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Understanding Orientalism
Why is there such a huge breadth of Orientalist literature? Why do hundreds of kafir scholars dedicate their entire lives to studying hadith? Sun Tzu puts it very well:
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”
Knowledge of your enemy helps to understand how they will behave and react, but another important benefit is that understanding the religion of your enemy can help to sow dissension within their ranks. You can find especially critical points of differences of opinion, and then covertly provide support to different factions holding those conflicting viewpoints as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy. The remedy to this state of affairs is leadership, listening, and obeying.
This is why attempts at establishing leadership are fought more intensely than anything else. One of the roles of the khalifa is to make judgments when it comes to differences of opinion and to maintain unity. This also points to the importance of awareness as to the source of funding and support of both scholars and Islamic groups. When you watch Islamic lectures, look at the equipment, production quality, and scholars’ freedom to travel. All of this requires resources.
How did someone gain the citizenship or visas necessary to travel? How did they afford high quality cameras and media editing? If the source of this wealth cannot be determined clearly, the discourse being produced should be treated with caution.
Just because an Islamic scholar or da’ee is sincere does not mean he is not being used as part of a stratagem. Muslims may be used to advance enemy agendas without even realizing it. They may be approached by someone who appears to be a sincere Muslim with offers of support. This applies not only to scholars and public speakers, but also to groups working to establish Islam through military means. They may not even have any major mistakes in their creed— in some cases, it’s enough to focus on certain aspects of the religion more than others. Orientalism is what enables the kuffar to devise policies so as to manipulate currents within the Muslim ummah in order to advance their policy goals.
This is part of why it’s wise to have a strong rejection of Western journalists, academics, and researchers, just as we would reject enemy soldiers invading a Muslim land. It is through the work of these individuals that the kuffar devise policies to turn the Muslims against each other and to distort the religion in the hearts and minds of the masses.وَیَمۡكُرُونَ وَیَمۡكُرُ ٱللَّهُۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَیۡرُ ٱلۡمَـٰكِرِینَ
But they plan, and Allah plans. And Allah is the best of
8:30
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Problems with the “Islamic Golden Age”
There are some serious problems with narratives about the “Islamic golden age.” It’s nice to pat ourselves on the back and talk about Islamic civilization’s contribution to the modern world— this is a valid point. Many of these narratives still fall into the trap of materialism, however.
Islamic civilization is great insofar as it fosters the right belief and action. Material prosperity and scientific and cultural achievement are just a byproduct of this— they are a means, not an end. The prosperity, wealth, and cultural and intellectual advancement of later generations of Muslims was a result of the austerity and simplicity of earlier generations. Likewise, the present state of the Muslim ummah is partly a result of the wastefulness and love of dunya that came along with this so-called “golden age.”
The scientific achievements of the Muslims are not a proof of the truth of Islam. Rather, the proofs of Islam are the character of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم ,the love that existed between him and his sahaba, radhi Allahu anhum, the lofty purity of tawheed, the numerous miracles and the faith that they inspired, the timeless, profound wisdom of the Quran and sunnah; these are proofs of Islam, and they are independent of wealth or poverty.عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ عَوْفٍ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَاللَّهِ لَا الْفَقْرَ أَخْشَى عَلَيْكُمْ وَلَكِنْ أَخَشَى عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ تُبْسَطَ عَلَيْكُمْ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا بُسِطَتْ عَلَى مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ فَتَنَافَسُوهَا كَمَا تَنَافَسُوهَا وَتُهْلِكَكُمْ كَمَا أَهْلَكَتْهُمْ
Amr ibn al Awf narrated that the Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم said: “By Allah, it is not poverty I fear for you, rather I fear you will be given the wealth of the world, just as it was given to those before you. You will compete for it just as they competed for it and it will ruin you just as it ruined them.”
Sahih Bukhari, 2988Technological development is nothing more than a reflection of surplus energy. Like everything, it comes and goes in waves. We are the best ummah of mankind not because we had the best technology or social services, but because we command the good and forbid the evil and believe in Allah.
