The
objective of the Prophet's Da'wah in Mecca remains the topic of much speculation
and confusion among some Muslims. Many individuals and movements think that the
Prophet didn't target the establishment of the state, rather it just happened;
and that the state was established without specifically working for it.
Therefore, they claim that all we have to do is to give Da'wah and the Islamic
State will come naturally without calling or working for it. Furthermore, they
say that the state is promised and not targeted, meaning Allah promised it will
come so we need not have it on our agenda. As evidence, they refer to what Allah
said in Surat an-Noor, Ayah 55:
"Allah
has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He
will, of surety, grant them in the land, inheritance.." (TMQ 24:55)
They say
that the Ayah is clear in stating that this is a promise so the state will be
established whenever Allah has ordained it, so there is no need for us to work
for it.
To explore
this matter, we should understand the objective of Da'wah and go back to the
Seerah of the Prophet to see what he was working for.
Objective
of Da'wah:
Study of
Ayahs revealed in Mecca from the early days of the Da'wah gives us a clear
picture that the objective of the Prophet was to establish Islam. This is clear
in many Ayahs such as the following:
"But it is
nothing less than a message to all the worlds."
(TMQ 68:52)
"We
have revealed for you a book which will give you eminence, Will ye not then
understand?" (TMQ
21:10)
"It
is He who has sent His messenger with guidance and the Deen of truth that he
make it prevail over all other deen, even though the pagans may detest
(it)." (TMQ 61:9)
"..
and ye shall certainly know the truth of it (all) after a while."
(TMQ
38:88)
These
Ayahs are very clear in their meaning. So how can Islam be a Reminder and Mercy
to all mankind? How can Islam be victorious and supreme? What news is the ayah
of Surah 38 talking about?
Furthermore,
Allah says: in the following Meccan Surahs:
"and for
him is the command, and to him shall ye (all) be brought back."
(TMQ
28:70)
"the
command is with Allah, most High, most Great!" (TMQ
40:12)
"the
command rests with none but Allah: he declares the Truth, and he is the best of
judges." (TMQ 6:57)
'Hukm'
(command) here means sovereignty. So how can one say that Islam is sovereign
while the society is ruled by man-made rules?
Allah
says:
"Verily,
His are the creation and the command blessed. Be Allah, the cherisher and
sustainer of the world." (TMQ 7:54)
The word 'Amr'
here refers to sovereignty. Again how would sovereignty be His without the
authority that implements the laws set by the Sovereign?
Furthermore,
it is very clear that the Prophet called for "La Illaha Illah Allah".
Arabs realized what this meant. "No one is worthy of worship except
Him" means that the society cannot refer to anyone or anything but Him. How
could this happen if the society kept its system, values and laws based on a
man-made system? Keep in mind that a society can not be subject to two
sovereignties.
The above
Ayahs among many others, make it clear that the Da'wah was not a theoretical
Da'wah. It was not a Da'wah for mere spiritual conversion of individuals to
Islam while living life, as individuals and a community, based on laws taken
from a sovereign other than Allah .
Studying
the Seerah
Through
careful and extensive examination of the Da'wah before Hijrah, the evidences
overwhelmingly point to the fact that the Prophet was working to establish Islam
as a political entity that would posses the authority to govern and administer
the relationships and the affairs of society according to Islam.
Allah
revealed Islam to Muhammad not simply as a collection of rituals or a general
ambiguous collection of principles that would patch a few wounds of the society,
but as a dynamic idea that called for the destruction of all existing systems
and ideas and the subsequent restructuring of the entire society based on the
Aqeedah of La Illaha Illah Allah. When one accepts Islam, acknowledging Allah as
the only Creator and Legislator, that person abandons all other ideas and
affiliations and replaces them with those dictated by Allah. The materialization
of this realization manifests in the individual's acceptance of the Islamic
Aqeedah as the source of culture he adopts, the driving force of his intellect
and sentiments, and the standard that dictates all aspects of his life. In a
similar manner, Islam came to shape society, demanding that society abandons its
systems and codes, and restructure itself upon the Islamic Aqeedah and the
systems emanating from it.
The
following incidents prove this:
" The
Prophet kept working in Mecca for 10 years. However, after that he went to Ta'ef
seeking material support for his Da'wah; the question to ask is: support for
what?
" The
Prophet attacked idol worship which was a comprehensive system. The attack was
not directed towards the stones but rather towards the entire system. Why?
" The
Prophet addressed the relationships in the society -- economic such as cheating
the scale; social such as committing Zina -- in order to show the people that
Islam has solutions for all problems.
" The
Quran attacked the masses' blind following of their leaders in order to make
Islam dominant.
"
When the Prophet approached the Banu Amer tribe, they asked him whether they
will have the authority after him . He refused such a deal. How did Banu Amer
understand this? If they misunderstood the Prophet , then the Prophet would have
corrected them instead he declined their offer which implies that he approved
their understanding.
" The
second Bayah of Aqabah where the Messenger was given the pledge by the
influential people in Medina to protect him while implementing Islam upon them.
This is very clear on what his objective was. If we put all of this together,
then the entire picture is clear. The Prophet followed specific steps which
ultimately lead to the establishment of the State. Did he not give the Da'wah to
individuals to become Muslims, educating them in the house of Al-Arqam? Did they
not carry the Da'wah with him afterward? Did he not then attack the society's
beliefs, traditions, laws, and leadership? Did he not offer them "a word if
you say it, you will dominate the Arabs and the non-Arabs will submit to
you?" Did he not, upon their rejection, approach the leadership of other
tribes, such as Banu Amer, Bani Sheeban, Kalb, among others, calling them to
Islam and offering them his leadership?
Now the
question is, did the Prophet know this from the early days of Da'wah or not? No
Muslim dares ask whether Allah , who sent the Prophet, knew this or not? One
would say conclusively that the Prophet knew this because of the following:
" The
Prophet was not a robot. Rather, he received revelation.
"
Saying that the Prophet did not know this means that the Prophet didn't
understand all Ayahs mentioned above, nor did he understand the meaning of La
Ilaha Illah Allah. One would also be saying that He also did not understand his
objective for the Ta'ef trip or the Banu Amer trip or the first and second Bayah!
The
Prophet did not work haphazardly. Allah says:
"When
there comes to them a sign (from Allah), they say: "We shall not believe until
we receive one (exactly) like those received by Allah's messengers." Allah knows
best where to place His mission. Soon will the wicked be overtaken by
humiliation before Allah, and severe chastisement, for all their plots."
(TMQ 6:124)
It is
Allah who chose and directed the Prophet for His message. So one dare not say
that Allah allowed His Prophet to work haphazardly or function without
understanding the objective of Da'wah. The Messenger's objective of Da'wah must
be ours now.