|
|
The Sermon of Mina
The Sermon of Mina Al- 'Imam al Husayn's Everlasting
Message to Religious Leaders
In the year 60/680, al-'Imam al-Husayn (A) stayed for
about three months at Makkah in the course of his
movement against the succession of Yazid, the degenerate
son of Mu'awiah, to the Caliphate. Yazid had assumed the
leadership of the Islamic world on Mu'awiah's death in
Rajab 60/ March 680. his way of life was representative
of the common among the youth of the Umayyad aristocracy
during 'Jahiliyyah'. his un-Islamic conduct and
practices were well known throughout the Muslim world
and had earned for him contempt and disfavour amongst
the religious. Nevertheless, Mu'awiyah's arrangements,
ensured the succession of his son.
In order to secure undisputed possession of the
Caliphate, the first task undertaken by Yazid was to
order al-Walid ibn 'Utbah, the governor of al-Madinah,
to exact allegiance ( bay'ah ) from the refractory,
especially from al-Husayn ibn Ali and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr,
who were among the few who had refused to recognize
Yazid's heir apparency during Mu'awiyah's life. In his
letter to the governor, Yazid gave strict orders that
they should not be allowed to delay, and if they refused
al-walid should beheaded them at once.
Al-'Imam al-Husayn (A) avoided the demand for bay'ah for
two days and finally left for Makkah at night with his
family and most of the Hashimites. It was at al-Madinah
that al-'Imam al-Husayn (A) received repeated appeals
and hundreds of letters sent by the kufans, pledging
support to him in his movement against Yazid's rule. He
also received reports that the government had sent some
soldiers disguised as pilgrims to assassinate him in the
sacred precincts of Makkah during the rituals of hajj,
which was drawing near.
On 8 Dhu -al-hijjah/10 september 680, al-'Imam al-Husayn
left Makkah for Kufah, after performing umrah, foregoing
hajj in order to safeguard the sanctity of the haram of
Makkah and to avoid bloodshed in the holy precincts.
Makkah was at the time full of pilgrims, who were
pouring in from all parts of the Muslim world . There,
at Mina, he delivered the famous sermon addressing the
people, especially the learned in religion. This sermon
is recorded in "Tuhaf al 'uqul ", a collection of
sermons and aphorisms of the Imams (A) compiled by al-Hasan
ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Subah al Harrani (d. 381/
991).
The above sermon besides being an eye-opener for all of
us, who should study the contemporary scene around us in
the light of the genuine teachings of Islam, also
reveals the sorry state of affairs that prevailed in the
Muslim society of those days, just a generation after
the holy Prophet (S) and his committed Companions had
established a just Islamic society after a lifetime of
unimaginable hardship and struggle. The following points
emerge from this noble sermon:
-
It shows the state of Muslim society during and
after Muawiyah's twenty-year rule, a matter which
prompts every concerned muslim to study and
investigate how it came to prevail in the not too
long a period, a single generation or nearly fifty
years, after the demise of the Noble Messenger (S).
-
It shows that 'ulama' then, as today, enjoyed the
people's respect and veneration, but having aligned
themselves with the rulers they neglected their
duties with respect to God and His laws and in
regard to the people and their divine duty to strive
to protect their rights.
-
It shows the state of the common people, especially
the society's poor and weak, who lived in complete
neglect on the part of the rulers, contrary to the
Prophet's practice and his great concern for their
welfare and rights.
-
The 'Ulama ' were not only silent viz-a-viz the
oppression of the people, they failed to speak out
against the anti-Islamic conduct of the rulers or to
condemn their propagandists who misguided the people
from their pulpits in every town.
-
It shows the people's indifference in regard to the
Prophet's Ahlul Bayt (A) and their obliviousness to
the Prophet's earnest and oft repeated advice and
persuasions regarding them . It was this general
indifference towards the Ahl-ul Bayt (A) and the
common ignorance regarding their sublime station in
Islam that emboldened a profligate like Yazid to
kill the Prophet's only living grandson in such a
barbaric manner and to imprison the women and
children of his noble family. History shows that
this indifference had causes that lay in the past.
-
Had it not been for the heroic struggle of al-'Imam
al-Husayn (A), nothing would have remained of the
genuine teachings of Islam, even Yazid, with the
help of hired historians, would have gone into
history as a respectable Islamic ruler and as a
deserving successor of the Messenger of Allah (S).
Of course, some court historians and fuqaha tried to
justify even the blackest crimes of Yazid as errors
of ijtihad. But such justifications did not succeed
in convincing honourable or aware Muslim. All that
such historians and fuqaha could succeed in
achieving was everlasting ignominy for themselves.
Al-Imam al-Husayn (A) through his tragic martyrdom
revived Islam and preserved its authentic teachings from
the hands of tyrants. hence the Islamic world is
indebted to this brave son of Fatimah al-Zahra (A) and
shall remain indebted to him to the Day of Resurrection.
Imam Khomeini, a true son of al-Imam al-Husayn (A), in
the course of his lectures on the topic of wilayat-e
faqih, which were published in the form of a book with
that name, expounds this hadith in the context of the
tradition-based part of his discussion about the
responsibilities of the scholars of religion.
