Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih, on the authority of Abu Huraira (Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said,
بدأ الإسلام غريبا، وسيعود كما بدأ غريبا، فطوبى للغرباء
"Islam began as a stranger and will return being a stranger as it began, so glad tidings to the strangers."
Indeed, if we look around, the age of today is no different to the one mentioned in the noble sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Deen of Islam has became strange; corruption and chaos is everywhere. The Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has been distorted and Islam has been limited within the confines of our mosques, in fact in many cases, even the pulpits of our very mosques are misrepresenting Islam. On the other hand, Colonial Powers together with corrupt Muslim Rulers have waged a war against Islam. Since the last few decades, the latest link of the chain of this war, was first to stain the idea of Jihad and now they are trying to blacken the concept of Khilafah "Caliphate".
But, all praise be to Allah, the feeling of Islam being attacked once again has caused the Muslims to unite and instilled within them motion. Muslims are now trying to revive Islam again and trying to clean the dust that has been accumulated on the Islamic thoughts since the last few centuries. They want to bring the Tree of Islam back to life with all its greenery. Moreover they are on the road to become the best Ummah again, which will cause the ideology of Islam to be dominant over all other ideologies.
However, this task is not easy. On this road, there are difficulties and trials. How can the Kuffar tolerate the re-establishment of the State of Islam? To dismantle which they fought wars and tirelessly conspired against for centuries. Today, whosoever is standing for this call is being silenced and victimized by the Kuffar through their agent rulers in the Muslim World. Therefore, today, whosoever is trying to implement Islam as an Ideology and a System of Governance is be a stranger to this world as mentioned by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Today, the Dawah carrier has to prepare himself for the fact that he has to move against the flow of this society. The matters which are insignificant in the sight of Allah have been made significant, rather they have been made the very focus of life. Those matters which are an issue of life and death are deemed inappropriate. This is the very impact of the Capitalist System that has been implemented on the Muslim World since the last few decades. This is the very reason why a Dawah carrier suffers in situations where he finds his friends working day and night, beautifying their careers while the Dawah carrier is spending his/her time on people s/he neither knows nor does he seek any worldly return from. His family members, relatives and loved ones' give him exemplars of those who are leading a successful worldly life, making them models of progress in: how well-settled he is in his life, now he has his own house, a new car and he has arranged so many luxuries for his parents and even managed to take them on a pilgrimage. His friends often ask him, what have you got yourself into? Think about your family and yourself and your future.
Whenever a Dawah carrier hears such comments he feels that the rulings of Islam, its requirements, the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the way of the Sahabah, all have become strange and a Dawah carrier will feel this strangeness at some phase of Dawah or the other. A Dawah carrier can only protect himself from stumbling from the road of conviction in this strange environment when he would think and contemplate over the life of the Prophets and the Companions and remind himself how these noble personalities considered the worldly luxuries insignificant when compared with the Deen. How at times when they had to choose between Deen and this world, they always gave up on this world and chose the Deen and how the Mujahideen considered the propagation and establishment of Islam as the very purpose of their life.
This is the strangeness for which there is reward, not the reward that will be received by the 'As'haab al-Yameen' but rather it is the reward received by the 'al-Sabiqun al-Awwalun'. It will be received by those who will be beloved of Allah on the Day of Judgement, they will be sitting on the pulpits of light (al-Noor), they will be granted place under the shade of Allah and regarding these Allah has mentioned in Quran;
((لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ))
"No fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve" [Yunus: 62]
Indeed those who are either engulfed by this worldly life or those who are waiting for the day when the Deen of Islam will be dominant and the Khilafah "Caliphate" will be re-established and they would join, no doubt they will not be equal to those who are standing head-on against the waves of Kufr, facing imprisonment at the hands of agent tyrannical rulers and facing their thugs, colliding against the dark laws made by them and working hard for the struggle of the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" at the compromise of their wives and children.
