The Big Step Revisited

A new podcast on The Big Step and related topics, with Brother Abdullah Yousef, is now available.

Please click here to listen to the podcast.

The Big Step (as well as all other Lulu print products) has a 15% discount this week, through July 1. Use the code HUSTLE15

Communists Are Not Believers

Another ruling on communism

The Fatwa of the Previous Muftī

The Distinguished Sheikh, Muḥammad Bakhīt[1]

الإمام العلامة محمد بخيت المطيعي

The oldest fatwā regarding communism in its current form was written by the distinguished former Muftī, Sheikh Muḥammad Bakhīt. Sheikh Bakhīt – may Allah have mercy on him – is a well-known figure, for his knowledge, his writings, and his taqwā. His books are a light that guide those who are moving through mazes. Regardless of what people might say about his fatwā in terms of its form or its substance, it affirms ‘that communists renounce religions and they renounce the morals that religions have inspired. They renounce Islam’s financial system and they unlawfully seize people’s money and property. This is why they have left Islam from its very root. They are heretics and they are disbelievers…’ This part of the fatwā has become self-evident and it has become a matter of certainty, such that no educated person has any doubt about it.

On this occasion, we can mention the words of al-Ustādh Jalāl Kishk, and they are established fact:

‘Marxism is an anti-religious call.’

‘The Marxist who claims that he is not against religion is a liar.’

‘The communist who praises religion is a hypocrite.’

‘Marxism is a materialist theory, and materialism renounces religions.’

‘Materialism believes that matter came before thinking, and therefore religion is an idea that was made by matter.’

The fatwā of Sheikh Muḥammad Bakhīt, may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him, is long and exhaustive, joining between modern communism and ancient Mazdakism, which declared women and property lawful. He mentioned some of the history of Mazdakism, which he saw as the foundation of communism, and then said,

‘Islam came and put an end to that corrupt way. He sent His Book down to His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and therein He commanded all people to every good and forbade them from every evil. He commanded them to have correct theological doctrines about Him the Exalted, that He be described with every perfection that befits His Divinity and that He is transcendent above every deficiency, which His attribute of Lordship is exalted above. The same goes for doctrines about the noble Messengers, peace and blessings be upon them. He has commanded us to hold that they are protected from committing disobedience, and removed from any deficiency that would detract from their position of Messengership. He has legislated contracts that transfer ownership, such as selling, giving gifts, bequests and so forth.

He has clarified inheritance, and the portion that every heir is to inherit from his testator. He has made clear in His Mighty Book that He the Glorified is the One who is in charge of distributing livelihood amongst His creation. The Exalted One has said:

“Do they not see that Allah expands provision for whomever He wills and also restricts it? There are certainly signs in that for people who believe.” [ar-Rūm 30:37]

“Say: ‘My Lord expands the provision of any of His slaves He wills or restricts it.’” [Sabaʾ 34:39]

Hurrah ar-Riqāshī has related from his uncle, who said,

‘I was holding the halter of the Messenger of Allah’s she-camel, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, in the middle of the days of Tashrīq, keeping people away from it. He said, {O people! Do you know what month you are in, what day you are in, and what land you are in?}

They replied, ‘We are in a sacred day, a sacred month, and a sacred land.’

He said, {Your blood, your wealth, and your honour are sacred just as this day of yours is sacred, in this month of yours, in this lands of yours, until you meet Him.}

Then he said, {Listen to me carefully, as this is how you should live:

Do not be oppressive. Do not be oppressive. Do not be oppressive. Another Muslim’s property is not lawful without his consent.

All feuds over blood and wealth that started in the days of Jāhiliyyah are under these feet of mine until the Day of Standing. The first blood put down is that of Rabīʿah ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAbdul Muṭṭalib, who was nursed by the Banū Saʿd and Hudhayl killed him. Indeed, every usury from Jāhiliyyah has been put down. Indeed, Allah has decreed that the first usury be put down, the usury of al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbdul Muṭṭalib. You have your capital. You do not oppress and you are not oppressed.

Indeed, time has come back full circle, to the way it was the day Allah created the skies and earth.} Then he recited,

“There have been twelve months with Allah in the Book of Allah, from the day He first created the skies and the earth. Four of them are sacred. That is the True Religion. So do not wrong one another during them.” [at-Tawbah 9:36]

{Do not revert to being ungrateful[2] after me, striking each other’s necks. Indeed, Shayṭān has despaired of being worshipped by those who pray, but he wants to sow discord amongst you.

