Part 11

Humankind's concentration on the apparent cause has distracted them from seeing the greater reality behind it: the will of Allah who says to something, "Be," and it is. They ignore that greater will and call the laws, "natural laws" and they say that they are fixed and inevitable. They are stupefied by such limited experiences and therefore Allah is actually distanced from their hearts. This is where the Quranic expression begins, taking them from where they are stupefied and distanced from Allah and taking them back to Allah…68

Science tells us, based on the outward causes that we see, that the existence of the sun and the rotation of the earth around it is the cause of the "movement" of the shadows. But the Quranic expression tells us that it is the will of Allah that moves the shadows in the first place and then the sun is 67 For example, Allah says, "Have you not seen how your Lord spread the shadow? If He willed, He could have made it still then We have made the sun its guide" (25:45). 68 Muhammad Qutb, Diraasaat Quraaniyyah (Beirut: Dar al-Shurooq, 1982), p. 42. 55

placed as a guide for the shadow. Thus, the apparent cause is not the original source but actually comes afterwards… Indeed, it comes later, by the word "then", after Allah decided this matter by His will, saying to something Be and it is.69

In fact, Qutb argues, the end result of this Quranic approach is very clear. In reality, the knowledge that one has about, for example, the bee or the shade does not change upon reading the verses in the Quran in which Allah points to these two. One's knowledge does not change but, he argues, the individual changes. Qutb states,

Did your information about the shadows or bees change when you read these verses? Certainly not! The information in itself was not new. It was known beforehand. However, that was a knowledge that was a dead, cold, still and unmoving information. But the Quran brings this information and presents it in an emotional or moving setting, in a miraculous fashion, that changes one's perspective as if it were not what we knew beforehand. The information did not change but we are the ones who changed…70

For the new Muslim, this may be a completely new way of looking at the world and may take some adjustment. Many non-Muslims do not see God's involvement in this world and therefore they do not feel any direct relationship with God. As the new Muslim ponders over the Quran, this feeling may develop within him. He will see Allah's working in everything around him. This will remind him of Allah and he will no longer be negligent of Allah and his duty toward Him. He will be then, God willing, leading his life in a manner very different from before his conversion to Islam.

(7) Ordering Good and Eradica ng Evil.

Islam is not a religion in which one purifies one's own soul while ignoring or not helping others as well along the path of purification. As discussed later in this work, Islam stresses the proper relationship between different individuals of society. One of the most important interactions between individuals is

69 Muhammad Qutb, pp. 42-43. 70 Muhammad Qutb, p. 45. 56

that of ordering or encouraging what is good while prohibiting or preventing that which is evil. It is part of true brotherhood that one wants to assist others to do what is right. It is also definitely part of true brotherhood that when one sees another Muslim doing something displeasing to Allah, that he would want to correct and advise his brother or sister in Islam. Thus, in the Quran, Allah relates the concept of being true brethren, friends and helpers to one another directly to the concept of ordering good and preventing evil. Allah says, "The believers, men and women, are helpers and supporters of one another, they enjoin what is right and forbid what is evil" (9:71). Allah also says, "Help one another in righteous dealings and in acts of piety. But do not help one another in sins or acts of aggression against others" (5:2). In fact, Allah makes it clear that encouraging good and preventing evil should be one of the overriding qualities of the Muslim Nation as a whole: "You are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin what is good, forbid what is evil, and you believe in Allah" (3:110).

This is not an "optional way" to behave. It is a necessary part of one's faith and attitude. This is part and parcel of what it means to belong to a community. An individual has rights upon others as well as obligations towards others. Looking out for one another and assisting one another is essential, especially for those in positions of authority or whose voices are listened to. Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has informed the Muslims, "By the One in whose hand is my soul, you must order good and forbid evil or Allah will soon send upon you a punishment from Himself and then you will supplicate to Him and He will not respond to you."71

In a beautiful parable recorded by al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) demonstrated the importance of this practice for society as a whole: "The similitude of the one who fulfills Allah's command [by eradicating evil] and the one who falls into what Allah forbids is like a people who drew lots for places on a boat. Some of them got the upper level of the boat while others were on the lower level. Whenever the people on the lower level wanted water, they had to go to the people on the upper level. Therefore, they said, 'If we were to make a hole in our portion we would not have to bother the people above us [to get water].' If they [the people on the 71 Recorded by Ahmad and al-Tirmidhi. According to al-Albaani, it is hasan. See al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 2, p. 1189. 57

upper level] leave them to what they want to do, all of them would be destroyed. If, instead, they take them by their hands [and stop them from what they plan on doing], they will be saved and they will save all of them."