The sermon of al-Imam al-Husayn (A) is last of the
traditions discussed by him in that context. The entire
exposition has as its backdrop the conditions of Iran
during the rule of the Shah in early 1970's.
The Sermon of Mina
O people, take lesson from the counsel God gave to His
friends when He rebuked the rabbis by saying: "Why do
the scholars and rabbis not forbid their sinful talk and
consumption of what is unlawful ? Truly what they have
done is evil." (5:63)
And God says: "Cursed by the tongue of David and Jesus,
son of Mary are those among the Children of Israel who
disbelieved on account of their rebellion and
transgression. They did not prevent each other from
committing vile and corrupt acts; surely what they did
was abominable" (5:78-79).
God reproached them because they saw with their own eyes
the oppressors committing vile and corrupt acts, but did
not stop them, out of love for the favours they received
from them as well as fear of persecution and injury.
However, God says: "Fear not men, but fear Me." (5:44)
And He says: "The believing men and women are friends
and protectors to each other; they enjoin the good and
forbid the evil; they perform the prayer, and pay the
alms, and obey God and His messenger. Upon them God
shall have mercy; God is Almighty, All-wise." (9:71)
God mentions the duty of enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil (al- 'amr bi al-ma'ruf wa al-nahy
'an al-munkar) before all other duties, because He knows
that if it is performed and is established in the
society all other duties, the easy and the difficult,
will also become established. The reason for this is
that al-'amr bi al ma'ruf wa al-nahy 'an al-munkar means
summoning people to Islam, as well as resistance against
injustice, opposing and struggling against oppressors,
and endeavoring to ensure that public wealth and income
derived from war are distributed in accordance with the
just laws of Islam, and that taxes are collected, levied
and expended in due and proper form.
O scholars, who are celebrated and enjoy good repute on
account of your learning! You have achieved a good name
in society because of your good will. It is on account
of God that men venerate you and stand in awe of you, so
that even powerful fear you and the weak honour you, and
those who are not subject to you and over whom you hold
no authority grant you favours they deny themselves .
When the people do not receive their due. they seek your
intercession, and you walk in the street with the
majesty of kings and princes.
Have you not earned all this respect and prestige
because of the people's hopes that you will implement
God's laws, even though in most instances you have
failed to do so?
You have taken lightly your duties as leaders. You have
neglected the rights of the oppressed and the lowly, but
have assiduously pursued what you regard as your
personal rights. You have not spent your money or risked
your life for the sake of the One Who gave you life, nor
have you fought against any group or tribe for the sake
of God. Nevertheless, you desire - and regard it as your
due - that He should grant you paradise, the company of
the prophet, and security from chastisement in the
hereafter. You have such expectations of God, I fear
that the full weight of His wrath descend upon you, for
although it is by His might and glory that you have
achieved high rank, you show no respect to those who
truly know god, while you yourselves enjoy respect among
God's creatures on His account.
(I am also afraid for you for another reason:) you see
the covenant enacted with God being violated and
trampled under foot, yet you show no anxiety, when it
comes to the covenants enacted with your fathers, you
become greatly disturbed and anxious if they are only
violated in part, but the pledges you have given to the
most noble Messenger are a matter of complete
indifference to you.
The blind, the dumb, and chronically ill everywhere lack
protection in towns and no mercy is shown them. But you
neither behave in accordance with your function and
rank, nor you support or pay any regard to those who do.
You purchase your safety from the oppressive ruling
powers with flattery cajolery, and compromise.
All these activities have been forbidden you by God, and
He has, more over, command you to forbid each other to
engage in them, but you pay no attention.
The calamity that has befallen you is greater than what
has befallen others, for true rank and degree of "Ulama"
has been taken away from you. The administration of the
country and the issuing of decrees and ordinances should
actually be trusted to religious scholars who are
guardians of God's ordinances concerning what is
permitted and what is forbidden. But your position has
been usurped from you, for no other reason than that you
have abandoned the truth (al-haqq), and have disagreed
about the nature of the sunnah, despite the existence of
clear proofs.
Had you the forbearance to endure adversities and
hardships for the sake of God, then all proposed
regulations (God's affairs) would be brought to you for
your approval and for you to issue; authority would lie
in your hands. But you allowed the oppressors to take
away your functions and God's affairs (i.e. government)
to fall into their hands, so that they administer them
by resorting to ambiguities and make arbitrariness and
the satisfaction of lust their consistent practice. What
enabled them to gain control of government was your
fleeing in panic from (inevitable) death and your love
of life, which shall in all certainty depart from you.
As a consequence of that mentality, you have delivered
the powerless masses into the clutches of the
oppressors. While some cringe like slaves under the yoke
of oppressors, and others have been reduced to
destitution in regard to their livelihood, the rulers
run the affairs of the government in accordance with
their whims, earning ignominy and disgrace for
themselves with their licentiousness, following evil
counselors, and showing impudence toward God. One of
their appointed spokesmen mounts the pulpit (minbar) in
each city. The country is defenseless before them, and
their hands grab freely whatever they want of it. The
people are their slaves and are powerless to defend
themselves. One of the governors is a dictator by
nature, malevolent and rancorous; another represses to
recognize either God or the Day of Resurrection! It is
not strange - how can one think it strange, that society
is the clutches of a cunning oppressor whose tax
collectors are oppressors and whose governers feel no
compassion or mercy towards the believers under rule.