A similar situation could be seen at the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) when the Arab was observing the conflict between Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his Companions and the Quraish of Makah. Imam Bukhari narrated that
وَكَانَتِ العَرَبُ تَلَوَّمُ بِإِسْلاَمِهِمُ الفَتْحَ، فَيَقُولُونَ: اتْرُكُوهُ وَقَوْمَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ ظَهَرَ عَلَيْهِمْ فَهُوَ نَبِيٌّ صَادِقٌ، فَلَمَّا كَانَتْ وَقْعَةُ أَهْلِ الفَتْحِ، بَادَرَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ بِإِسْلاَمِهِمْ...
"The Arabs delayed their conversion to Islam till the Conquest (of Makkah). They used to say. ‘Leave him (i.e. Muhammad (s) and his people (Quraish): if he overpowers them then he is a true Prophet. So, when Mecca was conquered, then every tribe rushed to embrace Islam."
Allah (swt) revealed
((لَا يَسْتَوِي مِنْكُمْ مَنْ أَنْفَقَ مِنْ قَبْلِ الْفَتْحِ وَقَاتَلَ أُولَئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِنَ الَّذِينَ أَنْفَقُوا مِنْ بَعْدُ وَقَاتَلُوا))
"Not equal among you are those who spent (in the way of Allah) and fought before the conquest [of Makkah] (and those who did so thereafter). Those are greater in rank than they who spent afterwards and fought." [al-Hadeed: 10]
Insha-Allah, a similar reward is waiting for those who have chosen to live a life of a stranger at the compromise of the luxuries of this world.
But this status has some ingredients without which this reward cannot be achieved and that are associated with this Dawah. To achieve these rewards, a dynamism, seriousness and focus similar to that of those who completed this task in the first instance - the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is needed. The habits of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) will need to be adopted because that is the group which is certified by Allah (SWT) in Quran for their faith, benchmark, patience and perseverance. Allah says,
((رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ))
"Allah is well pleased with them and they are with Him..." [al-Tawba: 100]; and
((وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَهَاجَرُوا وَجَاهَدُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ آوَوْا وَنَصَرُوا أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَهُمْ مَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ))
"But those who have believed and emigrated and fought in the cause of Allah and those who gave shelter and aided - it is they who are the believers, truly. For them is forgiveness and noble provision." [al-Anfal: 74]
When a Dawah carrier goes through this hadith that;
«ثم تكون خلافة على منهاج النبوة»
"...then there would be a Khilafah "Caliphate" on the method of Prophethood."
He seems to be happy upon the glad tidings given by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his heart is stirred with satisfaction. He, therefore, is supposed to look into this hadith which informs us that the Khilafah "Caliphate" is going to be restored and it also indicates that it would be restored upon the method of Prophethood, which means that this group is have to have similar attributes which were possessed by the previous group, which first established the State of Islam. Therefore it becomes compulsory upon us to read the life of those who established the first State of Islam together with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) so that the State of Islam is established through the same procedure. We need to go through the life of Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to see how important this Dawah was for them and what were their attributes. As a reminder let us discuss some events regarding this subject matter because Allah (SWT) says in Quran;
((وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنْفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِين))
"For verily, the reminding profits the believer" [al-Dhariyat: 55]
Amr ibn al-Jamuh (RA) was an Ansari Sahabi, whom Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) made leader of Banu Salama by replacing Jad bin Qays. He was disabled by one leg and used to limp while walking. He came to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the Battle of Badr and sought his permission to participate in Jihad. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) replied, "You are disabled and free by Allah's leave", therefore he didn't participate. He had four sons who participated. Moaz who killed Abu-Jahl and cut his leg was one of these. On the occasion of Battle of Uhud he expressed his will to participate in the war to his sons, whereas they replied, "You are disabled and free by Allah's leave", but he denied and went to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and said that my sons are not allowing me to go with you, and said, "By Allah, I hope that with a limp leg I will walk over to the Abode of Paradise". Because of pushing Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) he (pbuh) asked his sons, "What if you don't stop him? Maybe he shall be awarded martyrdom by Allah (SWT)." So he went for jihad, as he was disabled, he couldn't resist much and embraced martyrdom quickly, his son Khallad was also martyred in that war.
