Mouood Mouood English Edition
The birth of the Holy Prophet (S) is a significant point in history for any Muslim. Later on, this birth led to a great movement in the history of mankind. Any virtue that exists in the world directly or indirectly originates from Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) and his efforts to uphold moral virtues in society. Any Muslim knows that the existence of the Holy Prophet (S) is the best factor that can bring together Muslim emotions in the world of Islam, the emotions of followers of different Islamic denominations. This is because Muslims love the Holy Prophet (S) and he has been the pivot of the Islamic Ummah. Therefore, the birth of the Holy Prophet (S) is very important for us.
Of course, the history of Islam shows that around one hundred years after the Holy Prophet (S) had passed away, one of his descendants, Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.), opened a new door to achieving Islamic goals and promoting Islamic teachings when he reached imamate. The Islamic Republic attaches special importance to the birth and Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) and anything that is related to him.
Why? Because throughout the world, Islamic Iran is the only place where Islamic rules are officially implemented, the only place where the laws and regulations are formulated and implemented on the basis of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet’s (S) Sunnah. In other words, Islamic Iran is the most important place in the world in which such a great movement is going on.
The government of Iran is Islamic and this puts a responsibility on the shoulders of all Muslims throughout the world because if there is a government in the world that is based on Islam, this means that Islam is being implemented. However, if Islam exists in a society in the form of personal beliefs and actions and not in the form of an Islamic government, the Holy Quran and Islam will be sidelined in such a society. An example of this has been mentioned in the Holy Quran, in Sura al-Furqaan:
“And the Messenger cried out: O Lord, surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsakenthing.” 1
The Holy Prophet (S) tells the Creator: “Surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing.” What does “forsaken” mean? Undoubtedly, it does not mean that Muslims completely distanced themselves from the Holy Quran and Islamic characteristics. This is not the meaning of “treated this Quran as a forsaken thing.” It means that the Holy Prophet’s (S) people kept the Holy Quran, but at the same time they treated it as a forsaken thing and they sidelined it, in the sense that the Holy Quran would still be recited and respected in society, but its teachings would not implemented and its rule would be prevented under the pretext of separating religion from politics.
If Islam and the Holy Quran were supposed to be kept apart from government, then what was the purpose of the Holy Prophet’s (S) battles? If the Holy Prophet (S) believed that Islam should not interfere in government, in managing the affairs of the people and in political power in society, if he believed that personal faith in Islam was sufficient and that people could practice religious rituals in their homes, he would not have taken the trouble of carrying out all those battles.
The Holy Prophet (S) made those efforts for political power and for putting the Holy Quran in charge. When the Holy Quran is forsaken, it means that it exists in name only and does not have political power. In the world of Islam, the Ayah “surely my people have treated this Quran as a forsaken thing” is true of all the places where the Holy Quran is not in charge. 2
According to the Holy Quran, hadith and Islamic Urf, the era of Be’that is in contrast with the era of Jahiliyya. These terms have been used in the Holy Quran and Islamic narrations. Similarly, in Islamic Urf, the Islamic era is contrasted with the era of Jahiliyya. Of course, there are certain boundaries and rules set these two eras apart. What are these rules? There are a few rules that separate the Islamic era from the era of Jahiliyya and these essential rules are the same as Islamic values.
1. Pure Monotheism
The primary rule is pure monotheism, which means refusing to serve anything or anybody other than God. This is pure monotheism. Monotheism did not just mean that people had to stop worshipping their idols. It has a broad meaning. After all, the idols in Mecca would not exist forever. The idols that were made from wood and stone would not exist forever.
The true meaning and the essence of monotheism is rejection of serving anything or anybody other than God. It means refusing to bow to anything or anybody other than God. This is the true meaning of complete and pure servitude to God.
If you look at this issue with insight and with awareness of the sciences that relate to the life of human beings – such as social sciences and education – you will realize that the scope of servitude is very broad. Each of the limitations that are imposed on human beings forces them into a kind of servitude. Servitude to wrong social systems, servitude to wrong rituals and customs, servitude to superstitions, servitude to autocratic people and powers, servitude to human passions which is the most common kind of servitude, servitude to money, servitude to wealth, servitude to power – these are different kinds of servitude.
Saying “there is no god but Allah, alone with no partner” 3 is pure monotheism. It means that all the different kinds of servitude should be pushed aside, in which case it will be possible to achieve genuine salvation. “Say no god but Allah and achieve salvation.” 4
This salvation is genuine. It is not just political salvation. It is not just social salvation. It is not just spiritual salvation. It is just salvation on the Day of Judgment. Rather, it is salvation both in this world and in the hereafter. This is one point about Islamic teachings and the Islamic call. It is possible to rephrase this as Islam of surrendering to God, as Islam for the sake of God. And this is another aspect of monotheism. This is another characteristic of the Islamic call. Wherever this exists, Islam exists as well. Wherever the opposite of this exists, Jahiliyya exists as well. Wherever these two opposites exist at the same time, there is both Islam and Jahiliyya, and pure Islam does not exist. However, there might be a flawed kind of Islam.
2. Establishment of justice
Another point about the Islamic call is the establishment of justice among human beings. The characteristic of the era of Jahiliyya was the existence of an oppressive system. Oppression was commonplace. Oppression was not limited to certain people and certain times. The social system had been built on oppression, discrimination, powerful people bullying weak people, men bullying women, wealthy people bullying the poor and slave owners bullying their slaves. And slave owners would in turn surrender to the bullying of rulers and powerful people. It was a complex system of bullying. The lives of the people were full of oppression, discrimination and bullying. This was the characteristic of the era of Jahiliyya. Wherever such things exist, Jahiliyya exists as well. Islam introduced the opposite system. It introduced establishment of justice.
“Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others).” 5
This is one of the characteristics of an Islamic society. Justice is not just a slogan. An Islamic society must go after justice. If justice does not exist in an Islamic society, efforts must be made to create it. If there were only two opposite camps in the world namely, the camp of justice and the camp of oppression Islam would support the camp of justice, even if it were non-Islamic.
It was the Holy Prophet himself who encouraged Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia, thereby helping them achieve justice under a king who was not a Muslim. In other words, the Holy Prophet (S) encouraged people to leave their homes and their community because of the oppression that had been imposed on them. And this is another point. That is to say, it is necessary to establish and promote justice and to make selfless efforts for administration of justice wherever possible, even in non-Islamic territories.
It is also necessary to condemn injustice in every part of the world. This is another characteristic of Islam. The best eras in the history of Islam have been characterized with efforts to establish and administer justice. And this is another characteristic of the Holy Prophet’s (S) Be’that. All the things that I said were only examples to help us start a movement in today’s world. The purpose of the examples was not to discuss an Islamic teaching or part of the history of Islam in order to enlighten minds.
