Revised: June 2002)

Everywhere in the world Muslims are subjected to gross oppression but

generally they are unable to defend themselves successfully. They have
been dispossessed of their lands as in Palestine, or denied the control of
the lands in which they are in majority as in Kashmir, or denied
independence as in Chechnya or prevented from governing their
countries even after winning a free and fair election, as in Algeria.
Muslims are prevented to pray in Masjid al-Aqsa or they pray under the
Jewish guns and the whole Muslim world cannot do anything. Our
sisters in Bosnia and Kosovo were violated with the knowledge of the
whole world and the Muslim ummah could not do anything to help
them. If sometimes there is some kind of reprieve against the more
powerful enemies, as in Bosnia and Kosovo, it results from chance
combination of circumstances when foreign powers find it to their
advantage to come to Muslims' aid at the brink of destruction. It is clear
from all this that the need for Muslims everywhere to empower
themselves is of the highest urgency.

The attack on the USA on September 11 has only highlighted the above
points. The oppression from which Muslims are suffering in many parts
of the world, the inability of the Muslim governments to take proper
action instead of suppressing their people, and the resulting helplessness
of the people are the direct cause of the events of September 11. For,
when people are subjected to external oppression and injustice and to
internal suppression by their governments, who miserably fail in their
duty of looking after the interests of the people, some are bound to take
things into their own hands and act militantly.

Responses to September 11 vary from categorical condemnation to

qualified condemnation to qualified approval to categorical approval.
This is as true of Muslims as of non-Muslims. The response of
condemnation by non-Muslims hardly needs any documentation. But
some evidence of approval of the attack needs to be mentioned.
According to reports broadcast on American TV stations and articles
published in the Wall Street Journal, a poll published in a Greek
newspaper a few days after September 11 showed 30% of respondents
considered the attacks a justified reaction to U.S. policies. Only 10% of
respondents agreed with the view that Greece should cooperate
militarily with its NATO partners in a possible campaign against states
harboring terrorism. Takis Kafetzis, the political analyst who supervised
the poll, claims that in reality over 40% of the respondents felt pleasure
with what happened. "The fact that they did not say so was simply due
to the fact that they felt that they had to somehow control their
responses." 

But no matter what we think about September 11, it should be clear to

every Muslim that we can neither hope that a continuation of the
September 11 type of militancy will bring an end to the external and
internal oppression of the Muslims nor be satisfied with showing that
Islam is against terrorism and most Muslims are moderates. We urgently
need an alternative to the 9/11 type of approach. This alternative must be
as effective as or more effective than September 11. That is, it must
result in real empowerment of Muslim societies and communities all
over the world, so that Muslims can defend their rights and interests by
internationally recognized means, less open to criticism.

The Holy Qur'an has several verses about strength or power, for which it
uses the word quwwah. It has also many other verses, which, although
do not use the word quwwah have a strong bearing on the concept.
These verses provide us with all the guidance that we need in order to
get the strength and ability to defend ourselves, provided we interpret
the Qur`an according to the following self-evident principles:

1)        We use some common sense to understand the Qur'an, as the

Qur'an itself exhorts us to do;

2)        We understand the spirit of the Qur'an as a whole and not simply
focus on the literal meaning of individual verses;

3)        We recognize that the Qur'anic words are chosen to simultaneously

achieve two purposes: to deliver a message to the whole humanity
for all times to come and to move its first hearers so that this
message could be transmitted in time and space. If I want to achieve
something for hundreds of years I must first influence and move to
action people around me here and now and to do that I must say
things that would be understood and be effective at this time and at
the same time I must not sacrifice what I want to achieve in the
future.

EIGHT PRINCIPLES FOR BUILDING

STRENGTH
To begin with we need to keep in mind the following eight principles:

      Increasing recognition of our weakness

      Increasing awareness of the dangers and threats we are facing

      Having the desire and determination to build our strength

      Learning humility and steadfastness in faith and action

      Knowing that weakness can turn into strength and vice versa

      Overcoming fears without throwing caution to the winds

      Knowing that things start with individuals

      Combining self criticism with finding, and building on, what is

positive

1)      Increasing recognition of our weakness

We need to fully face the obvious fact that at this stage of history we are
extremely weak. The signs of this weakness are everywhere and we
have already noted some of them. The situation is well described in
another way by a sister in a letter she wrote to the National Post in 2001.
In response to an article by Daniel Pipes, she wrote:

Mr. Pipes should put his mind at ease regarding Islam as a threat to
anyone, least of all the powerful West.  Islam in general and Muslim
countries in particular are on the defensive everywhere and losing
ground politically as well physically.  In Chechnya, Kashmir and Palestine
Muslims are fighting with little more than their hands to combat
overwhelming forces occupying their lands.  Indonesia has lost East
Timor.  A movement is afoot to detach Southern Sudan from the North. 
Iraq is bombed on a regular basis, its once vibrant economy and high
standard of living smashed to smithereens, its children dead or dying in
thousands.

