An example of fitna is to cause
distress and trouble to others, e.g. by pursuing a policy which will pave the
way for a military takeover. It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Fitna is asleep. May Allâhu ta’âlâ’s curse be upon those
who awaken it.” Stirring up a rebellion against
the laws of the land and against the state is considered as awakening fitna,
which in turn is forbidden. It is a sin graver than homicide without
extenuations. Islam prohibits also a rebellion against a cruel government
exercising draconian and oppressive measures. Should there arise a rebellion
against an oppressive government, any activity to support the oppressed
insurgents is also forbidden. The harm of a rebellion, and the concomitant sin,
is greater than the harm and sin immanent in the cruelty.
Another instance of fitna is (for the imâm
conducting a
prayer
called namâz[1] in jamâ’at) to recite
sűras longer than the ones advised in the sunnat and thereby to prolong the
namâz. If all the participants in the congregation consent to his long recital,
then it would not be fitna; it would be permissible. Preachers’ and men of
religious posts’ speaking or writing on subjects which are beyond the
comprehension of their audiences or readers is considered as fitna. We should
speak to others in a level they can understand. No one should order Muslims
acts of worship they cannot perform. Instead, they should be advised to perform
the worships which they can carry out even if that advice depends on a weak
proof of fiqh. We should also be careful not to raise fitna while doing amr al-ma’rűf.
We are not ordered to put ourselves into danger in order to do amr al-ma’rűf.
We should neither cause instigation with respect to religion nor ever cause any
instigation in worldly affairs by harming others. Amr al-ma’rűf which will cost
you worldly losses is permissible; in fact, it is an act of jihâd. However, it
should be given up if you are not patient enough to go the distance. At times
of fitna, it is advisable to stay home and avoid company. Patience is the sole
way out once you get embroiled in any sort of fitna (which you cannot help).
Imâm ar-Rabbânî ‘rahimahullâhu
ta’âlâ’ says in the 68th letter of the second volume of his Maktűbât: Oh my dear son! As I write time and again, we live in a time
when we should make tawba for our sins and implore forgiveness from our Lord,
Allah. At such times as this, when all sorts of fitna are on the increase, we
should shut ourselves up in our home and avoid all sorts of company. Presently,
fitna is like a heavy rain, and the entire land is well-nigh awash with it. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’
states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Instigations will spread everywhere before the time of Doomsday.
The oppression of the instigations will turn the daylight into the darkness of
the night. At that time, a person who leaves his home as a Believer will return
to his home in the evening as a disbeliever. The one who returns to his home as
a Believer in the evening will get up in the morning as a disbeliever. At that
time, sitting is better than standing. The walking person is better than the
runner. Break your
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[1] Please see the fourth fascicle of Endless
Bliss for detailed
information about (the daily prayer termed) namâz.
arrows, cut your bows
and strike your sword to the stones at that time. When someone comes to your
home at that time, become like the good one of the two sons of Adam.”
Upon hearing all these, the
Sahâba ‘radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum ajma’în, asked Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ as to how the Muslims of that
time should behave. In response he said, “Become like furniture of your house!” In another narration he said, “At such instigation times, do not leave
your homes!” [This hadîth-i-sherîf exists in Abű Dâwűd and Tirmuzî, two renowned books of Hadîth.]
You have probably heard about the tortures and persecutions which the
disbelievers of the Dâr-ul-harb have been inflicting on the Muslims in Muslim
countries, e.g. in the city of Negrekűt. They have subjected the Muslims to
unprecedented insults. Such ignoble behaviour will be quite rife during the
latest era (Âkhir zaman). [Translation from the
68th letter is finished here.]
The following information is
written in the abridged version of Tadhkira-i-Qurtubî: Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ said, “Do not raise
instigation ‘fitna!’ Raising instigation by speech is like raising instigation
through the sword. Instigations caused by sinners (fâjirs) and tyrants (zâlims)
through backbiting, lying, and slandering of others are more harmful than the
instigation caused through the sword.” Almost all
scholars inform us unanimously that even those who are compelled into such
difficult circumstances as they have no other choice but save their lives and
property, should not rebel against the government and laws of the land. For, hadîth-i-sherîfs command us to be
patient against oppressive governments. Imâm al-Muhammad ash-Shaybânî
‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ informs us that Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ said the following prayer (duâ), “Allâhumma innî as’aluka fi’lal khayrât wa tarkalmunkarât wa
hubbalmasâkin wa izâ aradta fitnatan fî kawmî fa-tawaffanî gayra maftűn.” The meaning of this prayer is: “Oh my Lord! Bless me with the lot
of performing good deeds, avoiding harmful deeds, and sympathising with the
poor! When You decree to create instigation among my nation, take my soul
before I become involved in that instigation!” As imâm al-Qurtubî
‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ points out, this hadîth-i-sherîf shows that it is necessary to avoid instigation so much so that
it is better to die instead of getting involved in instigation.
