1. The Need to eliminate disputes which have been caused by enemies
Of course, ignorance of the people and different kinds of prejudice which are not based on a rational foundation play a role in provoking people against each other, but all of these things only prepare the ground and none of them causes the violent events that have happened in the past. Those great tragedies were caused by centers of power, centers that were trying to take advantage of the disputes among Muslims. When colonialism entered Islamic countries, it became clear that colonial powers were after the same goal, some directly and some others indirectly.
We can learn many lessons from the behavior of certain famous European personalities both political and cultural personalities. They spoke in one way when they were in Egypt. They spoke in another way when they were in the Ottoman Empire. They spoke in yet another way when they were in Shia Iran. Their goal was to undermine Muslim unity, an element which European colonialists and leaders of industrial civilization were afraid of. And they had every right to be afraid. Finally, they did what they wanted and they created surprisingly deep discord among Muslims.
The kind of unity that we promote in our slogans, the kind of unity that we are committed to, the kind of unity that we are after, the kind of unity that we are working towards the first requirement for this unity is to make efforts to resolve the existing conflicts, contradictions and disputes. Allah the Exalted will be happy with such efforts, and believers, sincere people, saints and wise people will be satisfied as well. It is necessary to prepare the ground in this regard. Ideological differences of opinion do not matter. Ethnic differences do not matter. Racial differences do not matter.
But these differences should not cause discord and conflicts among Muslims. Everybody should work hard in a sincere way. Great religious scholars, intellectuals, writers, poets and artists should consider this work as a divine obligation.
“Hold fast by the covenant of Allah all together.” 3
This holy Ayah as well as other Ayahs have been addressed to us and to all Muslims who are faced with the enemies of Islam. We need to translate these Ayahs into action.
2. Muslim unity at the service establishing the true of Islam
The second point is that this unity should be at the service of establishing the rule of Islam and in line with Islamic rule, otherwise it will be hollow and meaningless. If Muslim scholars accept that the Holy Quran says
“…and We did not send any messenger but that he should be obeyed by Allah’s permission” 4
then they should accept that the Holy Prophet (S) did not come to simply offer advice and speak to the people so that they respect him but continue doing whatever they were doing previously. He came to be obeyed. He came to guide societies and the people. He came to establish an Islamic system and help human beings move towards the true goals of life. If Muslim scholars believe that the Holy Quran says,
“Certainly We sent Our messengers with clear arguments, and sent down with them the Book and the balance that men may conduct themselves with equity” 5
– then they should accept that administration of justice and fighting injustice among human beings is the goal of divine religions and for this reason, there should be a movement towards establishing the rule of Islam. And it is possible to establish Islamic rule in Muslim countries and societies. 6
Islam: An effective prescription for all eras
Although many centuries have passed since Be’that and although many intellectuals and religious scholars in the world of Islam have expressed their opinions regarding that great event, Be’that is still worthy of careful analysis from various perspectives. Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) was a great movement in the history of mankind and its goal was to save human beings, purify human souls, improve ethical conditions and confront the problems that human beings have been faced with in all eras. All divine religions are opposed to evil and corruption and all of them are straight paths towards noble goals. The characteristic of Islam is that it is a prescription for all eras and that it is effective.
The Holy Quran says,
“He it is Who raised among the inhabitants of Mecca a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His communications and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and the Wisdom.”7
However, this does not mean that after the introduction of Islam and after Be’that of the Seal of Prophets (S), all human souls were purified. It does not mean that after the revelation of the Holy Quran, human beings will no longer encounter injustice, discrimination, brutality and shortcomings on their path to perfection. When we say that the Holy Prophet (S) and Islam were introduced into the world in order to establish justice, save the oppressed and break living and dead idols, this does not mean that people will no longer suffer from injustice, that there will no longer be any Taghut, that no idols will dominate the life of humanity.
History shows that after the introduction of Islam, certain Taghuts emerged in different parts of the world and even in Islamic environments, of course after the passage of several decades.
Once again people were faced with injustice and the same problems that human beings were grappling with previously started to emerge again.