….

As for the 1.3 billion "Muslims" of this world, a recent survey of American
Muslims found that only 3% are actively engaged in the political defense
of Islam and Muslims in America.  Which means that 97% have no time or
do not care enough about their religion to stand up for it.

….

So Mr. Pipes stop worrying about the threat of Islam.  There isn't any, it’s
just a paper dragon.  Go find another dragon to slay! (Sherbanu Parpia)

We need to recognize the reality that the Muslim ummah is a paper

dragon. But there are indications that many of us do not do so. Since a
long time we have been victim of a "denial syndrome" when it comes to
our weakness. Connected with this is the fact that our talk has often been
more powerful than our power itself. Thus, for example, in 1967 our
leaders talked of throwing the Jews into the sea, but when the actual war
took place, the hollowness of those slogans and a lack of real power
became obvious. Similarly, in Afghanistan the Taliban could not show
any real power against the US aggression and were quickly dissolved.

2)    Increasing awareness of the dangers and threats we

are facing
In addition to recognizing our extreme weakness we need also to face
the fact that we are surrounded by all kinds of powerful forces hostile or
unsympathetic to Islam and Muslims. Despite Muslim weakness these
forces never cease. One way they sustain their hostile actions is to keep
presenting Islam and Muslim as a threat. Mr. Pipes knows very well that
the Muslim world is a paper dragon, but he is still fanning islamophobia
to make sure that it stays a paper dragon.

Some of the powerful forces in the world -- the US State Department,

Western Media etc -- may not themselves be deliberately committed to
hurting and harming Islam and Muslims, but they are used by well-
organized groups, e.g. evangelical Christians, Zionist Jews, for that
purpose. They keep the Muslim world under close watch to make sure
that it does not get any real strength and to undermine Muslim religion
and civilization. Human rights and women issues are among the
weapons used. One sister, Shariffa Carlo has provided a first-hand
testimony. Talking about what happened to her before she accepted
Islam, she writes:

When I was a teenager, I came to the attention of a group of people

with a very sinister agenda. They were and probably still are a loose
association of individuals who work in government positions but
have a special agenda - to destroy Islam. It is not a governmental
group that I am aware of; they simply use their positions in the US
government to advance their cause. One member of this group
approached me because he saw that I was articulate, motivated and
very much the women's rights advocate. He told me that if I studied
International Relations with an emphasis in the Middle East, he
would guarantee me a job at the American Embassy in Egypt. He
wanted me to eventually go there to use my position in the country
to talk to Muslim women and encourage the fledgling women's
rights movement. I thought this was a great idea. I had seen the
Muslim women on TV; I knew they were a poor oppressed group,
and I wanted to lead them to the light of 20th century freedom. With
this intention, I went to college and began my education. I studied
Qur’an, hadith and Islamic history. I also studied the ways I could
use this information. I learned how to twist the words to say what I
wanted them to say. It was a valuable tool (Shariffa
Carlo, Becoming Muslim).

In the last couple of centuries the European nations went to Asia and
Africa accompanied by missionaries carrying the seemingly harmless
symbol of the cross and an innocent message of love. The result was that
the Asian and African countries were soon under colonial rule by the
Christians. In the last century the USA was "yet another Civilized
Power, with its banner of the Prince of Peace in one hand and its loot-
basket and its butcher-knife in the other" (Mark Twain, “To the Person
Sitting in Darkness”, 1901,describing the United States playing the European- style
imperialist game in the Philippines). Now the instrument of sabotage and
conquest is human rights and women's issues. This is not to say that we
should not pay careful attention to these issues and reform ourselves to
the degree reform is needed. But we must be aware of what is really
going on. Very often the use of the human rights issues are not used in a
fair way. Thus the Christian crusade against “slavery” in Sudan was
primarily a deception. Rebel officials rounded up local villagers to pose
for the cameras. They recruited fake slavers to “sell” them. The money
exchanged hands and the “slaves” were then “set free” (Reported in 'The
Irish Times', London's 'Independent on Sunday', 'The Washington Post'
and 'International Herald Tribune').

In addition to the above examples, there is the example of the two

American Christians  --  Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer – who went
to Afghanistan pretending to be “aid” workers but whose real objective
was to aggressively spread the gospel in Islamic countries. They belong
to a missionary group deceptively named as Shelter Now, one of many
groups well-organized, highly motivated and not short of cash. All this
is now common knowledge in the West, since the “aid” workers have
gleefully admitted all this on public TV, probably in order to use their
fame to encourage other Christians to go on similar adventures under
various guises.

As for Muslims, most of us are not fully aware of the degree of hostile
actions that are being planned and executed against Islam and the
Muslim world. For quite some time now we have a head-in-the-sand
type of attitude towards the threats and dangers that face us. One reason
for this is the natural human tendency to avoid facing uncomfortable
facts. But there are also some historical reasons.

