Mouood Mouood English Edition
A Comparison between pre-Islam Jahiliyya and modern Jahiliyya
Comprehensive Jahiliyya had engulfed the lives of the people at the time of the emergence of Islam. At that time, there were unbearable Fitnas in all the regions around the Arabian Peninsula. Of course, there was knowledge as well. There was some form of civilization as well. There was law and order as well. There was discipline as well, which was the result of the rule of absolute monarchies in those countries. However, what was missing was the light of moral virtues and human values.
What was missing was exactly what humanity needs most, namely an environment in which there are human values, an environment in which there is mercy and forgiveness, an environment in which there is justice. Justice was what the people of that time lacked, so powerful people could be not prevented from trampling upon the rights of the weak and it was not possible to prevent the advantages from concentrating in the hands of a few powerful people. These were the great afflictions that humanity was suffering from. The same was true of the areas that were under the rule of the Sassanid dynasty as well as the areas that were under the rule of the Roman Empire – only the form of injustice was different.
Injustice also existed in another form in the Hijaz region, where people were living in primitive communities. Be’that of the Holy Prophet (S) started a movement in all those areas. The message of Be’that was not particular to the Arabs. It belongs to all human beings.
“It is naught but a reminder for the nations.” 10
The Holy Prophet (S) managed to stand up against those bitter realities and transform the conditions. He managed to pull down or undermine the walls of injustice and discrimination that existed among human beings. The Holy Prophet (S) was faced with the most difficult conditions. When evil, chaos and corruption are coupled with power, swords, determination and political power, they turn into great dangers for humanity.
Today in the 21st century, despite all their claims and as a result of the weaknesses they have shown, human beings are moving towards such conditions that centers of power stand up and create rights for themselves by relying on their power and their iron fists and weapons. These are the same conditions that existed at the time of Be’that. The Holy Prophet (S) resisted. He did not say that those conditions were reality and that he could not change them. There are some people who justify their weaknesses and lack of determination by simply saying: “This is reality. What can we do?”
This is not the kind of reality that one should surrender to. Natural realities, realities that cannot be changed, realities that have not been imposed on human beings these are the kind of realities that human beings should try to live with. But it is necessary to stand up against realities that have been imposed on people through the use of weapons and coercion. It is not rational to say that the power of the arrogant powers is reality and that we cannot do anything about it. This reality has been imposed on us. Great human beings, divine religions and great intellectuals stand up against such reality and try to change it. And it is possible to change such realities. This was the essence of Be’that.
The day when this message entered the atmosphere of Mecca, the Holy Prophet (S) said: “Say: there is no god but Allah to achieve salvation.” 11 Even those who were just did not think that it was likely for this to come true one day because there was no ground. All those impressive idols were hanging from the walls of Ka’bah and deep prejudices of the Jahiliyya era were the support of those idols. The position of the aristocrats and powerful families of Mecca were threatened by “there is no god but Allah”.
There were also powerful governments such as the Sassanid dynasty and the Roman Empire. In those conditions, who would have accepted that this message could even be put forward and followed up? This is where weak individuals back down. However, the Holy Prophet’s (S) mission and responsibility helped him move forward. In twenty-something years, Be’that in the sense of inspiration changed that atmosphere first in the Hijaz region and then in the entire civilized world of that time.
Barely half a century had passed since the Holy Prophet’s (S) Be’that and the emergence of Islam that more than half of the civilized world of that time was under the influence of Islam. It is wrong to think that powerful empires did not have knowledge, wisdom, organized military forces and pride. However, when insightful religious faith that is founded on a powerful rational basis is placed into the hearts of determined, pure-hearted and selfless individuals, removing such obstacles becomes possible. The same is true of today’s world. Islamic faith is the kind of faith that is based on rationality and reasoning and it guarantees happiness for humanity. 12 The birth of the Holy Prophet (S) was a divine blessing for mankind. In the Holy Quran, the Holy Prophet (S) has been described as “a mercy to the worlds.” 13
This mercy is not limited. It includes education, purification, guidance of human beings onto the right path and progress in both worldly and spiritual aspects of life. This mercy is not limited to the people of a particular era either. It belongs to all human beings throughout history:
“And others from among them who have not yet joined them.” 14
Implementing the rules of Islam is the path to achieve that goal, and this path has been specified for humanity.
Islamic Awakening: Muslim’s return to the teachings of the Holy Prophet (S)
The great Islamic Ummah has been faced with certain challenges and deviations over the course of many centuries. We distanced ourselves from Islam and became busy with the things that Islam has warned us against.
Over these centuries, we became busy with civil wars. We were kept busy by Taghuti powers. As a result, after the first few centuries, the great Islamic Ummah failed to reach the goals that the Holy Prophet (S) and dear Islam had specified for it, even after the passage of many centuries. Allah the Exalted has bestowed many sources of wealth on Islamic countries and they could have used them to achieve progress. However, as far as science, industry and many other standards of progress are concerned, Muslim countries are among the backward parts of the world. This was not what Islam had planned for us. This situation was caused by our inappropriate actions and our negligence:
“Whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself.” 15
It was we ourselves who caused these conditions over time as a result of our negligence. Today the conditions have changed in the world of Islam. Islamic Awakening is visible throughout the world of Islam. In different parts of the Muslim world, one can witness a great movement which is at different stages. There is a tendency to return to Islamic principles, which are a source of dignity and progress. Intellectuals, religious scholars and politicians of the world of Islam should strengthen this movement.
It is wrong to think that the Islamic movement of Muslim youth will harm Islamic governments. No, thanks to Islamic Awakening, Muslim governments can restore the dignity that the arrogant powers have taken away from them. One example is our country, our Revolution and our Imam (r.a.). After we had suffered from many centuries of autocracy and two centuries of foreign hegemony, we got awakened and our magnanimous Imam (r.a.) managed to restore dignity to our people.
The English, the Russians and the Americans ruled our country, respectively. On the surface of it, they were not in charge of government, but all our national affairs were in their hands and they had full control over everything in the country. Our people had been deprived of their rights, their resources, their dignity and the true taste of religious faith.
Our magnanimous Imam (r.a) managed to liberate our country from the long-standing hegemony of autocratic and colonial powers by encouraging the people to return and adhere to Islam. He managed to restore our dignity. We managed to give our people a sense of Islamic identity and made them feel that they were capable of standing on their own feet, that they were capable of making independent decisions, that they could say “yes” and “no” in the case of historic issues.
Our people had not experienced this for many centuries. It was Islam that gave this to them. In any part of the world where the wave of Islamic Awakening is strengthened and the people and youth are made to feel that they are moving closer to Islam, their identity and dignity will be revived and restored. 16