كُنتُمۡ خَیۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ وَلَوۡ ءَامَنَ أَهۡلُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَكَانَ خَیۡرࣰا لَّهُمۚ مِّنۡهُمُ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنُونَ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ
You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is
3:110
wrong and believe in Allah . If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have been better for
them. Among them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.In fact, technology, rather than being a path to greatness, can actually be a path to humiliation and subjugation. When the Muslims took over northern Mali in 1435 AH and implemented sharia, the French sent soldiers, and the Germans built clinics and sent medical aid to the local populations. Do you think this medical aid was sent because they cared about the Muslims there? If this were the case, there were many places where the people were more in need of medical care than northern
Mali.
In fact, this is evidence that the Western medical system is a method of projecting political power. There are several dimensions to this. For one, they want to make recipients of medical aid dependent, because dependence is weakness. Once you start using imported medicines and medical technology, you stop relying on your body’s immunity, and rely instead on Western industrial and scientific power.The first clinics are free, but once you are hooked, you have to pay. Jobs are also created by hospitals and clinics, which creates loyalty to whoever funds them, as well as the whole medical-industrial complex. These incomes are also easier to tax than if medical care happens in the home, which supports the national government (and national governments tend to oppose sharia, since nationalism is at odds with sharia), but the growth of the formal medical sector also reduces the bonds built when family members care for each other.
Western medicine, generally speaking, is profitable because it fixes symptoms while leaving the underlying cause untreated. This ensures repeat customers. The global medical system is also centered in the lands of the kuffar, so as countries become dependent on this technology, they also feed the medical industries in these lands. This applies not only to production, but also research and education. This industry is a mainstay of their economies, and helps feed their war machine.
Beyond the economic function of the medical system as a source of power, there is also authority and prestige embedded in medicine. Importing medical professionals and knowledge and imposing it by force through the educational system undermines traditional power structures, and transfers authority to structures centered in the West. This transfers prestige, respect, and even love away from traditional medical practitioners and elders and to the enemies of Allah instead.
So exalting technology as a measure of progress can actually be directly antithetical to the interests of the Muslims. If we use technology as a measure of progress or the greatness of a civilization, we would also have to praise Pharaonic Egypt and emulate them, and indeed, this is happening in Egypt today. This is happening in spite of the fact that it is clearly visible that technological progress is sometimes achieved at the cost of the moral and social vitality of the society. The last century has witnessed America’s steady moral decay almost in tandem with itsWhat is there to praise about trading the life of the hereafter for the life of this world?
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When Hijra Goes Wrong: The Need for Wisdom in Hijra
Hijra and jihad are intimately linked, as can be seen in the hadith of Rasulullah ﷺ:
«لا تنقطع الهجرة ما قُوتِلَ الكُفَّارُ»
“Hijrah will not cease so long as the disbelievers are being fought.”
Sahih an-Nasa’i, 4183Hijra is a means to join and support jihad, and thus in a time of defensive jihad like our own, hijra becomes an individual obligation (fardh ‘ayn) like jihad. However, if we look at the seerah it is apparent that the Prophet ﷺ followed a particular methodology when it came to hijra, and it is upon us to follow this methodology.
لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِی رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةࣱ لِّمَن كَانَ یَرۡجُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡیَوۡمَ ٱلۡءَاخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِیرࣰا
“There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.”
33:21لَقَدۡ مَنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَ إِذۡ بَعَثَ فِیهِمۡ رَسُولࣰا مِّنۡ أَنفُسِهِمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِمۡ ءَایَـٰتِهِۦ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡ وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن كَانُوا۟ مِن قَبۡلُ لَفِی ضَلَـٰلࣲ مُّبِینٍ
“Allah did confer a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.”
3:164And it is known from the mufasirin of ahl us-sunnah (rahimullah t’ala) that wisdom here means the sunnah.
Years passed between the time the Prophet ﷺ received the command to migrate and when he finally migrated himself. His method of migration involved careful planning and deliberation, and he showed the utmost care for the safety of his companions throughout this process. When there was a need, he showed no fear in facing death, but he never put his companions in danger without a clear need and benefit. This shows the high value he placed on their lives and safety.
One of the most miraculous things about the Prophet ﷺ and which can be found in almost no other figure in history is the love of his ummah for him ﷺ. This love is a reflection of his love for his ummah, and this love can be seen in the fact that he would stay up at night praying for us and weeping.