Human failures: The result of failing to follow the Islamic prescription
Therefore, when it is said that the goal of Be’that is to save human beings, it means something else: it means that what the Holy Prophet (S) and Islam gave to human beings is a prescription that is effective in all eras, a prescription to counter ignorance of human beings, a prescription to counter establishment of injustice, a prescription to counter discrimination, a prescription to counter oppression of the weak at the hands of powerful people, a prescription to counter all the sufferings that have plagued human life since the beginning of creation.
Just like all other prescriptions, if this prescription is followed, it will produce results and if it is ignored or misunderstood or if people lack the courage to follow it, then it will be useless. If the best doctor writes the best prescription for you, but you fail to read and follow it or if you misread it, what effect will it have on your illness? Can we blame the experienced doctor who wrote the prescription?
Centuries passed and Muslims forgot the Holy Quran. Quranic guidelines disappeared from the lives of Muslims. Muslims either misunderstood the Holy Quran or they intentionally distorted its messages. They either understood the Holy Quran appropriately but did not have the courage to take action or they took action and achieved certain achievements but failed to make sacrifices to safeguard their achievements. Even when they did not understand the Holy Prophet’s (S) messages during early years after the introduction of Islam, they did not dare take action. The Holy Quran has referred to such people:
“And a party of them asked permission of the prophet, saying: surely our houses are exposed. And they were not exposed: they only desired to run away.” 8
They could not have preserved their achievements without making sacrifices.
Returning to the message of the Be’that: The only remedy for the afflictions of Muslims
The majority of the problems that had imposed ignorance and prejudices on the lives of the people in the Arabian Peninsula, still dominate the lives of Muslim nations. Islamic countries are still suffering from poverty, illiteracy, scientific backwardness, domestic autocracy, hegemony of the arrogant powers and domestic disputes. Today there are more than one billion Muslims in the world and they can play a significant role in major global developments, but with the basic domestic problems that they are grappling with, the large population of Muslims have become insignificant despite the fact that there are outstanding personalities and religious scholars among them. What is the reason? What can remedy these problems? Islam and faith in Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S).
Muslim nations should return to Islam. Of course, the path has been opened up already. The past century namely, the 13th century on the Islamic calendar was the century of Muslim activists who claimed Muslim rights. From the early 14th century when Mirza-e-Shirazi the great Marja Taqlid issued that decisive Fatwa against the English company and caused the people of Iran to start a movement, to the Constitutional Movement in Iran, to the Islamic movements in India, to Islamic Awakening in the Middle East and in North Africa – almost the entire century was the century of struggle and protest. And the current century is the century of taking action. The 14th century on the Islamic calendar was the century of raising public awareness and the 15th century is the century of taking action.
We see that Muslim nations have become experienced and that they are taking action. One example was the Islamic Republic: it was the first example. Because we were the first, we had to go through many difficulties. Muslims should learn lessons from the Islamic Republic. The nations that want to give rise to an Islamic movement in their countries can take more comprehensive actions than the people of Iran. And they can do so if God helps them and if they make determined efforts. Muslims have no choice but to return to Islam. They have no choice but to establish the rule of Islam and to implement Islamic principles. The old and spiteful enemies of Islam should not be expected to cooperate. They should not be expected to have tolerance either.9
• 1.Sura al-Fath, Ayah 28
• 2.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on February 23, 1990 in a meeting with a group of qura from forty different countries on the occasion of the Holy Prophet’s (S) Be’that
• 3.Sura Aal-e Imran, Ayah 103
• 4.Sura an-Nisa, Ayah 64
• 5.Sura al-Hadid, Ayah 25
• 6.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on October 8, 1990 in a meeting with government officials and participants of the Islamic Unity Conference
• 7.Sura al-Jumua, Ayah 2
• 8.Sura al-Ahzab, Ayah 13
• 9.Supreme Leader’s speech delivered on February 2, 1992 on the occasion of Mab’ath in a meeting with government officials and foreign participants of the ten-day Fajr ceremonies
Be’that of the Holy prophet (SAW) the most important event in all History
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