It is God who will judge concerning what is dispute
among us and deliver a decisive verdict concerning all
that occurs among us.
O God! You know that everything we did was not prompted
by rivalry for political power, nor for a search for
wealth and abundance; rather it was done to demonstrate
to men the shining principles and values of Your
religion, to reform the affairs of Your land, to protect
and secure the indisputable rights of Your oppressed
servants, and to act in accordance with the duties You
have established and the norms, laws, and ordinances You
have decreed.
So (O scholars of religion!) You are to help us reach
this goal, win back our rights from those powers who
have considered it acceptable to wrong you and who have
attempted to put out the light kindled by your Prophet.
God suffices us, upon Him do we rely, to Him do we
return, and to Him shall we return.
Imam Khumayni's Exposition:
The tradition consists of two parts. The first is a
tradition transmitted by the Doyen of the Martyrs (peace
be upon him) from the Commander of the Faithful, 'Ali
(peace be upon him), and concerns the enjoining of the
good and the prohibition of the evil.
The second part is the speech of the Doyen of the
Martyrs concerning the governance of the faqih and the
duties that are incumbent upon the fuqaha' such as the
struggle against oppressors and tyrannical governments
in order to establish an Islamic government and
implement the ordinances of Islam. In the course of this
celebrated speech, which he delivered at Mina, he set
forth the reasons for his own jihad against the
tyrannical Umayyad state. Two important themes may be
deduced from this tradition. The first is the principle
of the governance of the faqih, and the second is that
the fuqaha' by means of jihad and enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil, must expose and overthrow
tyrannical rules and rouse the people so that the
universal movement of all alert Muslims can establish
Islamic government in place of tyrannical regimes.
This is the tradition. The Doyen of the Martyrs (upon
whom be peace) said:
O people, take heed of the counsel God gave His friends
when He rebuked the rabbis by saying, "Why do their
scholars and rabbis not forbid their sinful talk and
consumption of what is forbidden [that is, such talk and
consumption on the part of the Jews]? Truly what they
have done is evil' (5:63). Again God says: 'Cursed by
the tongue of David and Jesus, son of Mary, are those
among the Children of Israel who have failed to believe
on account of their rebellion and transgression. They
did not prevent each other from committing vile and
corrupt acts; what they did was abominable!' (5:78-79).
God blamed and reproached them because they saw with
their own eyes the oppressors committing vile and
corrupt acts, but did not stop them, out of love for the
income they received from them as well as fear of
persecution and injury. However, God orders us to fear
Him, not men, and He says: The believing men and women
are friends and protectors to each other; they enjoin
the good and forbid the evil. (9:71).
We see that in this verse, in the course of enumerating
the attributes of the believers, the attributes that
indicate mutual affection, solicitude and the desire to
guide each other, God begins with enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil, considering this the prime duty.
For He knows that if this duty is performed and is
established within society, performance of all other
duties will follow, from the easiest to the most
difficult. The reason for this is that enjoining the
good and forbidding the evil means summoning people to
Islam, which is a struggle to establish correct belief
in the face of external opposition, while at the same
time vindicating the rights of the oppressed; opposing
and struggling against oppressors within the community;
and endeavouring to ensure that public wealth and the
income derived from war are distributed in accordance
with the just laws of Islam, and that taxes [zakat and
all other forms of fiscal income, whether compulsory or
voluntary ] are collected, levied, and expended in due
and proper form.
O scholars, you who are celebrated and enjoy good repute
on account of your learning! You have achieved fame in
society because of your devotion, the good counsel you
impart, and the guidance you dispense. It is on account
of God that men venerate and stand in awe of you, so
that even the Powerful fear you and feel compelled to
rise respectfully before you, and men who are not
subject to you and over whom you hold no authority
willingly regard themselves as your subordinates and
grant you favours they deny themselves. When the people
do not receive their due from the public treasury, you
intervene and act with the awe someness and
imperiousness of monarchs and the stature of the great.
Have you not earned all these forms of respect and
prestige because of men's hopes that you will implement
God's laws, even though in most instances you have
failed to do so?
You have failed to enforce most of the rights you were
entrusted to preserve. You have neglected the rights of
the oppressed and the lowly, squandered the rights of
the weak and the powerless, but pursued assiduously what
you regard as your personal rights. You have not spent
your money or risked your lives for the sake of the One
who gave you life, nor have you fought against any group
or tribe for be sake of God. You desire, and regard it
as your due, that He should want you paradise, the
company of the Prophet, and security from hellfire in
the hereafter. You who have such expectations of God, I
fear that the full weight of His wrath will descend upon
you, for although it is by His might and glory that you
have achieved high rank, you show no respect to those
who truly know God and wish to disseminate their
knowledges while you yourselves enjoy respect among
God's bondsmen on His account.
I am also afraid for you for another reason: you see the
covenants enacted with God being violated and trampled
underfoot, yet you show no anxiety. When it comes to the
covenants enacted with your fathers, you become greatly
disturbed and anxious if they are only violated in part,
but the pledges you have given to the Most Noble
Messenger are a matter of complete indifference to you.