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَلَا قَوْلَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنْ النَّاسِ فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي الْآيَةَ وَقَالَ عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام إِنْ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ فَإِنَّهُمْ عِبَادُكَ وَإِنْ تَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ فَإِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ فَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ وَقَالَ اللَّهُمَّ أُمَّتِي أُمَّتِي وَبَكَى فَقَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ فَسَلْهُ مَا يُبْكِيكَ فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام فَسَأَلَهُ فَأَخْبَرَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِمَا قَالَ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ فَقَالَ اللَّهُ يَا جِبْرِيلُ اذْهَبْ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ فَقُلْ إِنَّا سَنُرْضِيكَ فِي أُمَّتِكَ وَلَا نَسُوءُكَ
Abdullah ibn Amr, radhi Allahu anhu, reported: The Prophet ﷺ recited the saying of Allah Almighty about Ibrahim, alaihi asalam, “My Lord, the idols have misled many people, so whoever follows me is part of me,” (14:36). And the words of ‘Isa, alaihi asalam, “If You punish them, they are Your servants, but if You forgive them, You are the Almighty, the Wise.” (5:117). Then the Prophet ﷺ raised his hands and he said, “O Allah, my ummah, my ummah!” And the Prophet ﷺ wept. Allah Almighty said, “O Gabriel, go to Muhammad – and your Lord is most knowing – and ask him why he is crying.” Gabriel came to him and he asked him and the Prophet ﷺ told him about it, though Allah knows best. Allah said, “O Gabriel, go to Muhammad and say: Verily, We will please you regarding your nation and We will not disappoint you.”
Sahih Muslim, 202عن عبد الله بن عمر قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَطُوفُ بِالْكَعْبَةِ وَيَقُولُ مَا أَطْيَبَكِ وَأَطْيَبَ رِيحَكِ مَا أَعْظَمَكِ وَأَعْظَمَ حُرْمَتَكِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَحُرْمَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ أَعْظَمُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ حُرْمَةً مِنْكِ مَالِهِ وَدَمِهِ وَأَنْ نَظُنَّ بِهِ إِلَّا خَيْرًا
Abdullah ibn Umar, radhi Allahu anhu, reported: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ circling the Ka’bah and saying, “How pure you are and how pure is your fragrance! How great you are and how great is your sanctity! By the one in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the sanctity of the believer is greater to Allah than your sanctity, in his wealth, his life, and to assume nothing of him but good.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 3932Recent history provides some examples of what can happen when Muslims heed the command of hijra without the deliberate planning and care for the wellbeing of the Muslims that characterize the sunnah of the Beloved of Allah ﷺ.
After the fall of the Dawla Uthmaniyya, the Muslims in Afghanistan went to war with British forces in British India. The results of the conflict were mixed, but it marked the formation of Afghanistan as a modern state independent of British influence. The conflict also gave a boost to guerilla resistance against the British authorities, especially in Waziristan. This gave some hope to the Muslims at a time where the last remnant of khilafa was being dismantled and the British were in the process of occupying Bait al Maqdis and laying the groundwork for a Zionist state in ash Sham.
As a result, many Muslims saw Afghanistan as the best hope for re-establishing khilafa, and calls for hijra began. Most of the ulema in India opposed this idea, but a number of rumors spread about the government in Afghanistan offering land to muhajireen and some preachers began vocally talking about the obligation of hijra. As a result, tens of thousands of Muslims in British India sold all of their property and set off to leave dar al kufr and migrate to what they thought was dar al Islam.
The movement was driven by emotion about the dire political circumstances, and those who embarked did so impulsively and without planning, thus going against the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. The leaders who called for this hijra were also not well aware of the conditions or the potential threats to the safety of the muhajireen, or the consequences of their leaving.
Many Indian Muslims rushed to sell their property all at the same time, causing the market prices to crash and allowing Hindus to buy up large amounts of land at ridiculously cheap prices, making huge profits in the process. The first Muslims who arrived were well received and welcomed by their Afghan brothers, and some of these families live in Afghanistan until today. However, as the number of muhajireen increased, the authorities realized they had no ability to host or provide for so many, so they started blocking them from entering. And so thousands of Muslims ended up stranded in the harsh mountain environment as winter was beginning to set in. They had no choice but to return to India, and thousands died of hunger and exposure, and many others were attacked by bandits and lost what little wealth they had remaining.
A similar scenario played out more recently in ash-Sham where many Muslims also hoped to re-establish khilafa. Most of the ulema that the time was not yet ripe and advised against hijra, especially for women, but none the less, there were even many calls for women to migrate without a mahram to accompany.