Fear Allah with regards to women; your wives are advisors and helpers and do not have any dominion over themselves. They have a right over you and you have a right over them…that they let no man into the marital chamber besides you and that they let no one into your home whom you dislike. If you fear their disobedience, admonish them, and then refuse to sleep with them, and then use physical force without injuring them. They are entitled to be given food and clothing adequately and courteously…You have only taken them as a trust from Allah, and they have been made permissible for you by Allah’s word…and the one who bears a trust must discharge it on behalf of the One who entrusted him with it.}

He then extended his hands and said, {Have I conveyed the message? Have I conveyed the message?} Then he said,

{Let those who are present convey it those who are not here, for maybe the one who is conveyed to is happier than the one who hears.}

Ḥumayd said, ‘Al-Ḥasan said when he reached that word, “By Allah, they conveyed it to many people and they were happier with it.”’

Then the Muftī spoke about communism and finished by saying,

‘From all of the above, it is known that the Bolshevik way is a way that destroys revealed legislations, and especially the Revealed Law of Islam, turning everything upside down. It commands to that which Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has forbidden in His Mighty Book and on the tongue of His Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’

Then, after some words in which he compared communists to beasts because they know of no religion and no morals, he said,

‘Thus, every sincere Muslim is obligated to be wary of them, and not go anywhere near their misguidance, their corrupt beliefs and their stagnant deeds, for they indeed are, without any doubt or uncertainty, disbelievers. They do not believe in any revealed law, they do not believe in any revealed religion, and they do not know of any system.’

[Translated from the book Fatāwā ʿan ash-Shuyūʿiyyah by Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, n.d), p.62-65]

---

[1] He is Muḥammad ibn Bakhīt ibn Ḥusayn al-Muṭīʿī, born in the village of al-Muṭīʿah, near Asyūṭ, Egypt in the year 1271 AH (1854 AD). After completing his memorisation of the Qurʾān, he moved to Al-Azhar in 1282, and started busying himself with knowledge and becoming proficient in the fiqh of Imam Abū Ḥanīfah. He remained dedicated to studying and teaching for as long as he lived, while also authoring over forty books, mainly in fiqh and theology. He also held several positions within the Egyptian judiciary, until he assumed the highest position therein and was then appointed Muftī of Egypt, a position he held from 1333 to 1339 (1914- 1921). He returned to his Lord on Friday, the 20th of Rajab, 1354 AH (1935). May Allah have mercy on him, his students, and all those who have conveyed his knowledge to us.

[2] Ar. kuffār, i.e. being like disbelievers, please see Imam an-Nawawī’s commentary on this ḥadīth for further details. (Sharḥ an-Nawawi ʿalā Muslim (Amman: Bayt al-Afkār ad-Dawliyyah, 1421/2000) p.138)

The Rank of the Family in Islam and How Islam Protects It

By Imams Muṣṭafā al-Khin, Muṣṭafā al-Bughā and ʿAlī ash-Sharbajī

The Definition of Family:

The word usrah (i.e. family) linguistically means ‘a group of people’ (rahṭ), i.e. individuals – the people closest to you.

In Islamic terminology, usrah means that cell that includes fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, daughters, sons and the sons of sons.

The Family is the Foundational Pillar of Society:

If the individual is the foundational brick in the building of society, the family is the living cell in its essence.

The individual is a part of the family and draws his primary characteristics from it. The Exalted One has said, “…descendants one of the other…” [Āl ʿImrān 3:34] He is imprinted with its imprint and influenced by its upbringing and nurturing.

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {There is no child except that it is born upon the natural disposition (al-fiṭrah). Its parents then make him a Jew, Christian or Magian, just as an animal produces an entire animal. Have you ever noticed one that is mutilated (jadʿāʾ)?} This has been related by Muslim (in the Book of Predestination in the chapter on the meaning of every child being born upon the natural disposition…, no.2658) on the authority of Abū Hurayrah.

The fiṭrah is the state that has been prepared for good, and it is the original human disposition. ‘…just as an animal produces an entire animal…’ means that it is just as an animal gives to birth to offspring that has all of its limbs and organs and nothing is missing.

Jadʿāʾ means that an ear has been cut off. In other words, mutilation and imperfection occur after birth, due to the influence of the environment that surrounds a person, as well as others. Man’s state is the same; his uprightness or deviation is subject to the environment that he grows up and develops in.

Based on the aforementioned, we say: The individual is a part of the family and the family is a part of the society, and a foundational pillar therein. If the family is sound, the individual is sound, and if the individual is sound, the family is sound, and the society is sound.

This is why Islam goes to great lengths to protect the family, why it devotes so much concern to it and why the family takes up a large share of the rulings found in the Qurʾān and in the Sunnah.