It is a great mercy of God on Muslims and one of the blessings that he

bestowed on them for the sake of the Holy Prophet, rahmah li
al-‘alamin (mercy to all the worlds), that for most of their history they
have not experienced suffering as other nations have. After an initial
persecution in Makkah, the brunt of which was born by the Prophet
himself and his early followers, Islam has mostly seen successes.
Muslim lands were free of foreign occupation. Even where they were in
minority, as in India and Spain, they were in a position of power.
Internally we enjoyed a great deal of stability and prosperity by the
standards of those times, which resulted in the flourishing of scientific
and intellectual activity. Our lives had as much value as that of an
American or a Jew today. In 712 C.E. some Muslim pilgrims were
attacked by some pirates off the coast of Sind. When the ship carrying
the pilgrims docked at Basrah and their complaints reached the governor
of the province, Hajjaj bin Yusuf, otherwise not the best of Muslims, he
immediately sent a 17-year general Muhammad bin Qasim, to punish
the pirates. The young general not only meted justice but also introduced
Islam to what is now Pakistan.

It is only relatively recently that we are experiencing serious difficulties

and defeats. Although in Europe the Muslim power came to an end
when on Jan 2, 1492 the last of the Muslim rulers were defeated, the
 Muslim world has experienced large scale defeat and suffering only in
the last two of the 14 centuries. To be sure, the Muslim ummah was
viciously attacked twice in the past and suffered a great deal of death
and destruction, once by the Mongols and then by the Crusaders. But
this was temporary. The Mongols converted to Islam after destroying
Baghdad and the Crusaders were finally defeated. The result of this is
that it is difficult for us to fully accept and deal with this relatively new
experience of defeat and suffering. For, manners of a people continue
long after their conditions change. Our manner is still in many ways that
of an ummah living in security, if not with a superpower status. But now
we are a weak and oppressed people. We need to change our manner
accordingly. We need to develop a language to talk about suffering and
defeat without, of course, being defeatist. The Qur`an contains such a
language because the Prophet and the companions went through a great
deal of suffering and often defeat; even total annihilation was seemingly
a possibility for them. But we have not built on this language to deal
with our present situation. 

3)    Having the desire and determination to build our

strength
To simply face the facts that we are weak and that we are surrounded by
dangers is just one side of the picture. To stop at that is of course very
depressing and totally useless. We need to start from where we are and
build up our strength with determination. This requires knowing the
eight sources or means of strength (see below).

In times of weakness the desire for strength is natural and was shown by
prophets. For example, the Prophet Lut, when faced with the force of his
wicked people, says:

Would that I had some strength (quwwah) to resist you or had

some strong support (to assist me) (11:80)!

     More generally the Qur`an gives the following principle:

(Believers are) those who when a wrong is done to them they

help themselves (yantasirun) (by some action in self-
defense) (42:39)

If it is a characteristic of believers to do something in the face of wrong

done to them, then clearly they must have the desire and determination
to build their strength if they already do not possess such strength.

The Qur`an also gives the following principle:           

And God changes not the condition of a people unless they first
change (by his will) themselves (13:11).
This verse can be and has been understood in two ways: 1) God does not
take away his favors from a people unless they depart from the religion
of fitrah on which God created them. 2) God does not bring a people out
of a miserable state unless they change themselves and put them back on
the religion of fitrah. Both meanings apply to us. We must have gone
terribly wrong somewhere to find ourselves in our present state and we
need to change ourselves to get out of that state. It is clear that among
the things that we need to change is our denial of our weakness, our
complacency in the face of dangers, and lack of any action to rebuild our
strength. We also need to abandon the idea that when we are on the
right, the world or God should automatically give us our rights. The
Qur`an and the whole history of humanity show that this world is a place
of perpetual struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and
falsehood, and justice and oppression. In order to get our rights and
justice we need to build the strength to fight for them.

4)      Learning humility and steadfastness in faith and

action
Our response to our defeats and adversity is usually one of the
following: i) denial; ii) rage against our enemies; iii) putting ourselves
down; or iv) not caring because we ourselves are not affected. All these
responses are inadequate. The proper responses are taught by the Qur`an
in the following verses:

We have indeed sent to communities before you (O Prophet)

affliction of suffering and adversity in order that they may learn
humility. If only when suffering reached them from us, they had
been humble! But their hearts hardened and Satan made all
that they used to do seem fair unto them! (6:42-43).

If you have received a blow, the (other) people have also

received a similar blow. These (good and bad) days We cause to
go around among men so that God may manifest (lit. know)
those who are faithful and may choose witnesses (shuhada`)
from among you (to faith and truth). And God loves not the
wrong-doers (3:140).

(Believers are) those who when a wrong is done to them help

themselves (yantasirun) (by some action in self-defense) (42:39)

O believers! Seek assistance through patience (sabr) and prayer.

Truly! God is with the patient. And say not of those who are
killed in the cause of God, ‘They are dead.’ Nay, they are living,
but you perceive not” (2:153-154).