Many scholars argued that there was not sufficient stability or security to call women to migrate, but many ignored this advice and instead even misrepresented the situation to make it seem like the situation was better than it really was, for example, by distributing videos of well-stocked supermarkets with disposable diapers. As a result, tens of thousands rushed to migrate, including thousands of women.
As it turned out, it was eventually impossible to provide protection to many of the women, and many were killed and captured by kuffar. The muhajirat were not just made to suffer humiliation and abuse at the hands of the kuffar, many of them had their children taken away and given to the kuffar, and many others were put into fitna in “de-radicalization” programs, where the kuffar try to force them to turn away from their religion.
Many of the sisters still find themselves in this situation, and many others were forced to return to their country of origin. Many are now put on watch lists and not allowed freedom of travel, effectively trapping them in dar al kufr in the hands of the kuffar.
The large and sudden influx of muhajireen is also one of the major factors cited as leading to a war between the various groups that were fighting against the Nusayri Syrian army and militias who were on a rampage of rape and murder of the Sunni population.
By contrast, consider the migration to Medina. First, the Prophet ﷺ waited until he found a place where the people of authority were willing to give full support, and he could be assured that the polity of Medina would be fully supportive. He met with the leaders of Medina on more than one occasion and took pledges from them. Then, rather than sending all of the Muslims at once, he first sent Musa ibn ‘Umair, radhi Allahu anhu, to begin teaching and preparing the Ansar for further immigrants.
This action has multiple benefits: first, he needed to build up the aqeeda of the Ansar to prepare them for the difficulty of accommodating the muhajireen. However, at the same time, seeing how the Ansar treated Musa ibn ‘Umair was also a way to “test the waters.” If he was well received and treated well, it meant the authorities in Medina were sincere about upholding their pledge. When it became clear that was the cases, the Prophet ﷺ gradually sent more and more of the Muslims.
There was some danger involved in this, but the fact that they went in small groups meant that he was not “putting all the eggs in one basket.” There is additional wisdom in this, in that if he had rushed into hijra and sent all of the Muslims at once, it would have certainly alerted the mushrikeen of the Quraysh and made it much easier for them to prepare a response.
All of this deliberation, planning, and waiting happened in spite of the fact that the Muslims were suffering extreme persecution at that time. They were suffering starvation, imprisonment, beatings, torture, and death at the hands of the mushrikeen. Still, the Prophet ﷺ was patient and was careful not to put them into even greater trials.
So it is important to be aware of the obligation of hijra and to move toward fulfilling that obligation, but it is important to do so according to the sunnah, and this cannot be done except through consultation with the people of knowledge from ahl us-sunnah. There are many traps laid by the kuffar, both on the individual level and on the broader geopolitical level, and avoiding falling into these traps requires careful planning and deliberation. There are informants and entrapment schemes, with many munafiq spies posing as Muslims wanting to help facilitate the path of hijra and jihad. There are situations which will not actually help to strengthen or support the Muslims, but will rather lead us to destruction with little real benefit to the ummah, although the reward is assured for all those who go with pure intentions, in sha Allah.
We must be aware of these dangers on this path, and if we are not able to understand the situations, then we have to rely on the advice and guidance of those who are. And most importantly, we have to take care not to be carried away by emotions and desires, but rather to act in a deliberate and rational manner rooted in evidences from the Qur’an and sunnah and supported by understanding of present realities.
May Allah facilitate the path to hijra for the Muslims, and make it a means of establishing and supporting His law, and causing the rule of Allah to spread throughout the earth. And may prayer and peace be upon the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammed Mustafa ibn Abdullah, and upon his family and companions and those who follow them in righteousness until the Last Day.
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Jihad as Aid, Aid as Jihad
In general, the places where sharia is most likely to be established are also the places where the Muslims are most in need of support and assistance. In Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Somalia, non-functional or weak states result in an environment that is ripe for sharia, but that at the same time results in considerable hardship for the people.
Looking back at all of the attempts to remove or overturn stronger regimes in other countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, or
Pakistan, I sometimes wonder what would have happened if all of those who sacrificed their lives had instead taken their wealth and knowledge and emigrated to other areas to support the construction of Islamic governance in areas with little or no state.
