Serving God’s Cause
(Nusrat al-dEEn)
The fundamental duty in the relationship between the servant and the Creator is what is called Nusrat al-deen (support of the faith). Nusrat al-deen mainly involves efforts to revive and reaffirm any part of Allah’s religion that is waning. In Shariah, this is known as I‘la Kalimatullah (raising the word of Allah). It is a complex effort that isn’t limited to just one approach. Whenever Allah’s religion faces challenges, or when human effort is needed to protect, maintain, renew, or revitalize it, dedicating one’s abilities and resources for Allah’s religion is considered Nusrat al-deen.
Among human emotions, one of the noblest is a strong concern for the well-being of someone to whom one is deeply attached. A person of noble character cannot bear to knowingly witness harm to someone they care about. When this feeling is directed from a servant toward their Creator, it is called Nusrat al-deen.
In Arabia, when opponents of the final Messenger () plotted to eliminate him and his message, and the companions risked their lives and wealth to defend the Prophet, this was the earliest and most profound example of Nusrat al-deen. Likewise, when the righteous Caliph Umar ibn Abdul Aziz sacrificed his own life in his efforts to reform corrupt practices within the Islamic government—an effort for which he was eventually poisoned by the royal family—this also exemplified Nusrat al-deen.
In the second century Hijri, when wealth and power fostered a culture of luxury within Islamic society, leading to weakened faith and a decline in devotion to Allah, Hasan al-Basri, embodying poverty and fervor, worked to revive the spiritual life of the Ummah. This was also an example of Nusrat al-deen (support of the faith). Later, as Greek philosophy began influencing Muslim society, causing doctrinal confusion and the emergence of the Khalq al-Quran (The Quran’s createdness) controversy, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal remained firm to defend the truth, which also demonstrated Nusrat al-deen.
In the sixth century Hijri, when European nations invaded the Islamic state, penetrating it “as a wedge drives into old wood,” according to English historian Stanley Lane-Poole, Salahuddin Ayyubi, with unwavering faith and great courage, freed the Islamic territories from the oppression and domination of Western forces. This too was Nusrat al-deen. Similarly, figures such as Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash’ari, Imam al-Ghazali, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani, Allama Ibn al-Jawzi, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, Shah Waliullah, Sayyid Ahmad Barelvi, and many other scholars, saints, and men of resolve dedicated themselves to serving the needs of the religion in their respective areas, this was also Nusrat al-deen. They used all their strength to support the faith. Each of them was a supporter and helper of the religion, and each holds a high rank with Allah.
Just as the support needed for faith depends on the requirements of the time, so is the support provided by individuals based on their own abilities and resources. Everyone is responsible for offering what they have: those endowed with speech and knowledge will support faith through their words and wisdom, while those blessed by Allah with physical and external resources will use these to fulfill the needs of the religion.
In this regard, I quote Shaykh al-Islam ‘Izz al-Deen Ibn Abd al-Salam (578–660 AH), one of the most respected and influential scholars of Islamic history:
Allah has commanded us to strive in support of His religion. The weapon of the scholar is his knowledge and his tongue, just as the weapon of the ruler is his sword and spear. Therefore, it is just as unacceptable for rulers to keep their weapons sheathed against the enemies of the faith as it is for scholars to remain silent in the face of those who deviate or innovate. (Tabaqat al-Shafi’iyyah al-Kubra by Ibn al-Subki, Vol. 5, p. 90)