After the war, his wife Hind intended to bring back her husband and son by camel to bury them in Madinah, but whenever she tried to move toward Madinah, the camel sat down, whereas the camel moved faster when directed towards Uhud. She informed Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) so he (pbuh) asked, "Did he say something before leaving Madinah?" She replied, "Yes" and told that he prayed that, "Oh Allah! Don't send me back to my family". Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, that's why the camel didn't move further towards Madinah. He (pbuh) further added, "By Allah, in whose Possession lies my life, within you there are people, if they swear upon Allah (SWT), Allah (SWT) will definitely fulfill it and Amr ibn al-Jamuh is one of them."
Subhan-Allah! Such are the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) whose disability couldn't prevent him from participating in the battle. He didn't make an excuse of his disability. If he wished, he could've done that. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) buried Amr ibn al-Jamuh together with Abdullah bin Amr bin Haram in a single grave stating that, "Bury Amr ibn al-Jamuh and Abdullah bin Amr in a single grave, for the they loved each other just for the sake of Allah (SWT)."
At that time the condition was such that shrouds were not available for covering the martyrs, so a single blanket was used to cover Abdullah bin Amr, that blanket covered his face and fell short leaving the feet uncovered, that were then covered by grass. This grave is located in Nasheeb. After forty years during the reign of Muwaiya, there was a flood due to which a canal was to be taken out. On this occasion, the grave was opened in the presence of Jabir bin Abdullah the son of Abdullah bin Amr. They found that both the buried bodies were intact and fresh. In another narration, it was stated that, "The bodies had their hands placed on their wounds and when people removed their hands, blood started flowing from their wounds and when their hands we replaced, the blood stopped flowing." (Tabaqat ibn Sa'd, Muwatta)
Such was the quality of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) that they always used to move ahead in the way of Islam, never did they keep themselves behind and in this attempt they never worried about difficulties and trials. They always tried that every coming day is better in terms of reward and pleasure of Allah (SWT) than the previous day. No doubt, even today the struggle of the implementation of the Deen of Islam through the establishment of Khilafah "Caliphate" is not like an everyday activity, rather this can only be achieved by working tirelessly, day and night, just like the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did. Therefore, the Dawah carrier will have to show similar passion and conviction as was shown the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
We can find an example of such passion and conviction in the Battle of Tabuk. This battle is also called Ghazwa-e-Usrah because of the lack of warfare material and transportation. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) ordered for the preparation of the battle and regarding this asked his companions to spend from their wealth. The Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) participated very enthusiastically. Tabuk was very far from the city of Madinah. Travelling by foot was very difficult, so mounts were arranged. Few poor companions who were seven in number came to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and said, we want to participate in Jihad but we don't have mounts, so kindly arrange them for us. After listening to their request, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) replied that, "I don't have mounts to provide for you". These seven companions cried over their absence in battle and left. Salim bin Umair was one of them, he was from the ‘Ashab-e-Suffa'. Allah (swt) praised their sincerity in Quran, saying,
((وَلَا عَلَى الَّذِينَ إِذَا مَا أَتَوْكَ لِتَحْمِلَهُمْ قُلْتَ لَا أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ تَوَلَّوْا وَأَعْيُنُهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ حَزَنًا أَلَّا يَجِدُوا مَا يُنْفِقُونَ))