Overall, the popular willingness to fight against regimes like those of al Saud or Sisi is very low, partly because strong states keep the people well fed, and partly because they have a much stronger capacity to repress dissent. Occasional small actions certainly have an effect, but they also cause a backlash against practicing Muslims.
If Muslims in these countries were to emigrate to countries where there are power vacuums and engage in institution building and
infrastructure development, it would very much improve conditions for the Muslims living in these areas, and this in turn would lead to more popular support for Islamic movements in these countries. At the same time, they would no longer contribute to the economies of the stronger regimes, weakening these regimes and leading to more popular discontent among ordinary people.
Infrastructure development and economic assistance are among the main methods by which the kuffar seek to influence and control Muslim countries. This is also a way that those who do not have the level of iman, ability or connections to find their way to the lines of ribat can fight the kuffar “as they fight us,” that is, by fighting the battle of hearts and minds.
It’s important, however, that economic and infrastructural assistance by Muslims take place outside legal frameworks controlled by the kuffar, because these legal frameworks are designed to ensure that humanitarian aid strengthens the position of the kuffar. This means that engaging in this kind of humanitarian struggle will be fraught with danger and hardship, even if it doesn’t require picking up a weapon.
The fact that many false legal barriers exist to such activities (such as immigration law) is proof in itself that it is an effective means of strengthening Islam, because the entirety of international law is
premised on preventing the ascendancy of Islam.
Consider the types of activism that Western NGOs engage in in Muslim lands. Building schools, setting up medical facilities (that support the Western medical industry), distributing food aid (produced by kafir farmers), building infrastructure which will deepen
dependence on imports from kafir countries (for example, electrical grids which will get people addicted to refrigerators and televisions).
So, for example, a countermeasure in education would be to support and finance unlicensed madrasas in Pakistan or elsewhere in places where madrasas can evade government regulation. For medicine, it would be funding traditional medical practitioners, purchasing herbal medicines from local farmers and gatherers, and providing free consultations to the people, as well as supporting home midwives.
In agriculture, it would be financing locally viable irrigation methods that are not dependent on imports, fertilizer manufacturing and processing facilities built using locally available materials, and supporting blacksmiths and machinists to achieve the capacity
necessary to produce and maintain tools with as little dependence on imports as possible. This kind of economic and social base is the power base from which military jihad can be launched.
One of the advantages of this approach is that if the kuffar and munafiqeen arrest or kill those engaged in this infrastructure
development (and they will), it will have a powerful mobilizing effect on the general Muslims who are unaware of the broader geopolitical realities. It will make it clear that the authorities care nothing for the actual well being of the Muslims, and that their humanitarian assistance is actually about advancing political agendas, and that they -
Monasticism and the Benefits of Prison
There’s something beautiful about the idea of renouncing the world and dedicating your life to worship. Indeed, monasticism seems to be the pinnacle of religions like Christianity or Buddhism, or Hinduism, in the case of ashrams.
If you look at what life is like in these monasteries, you will find a lot of similarities with Islam; no alcohol allowed, no musical instruments, no touching or mixing with women, and a schedule of multiple prayers each day, starting in the early morning.
There are at least three serious problems with the concept of monasticism, however.- It can mean isolating yourself when the world is in crisis and you have the power to do something about it.
- It often means going to extremes of asceticism and self-denial which can lead to a backlash. The societies that had many strict monasteries in the past today live in decadence and excess.
- If there is some genetic component to piety and righteousness, celibacy would lead to good people not having children, and the society gradually becoming less religious.
Islam has all of the benefits of monasticism while resolving all of these problems. Monks aimed to establish an ideal environment for worship inside the walls of the monastery, while Islam was designed to establish an environment of piety and righteousness across the entire world. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لكلِّ نبيٍّ رهبانيةٌ ورهبانيةُ هذه الأمةِ الجهادُ في سبيلِ اللهِ
“Every Prophet has Rahbaniyyah (monasticism); Jihad in the cause of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored, is the Rahbaniyyah of this Ummah.”
Musnad Ahmad, 13396This makes a lot of sense— indeed, jihad is the pinnacle of Islam. The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم also said:
رَأْسُ الْأَمْرِ الْإِسْلَامُ وَعَمُودُهُ الصَّلَاةُ وَذِرْوَةُ سَنَامِهِ الْجِهَادُ
“The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is prayer, and jihad is its peak.”