Many times people would like to stay away from evil but they need help in doing so. They need true friends around them who can act like a support group. Some individuals simply do not have the strength to remain away from activities that they know are wrong or that they themselves do not like, especially if there is peer pressure on them. With the help of others who understand what he is going through and who recognize that he truly wants to do what is right, he is able to muster up the courage to say no to wrong activities. Similarly, others are simply lazy or lack the motivation to do the actions they should perform. Again, with the sincere help or encouragement from those around him, the individual finds the strength to do what is right.

If people were individualistic and only concerned about their own selves, not lending hands to others, it would be disastrous for society. Those who do evil would dominate and harass others. In fact, many neighborhoods in the U.S., for example, have recognized this fact. The neighbors realized that they had to get together to encourage good things and remove evil things, as otherwise their neighborhoods were being destroyed by hoodlums. In the same way, true believers come together and assist one another promoting all good things and blocking all evil things.

Obviously, no one is going to be free from sin and therefore this principle of encouraging good and preventing evil does not mean that one has to be perfect before he can speak to others about their behavior. However, the encouraging of good and preventing of evil, logically, should begin with one's own self. One should make oneself do what is good and prevent oneself from doing evil. In this way, one sets an example for others and such a person will more likely be listened to when he advises others. At the same time, though, even if a person has some shortcomings, he should still encourage others to do good and try to keep them from evil.

It must be noted that there are some conditions for the practice of encouraging good and preventing evil. One condition, for example, is that one has knowledge of what is good and what is evil according to Quran and Sun58

nah. It is possible that someone, due to ignorance, may encourage another not to do an act while that act is actually from the Sunnah.

For the new Muslim, in particular, he may find himself repeatedly on the end of being told what to do or what not to do. Many times this advice comes from other Muslims who may seem overzealous or who do not have the proper tack when speaking to a new Muslim. Many times language difficulties magnify the manner in which the new Muslim is being spoken to. It is important for the new Muslim to realize that, in general, his fellow Muslim means him no harm or humiliation. Instead, he may be simply acting on the basis of trying to encourage him to do what is right and teaching others about Islam. If the new Muslim sometimes feels frustrated about such occurrences, he should remind himself that the others are acting out of love and want only what is good for their new brother in Islam.

(8) The Proper Honoring of Humankind

There is no question that in God's scheme for this creation, humans have been given many special talents and skills, making them distinct from other creatures. Thus, Allah says in the Quran, "And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, and have provided them with lawful good things, and have preferred them above many of those whom We have created with a marked preference" (17:70). This marked preference is not the result of a random form of "evolution" but is the intentional determination of the Creator.

Through divine guidance one can fully understand the many ways by which humans have been honored by their Lord. Through Allah's revelation, one discovers that humans are not in a battle against "nature" which needs to be conquered. One also learns that humans are not simply the "cousins of apes" with no particular purpose or goal in this life. One also learns that this creation is not "inherently evil" or that one is born with "an original sin" that cannot be removed save through the sacrifice of another being. Starting from vantage points such as those, it is not surprising to see the worth of humans being reduced to virtually nothing.

It is not surprising to see humans being used as simply tools for economic advantage and profit. Indeed, it is not even surprising to see thousands of humans killed simply for the sake of economic advantages and natural resources. After all, coming from such a perspective, why should humans be treated any differently from other animals that are similarly exploited, killed and destroyed? Truly, it is via Allah's revelation that one becomes to fully appreciate what a human is and how humans should be treated and respected.

In reality, Allah allowed humans to bear the great responsibility of being His servants, by which they can attain the greatest of all rewards. Allah honored humans by revealing books specifically for their guidance. Allah chose messengers and prophets from among humans, giving them the noblest task of conveying Allah's guidance for humankind. Allah has even subjugated everything in the heavens and the earth to the needs of humans: "He has subjected to you all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth; it is all as a favor and kindness from Him. Verily, in it are signs for a people who think deeply" (45:13).