Some Details Added To A Da’ee’s Emphasis – Part 3

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In this final post on this subject matter (Fiqh Al-Awwaliyyat), I wish to share further reflections with my Salafi brother, the Da’ee Shamsi Al-Jazaa’iri. May Allah grant us and him success in all our pursuits. Before I go any further, I would like to emphasise that the only reason I address this matter in public is because his speech was made in public and was forwarded to me by a brother outside the UK. Otherwise, I would have sent him a private message through people who know him. However, as his speech has already been shared publicly, there is a need to address it in public, because he mentioned the matter in a manner that I thought was insufficient or a bit lacking in detail, in my humble opinion, as I mentioned in Part 2. So, in this Part 3, I begin by seeking the help of Allah and sharing this reflection. 

Indeed, the Harakiyyun, the Siyaasiyyun, the Hizbiyyun and the Mu’mayyi’un utilise this subject based on their vain desires, either to give precedence to something solely because it serves their political goals or to delay something for the same reason. This is why whatever I have mentioned in these posts should be understood as something whose final judgement is to be referred back to the scholars. My post is merely to show that the matter needs a bit more clarity by way of examples, and not to pass a final judgement. To proceed:

Allah, The Most High, said: 

وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا قَالَ يَٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ فَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَٰحِهَا ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ

And to (the people of) Madyan, (We sent) their brother Shu’aib. He said: “O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other Ilah (God) but Him. [La ilaha ill-Allah (none has the right to be worshipped but Allah)].” Verily, a clear proof (sign) from your Lord has come unto you; so give full measure and full weight and wrong not men in their things, and do not mischief on the earth after it has been set in order, that will be better for you, if you are believers. [Al-A’raf 85]

“That will be better for you”. Meaning: This which I have mentioned to you and commanded you with, such as sincerely singling out Allah for worship, alone without any partner, fulful the rights of the people in full measure and weight, and abandon corruption in the land, is better for you in your present short worldly life and your Hereafter when you meet Allah on the Day of Resurrection. “If you are believers.” Meaning: “If you believe me in what I say to you, and in what I convey to you from Allah regarding His commands and prohibitions. [1]

His people were a people disbelievers in Allah and gave short measure and weight (in their dealings).

“And wrong not men in their things”. Al-Bakhs (depriving someone of their due) means to diminish or short-change. This occurs in merchandise by finding faults in it and making it appear undesirable, or by deceiving someone regarding its value, or by using trickery to increase the measure or decrease it. All of this constitutes consuming people’s wealth unlawfully, and this has been prohibited among the previous nations and those who came before, through the speech of the Messengers, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.

Allah’ statement: “And do not mischief on the earth after it has been set in order” is  connected to His Statement, “and wrong not men in their things”. It is a wording that includes both small and large scale corruption. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said: Before Allah sent Shu’ayb as a Messenger, the people used to commit acts of disobedience on earth, made lawful prohibited things and shed blood. He said: “That was its corruption”. Then, when Allah sent Shu’ayb and he called them to (worship and obey) Allah, the earth was set right. Every Prophet who was sent to his people was the means of rectifying them.  [2]

Imam al-Alusi, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: He, peace be upon him, began by mentioning this particular incident because it is the habit of the Prophets, peace be upon them, that when they see their people engaging in one particular type of corruption more extensively than other types, they begin by prohibiting them from that particular type. His people were more occupied with depriving others of their due rights and giving short measure and weight than with other forms of wrongdoing (i.e. besides their disbelief in Allah). [3]

So, what I intend as a point of reflection here, especially based on the quote from Imam Al-Alusi, in sharing this insight with brother Shamsi, may Allah preserve us and him, is that we can see in some cases that other issues, even if they are of lesser evil, can also be given priority alongside a greater importance given to the most important matter. In this regard, in a land filled with Kufr Akbar, as brother Shamsi mentioned, the caller to Allah can also forbid other serious matters, such as Bid’ah, based on the Ijtihad of the scholar or an experienced student of knowledge who is calling the people to Islam. I know brother Shamsi knows this, but it was not detailed as well as the fact that no specific individual was mentioned in relation to his speech. His mention of Al-Awwliyaat, even though sound in and of itself, nevertheless, in the context in which it was mentioned, as I stated in Post 2, more emphasis is needed on the issue of Bid’ah in and of itself, even if it has not reached the level of Mukaffirah, or even if Kufr Akbar is present. An upright scholar or experienced senior student in an African, Asian or Arab country may decide to warn against someone whose Bidah has not reached Mukaffirah regardless of the fact that there is the Shirk of graves in such a country. The reason behind his giving a lot of emphasis on the matter may be that such a person upon Bidah carriers subtle shubuhaat that will affect the people of Sunnah unlike the Shirk that is already very apparent to them. Thus, he combines between warning against Shirk and warning against this other person whose Bidah has not reached Mukaffirah.  I mentioned again that this is left to the scholar and the upright, experienced senior student of knowledge to decide how to proceed in such circumstances.