Sunan at-Tirmidhi, 2616Jihad requires renouncing the world, enduring hunger, cold, and hardship. The simple rooms in monasteries in which monks live and pray, in English, are called “cells.” And it seems that many of those who embark on the path of jihad also spend much time in a different kind of “cell.”
In some cases, prison, like war, does fortify people spiritually, though it is no doubt a heavy test which some fail. There are many stories of religious transformations happening in prison. Some people have an inclination or wish to worship Allah deeply, without distraction, but are distracted by the worldly life. Prison removes these distractions, and leaves you with little else to do, opening an opportunity to immerse oneself in the remembrance of Allah. It closes the door to many sins that could otherwise distract us from our true purpose.
Prison is not easy, but neither is the harsh life of monasticism. For some, though, it can certainly increase their faith, and in the modern struggles against evil, faith is directly linked to the will to fight. Prisons can benefit jihad in other ways than just potential purification of the soul— they can also directly contribute to the formation of insurgencies, as seen in Iraq. The social networks that form inside of prisons can contribute greatly to forming underground networks. Being in prison with someone is one of the most intense forms of social contact possible. All day, every day, you look at the same people. You notice their every move and mannerism. You get to know them, very, very well.
This can help to understand who you can trust and who you can’t. It can also help to understand what someone is capable of, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and the disposition of their character. Trust is the most important element of an insurgency— the biggest threat to an underground movement is infiltration and informants, and the key to its success is trustworthy participants.
The amount of free time available in prisons is also not present almost anywhere else. It’s sometimes joked that prisons are universities for criminals, because criminals have little to do all day but contemplate the mistakes that landed them in prison and share their observations with others. This applies to underground armed movements as well. This does not necessarily apply to all movements— only someone with sincere faith is guaranteed to benefit from the hardship of imprisonment.عَجَبًا لِأَمْرِ الْمُؤْمِنِ إِنَّ أَمْرَهُ كُلَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَلَيْسَ ذَاكَ لِأَحَدٍ إِلَّا لِلْمُؤْمِنِ إِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ وَإِنْ أَصَابَتْهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبَرَ فَكَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُ
Suhayb reported that the Prophet of Allahصلى الله عليه وسلم said, “Wondrous is the affair of a believer, as there is good for him in
Sahih Muslim, 2999
every matter; this is not the case for anyone but a believer. If he experiences pleasure, he thanks Allah and it is good for him. If he experiences harm, he shows patience and it is good for him.”It’s impossible to defeat an enemy with sincere faith based upon the truth, because the truth is enduring, while falsehood is temporary. Prison will only fortify those with sincere faith, and trying to deal with them by killing them will only rally popular support against the attackers.
There is truly no way for a people who fight for falsehood to defeat a people who fight for the truth. -
The Privilege of Fighting
Purity of intentions, rather than controlling territory, is the true measure of success in jihad. Although many are averse to fighting due to their love of life, fighting is a privilege which Allah bestows only on the elite of the ummah. This is an honor that does not increase or diminish on the basis of territory. Allah says:
وَفَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُجَـٰهِدِینَ عَلَى ٱلۡقَـٰعِدِینَ أَجۡرًا عَظِیمࣰا
But Allah has preferred the mujahideen over those who remain [behind] with a great reward.
4:95This reward depends not on the land under control, but by the effort exerted and the sacrifices made, whether the mujahid is with a group of three, hiding in the mountains and sleeping in caves, or part of an army of a hundred thousand, marching on al-Aqsa.
Syria is just one battle in the war between iman and kufr, and this war is worldwide and will continue until the sun rises in the West. The uprising against Bashar’s father 40 years ago was not a failure, because it taught us many lessons and strengthened the mujahideen not just for this new battle in Syria, but in the whole world. And bi idhnillah, we will learn from the lessons of this battle, and return again still stronger.
While victory seems sweet, the reality is that every victory of this ummah is followed by severe fitan. Victory, like wealth, is a test. The only real rest is in the akhira. So those upon whom Allah has bestowed this honor should seek their happiness not in land or children, but instead remember the words of Khalid ibn al Walid, radhi Allahu anhu:‘Nothing is dearer to me than a frosty night in the company of an infantry of Muhajirun when we are to attack the disbelievers in the morning. Not even the night in which I was wedded to a new bride or received the glad tidings of the birth of a new child.’