The blind, the dumb, and the chronically sick everywhere
lack protectors and no mercy is shown them. You do not
behave in accordance with your function and rank, nor do
you support or pay any regard to those who do so behave
and who strive to promote the standing of the religious
scholars. You purchase your safety from the oppressive
ruling powers with flattery, cajolery, and compromise.
All these activities have been forbidden-you by God, and
He has, more over, commanded you to forbid each other to
engage in them, but you pay no attention. The disaster
that has befallen you is greater than what has befallen
others, for the true rank and degree of 'ulama' has been
taken away from you. The administration of the country,
the issuing of judicial decrees, and the approving of
legislative programmes should actually be entrusted to
religious scholars who are guardians of the rights of
God and knowledgeable about God's ordinances concerning
what is permitted and what is forbidden. But your
position has been usurped from you, for no other reason
than that you have abandoned the pivot of truth, the law
of Islam and God's decree, and have disagreed about the
nature of the Sunnah, despite the existence of clear
proofs.
If you were true men, strong in the face of torture and
suffering and prepared to endure hardship for God's
sake, then all proposed regulations would be brought to
you for your approval and for you to issue; authority
would lie in your hands. But you allowed the oppressors
to take away your functions and permitted government,
which is supposed to be regulated by the provisions of
the Shari'ah, to fall into their hands, so that they
administer it on the shaky basis of their own
conjectures and suppositions and make arbitrariness and
the satisfaction of lust their consistent practice. What
enabled them to gain control of government was your
fleeing in panic from being killed, your attachment to
the transitory life of this world. With that mentality
and the conduct it inspires, you have delivered the
powerless masses into the clutches of the oppressors.
While some cringe like slaves under the blows of the
oppressors, and others search in misery and desperation
for bread and water, the rulers are entirely absorbed in
the pleasures of kingship, earning shame and disgrace
for themselves with their licentiousnesss following evil
counseling, and showing impudence toward God. One of
their appointed spokesmen mounts the minbar in each
city. The soil of the homeland is defenseless before
them, and they grab freely whatever they want of it. The
people are their slaves and are powerless to defend
themselves. One ruler is a dictator by nature,
malevolent and rancorous; another represses his wretched
subjects ruthlessly plundering by imposing on them all
kinds of burdens; and still another refuses in his
absolutism to recognize either God or the Day of
Judgment! Is it not strange, how can one not think it
strange, that society is in the clutches of a cunning
oppressor whose tax collectors are oppressors and whose
governors feel no compassion or mercy toward the
believers under their rule?
It is God Who will judge concerning what is at dispute
among us and deliver a decisive verdict concerning all
that occurs among us.
O God! You know that everything we did [ that is, the
struggle in Which they had recently engaged against the
Umayyads] was not prompted by rivalry for political
power, nor by a search for wealth and abundance; rather
it was done in order to demonstrate to men the shinning
principles and values of Your religion, to reform the
affairs of your land, to protect and secure the
indisputable rights of Your oppressed servants, and to
act in accordance with the duties You have established
and the norms, laws, and ordinances You have decreed.
So, O scholars of religion! You are to help us reach
this goal, win back our rights from those powers who
have considered it acceptable to wrong You and who have
attempted to put out the light kindled by your Prophet.
God the One suffices us, upon Him do we rely, to Him do
we turn, in His hands lies our fate, and to Him shall we
return.
When the Doyen of the Martyrs said at the beginning of
this sermon:
'O people, take heed of the counsel God gave His friends
when He rebuked the rabbis,
his address was not restricted to a particular group of
people, those present in the assembly, the inhabitants
of a certain city, town, or country, or even all people
alive in the world at the time. Rather it embraces all
who hear the summons at whatever time, for it begins
with the expression "O people" (ya ayyuha al-nas), which
occurs in the Qur'an with the same universal meaning.
When God rebukes the rabbis, the Jewish scholars, and
condemns their behaviour, He is at the same time
addressing His friends (awliya') and advising them. The
word awliya means here those who have set their faces
toward God and hold responsible positions in society,
not the Twelve Imams.
God says in the verse we are examining: "Why do their
scholars and rabbis not forbid their sinful talk and
consumption of what is forbidden? Truly what they have
done is evil." Thus He reproaches the rabbis and Jewish
religious scholars for failing to prevent the
oppressors' sinful talk, a term that includes lying,
slander, distorting the truth, and so forth, and
consumption of what is forbidden. It is obvious that
this reproach and upbraiding is not confined to the
scholars of the Jews, nor for that matter to those of
the Christians; it applies also to the religious
scholars in Islamic society, or indeed, any other
society.
If the religious scholars of Islamic society are silent,
therefore, in the face of the policies of the
oppressors, they too are reproached and condemned by
God; and here there is no distinction between scholars
of the past, present, and future, they are equal in this
regard. The Doyen of the Martyrs (upon whom be peace)
made reference to this verse of the Qur'an so that the
religious scholars of Islamic society would take heed,
awaken and no longer neglect their duty of enjoining the
good and forbidding the evil or stay silent in the face
of the oppressive and deviant ruling classes.