The Ways in which Islam Shows Concern for the Family:

The ways in which Islam shows concern for the family are manifest in the legislations and rulings that it has formulated in order to organise the family and regulate its affairs. These include, and are not limited to, to the following:

A. The command to marriage:

This is so that the pillars of the family can be established, because there is no family without marriage. Any sexual relationship between a man and a woman that is not based on the foundations of marriage is adultery and fornication.

Allah the Exalted says, “And do not go near fornication. It is an indecent act, an evil way.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:32]

He, Mighty and Majestic, also says, “…in marriage, not in fornication or taking them as lovers.” [al-Māʾidah 5:5]

B. The legislation of the rights and duties of both the husband and wife:

Islam has placed the following duties upon the husband towards the wife:

1. The bridal gift (mahr); the Exalted One has said, “And give them their mahr as an outright gift.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:4]

2. Maintenance (nafaqah); the Exalted One has said, “It is the duty of the fathers to feed and clothe them with correctness and courtesy.” [al-Baqarah 2:233]

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {And you have to feed and clothe them with correctness and courtesy.} This has been related by Muslim (in the Book of Ḥajj, the chapter on the Prophet’s pilgrimage, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, no. 1218) as part of a longer ḥadīth.

3. Living together correctly and courteously; Allah the Exalted has said, “Live together with them correctly and courteously.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:19]

Likewise, the wife is obligated to carry out the following with regards to the husband:

1. Obedience in that which is not disobedience to Allah. The Exalted One has said, “Men have charge (qawāmah) of women.” [an-Nisāʾ 4:34]

Qawāmah means leadership and the right to be obeyed.

2. That no one enters his house without his permission and consent; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {It is your right over them that no one whom you dislike enters your house.}

Imam an-Nawawī, may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him, said, ‘They cannot allow anyone you dislike to enter your houses and sit in your homes.’

3. That they preserve his dignity, maintain his honour and protect his wealth; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {Shall I tell you the best that a man gathers for himself? A righteous wife; when he looks at her, it pleases him, when he commands her, she obeys him, and when he is absent, she protects his honour and his wealth.} This has been related by Abū Dāwūd (in the Book of Zakāt in the chapter on the rights of wealth, no. 1664).

C. The legislation of the rights of children and parents:

Islam has placed the following obligations upon parents with regards to their children:

1. Maintenance; Allah the Exalted has said, “If they are suckling for you, give them their wages.” [at-Ṭalāq 66:6] Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has obligated a wage for the one suckling for the sake of the child’s maintenance.

2. Good upbringing and teaching them how to worship and have good character; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, has said, {Teach your children to have three qualities: love for their Prophet, love for his household and the recitation of the Qurʾān.} This has been related by ad-Daylamī (See al-Jāmiʿ as-Saghīr by as-Suyūṭī).

And he, peace and blessings be upon him, said, {Each one of you is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. A ruler over his people is a shepherd and responsible for his flock. A man is a shepherd over the people of his household and he is responsible for them. A woman is a shepherdess over her husband’s house and his children and she is responsible for them. A slave is a shepherd over his master’s wealth and he is responsible for it. Each once of you is a shepherd and each one of you is responsible for his flock.}

(This has been narrated by al-Bukhāri in the Book of the Friday Prayer, in the chapter on the Friday Prayer in towns and cities, no.853, and by Muslim in the Book of Governance in the chapter on the virtue of a just ruler, no.1829, as well as others.)

Likewise, Islam has placed the following obligations upon children:

1. Obedience to parents in that which is not disobedience to Allah the Exalted, and to show them kindness:

Allah the Exalted has said, “Your Lord has decreed that you should worship none but Him, and that you should show kindness to your parents.” [al-Isrāʾ 17:23]

The Exalted one has also said, “Keep company with them correctly and courteously in this world.” [Luqmān 31:15]

2. Maintenance of the parents if they are poor and the child is wealthy; the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, {From the purest of that which a man eats is what comes from his own earnings, and his child is from his earnings.} He, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said, {You and your wealth belong to your father. Your children are from the purest of your earnings, so eat from the earnings of your children.} (Abū Dāwūd in the Book of Houses and Renting in the chapter on a man who eats from the wealth of his father, no.3528 and 3530, at-Tirmidhī in the Chapters of Rulings, in the chapter on what has reached us regarding a father eating from his son’s wealth, no.1358)

And there are many other rulings connected to the organisation of family life and the regulation of its affairs, and from these rulings and legislations the extent to which Islam is concerned with the family and protecting it is made clear.


[Translated from Al-Fiqh al-Manhajī ʿalā Madhhab al-Imam ash-Shāfiʿī, (Damascus: Dār Al-Qalam, 1433/2012) v.2, p.16-20]

Related Posts:
Birr Al-Wālidayn and the Rights of Children
Introducing Shāfiʿī Fiqh (part 1)
Introducing Shāfiʿī Fiqh (part 2)
 

Can a Muslim be a Communist?

By Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (born 1328AH/1910), may Allah have mercy on him, the Sheikh of al-Azhar from 1393AH/1973 until his death in 1397AH/1978.

Figure 1: Anglosphere Muslims marching with Socialists  Source: www.alamy.com

One day, Brother Muḥammad ʿAbdur Raḥmān came to see me, and he works in journalism. He started talking with me about a number of issues and I started answering him, and this is something we normally do from time to time.

Amongst these questions was a question about communism. The full text of the question and the answer to it is as follows:

Question: Is it possible for me to be a Muslim and a communist? Why?

Answer: A sincere Muslim’s Islam means that he doesn’t need any other doctrine. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, has made this unequivocally clear:

“Today I have perfected your religion for you and completed My blessing upon you and I am pleased with Islam as a religion for you.”[1]

Allah has completed and perfected the theology of this religion.

And it is known that communism wages war against religion. It wages war against it with every possible means. This has been declared by its most prominent leaders, and it is well-known what Karl Marx said.

At first, he said, ‘Religion must be removed from society.’ When it was said to him, ‘Man must have a belief. What alternative is there to the belief in God?’, he said, ‘Distract them with theatre, and have a lot of theatre. Whenever you have a lot of theatre, the people start talking about the play’s success or failure, about the success or failure of the actors and actresses in their roles, and they forget about religious beliefs.’

He is the one who said, ‘Religion is the opium of the masses.’

The other leaders of communism have made similar statements. Even if they are not word for word the meaning is the same. All of them agree on this and their actions absolutely corroborate it. The most atheistic and the most anti-religion of them is the one who advances through the party ranks and becomes a leader.

Their newspapers earnestly call for all the remnants of religion to be gotten rid of. A number of times we have read in our newspapers, quoting the Russian newspapers, that there are still remnants of religion and they must be gotten rid of. Officials are blamed for not being more active, so that the last residue can be done away with as soon as possible.

The masjids in communist Albania are closed. Whoever appears to be religiously inclined is severely punished. You could have bullets fired at you. If someone is religiously inclined, they cannot occupy a distinguished position in any communist country.

The communists have a specific way of attacking religion.

The first step in attacking religion is to make fun of its scholars, to mock them and criticize them, and they attack them with every means: caricatures, plays, films, jokes.

The initial plan is to weaken the scholars of religion with every means.

They inflate that which is small, they bring into existence that which doesn’t exist and they constantly spread rumours.

Carried away behind them are the naïve and simple-minded, the naïve and simple-minded of every people and nation.

When the men of religion have been weakened, they attack some of the branches of religion. This is the second step. When it has been completed, they attack religion directly.

They study these stages of theirs patiently. They have a set plan for each step, with written talking points and many things prepared in advance. This is as far as belief goes.

If Allah the Exalted has completed and perfected the religion in terms of theology and beliefs, He the Glorified has also completed it and perfected it in terms of economics.

Islam has legislated for the purposes of wealth. It has legislated for the purposes of trade, agricultural property, renting, buying and selling. It has made it abundantly clear how a debt is to be written and it has done the same with regards to inheritance, as well as zakāt and how it is to be distributed.

The actual foundation of Islam is the freedom of the individual in relation to wealth, within the framework of the general principles of Islam.

Something that should be seriously considered is the fact that ʿAbdur Raḥmān ibn ʿAwf, ʿUthmān, az-Zubayr and Ṭalḥah, may Allah be pleased with them, were millionaires[2] and despite that, they were amongst the ten promised direct entry into Paradise. Abū Dharr, Bilāl and Ṣuhayb were not amongst the ten promised direct entry into Paradise, and there is no doubt that they were at the forefront of righteousness and piety, and that Paradise, by Allah’s grace, is their destination. However, despite that, they are not amongst those promised direct entry into Paradise.

If the foundation in Islam is the freedom of the individual in relation to wealth within the framework of Islam’s general principles, then communism vehemently opposes it.

[Translated from Maqālāt fī al-Islam wa ash-Shuyūʿiyyah (i.e. ‘Essays on Islam and Communism’) by Imam ʿAbdul Ḥalīm Maḥmūd (Cairo, Dār al-Maʿārif, n.d.) p.5-7]


[1] (tn): Sūrat al-Māʾidah 5:3
[2] (tn): or even billionaires by today’s standards

Related Post:
Cultural Marxism 

Related Podcast:
Islam, Communism and Cultural Marxism (Postmodernism)