Men need jihad fi sabilillah. Jihad fi sabilillah does not need men
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Benefits of the War in Syria
A common refrain among Muslims when arguing in favor of obeying and accepting tyrannical rulers is to point at the destruction in countries where uprisings took place. They often point to living standards before the war, and argue that lower living standards after the war validate the idea that one should tolerate oppression.
While material well being is an important concern in Islam, it is not the primary concern, and these narratives often miss spiritual
improvements that take place as a result of war. For example, some Syrians personally told me it was common before the war to hear people curse Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala, in the street. Consider the enormity of this sin, and worse, consider that it was treated as normal and acceptable.To curse Allah, subhanahu wa t’ala, is certainly a more severe sin than rape or murder. Consider if there was a land where rape and murder became commonplace. If someone were able to rape or murder another person with no fear or consequences, no one would consider this land as being safe, or secure, or a good place to live.
In the case of rape and murder becoming widespread, even a break of 1 or 2 years from this condition would be viewed as a great relief, both by the victims of the crimes and by any observers. Even if the condition returned to its previous state after some time, there is no denying that this pause would have a positive impact on the lives of everyone who was able to enjoy a brief rest from the state of anarchy.
This also applies to hadd punishments. The Prophet said that implementing one hadd punishment is better for all the earth’s people
than 40 days of rain.عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: حدٌ يقام في الَأرض خير للناس من .َأن يمطروا ثلاثين َأو َأربعين صباحًا
The Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم said: “The establishment of one hadd punishment on the earth is more beneficial for the people than if it were to rain for 30 or 40 days.”
Sahih an-Nasai’, 4919Syria has suffered from a number of droughts in recent years which have hurt agricultural production. No one would question that a period of sustained rain would be highly beneficial to the people, and yet the Prophetصلى الله عليه وسلم described one hadd punishment as more beneficial than this. The war in Syria enabled not one hadd punishment, but hundreds.
Implementing hadd punishments has lasting social effects that persist among the people even after sharia is removed. This is in addition to whatever spiritual effects may be present in the ghayb.
In large areas of Syria, for extended periods of time, those who cursed Allah had to fear for their lives and hide their corruption. This is in addition to the spiritual benefits of any war, even without reviving hudud. For example, war brings about an increased awareness of death which drives even the most irreligious person to remember Allah and ask for His help.
There were also major gains in terms of da’wah. Before the war, ignorance of the religion was extremely high, and any authentic
teaching of Islam was met with violent repression. The war enabled years of uncensored da’wah, and millions of Muslims were exposed to an authentic understanding of the religion.
War can bring hardship and suffering which can be a kaffarah, or expiation, for the sins of a Muslim, and this also applies on the
collective as well as individual levels. This purification is not only spiritual, either. A large number of those who ran away from the war to Europe were low spiritually and psychologically low-quality individuals, meaning that their leaving represents a purification of the population.
This means the overall proportion of hypocrites among the Muslims decreases. At the same time, those who ran away are putting a strain on Europe by energizing the extreme right and destabilizing the political order. This means some harm has been lifted from the Muslims and placed upon the European kuffar.
Syria has long been known for its love of unnecessary luxuries and a very Western lifestyle. The deterioration of the economic situation is forcing an end to this unhealthy and wasteful lifestyle. This in turn is causing the people to grow closer to the sunnah, and to become less dependent on the Zionist economic world order. As people seek ways
to survive, they are forced to revive dormant Islamic traditions and institutions.
Though there is little territory remaining in the hands of the forces that were fighting Assad and allied forces, there is still a small strip of territory in Idlib, and there is no question this area is better for Muslims than those areas under Assad’s control. It has become a refuge for millions of Syrians, as well as thousands of Muslims who left their homes in other countries. Now, although they face more difficult material circumstances, many now enjoy better circumstances in terms of religion, and almost none of them wish to return to the areas under Assad’s control.
Yes, about a million Syrians died, but those who were sincere Muslims, are, in sha Allah, now shuhada, meaning that the war is actually one way that Allah opens wide the doors to jannah. These shuhada can also make intercession for their relatives, which is an enormous blessing.عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ لِلشَّهِيدِ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ سِتُّ خِصَالٍ يُغْفَرُ لَهُ فِي أَوَّلِ دَفْعَةٍ مِنْ دَمِهِ وَيُرَى مَقْعَدَهُ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ وَيُجَارُ مِنْ عَذَابِ الْقَبْرِ وَيَأْمَنُ مِنَ الْفَزَعِ الأَكْبَرِ وَيُحَلَّى حُلَّةَ الإِيمَانِ وَيُزَوَّجُ مِنَ الْحُورِ الْعِينِ وَيُشَفَّعُ فِي سَبْعِينَ إِنْسَانًا مِنْ أَقَارِبِهِ ” .