There are two points to which he draws attention by
citing this verse. First, the religious scholars'
neglect of their duties is more harmful than the failure
of others to perform their normal duties. If a bazaar
merchant, for example, does something wrong, it is only
he who suffers the harm that results. But if the
religious scholars fail in fulfilling their duties, by
keeping silent, let us say, in the face of tyranny,
Islam itself suffers as a result. But if, on the
contrary, they act in accordance with their duty and
speak out when they should, eschewing silence, then
Islam itself will benefit.
Secondly, although all things contrary to the Shari'ah
must be forbidden, emphasis has been placed on sinful
talk and consumption of what is forbidden, implying that
these two evils are more dangerous than all others and
must therefore be more diligently combatted. Sometimes
the statements and propaganda put forth by oppressive
regimes are more harmful to Islam and the Muslims than
their actions and policy, endangering the whole repute
of Islam and the Muslims. God reproaches the religious
scholars, therefore, for failing to prevent the
oppressors from uttering dishonest words and spreading
sinful propaganda. He says in effect:
Why did they not denounce the man who falsely claimed to
be God's vicegerent on earth and the instrument of His
will, who claimed to be enforcing God's laws in the
right way and to have a correct understanding and
practice of Islamic justice, even though he was
incapable of comprehending what justice is? Claims like
these are a form of sinful talk that is extremely
harmful to society. Why did the religious scholars not
prevent them from being made? The tyrants who uttered
this nonsense committed treason and brought evil
innovations into Islam; why did the religious scholars
not stand in their way and make them desist from these
sins?
If someone interprets God's ordinances in a way
displeasing to Him, thus introducing an evil innovation
in Islam, or executes laws that are anti Islamic,
claiming to be acting in accordance with the
requirements of Islamic justice, it is the duty of the
religious scholars to proclaim their opposition. If they
fail to do so, they will be cursed by God, as is
apparent both from the verse under discussion and from
this tradition:
When evil innovations appear, it is the duty of the
scholar to bring forth his knowledge [ by condemning
them ]; otherwise, God's curse will be upon him.
In such cases, the expression of opposition and the
expounding of God's teachings and ordinances that stand
in contradiction to innovation, oppression, and sin are
also useful in themselves, for they make the masses
aware of the corruption of society and the wrongdoing of
the treacherous, sinful, and irreligious rulers. The
people will then rise up in revolt and refuse to
collaborate any longer with the tyrants or to obey
corrupt and treacherous ruling powers. The expression of
opposition by religious scholars is a form of
"forbidding the evil" on the part of the religious
leadership, which creates in its wake a wave of broad
opposition and "forbidding the evil" on the part of all
religiously inclined and honourable people. If the
oppressive and deviant rulers do not bow to the wishes
of such an oppositional movement by returning to the
straight path of Islam and obedience to God's laws, but
attempt to silence it by force of arms, they will, in
effect, have engaged in armed aggression against the
Muslims and acquired the status of a rebellious group
(fi'ah baghiyah). It will then be the duty of the
Muslims to engage in an armed jihad against that ruling
group in order to make the policies ruling society and
the norms of government conform to the principles and
ordinances of Islam.
It is true that at present you do not have the power to
prevent the innovative practices of the rulers or to
halt the corruption in which they are engaged. But at
least do not stay silent. If they strike you on the
head, cry out in protest! Do not submit to oppression;
such submission is worse than oppression itself. In
order to counteract their press and propaganda
apparatus, we must create our own apparatus to refute
whatever lies they issue and to proclaim that Islamic
justice is not what they claim it is, but on the
contrary, has a complete and coherent programme for
ordering the affairs of the family and all Muslim
society. All these matters must be made clear so that
people can come to know the truth and coming generations
will not take the silence of the religious readers as
proof that the deeds and policies of the oppressors
conform to' the Shari'ah and that the perspicuous
religion of Islam allows them to "consume what is
forbidden," or in other words, to plunder the wealth of
the people.
Since the range of thought of some people is confined to
the mosque we are now sitting in and is incapable of
extending any further, when they hear the expression
"consumption of what is forbidden," they can only think
of some corner grocer who is (God forbid) selling his
customers short. They never think of the whole range of
more important forms of "consuming what is forbidden,"
of plunder. Huge amounts of capital are being swallowed
up; our public funds are being embezzled; our oil is
being plundered; and our country is being turned into a
market for expensive, unnecessary goods by the
representatives of foreign companies, which makes it
possible for foreign capitalists and their local agents
to pocket the people's money. A number of foreign states
carry off our oil after drawing it out of the ground,
and the negligible sum they pay to the regime they have
installed returns to their pockets by other routes. As
for the small amount that goes into the treasury, God
only knows what it is spent on. All of this is a form of
"consumption of what is forbidden" that takes place on
an enormous scale, in fact on an international scale. It
is not merely an evil, but a hideous and most dangerous
evil. Examine carefully the conditions of society and
the actions of the government and its component organs,
and then you will understand what hideous "consumption
of what is forbidden" is taking place now. If an
earthquake occurs in some corner of the country, it too
becomes a means for the ruling profiteers to increase
their illegal income: they fill their pockets with the
money that is supposed to go to the victims of the
earthquake. Whenever our oppressive, anti-national
rulers enter into agreements with foreign states or
companies, they pocket huge amounts of our people's
money and lavish additional huge sums on their foreign
masters. It is a veritable flood of forbidden
consumption that sweeps past us, right before our eyes.