"Nor is there blame on those who came to you to be provided with mounts, and when you said, I can find no mounts for you, they turned back while their eyes overflowing with tears of grief that they couldn't find anything to spend (for Jihad)." [At-Tawba: 92]
Similar is the case of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari. At the time of the Battle of Tabuk, the weather was extremely hot & humid and the battle was against Rome; superpower of that time. Hypocrites were finding excuses for not participating in the battle. Allah (SWT) has mentioned the condition of the hypocrites in the following way;
((وَقَالُوا لَا تَنْفِرُوا فِي الْحَرِّ قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا لَوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُونَ * فَلْيَضْحَكُوا قَلِيلًا وَلْيَبْكُوا كَثِيرًا جَزَاءً بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ))
"And they said "march not forth in the heat" say: "The fire of hell is more intense in the heat", if only they could understand! So let them laugh a little and (they will) cry much as a recompense of what they used to earn (by committing sins)." [At-Tawba: 81-82]
From among those who made excuses from participating in the battle, was Jad bin Qays from the tribe of Bani Salma, from whom Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) asked, "Will you participate in the battle?" Jad bin Qays replied that, "O Messenger of Allah, leave me and don't put me in trial. All my people know how weak I am in the matter of women, so while travelling if I get to see Roman women, I will not be able to hold back." Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) then turned his face away from him. In this matter an ayah of Quran was revealed;
((وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ ائْذَنْ لِي وَلَا تَفْتِنِّي أَلَا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ سَقَطُوا وَإِنَّ جَهَنَّمَ لَمُحِيطَةٌ بِالْكَافِرِينَ))
"And among them is he who says, "Permit me [to remain at home] and do not put me to trial." Unquestionably, into trial they have fallen. And indeed, Hell will encompass the disbelievers." [At-Tawba: 49]
While on the other side is the example of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, who was travelling on a camel that was weak and during the journey it came to a halt and was not able to move. Abu Dharr tried a lot to get the camel moving but he failed, so he unloaded the entire luggage, loaded on his back and started following the army in the extreme weather and finally got to meet Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Another characteristic of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was how they considered this world insignificant. When a Dawah carrier meets people and gives them Dawah, he will find many people who love this Deen of Islam a lot but the only thing that hinders them from accepting the responsibility of carrying this Dawah is the fear of losing worldly luxuries, love of wealth, worries about their lifestyle and lessening of their businesses. No doubt, this problem of materialism erupts from this very Capitalist System that has engulfed this world.
Abu Bakr during his rule once asked for water to drink and people gave him a drink of honey, he immediately removed the cup after he got the taste of honey and started crying. Everyone around him also started crying. People then asked him as to what made him cry, he replied that, "Once I was with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) He (pbuh) was pushing someone, although there was no one present there, so I asked, "Whom are you pushing". Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) replied that, "This world appeared in front of me as a statue, I asked her to leave and she left, then she appeared again and said, "You will protect yourself from my evil, but those after you will not be able to do so." So Abu Bakr said, "This very event came to my mind and I was afraid that this world might engulf me." So worried and alert Abu Bakr was in this matter that, even a slight increase in any blessing used to worry him. Today, we use so many blessing of Allah (SWT), but do we think about it?