The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said “The martyr has six things (in store) with Allah: He is forgiven from the first drop of his blood that is shed; he is shown his place in Paradise; he is spared the torment of the grave; he is kept safe from the Great Fright; he is adorned with a garment of faith; he is married to (wives) from among the wide-eyed houris; and he is permitted to intercede for seventy of his relatives.”
Sunan ibn Majah, 2799Regardless of the worldly economic situation, one could hardly ask for a greater wealth than having shuhada in the family. So the attitude of calling for extreme obedience to tyrannical regimes that are openly fighting against Islam and the Muslims is really absurd. To adopt this attitude is to take a very materialistic view of things.
Even materially speaking, there are more benefits if you go deeper into geopolitics, but then we are talking about benefits for the ummah, rather than benefits for the “Syrian people.” Constricting the perspective to individual nation-states also makes it more difficult for people to perceive the benefits of the war. Yes, irreparable damage has been done to the Syrian nation, and the Syrian people. But wasn’t the Syrian nation and the Syrian people created with the express purpose of dividing and weakening the Muslims? Isn’t it a good thing if “Syria” dies, and is replaced with a nation of Muslims living in the land of Sham?
It is not possible for Islam to be reestablished until nation-states like Syria are broken. This is a zero sum game. Dual citizenship is something that exists in nationalism; it doesn’t exist in Islam. Either your loyalty is to a nation, or your loyalty is to Allah and His
Messenger ﷺ. -
Husn adh-Dhun for the Mujahideen
The principle of husn adh-dhun, or assuming good about your Muslims brothers, is a very important principle. One classic example of this relates to takfir; if a Muslim makes a statement which can be interpreted in more than one way, one of which entails shirk, but which has other meanings that do not entail shirk, we assume about them that they mean it in the best possible way until proven otherwise.
This husn adh-dhun is a protection against evils like suspicion, which can easily lead to unnecessary conflict and division among the Muslims.یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجۡتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِیرࣰا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعۡضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثۡمࣱۖ
O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin.
49:12Likewise, many times when it comes to issues of ikhtilaf, we are reminded that there can be two different views on an issue, and that both may be correct. We are reminded that differences of opinion are a mercy, and that this can be flexibility in Islam which makes matters easier for us.
When we apply this principle to Muslims who hold deviant ideologies, you could go and express this principle in just about any masjid in the Muslim world or in the West and you wouldn’t meet a lot of opposition.
If you try to apply the exact same principles, however, to the actions and views of the mujahideen; the view on striking strategic targets containing non-combatants; the view on istishhadi attacks; views on takfir, then all of the husn adh-dhun disappears in the blink of an eye.
Imagine if we had the same tolerance for jihad in our time that we do for bid’ah, shirk, and kufr! The fact that we are willing to have so much patience with deficits in aqeeda, yet so little tolerance when it comes to differences of fiqh is indicative of a couple of underlying problems.
First, obviously, no one wants to face the hardship of being associated with Islamic political movements. Categorically condemning all efforts to establish Islamic political autonomy is one way to remain in the favor of the governments in the West and their allies who rule over the Muslim lands.
Secondly, many of us have been affected by an attitude of placing life in a higher position than religion. This attitude is an outgrowth of secularism, which is built on the premise that religious truths cannot be known with certainty, and as such, all different views and opinions should be tolerated.
As such, differences of opinion that threaten life are seen as unacceptable, but those that threaten the religion are treated lightly. This is an inverted view, since Allah subhanahu wa t’ala said:وَٱلۡفِتۡنَةُ أَشَدُّ مِنَ ٱلۡقَتۡلِۚ
And fitna is worse than killing
2:191Preserving life is indeed a high and noble goal, but the preservation of religion is higher and more noble, because the purpose of our life is to worship Allah. Jihad itself is an act of worship and one which is essential to the preservation of the religion, so we should take great care when it comes to words or actions that could obstruct the path to jihad for the sake of preserving life.
Ya Ummati 