All this misappropriation of wealth goes on and on: in
our foreign trade and in the contracts made for the
exploitation of our mineral wealth, the utilization of
our forests and other natural resources, construction
work, road building, and the purchase of arms from the
imperialists, both Western and communist.
We must end all this plundering and usurpation of
wealth. The people as a whole have a responsibility in
this respect, but the responsibility of the religious
scholars is graver and more critical. We must take the
lead over other Muslims in embarking on this sacred
jihad, this heavy undertaking; because of our rank and
positions we must be in the forefront. If we do not have
the power today to prevent these misdeeds from happening
and to punish these embezzlers and traitors, these
powerful thieves that rule over us, then we must work to
gain that power. At the same time, to fulfill our
minimum obligation, we must not fail to expound the
truth and expose the thievery and mendacity of our
rulers. When we come to power, we will not only put the
country's political life, economy, and administration in
order, we will also whip and chastise the thieves and
the liars. They set fire to the al-Masjid al-'Aqsa. We
cry out:
Leave the al-Masjid al-'Aqsa half-burned to the ground,
do not erase all traces of the crime!
But the Shah's regime opens an account, sets up a fund,
and starts collecting money from the people supposedly
to rebuild the al-Masjid al Aqsa, but really to fill the
pockets of our rulers while also covering up the crime
committed by Israel.
These are the disasters that are afflicting the nation
of Islam and that have brought us to our present state.
Is it not the duty of the scholar, of Islam to speak out
about all this? "Why do their rabbis not forbid their
consumption of what is forbidden?" Why do our Muslim
scholars not protest? Why do they say nothing about all
this plundering? To return to the sermon of the Doyen of
the Martyrs (upon whom be peace), he continues with a
reference to the verse: "Cursed are those among the
Children of Israel who have failed to believe" (5:78).
This is not relevant to our present discussion. Then he
says: "God reproached and blamed them [the rabbis]
because they saw with their own eyes the oppressors
committing vile and corrupt acts but did not stop them."
According to the Doyen of the Martyrs, their silence was
due to two factors: greed and baseness. Either they were
covetous persons who profited materially from the
oppressors, accepting payment to keep quiet, or they
were faint-hearted cowards who were afraid of them.
Consult the traditions referring to enjoining the good
and forbidding the evil. There the conduct of those who
constantly invent excuses in order to escape from doing
their duty is condemned and their silence is considered
shameful.
God says: 'Do not fear men, but fear Me' (2:150). This
verge means roughly: 'Why do you fear men? Our friends
(awliya') have given up their lives for the sake of
Islam; you should be prepared to do the same.'
"Elsewhere in the Qur'an God also says: The believing,
men and women, are friends and protectors to each other;
they enjoin the good and forbid the evil; ... they
establish the prayer, pay the zakat, and obey God and
His messenger' (9:71).
In this verse, God mentioning the duty of enjoining the
good and forbidding the evil first because He knows that
if this duty is correctly performed, all other duties,
whether easy or difficult, will fall into place. For
enjoining the good and forbidding the evil means
summoning men to Islam while at the same time remedying
oppression, opposing the oppressor, making just
distribution of the ghana'im, and levying and spending
taxes in just and due form." If the duty of enjoining
the good and forbidding the evil is properly performed,
all other duties will automatically fall into place. If
the good is enjoined and the evil forbidden, the
oppressors and their agents will be unable to usurp the
people's property and dispose of it according to their
own whims; they will be unable to squander the taxes
taken from the people. For he who enjoins the good and
forbids the evil actively calls men to Islam by
remedying injustice and opposing the oppressor.
Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil has been made
a duty primarily for the sake of accomplishing these
high aims. We have restricted it, how ever, to a narrow
category of affairs where harm is suffered chiefly by
the individual who is guilty of a sin by deed or by
omission. We have the idea firmly, in our heads that the
instances of evil we are called upon to combat
(munkarat) are only the things we encounter or hear
about in every day life. For example, if someone plays
music while we are riding on the bus, or the owner of a
coffee house does something wrong, or someone eats in
the middle of the bazaar during Ramadhan. an, we regard
all these things as instances of evil we must denounce.
Meanwhile, we remain totally oblivious to far greater
evils.
Those who are destroying the welfare of Islam and
trampling on the rights of the weak, it is they whom we
must force to desist from evil. If a collective protest
were made against the oppressors who commit an improper
act or crime, if several thousand telegrams were sent to
them from all the Islamic countries telling them to
desist, to relinquish their errors, they certainly would
desist. If every time a step were taken or a speech
given against the interests of Islam and the welfare of
the people, those responsible were condemned throughout
the country, in every single village and hamlet, they
would be obliged to retreat. Could they possibly do
other wise? Never! I know them; I know what kind of
people they are. They are very cowardly and would
retreat very quickly. But if they see that we are more
gutless than they are, they will give themselves airs
and do whatever they want. When the 'ulama' of Qumm met
and banded together on one occasion, and the provinces
supported them by sending delegations and delivering
speeches to show their solidarity, the regime retreated
and canceled the measure we were objecting to.