Thus the proper responses to defeat and adversity are humility,

deepening of faith, and steadfast action. Rage against injustice and
oppression is fine if it is translated into suitable and effective action.
Humility does not mean to walk with our head down, but to face our
weaknesses rather than close our eyes to them. Humility means
accepting existing realities, including the reality that some realities need
to be changed.

Patience or steadfastness implies that we should not always expect quick

results but realize that some particular tasks may require long-term
commitment on the part of individuals. The last of the Qur`anic passages
quoted above (2:153-154) talks of prayer and patience as means of
assistance. This patience may at times be simply enduring whatever
hardships one faces but in this passage it refers to steadfastness in action
as is clear from the reference to martyrs: in the time of the Prophet
people were not martyred sitting at home but during some action.

Action in self-defense mentioned in 42:39 is not necessarily fighting

back in a physical sense but any action that is effective. It may
sometimes be forgiveness, as is stated in the next verse: “whoever
forgives and amends (aslaha), he shall have his reward from God”.

5)      Knowing that weakness can change into strength

and vice versa
The Holy Qur`an says:

God is he who created you from weakness, then gave strength

(quwwah) after weakness, then after strength (quwwah)
weakness and gray hair. He creates what he will and he is the
knowing and the mighty one (30:54)

When Lut spoke the words in Qur`an 13:11, he was not aware that the
very guests in his house that he was wishing to protect were angels in
human disguise who had been sent to save him and destroy his wicked
people. The meaning is that the sources of strength are sometimes nearer
than we may think.

It is indeed one of the central elements in the teaching of the Qur`an that
power ultimately belongs to God Almighty. If anyone else has any
power it is only because God has temporarily given it to him:

Say: Lord of all dominion (mulk)! You grant dominion to

whom you will and you take away dominion from whom
you will. You exalt whom you will and you abase whom
you will. In your hand is all good and surely you are able
to do all things (3:26).
 …And to God (alone) belongs the dominion (mulk) of the
heavens and the earth and all that is between them. He
creates what he will and God is able to do all things (5:17).

There is no power (quwwah) except by (the help of) God

(18:39).

The oppressors often behave as if their power is theirs to keep forever and as
if there is none who can bring them to justice. But this is an allusion that will
be destroyed on the judgment day:         

And among people there are those who take besides God
rival (deities) loving them with a love that should be given
to God (alone). Those who have (true) faith, they love God
with the greatest intensity. If only the transgressors knew
(what they will know) when they will see the punishment,
that all power (quwwah) belongs to God alone …(2:165).

But the truth that power really belongs only to God will be seen not just
in the hereafter. This truth has also been demonstrated in history again
and again:

Do they not travel in the land and then see the end of
those who were before them and they were so much
greater than they in power (quwwah)? And God is not
such that anything in the heavens or in the earth can foil
him. Lo! He possesses knowledge and power (35:44; see
also 40:21-22, 82-83, 47:13).

The simple but profound truth that power really belongs to God is not
something that only the unbelievers need to learn. It is something that
the believers also need to keep in mind, both in times of weakness and in
times of strength. In times of weakness it should teach us patience and
steadfastness in obedience to God and in times of strength it should
teach us humility and constraint in the use of power. Both lessons are
demonstrated by the noble example set by the Holy Prophet. For thirteen
years in Makkah and for several years in Madinah he was in a position
of weakness when he patiently suffered or steadfastly struggled with
faith and courage, certain that in the end truth and justice will prevail.
And when towards the end of his life God gave him a clear victory
against the Makkans he acted with humility before God, as the Qur'an
instructed him:

When there comes the help of God and the victory, and
you (O Prophet) see the people enter the religion of God
 in crowds, celebrate the praises of God and seek his
forgiveness, surely he is ever ready to turn in mercy
(110).

This principle that weakness can turn into strength and strength into
weakness means that we should never regard the enemies of Islam and
Muslims as invincible, no matter how much economic wealth, military
might and technological superiority they might have. The Holy Qur`an
reminds us:

How many of a little group has overcome mighty host by God's

leave. God is with the steadfast (sabirin)  ... So they routed them
by God's leave and David slew Goliath ... (2:249-251).

Here the Qur`an talks of a little group, but the same principle holds for a
big weak group like the Muslim ummah today.

6)      Overcoming fears without throwing caution to the

winds
The Holy Qur`an often states that believers should fear none but God.
This one fear of God should free us from all other fears. This has two
important implications in the way we live as Muslims. First, we should
not compromise Islamic teachings to appear moderate. Second, we
should not stop regarding ourselves as Muslims first and then Canadians
or Americans or Pakistanis or Turks etc.  In North America Muslims
have come under some pressure since 9/11 to view themselves
Americans or Canadian first, then Muslims, despite reports showing that
most practicing Christians/Jews in these countries regard themselves
Christians/Jews first and then American or Canadian.