The following hadîth-i-sherîfs quoted in the book Mishkât read: “Follow the Muslims and their leader during the time of
instigation. If there is no one in the way of truth, do not join the people
embroiled in instigation and rebellion. Do not get involved in instigation
until you die!” And “Follow the orders of
the government during the time of instigation (fitna). Even if it treats you
with oppression and even it takes away your property, still obey the orders of
the government!” And “Hold fast to Islam
during the time of instigation. Save yourself! Do not attempt to teach others
how they should behave! Do not get out of your house. Hold your tongue!” And “Many people will be killed during the time of instigation. Those
who do not participate in the instigation will be saved!” And “Those who do not join the people who raise instigation will attain
happiness. So will those who patiently survive an inevitable instigation.” And finally “Allâhu ta’âlâ, on the day of Judgement (Qiyâmat), will ask
someone why he did not stop a certain sinner when he witnessed him committing
the sin. That person will answer by saying that he was afraid of the danger
that might be inflicted by the sinner upon him and he will further say that he
relied on Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Attribute ‘Forgiving’.” This hadîth-i-sherîf indicates that when the enemy is too powerful, not doing the amr-i-ma’rűf and nahy anil munkar is
permissible.
It is written in the explanation
of the book Shir’at-ul-Islâm that doing amr-i-ma’rűf and nahy anil munkar is “fard al-kifâya”[1]. It is an act of sunnat
to advise other Muslims to perform acts of sunnat and to (try to) dissuade them
from committing acts of makrűh. A person who is committing a prohibited action
should be admonished that the deed he is committing is unjustifiable and that
he should stop committing it.
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[1] Any behaviour, thought or belief
commanded overtly in the Qur’ân al-kerîm
is called farz
(or fard, pl. farâid or farâiz). When this commandment is incumbent on every
individual Muslim, it is termed farz-i-’ayn. Otherwise, i.e. if all Muslims are
absolved from a certain Islamic commandment when only one Muslim performs it,
it is termed farz-i-kifâya.
For Islamic terms such as farz, wâjib,
and sunnat,
please see our other publications such as Endless Bliss, The Sunnî Path, etc.
Physical interference is out of keeping. However, a person who
plans to commit a prohibited action should be stopped with recourse to physical
interference. Verbal or physical, interference should be done in a manner clear
of fitna and harm. It should be known in advance that interference will be
useful. Zann-i-ghâlib, i.e. strong belief, is an equivalent of knowledge.
Without hubb-i-fillâh and bughd-i-fillâh, acts of worship done will be futile.
If amr-i-ma’rűf is neglected without any good reason (’udhr) to do so,
invocations will not be accepted, goodnesses and barakat will fade away, and
jihâd and other difficult jobs will end in failure. A secretly committed sin
will hurt the one who commits that sin. If that sin is committed openly, it
will hurt everyone. We should not develop a bad opinion about someone because
of somebody else’s ill talk about him. His ill talk about him would be backbiting
(ghibat) and listening to him would be forbidden (harâm.) Labelling
someone as a sinner (fâsiq) requires two ’âdil[1] witnesses’ stating that
they have seen him committing an iniquitous act or your own eye-witnessing the
event. When one sees someone committing a forbidden action and does not stop
him while having the power to do so, this act of condonation is termed mudâhana (compromising). It is reported in a hadîth-i-sherîf that those who
compromise their religion will rise from their graves in the next world as
monkeys and pigs. A person who does amr al-ma’rűf will not be liked by his
friends. Those who compromise their religion will be liked by their friends.
Doing amr al-ma’rűf to oppressive government officials by advising them is the
best kind of jihâd. In case of incapacity to dissuade oppressive officials, the
heart’s loathing their iniquity will adequately replace this act of jihâd. Amr
al-ma’rűf should be performed somehow, by government officials by force, by
scholars by way of advice, and by all other Muslims with a loathing heart. Amr
al-ma’rűf should be done only for the purpose of pleasing Allâhu ta’âlâ, and then you should be
literate in the matter so that you may give literary references for your
arguments, with the all-inclusive proviso that you should not arouse a fitna.
Amr al-ma’rűf is not incumbent on a person who knows that his advice will be
futile or that it will cause a
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[1] ’Âdil means a Sunnî Muslim who avoids
grave sins and who does not habitually commit venial sins.
fitna. In fact, it is harâm in some situations. In case of such situations, it is necessary to stay home to avoid a possible fitna. If a fitna arises or the government arouses a fitna by oppression, the country or the city plagued with the fitna should be abandoned. While the possibility exists for migrating to another country, the government’s forcing one to commit a sin would not be an acceptable excuse for one to commit the sin. When immigration is not possible, one should keep away from others and should not associate with anyone. If one understands that doing amr al-ma’rűf will not have any effect but also will not cause a fitna, doing it won’t be necessary (wâjib) but will be “mustahab.” If one knows that his advice will be effective but it will also cause a fitna, then it will not be necessary (wâjib) to give that advice. If the fitna is something small like being beaten up, then giving advice is “mustahab”. On the other hand, if giving advice will cause a big and dangerous instigation then giving advice would be forbidden. Doing amr al-ma’rűf in a soft manner is necessary (wâjib). Doing so in a harsh manner will cause instigation. Muslims and disbeliever citizens of the Islamic state should not be threatened through guns and should not be oppressed or tortured. [Translation from the book Shir’atul Islam is finished.]