Afterwards they were able to cool our enthusiasm and
weaken us; they divided us up and invented a separate
"religious duty" for each of us. As a result of the
differing opinions that appeared among us, they grew
bold again, and now they do whatever they want with the
Muslims and this Islamic country of ours.
The Doyen of the Martyrs (upon whom be peace) speaks of
'summoning men to Islam while at the same time remedying
oppression and opposing the oppressors"; it is for the
sake of these great aims that enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil has been made a duty. If some poor
grocer does something wrong, he has not harmed Islam,
but only himself. In performing our duty of enjoining
the good and forbidding the evil, we must pay closest
attention to those who harm Islam and those who, under
various pretexts, plunder the people's means of
livelihood.
On occasion we read in the paper, sometimes it is stated
humorously, some times seriously, that many of the items
collected for the victims of floods or earthquakes are
picked up by our rulers for their own use. One of the 'ulam'a'
of Malayer told me that the people had wanted to send a
truckload of shrouds for the victims of some disaster,
but the police refused to let them through and even
tried to confiscate the lead! "Enjoining the good and
forbidding the evil" is most imperative in such cases.
Now let me ask you, were the subjects mentioned by the
Doyen of the Martyrs in his sermon addressed only to his
companions who were gathered around him listening to his
words? Does not the phrase "O people, take heed" address
us too? Are we not included in "people"? Should we not
profit from this address of the Doyen of the Martyrs? As
I stated at the beginning of this discussion, the
subjects contained in the sermon of the Doyen of the
Martyrs were not intended for a single group or class.
His address was more in the nature of a circular
directed to all commanders, ministers, rulers, fuqaha',
in short, to the whole world, particularly those who are
alive and fully conscious. The circulars he issued
belong together with the Qur'an in the sense that they
demand our obedience until the Day of Resurrection. The
verse referred to in the address speaks only of the
Jewish scholars and rabbis, but its purport is
universal. The Jewish scholars and rabbis were condemned
by God because fear or covetousness made them keep
silent in the face of the misdeeds of the oppressors,
where as if they had spoken or cried out in protest,
they could have prevented oppression from occurring. If
the 'ulama' of Islam likewise fail to rise up against
the oppressors and remain silent instead, they too will
be condemned.
After addressing the people in general, the Doyen of the
Martyrs then turns to a particular group, the 'ulama' of
Islam, and tells them:
You enjoy prestige and standing in society; the nation
of Islam respects and venerates you. You are held in awe
and have high standing in society because you are
expected to rise up against the oppressors in defence of
the truth and to compel the oppressor to enforce the
rights of the oppressed. Men have placed their hopes in
you for the establishment of justice and the prevention
of transgression by the oppressors.
Thus you have reached a certain station and rank. But
you have failed to perform the duties of your station.
If some harm were to befall the father of one of you, or
if, God forbid, someone were to insult him, you would be
greatly distressed and would cry out in protest. But now
that God's covenants are being violated before your very
eyes and Islam is being dishonoured, you keep silent and
are not distressed even in your hearts, for if you were
distressed, you would be bound to raise your voices in
protest. The blind, the dumb, and the bed-ridden are
being destroyed and nobody shows any concern; no one is
concerned for the wretched, barefooted people.
Do you imagine all that bombastic propaganda being
broadcast on the radio is true? Go see for yourself at
first hand what state our people are living in. Not even
one out of every two hundred villages has a clinic. No
one is concerned about the poor and the hungry, and they
do not allow the measures Islam has devised for the sake
of the poor to be implemented. Islam has solved the
problem of poverty and inscribed it at the very top of
its programme: "Sadaqat is for the poor." Islam is aware
that first, the conditions of the poor must be remedied,
the conditions of the deprived must be remedied. But
they do not allow the plans of Islam to be implemented.
Our wretched people subsist in conditions of poverty and
hunger, while the taxes that the ruling class extorts
from them are squandered. They buy Phantom jets so that
pilots from Israel and its agents can come and train in
them in our country. So extensive is the influence of
Israel in our country, Israel, which is in a state of
war with the Muslims, so that those who support it are
likewise in a state of war with the Muslims, and so
great is the support the regime gives it, that Israeli
soldiers come to our country for training! Our country
has become a base for them! The markets of our country
are also in their hands. If matters go on this way, and
the Muslims continue to be apathetic, the Muslims will
lose all say in the commercial life of the country.
To return to the address of the Doyen of the Martyrs
(upon whom be peace):
You have not made proper use of your station. Not only
do you do nothing yourselves; you fail to support the
person who does want to do his duty. The only source of
concern and satisfaction for you is that you have the
support and respect of the oppressor, that he addresses
you as 'Noble Shaikh'! What the nation suffers at the
hands of the government is of no concern to you. The
disaster that has befallen you is greater than what has
befallen others for the true rank and degree of 'ulama'
have been taken away from you. The administration of
affairs and the implementation of law ought to be
undertaken by those who are knowledgeable concerning God
and are trustees of God's ordinances concerning what is
permitted and what is forbidden. But that rank has been
taken away from you.
