeeq and Umar ibn al Khattab, radhiyallahu 'anhum, would not have dreamt of using a single dirham out of the treasury on themselves. This integrity changed to a situation where the treasury became the personal property of the king and his family. They built palaces and accumulated wealth that became legendary. Taxes were levied not to raise money for public welfare but to pay for the lifestyle of the king and his nobility. Wars were fought, not to open the doors of the world for the message of Islam but to acquire land and wealth. New converts to Islam were told that they would still have to pay the jizya in addition to the Zakat that they were liable to pay as Muslims because they did not belong to the ruling class. Muslim rulers became the cause of people staying away from Islam instead of being the facilitators for people to enter Islam. Eventually at the end of the 1-st World War, the Khilafat ended with the deposing of the last Khalifa who was overthrown by the British educated and indoctrinated apostate, Kamal Pasha also known as Ataturk."
Then the historian said, "O young man, as we can see from all the examples; as long as the three elements of global movements work in consonance, the movement has energy and progresses. When one or more of the elements becomes defective or ceases to function, the movement loses momentum and can even completely shut down. And Allah know best."
"O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. And if you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you should believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is the best [way] and best in result." - [QS.4:59]
- Muhammad Al-Ghazali, Fiqh-us-Seerah, IIFSO
- Mirza Yawar Baig, Leadership Lesson from the Life of Rasoolullah (ﷺ), Standard Bearer Academy.