7)      Knowing that things start with individuals

We have a tendency to expect the “community” to do something for
solving our problems. But how do things start in the “community”?
From some individuals! This means that some individuals have to rise
and commit themselves to some of the work that needs to be done for
rebuilding Muslim strength. Moreover, because of the complexities of
the modern age, adequate strength cannot be built overnight. This means
that individuals must rise with a very long-term commitment to very
specialized type of work. Individuals can work separately or in small
teams. Some individuals or teams then need to rise to find ways to use
what other individuals or teams are doing for more general objectives.

8)  Combining self criticism with finding, and building

on, what is positive
We talk a lot against ourselves but the effect of all this talk is that we put
ourselves down, create despondency, and hence make ourselves weaker.
This type of talk is against the teachings of Islam. In Islam there is only
critical analysis of what went wrong and how it can be corrected (see the
Qur`anic verses about the setbacks suffered by Muslims in the battle of
Uhad) but there is no room for putting ourselves down and thus creating
despondency, which the Qur`an equates with dalalah (going astray)
(15:56).

Also, our criticism of ourselves needs to be combined with a search for,

and appreciation of, what is positive in our communities and countries
and then finding ways to build on that. The Qur`an along with a
criticism of some aspects of companions’ conduct also mentions their
good qualities in order to build on them.

EIGHT PILLARS OF STRENGTH

There are six sources of strength that human beings can use to empower
themselves with God's leave and which Islam encourages us to use:

1) Iman (faith)

2) Knowledge and understanding

3) Military or police force

4) Economic wealth

5) Da‘wah

6) Political activism

7) Organization

8) Unity

1)      Iman
Faith gives us the light by which we can see what needs to be done and
how. It gives us the inner strength to persist patiently and make
necessary sacrifices. It enables us to use power responsibly, wisely and
therefore more effectively. Above all, it brings the help of God and
whatever strength we possess is increased. The Holy Qur'an says:

And [the prophet Hud said], O my people! Seek forgiveness of

your Lord and then turn to him in repentance; he will send
down on you rain in abundance and add strength (quwwah) to
your strength (quwwah). Do not turn away as sinners (11:52).
Thus turning to God in repentance, seeking his forgiveness brings
prosperity and an increase in strength or quwwah. This principle is
stated in the words of the earlier prophet Hud (may peace be upon him)
but the following verses address directly the faithful and steadfast
followers of the Prophet Muhammad (whom God blesses, glorifies and
loves):

If there be of you twenty steadfast they shall overcome

two hundred, and if there be of you hundred steadfast
they shall overcome a thousand of those who disbelieve,
for they (the disbelievers) are a people who do not
understand (8:65).

Now has God lightened your burden, for he knows that

there is weakness in you. So if there be of you a steadfast
hundred they shall overcome two hundred, and if there
be of you a thousand, they shall overcome two thousand
by the permission of God. And God is with the steadfast
(8:66).

Thus faith can increase the effective power of a people by two to ten
times depending on the strength of the faith.

Faith gives us some moral and spiritual force that can sometimes
conquer without the use of physical force. Thus one of the two groups
that in the past attacked and devastated the Muslim lands - the Mongols
-- won the military victory but they were conquered by the superior
moral and spiritual force of Islam in that they themselves became
Muslims. The second group – the Crusaders – was physically defeated,
but they also encountered a superior moral and spiritual force of the
Muslims. When the Crusaders temporarily won control of some Muslim
lands, they unleashed horrific death and destruction. But when Salah al-
Din defeated the Crusaders he did no such thing. The Crusaders did not
convert: apparently, the hate in the Christian heart for Islam and
Muslims was too great to be conquered by this act of love and tolerance.
Nevertheless, ever since there have been many Europeans who
developed a better view of Islam and Muslims.

2)      Knowledge and understanding.

In one of the verses quoted above (8:65) the Holy Qur'an says that
believers can overcome ten times bigger force of the disbelievers
because the disbelievers "are a people who do not understand."This
means that lack of understanding leads to weakness while understanding
leads to strength. And of course the Qur`an repeatedly says that it is a
guidance for people who reflect or understand or have knowledge
(3:190-191, 6:98, 10:24, 13:3, 16:11 etc) or that it makes people reflect,
understand, or have knowledge (2:219, 7: 176, 9:122, 16:44, 34:46 etc).
This understanding should be thought of in general terms and include
knowledge of science and technology and of what is happening in the
world around us as well as knowledge of moral and spiritual truths. This
may be obvious to some of us, but in the past this was not so obvious
even to many scholars.

Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (1564-1624), otherwise a great reformer and

thinker and called Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thani (Reviver [of Islam] for the
second millennium of Islamic calendar) considered philosophy and pure
science useless. In his Maktubat, I/266, we read: “Among [the
philosophers’] firm and sure sciences is mathematics, which is utterly
meaningless and absolutely useless.” He said that one should not waste
time on arithmetic and only learn enough of it to calculate shares of
inheritance and to determine the direction of Qiblah. He considered
geometry to be utterly useless, there being no point in knowing that the
sum of the angles of a triangle equals two right angles. Clearly, Sirhindi
had no appreciation of the necessity and power of pure thought and
ideas. The philosophy and mathematics to which Sirhindi refers is not of
the European variety because major European developments in these
fields came later and whatever work the Europeans had done at the time
of Sirhindi would not be known to him. Sirhindi is referring to the
pursuit of philosophy and mathematics among Muslims. This shows that
even in Sirhindi’s time Muslims were taking interest in philosophy and
mathematics and that his outlook was not shared by all Muslims.

There is no evidence of any persecution of philosophers,

mathematicians, and scientists at that time in the Muslim world, at least
not by any central authority. But at about the time of Sirhindi the
Christian church was tormenting Galileo Galilei (1564- 1642) for his
scientific theories. At this time the Western and Muslim worlds are at a
comparable state as far as philosophy and science are concerned.
However, whereas in the West the attitude represented by Galileo begins
to win over that of the Church, in the Muslim world the attitude
represented by Sirhindi was to persist for centuries.

In assessing the outlook of Muslim scholars like Sirhindi we may

exaggerate either by condemning them too harshly or by trying to
defend them too sympathetically. I will attempt to avoid both extremes.

In fairness to the scholars I think we must recognize the following

points: They are not against the rational method. Indeed, they constantly
apply reason within their Islamic assumptions to arrive at their positions.
The mistakes they made are not unlike those that even reputed scientists
have made in the application of the rational method within their own set
of assumptions. It is also noteworthy that Sirhindi gives a reason why he
is not in favor of pursuing study of philosophy and mathematics: these
fields do not serve any useful purpose, that is, they do not benefit man.
If it were demonstrated that these fields of knowledge are useful,
Sirhindi and other scholars of his caliber would have encouraged their
study. These scholars were living in a time when the Muslim world was
secure and had the status of something like a superpower. There were no
visible signs, as they exist today, that the pursuit of the study of
sciences, including pure sciences like mathematics, is vital for the
security of the Muslim ummah and hence our collective obligation.
There was also a lack of easily accessible clear signs, such as exist
today, that science was useful in solving many problems of human
existence, even apart from providing security from external aggression.

Nevertheless, we must unequivocally state that Sirhindi made a mistake.

This mistake may not take away much from his greatness as a religious
reformer and scholar, but it surely calls into question the role ascribed to
him of the Mujaddid for the second millennium of the Islamic era, since
his outlook has landed us today in a disastrous position.

If Sirhindi is excusable for the above mentioned reasons, there is no

excuse for those ‘ulama who were opposing science and technology
even in the 19th and 20th centuries when it should have been obvious that
the Western colonialism was defeating Muslims mainly because of their
superiority in science and technology. This is so especially because the
Qur`an clearly commands the Muslims to prepare a deterrent force for
the defense of Islam and Muslims. Some ‘ulama in the early 20 thcentury
were discussing whether loud speakers can be used for adhan. Why did
they not also discuss how best to fulfill God’s command to prepare a
deterrent force in the defense of Islam and Muslims?

One of the reasons that the ‘ulama discouraged the pursuit of science
was that it will reduce adherence to Islam. But the failure on the part of
Muslims to implement the Qur`anic commandment to provide a
deterrent force illustrates that intellectual stagnation in the Muslim
world had just the opposite effect. Only practice of some of the Islamic
teachings – those within an individual’s control, e.g., prayers, fasting etc
– continued. Islam became much less effective in solving social,
political and economic problems. For, Islam can solve such problems
only if it is applied intelligently (with fikr, fiqh, and ‘aql). Positions need
to be debated rationally and then some decisions reached collectively.
Otherwise we live with whimsical, abstract, oversimplified positions
divorced from reality and from the purpose of Islam -- falah of
humankind. Today some Muslims insist on a lot of such positions. Here
are some examples:

Preserving historic sites is wrong.

Selecting ruler by democratic vote is un-Islamic.

Women cannot vote.

Women cannot drive.

Taking pictures of living things is haram.

All musical entertainment is haram.

Flying kites is haram.

If we follow the logic used to arrive at these positions, it would be found

at least inconclusive, if not highly defective. An intelligent debate on the
basis of the Qur`an and the authentic Hadith would probably not lead to
these positions.

3)  Military or police force

In this world where God has for a determined time allowed oppression and evil to exist
along side with justice and righteousness it is often necessary for individuals and nations
to defend themselves.  If everyone in this world were a just and righteous person human
beings would live together in perfect peace and harmony and there would be no need for
anyone to build and use power. But that is not the way God willed this world to be.
Consequently, in this world the building and sometimes the use of force are unavoidable.