The Imam (upon whom be peace) could have said at this
point: "What is my right has been taken away from me,
but you do not come to my aid," or, "The rights of the
Imams have been taken away, but you have kept silent."
Instead, he spoke of those "knowledgeable con-cerning
God" (al-ulama bi Allah'), meaning the religious
scholars, (rabbaniyyun) or leaders. Here he is not
referring to the philosophers or mystics, for the person
knowledgeable concerning God is the one who is learned
in God's ordinances. It is such a person who is
designated a religious scholar (ruhani or rabbani),
naturally on condition that spirituality (ruhuniyyat)
and orientation to God Almighty be fully apparent in the
Imam went on:
But your position has been usurped from you for no other
reason but that you have abandoned the pivot of truth
and have disagreed about the nature of the Sunnah,
despite the existence of clear proofs, But if you were
to show strength in the face of hardship and suffering
for God's sake, then the conduct of affairs, as willed
by God Would be restored to you; command and authority
would be yours.
If you were to act correctly and perform your duty, you
would see that the conduct of affairs would be bound
over to you. If the form of government willed by Islam
were to come into being, none of the governments now
existing in the world would be able to resist it; they
would all capitulate. But unfortunately, we have failed
to establish such a government Even in the earliest age
of Islam, its opponents hindered its establishment and
prevented government from being entrusted to the person
chosen by God and His Messenger precisely in order to
prevent what has happened. "You allowed the oppressors
to take away your functions." When you failed to perform
your duties and abandoned the task of government, it
became possible for the oppressors to take over the
position that was legitimately yours. "You allowed the
affairs of God to fall into, their hands so they came to
conduct them on the basis of their suppositions and
arbitrary desires. What enabled them to win this control
was your panic stricken flight from being killed, and
your attachment to the life of this world. You have
delivered the powerless into their clutches, so that
Some of the people are now subjugated like slaves and
others are deprived of even their livelihood." All of
this applies to the age we live in; in fact, it applies
more fully to the present than to the time of the Imam
(upon whom be peace). "The rulers are entirely absorbed
in the pleasures of kingship, earning shame and disgrace
for themselves with their licentiousness, following evil
counselors, and showing impudence toward God One of
their appointed spokesmen mounts the minbar in each city
to tell lies." In those days, preachers would praise the
oppressors it from the minbar. Today, radio stations
fill the air with propaganda on their behalf and
maliciously misrepresent the ordinances of Islam.
"The earth is defenseless against them." Now, too, the
oppressors can freely exploit the earth, without any
obstruction; there is no one to stand in their way,
"They grab freely whatever they want [of the earth". The
people are their slaves and are powerless to defend
themselves. One ruler is an obstinate tyrant, while
another represses his wretched subjects ruthlessly, and
still another refuses in his absolutism to recognize God
as the beginning and end of all things. Is it not
strange how could one not think it strange, that the
world is in the clutches of cunning tyrants, oppressive
tax collectors, and governors who have no compassion for
the believers under their rule?
It is God Who will judge concerning what is at dispute
among us, and deliver a decisive verdict concerning all
that occurs among us. O God! You know that everything we
did was not prompted by rivalry for political power, nor
by desire for the chattels of this world. Rather it was
done in order to demonstrate the signs of Your religion,
to reform the affairs of Your land, to protect the
oppressed among Your servants, and to act in accordance
with the duties, norms, and ordinances You have
established. So, O scholars of religion! Help us reach
our goal and obtain our rights. The oppressors will wax
strong in their efforts against you and will attempt to
put out the light kindled by your Beloved [the Prophet]
. But God suffices us; upon Him do we rely, to Him do we
turn, and to Him is our journeying.
As we said, the entire address from beginning to end is
addressed to the 'ulama'. There is no indication that
the persons intended by the expression "those
knowledgeable about God" are the Imams (upon whom be
peace). They are the scholars of Islam, the rabbaniyyun.
The designation rabbani refers to one who believes in
God, fulfills God's ordinances, and is knowledgeable
concerning those ordinances, as a trustee of God's
decrees concerning what is permitted and what is
forbidden.
When the Imam (upon whom be peace) said that the conduct
of affairs belongs to the 'ulama', he did not mean to
restrict this function to a period of ten or twenty
years, or simply to the city and people of Medina. It is
apparent from the whole speech that his meaning was more
universal, that he had in mind a vast community that
would undertake the establishment of justice.
If the 'ulama', who are the trustees of God's decrees
concerning what is permitted and what is forbidden and
who possess the two characteristics of knowledge and
justice as set forth above, if they were to implement
God's ordinances, to execute the penal provisions of the
law, and generally to conduct and administer the affairs
of the Muslims, the people would no longer be hungry and
wretched and the laws of Islam would no longer be in
abeyance.
The tradition containing this noble speech, then, is
part of the evidence supporting our thesis, the
governance of the faqih. Were its chain of transmission
not weak, we could cite it as a direct proof. Even as it
stands, we might say that the content of the tradition,
being veracious, bears witness that it was uttered by
one of the Masumeen.
from al Tawhid, p. 34
Vol. VII No. 4 Shawwal Dhu al Hijjah 1410
|