Here it is necessary to know that, it was not that Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) didn't use the blessings of Allah or they didn't show gratitude towards Allah (SWT). Two companions from the ‘Ashra-e-Mubashara', namely Uthman bin Affan and Abdur Rehman bin Auf were very wealthy. Abu Bakr and Umar bin Khattab had agricultural lands which they used to cultivate. And no doubt this is not at all a correct view that one should only have as much as is necessary to only satisfy one's basic needs and shouldn't be availing luxuries. If that would have been the case in Islam, there wouldn't have been rulings on the matter of inheritance. And Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said;
«لَا بَأْسَ بِالْغِنَى لِمَنْ اتَّقَى اللهَ»
"There is no issue with wealth for the one who fears Allah (SWT)." (Ahmad)
However, what a Dawah carrier should be aware of is the fact that today for an honest man, earning a livelihood through legitimate means is becoming more and more difficult, where on the other hand this system has opened doors to ways through which one can earn a livelihood through illegitimate means. These rulers are implementing the policies of the World Bank and IMF to make lives of people even more difficult, so their circumstances shouldn't entrap him and he shouldn't lose conviction and Shaytan shouldn't change his priorities and he should not incline towards this world. Because Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said;
«يهرم ابن ادم و یشب منه اثنان الحرص علی المال والحرص علی العمر»
"A human keeps getting old, but two things within him always remain young; the desire of a longer age and increasing wealth." (Agreed upon)
The Dawah carrier should also keep in mind this saying of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
«إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً وَفِتْنَةُ أُمَّتِي المَالُ»
"Indeed, for every Ummah there is a temptation and for my Ummah that temptation is wealth." (Tirmidhi)
And he (pbuh) also said;
«لا الفقر اخشی علیکم ولکن اخشی ان تبسط علیکم الدنیا فتنافسوها کما تنافسوها فتهلککم کما اهلکتهم»
"It is not poverty I fear for you, but I fear that the world is made abundant for you, such that you start competing over it, just like those before you and it will destroy you just like it destroyed them." (Bukhari)
And he (pbuh) also said;
«ان اخوف ما اتخوف علی امتی الهوی وطول الامل فاما الهوی فيصد عن الحق واما طول الامل فينسی الآخرة»
"Indeed, I fear for my Ummah; worldly desires and long hopes. For worldly desires prevent you from Haqq, while long hopes make you unaware of the Afterlife." (Bayhaqi)
And Imam Ahmad has narrated in his Musnad that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said,
«اثنان یکرههما ابن ادم یکره الموت والموت خیر للمومنین من الفتنة ویکره قلة المال وقلة المال اقل للحساب»
"A human does not consider two things good, while they are good for him; he dislikes death, while death is good for a believer as it protects him from temptation, he dislikes the lack of wealth, while lack of wealth results in a lesser accountability."
The Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) used to remind people about the insignificance of this world. One day Abu Huraira went to the market and called upon the people asking, "Which thing has prevented you?" People asked, "Prevented from what?" Abu Huraira responded, "The legacy of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is being distributed and you people are sitting here." People inquired, "Where is the distribution taking place?" He replied, "In the mosque." People immediately ran towards the mosque but there wasn't any distribution taking place. They came back and told Abu Huraira that the was no distribution taking place but rather there were some people were offering prayer, some were reciting the Holy Quran and some were discussing about the Halal and Haram. Abu Huraira replied, "I feel sorry for you. This is the legacy that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has left behind."
Darimi has reported from Abdullah bin Umar that he narrated; "Once I was sitting in the mosque, a group of poor immigrants was also sitting in the mosque and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and sat amongst that group of immigrants. I too went towards them and heard Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) say, "The poor immigrants should be happy with what is going to make them happy. They will enter Paradise forty years before the wealthy." Abdullah bin Umar further narrates that, "I saw that their faces started glowing and it was such that even I wished that may I be amongst them."
After the conquest of Bait-al-Maqdas, Umar bin Khattab moved towards Bilad-Ash-Shaam (Syria), where he met Abu Ubaidah bin al-Jarah. One day Umar bin Khattab asked Abu Ubaidah, "Take me to your home." Abu Ubaidah asked him, "What will you do in my home?" and tried to avoid taking him to his home. But upon the insistence of Umar bin Khattab, he brought him to his home. In their home apart from the sword, shield and some camel accessories, there was nothing. Umar bin Khattab asked him, "Oh! Abu Ubaidah at least you would have arranged some basic items for yourself." On this Abu Ubaidah bin Jarah replied, "This is enough for taking us to the grave."
These were the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and these were their actions. Today the Dawah carriers have to take the life of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a torch for guiding them, only then will they move ahead despite the dominance of Kufr all around. For people his example would be like a lamp in a dark night. The objective of the dominance of the Deen of Islam is only going to be achieved by the way it was achieved by the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Dr. Iftikhar, Pakistan
