Shift in Focus
The commands that Islam has given aim to direct your mind toward specific objectives. But if a person misunderstands a command or adopts a different interpretation, their example becomes like that of a hunter who fires at the shadow of an animal, thinking it to be the animal itself. In such a case, the shot will miss the target, and even after using up all the ammunition, the hunter will remain deprived of what they were seeking.
In the external world, believers are given a mission of Dawah (invitation) and Shahadah (bearing witness), creating a vast field for serving the Deen (religion) of Allah. Shahadah means that you fully utilize your capacity for expression and communication to convey God’s message to those who are heedless of Him or have turned away from Him. You present it with such intensity and conviction, as if these divine realities are first-hand experiences that you are witnessing and testifying to before the world.
This is a mission that never ends. One never feels that there is a lack of opportunities to fulfill it. It involves you in an immensely active life, for as long as there is a single person on earth straying from the path of God, and as long as you have a pen in hand or words in your mouth, there is work to be done.
However, the interpretation mentioned above took this valuable field away from the believers by describing their external mission not as bearing witness, but as “revolution,” thereby depriving you of this precious field. Under the concept of shahada and tabligh (dissemination), the ultimate goal for a preacher is to fully deliver God’s message to God’s servants. However, as a natural consequence of its structure, this interpretation assumes the responsibility that “the ultimate goal we wish to achieve in this world is to end the leadership of the sinful and corrupt, and to establish the system of the righteous community.” Naturally, those whose minds are shaped by this specific interpretation will feel compelled, by their mental framework, to make political change their primary objective. This is because, in their view, establishing the righteous leadership is not possible without political transformation.
Under the concept of shahada, a person considers success as simply conveying their message to the very end. But the interpretation under discussion assigns a task that cannot be considered fulfilled unless it takes the form of a system established in practice on earth. According to this interpretation, the Quranic term “shahadah” and similar words could have led someone to the misunderstanding that mere verbal testimony was sufficient to fulfil this responsibility. However, by creating the philosophy of “practical shahada,” it has been asserted that unless a formal state is established, the responsibility of shahada cannot be fulfilled.
Those who fall into this mentality will, by nature, seek a political program to exercise their powers. They will consider “the task” to mean striving for a change in government. For them, mere preaching and understanding will not constitute the task they need to accomplish in the external world to fulfill their faith. Now, if the conditions are favorable for revolution, and they find a successful political program leading them towards a change in power, they will act. They will feel that they possess the “task” for which they should devote their efforts. However, if political conditions are unfavorable, and they cannot find a path that visibly leads to the doors of Parliament, they will be at a loss as to what to do. Surrounded by millions of people that need to be conveyed God’s Message, they will still have a program right in front of them, but without the opportunities for political change or a practical plan that satisfies their revolutionary desires, they will feel as if they have no program at all. In the midst of so many opportunities for working for the Islamic mission they will feel as though they are without a program.
Advisors may remind them of their missionary duties, but they will not find any attraction in such tasks. They will not understand that simply conveying the invitation is also a task worthy of dedicating their efforts.
It is important to note here that my objection to this interpretation is not that it includes politics within Islam. Politics is an essential part of life, and any ideology that addresses human life cannot be devoid of political aspects. Nor do I disagree with the idea that, at a specific time, an Islamic group may need to dedicate a significant or even complete amount of its strength to the political front. In a crisis, it is entirely possible that an Islamic group might need to invest most or all of its resources toward achieving political change. My actual objection is that, while politics is only one aspect of Islam, an attempt has been made to interpret the entirety of Islam based solely on this aspect. Something may indeed be true in its proper context, but if it is removed from that context, even a correct thing can end up being misrepresented.
But the issue does not end here. In reality, if a person cannot find the center of their emotions for a period, they begin to fall into apathy. It is crucial to keep one’s aim in clear view. If it becomes obscured, one cannot prevent themselves from succumbing to despair. In this way, the members of a “failed” Islamic movement will first feel despair upon observing unfavorable conditions. This despair will lead to disunity, and disunity will bring them very close to moral decline.
It is also important to understand that the command in the words aqimu ad-deen (establish the religion) directs us toward the duties and responsibilities that, in relation to our own selves, God has imposed upon us. However, if the interpretation I mentioned earlier becomes entrenched in your mind, a natural consequence will be a shift in the focus of this command in your understanding. Instead of focusing on oneself, the external world will become the place where one seeks to fulfill the command of aqimu ad-deen. Rather than focusing on transforming one’s own life, all attention will be directed toward changing the system.
The condition of such people is that they remain oblivious to themselves, yet they never tire of discussing global issues. They will have little interest in the “establishment” of prayer (iqamat al-salat), yet they will raise slogans for establishing divine governance (al-hukumat al-ilahiya). There will be substantial voids in their personal lives, yet they will speak of filling the gaps in the global system. In their own homes, where they still hold a position of leadership (qawam), they may be imitating the ways of worldly people as much as possible, yet they will campaign for acquiring a leadership role in the nation to rid it of the influence of worldly leaders. Their hearts may be devoid of God’s remembrance, yet they will propose acquiring power over broadcasting stations to promote God-consciousness globally. While failing to uphold the principles needed for fulfilling personal responsibilities, they will have a plethora of principles ready for reforming everything from the national system to the structure of the United Nations.
Their paper plans and press statements may suggest they deeply care about the welfare of the Muslim community, as if any issue remotely related to the community causes them great unrest. But if you look closely, you will find that this expression of grief is no more than a formal condolence—offered not out of real sorrow, but out of the fear that others might complain. In their present, actual sphere of influence, they may lead superficial, irresponsible lives, yet they portray their post-revolutionary ambitions as if the era of the Rashidun Caliphate (The Rightly Guided Caliphate) will return anew.
Look at how this misinterpretation has shifted the targets of their actions. The Quran has set for us a clear aim: establish God’s religion upon ourselves and convey its message to others. However, this interpretation has instead placed a different aim before them—“Strive to establish the Islamic system in the world.” As a result, attention has been diverted from both of these original aims. The focus is no longer on acting upon Islam in one’s own life, nor on conveying its message. Instead, all energy is directed toward finding ways to bring about a change in power so that Islamic laws can be enforced.
In the same way that the mission of the Communist Party does not encourage its members to transform their personal lives, nor do they see mere propagation as a sufficient cause for mobilization, but rather focus their minds on strategies for seizing power, this interpretation has cultivated a similar mentality among those who are influenced by it.