Some states that often act against Islam and Muslims such as the USA and Israel do
believe in force. The following words of an American writer represent the thinking of
many influential Americans: "For globalism to work, America can't be afraid to act like the
almighty superpower that it is ...The hidden hand of the market will never work without a
hidden fist -- McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas, the designer of the
F-15. And the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies is
called the United States Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps." ( "What the World Needs
Now", by Thomas Friedman, New York Times, March 28, 1999." -- from Backing Up Globalization
with Military Might). Even those Americans who are primarily for peace regard the use of
force an option to be always kept. When it comes to Israelis, especially the Zionists, their
faith in power is evident in the way Israel has been established and maintained.

In view of this, it is not possible for Muslims to ignore the building of military force.
Hence the Qur'an says:

Make ready for them whatever you can of (armed) force

and of horses tethered, that thereby you may dismay the
enemy of God and your enemy, and others beside them
whom you do not know but God knows. Whatever you
spend in the way of God it will be repaid to you in full,
and you will not be wronged (8:60).

This verse commands Muslims to make ready to the best of their ability
the type of force that will deter aggression against them by known and
unknown enemies. Obviously, in our age this commandment can only be
fulfilled if we do our best to acquire or build the sort of weapons that
other nations possess, which in turn requires us to acquire and develop
the best possible knowledge of science and technology.

Had Muslims paid attention to this commandment of God as soon as

they came into contact with the colonial forces, they would not have
been in such a mess today. They would have immediately turned to
acquiring such military force as was necessary to deter colonial powers
from making their advances against the Muslim world and against other
Asian and African countries. This would have required developing
science and technology and organizational techniques to the same level
as, or higher than, the Europeans. As a result Muslims today would have
been not only militarily strong enough to defend themselves but also
would have reaped all the benefits of advancement in science and
technology. But, alas, by the time the Europeans came Muslims had
closed their eyes to part of the teachings of Islam, reducing them mostly
to the five pillars and the rituals connected with them and to some rules
about personal and family life (e.g. prohibited foods, marriage, divorce,
inheritance). As a result, although Muslims continued using whatever
military force they had, they never made ready adequate force, as God
commands. The results for this disregard for a commandment of God are
now there for all to see.

As a further comment on the above verse it may be added that military

force is viewed in the verse primarily as a defensive and deterrent force.
From the rest of the teachings of Islam, it becomes clear that what must
be defended are the following rights:

a)      The right of the Muslim nations to live in freedom, security,

and prosperity and to live by the laws and constitutions of
their own choice without impositions from outside.

b)      The right to hold the word of God entrusted to them as

supreme.

Finally, it may be noted in regard to the above verse that it may not be
limited to military force only. It can also be interpreted to include police
force. Thus when the world truly becomes a global village and wars
between nations are therefore eliminated, the application of this verse
would consist of keeping an adequate police force to deal with crimes
and an adequate military force to deal with any civil wars.

4)    Economic wealth
In the last verse quoted above, after commanding the Muslims to make
ready military force, the Qur`an says: 

Whatever you spend in the way of God it will be repaid to you

in full, and you will not be wronged (8:60).
This takes for granted the obvious fact that before there can be military
force there has to be economic wealth, part of which may be spent for
building a military or police force or for developing the scientific and
technological knowledge needed for building such a force. Of course,
economic wealth is useful not just for building adequate military
strength but also in other ways, e.g. in political defense of Muslim
causes.

To help increase our economic strength, the Qur`an gives us some very
useful general principles:

i)                    Honoring contracts and fulfilling commitments (5:1, 2:177,

17:34, 23:8);

ii)                   Writing business deals and having them witnessed (2:282-283).

The Qur`an does not condemn acquisition or possession of huge wealth

in itself. Thus when it talks about Korah or Qarun (an ancient equivalent
of the modern multi-billionaires) it does not condemn him for having
wealth but only for forgetting God, the hereafter, and the rights of the
poor. In the past Muslims have seen the pursuit of wealth in a negative
way because this pursuit can often make us get lost into the life of this
world and forget God and the hereafter. This is no doubt an attitude that
is taught in the Qur`an and Hadith and we should never abandon it. But
it needs to be balanced by another aspect of Islamic teaching: we must
do whatever necessary for defending Islam and Muslims. This means
that in this age we have to learn to remember God and the hereafter and
at the same time create wealth, for, our self-defense will become very
hard indeed if all the nations of the earth around us -- Americans,
Europeans, Japanese, Indians, Chinese, Koreans etc. are becoming
wealthier and wealthier while our economies are generally stagnant or in
decline.

5) Da‘wah
This can increase our strength by:

a)         Providing an opportunity to interact with non-Muslims and hence

to better understand and deal with them;

b)        Increasing our own understanding of Islam and thus make us better

Muslims;

c)         Increasing our numbers in non-Muslim countries, although this

should not be our primary objective.

6)  Political activism
Within Muslim countries political activity is needed to bring
governments that are more faithful to Islam and more sensitive to the
interests of Islam and Muslims. In non-Muslim countries political
activism is needed for defense against the anti-Muslim hate, media bias
against Islam and Muslims, and legislature that targets Muslims. Our
political activism should also help non-Muslims who are victims of
injustice and oppression. In all these forms, political activism is the main
part of the religious obligation of jihad for the present age.

7)    Organization

In building and maintaining strength an important role is played by

efficient organization in all efforts involving more than a few persons.
After iman, sound organization is the single most urgent need of the
Muslims in the present age.

Efficiency of organization can be achieved within the four broad

principles given by the Qur'an: 

a)         Participation of the people involved, through a consultation process

(shura) suitable for the type of task an organization is engaged in
(Qur'an 42:38).

b)        Avoiding waste (israf) of every type of resource (Qur'an 7:31,

17:26-27, 25:67 etc).

c)         Acceptance of the authority of those who are given some

responsibility (ul al-amr), when the authority is acquired  by a due
process and is exercised to carry out the task assigned (Qur'an 4:59).

d)        Accountability of all people involved, no matter what is their

position, with convenient procedures for relieving persons from
their responsibilities in case of incompetence, misuse of authority,
and serious violation of rules (4:135, 5:8, 9:71 etc).

(See also other articles on consultation and organization on this

website.)

In non-Muslim countries our communities are fragmented in various

organizations that are far from realizing their full potential. This is
because some or all of the above Qur`anic principles of organization are
ignored. In order to strengthen ourselves, the answer is not to replace
these various organizations by one big organization, but for each
existing or yet to be conceived organization to apply the above
principles and flourish and for these flourishing organizations to come
together under an umbrella organization to cooperate and participate in
larger efforts. In other words, it is perfectly alright, even desirable at this
point, to form small teams that concentrate on limited tasks and aim for
the highest goals. September 11 has proved that individuals working
together with strong and sustained commitment can shake the very
foundation of the world. Similarly, sustained effort can have massive
impact in other ways: in building our economies, our militaries, our
level of education and research, intellectual and artistic activity, helping
those who are in need, and even enhancing unity amongst us.

8) Unity

Unity and strength are connected in the following verse.

And obey God and his messenger and do not quarrel, for then
you will be weak in hearts and your strength (rih) will depart
and be steadfast; surely God is with the steadfast(sabirin) (8:46).

We often stress unity as if it can come by itself and once achieved it will
give us strength. This is doing us a lot of harm. The unity never comes
and strength never follows. The proper emphasis is that we stress
empowerment, take steps to achieve it, and stress unity as a necessary
ingredient of our ongoing efforts to build strength rather than stress
unity in a vacuum.

Also, we should divide unity into two types and work on them
separately. One is the unity of hearts and the other is unity of minds. The
unity of the hearts is built on common objects of love, which in our case,
are Islam and the Holy Prophet. The unity of mind is built by agreement
on how to interpret, implement, and serve Islam. The two types of unity
are to some degree independent. Thus it is possible for people to feel
close because they love the same things even if they have serious
differences on some matters. Similarly, it is possible for some people to
share the same opinions but not feel close otherwise.

We should feel close to everyone who has a deep love for Islam and the
Holy Prophet. At the same time we should keep working on increased
unity of mind by dialogue and debate. In this process we should show
the maximum possible tolerance to different points of view without
compromising what we know to be the truth.

When we think of strength we must think of all of its sources: faith,

knowledge, wealth, arms, da‘wah, political activism, organization, and
unity. These eight sources are like eight pillars that support our overall
strength. If even one of them weakens, our strength can be seriously
reduced. Thus if iman weakens, then knowledge, military strength, and
economic wealth may begin to be misused and then begin to weaken. If
knowledge weakens, military and economic strength begins to weaken,
which creates internal and external problems and results in the
weakening of faith. If there is not enough economic wealth to leave a
surplus after fulfilling people's basic needs, then military strength will be
adversely affected. Knowledge will also suffer, since it would be
impossible to sustain necessary educational and research institutions of
adequate quality, which will weaken the military still further.
Even imanmay be affected if there is too much poverty. Likewise, it is
not hard to see that if organizational efficiency or unity reduces, then
this will weaken all other sources of strength as well.

There are some pious Muslims who think that we should work mainly
on our iman and the rest will follow. There is also an attitude among
some Muslims that we must first get united and then somehow we will
become strong. This is a dangerous thought because this world does not
allow us the luxury of putting off the building of economic and military
strength or advancing in knowledge till a sufficiently large proportion of
Muslims can reach an adequate state of faith or till they have achieved
some imagined ideal of unity. We must work simultaneously on building
all six types of strength.

Finally, as noted earlier, our strength cannot be built overnight. It will

require a lot of hard work to improve our faith, to build our businesses,
to produce a suitable number of scientists, engineers and experts in
various fields of learning and to build our armed forces. Many of us
have to take up many specific tasks, commit to them on a long-term
basis, and work patiently over years. Blessed are those who will take the
challenge. May God make me among them.