Also, sometimes, as we know, an upright scholar may refrain from denouncing an evil in order to prevent a greater evil, even if other scholars do not hold his view. In this regard, I will share an incident concerning Shaikh Al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, reported by Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him. This incident demonstrates the sharp insight of the Rabbani scholars and their deep insight into the affairs of society. I will then end with a general insight from Al-Allamah Salih Aala Ash-Shaikh, may Allah preserve him.  Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

“I heard Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah bless his soul, say: “During the time of the Tatars, I passed by a group of them with some of my companions, and they were drinking alcohol. One of my companions denounced their behaviour, so I rebuked him and said: “Indeed, Allah prohibited alcohol because it diverts people from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. But these people are being diverted by alcohol from killing people, taking their children captive, and seizing their wealth. So leave them alone”. [4]

Indeed, even though we cannot say this would be applied in the same manner in every situation by different scholars or experienced senior carriers of Shariah knowledge, but this was the penetrating insight of an amazing scholar, a Mujtahid Mutlaq and an Imam of the Sunnah in those specific circumstances. May Allah raise the likes of this amazing man in future generations among our children and grandchildren. Amin.

Finally, Al-Allamah Salih Aala Ash-Shaikh, may Allah preserve him, stated:

One of the important moral characteristics and etiquettes of a caller to Allah, which should be part of his character and personality, is that he places matters according to their priorities. This is what is called giving precedence to what is more important over what is less important, or what some contemporary scholars call Fiqh Al-Awlawiyyāt (the understanding of priorities). This is correct: giving precedence to what takes priority over that which is below it.

Giving precedence to what is more important over what is less important is an established Islamic principle, as the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said to Mu’adh, may Allah be pleased with him: “You are going to a people from the People of the Scripture, so let the first thing you call them to be that they single out Allah in worship. If they obey you in that, then inform them…”

Shaikh Al-Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdil-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy upon him, mentioned in the Masaa’il of Kitab At-Tawhid that this demonstrates beginning with what is more important before what is less important. Yes, what is more important must be given precedence over what is less important.

Therefore, you must have knowledge and awareness of priorities and know what is important. Some people may begin their call to Allah with secondary matters, such as recommended acts, whilst neglecting the fundamentals. Such a person has not begun with what is more important and left what is less important. Rather, he has begun with matters that are recommended whilst perhaps neglecting obligations and prescribed duties.

A caller to Allah must be conversant with the knowledge and awareness of what takes precedence, one matter after another. Is what is given precedence, and then another thing, the same for all people? No. Are they the same in all societies? No. Societies are different, individuals are different and, indeed, households are different. There are things given precedence in one household that are not given precedence in another. Rather, the same caller to Allah may have certain priorities within his own household and in his efforts in Da’wah. His attention then shifts when he turns to his work, where there are other priorities. It shifts again when he mixes with his companions, where there are yet other priorities.

Therefore, he possesses an understanding of priorities that enables him, when speaking in different gatherings, to address different matters. Someone might think he is contradictory when he speaks about one matter here and another matter elsewhere. However, the reality is that the priorities he speaks about with his family are different from those he speaks about with his companions, and different again from those he speaks about with the general public, and so on.

This is what the matter is. Therefore, from the understanding of a caller to Allah, and among the moral characteristics that he must possess, is the ability to place matters according to their importance and establish the correct order of priorities. This requires him to possess the qualities previously mentioned: that he be intelligent, perceptive and broad-minded, so that he knows and is aware of the priorities relevant to a particular individual, a particular family, a particular household, and so forth.

If you arrange the priorities, you will know how to begin. As for if you have not arranged them, you may act out of a sense of protective zeal, issuing commands and prohibitions, and turning matters upside down. But have you had an effect upon the hearts? The answer is no. Maybe a person is respected within his household. His children may respect him, and his brothers may respect him. But what is important is that they not only respect him, but that, after respecting him, they obey him and become convinced of the truth with him. This is not merely the concern of one who commands and prohibits. Rather, his concern should be that his commands and prohibitions, along with his call to Allah, are accompanied by their (proper) conditions and requirements. [5] [end of quote]

So, as we can see, this is a very interesting subject matter, but also one that can be utilised for dubious objectives, especially by corrupt callers- the Hizbiyyun, Harakiyyun, Siyaasiyyun, the Aqlaaniyyun and the Mumayyi’un. When the audio of brother Shamsi, may Allah grant us and him success in all our pursuits, reached me through a brother outside the UK, and I listened to some of it, this matter grabbed my attention, as I felt that it needed a little more detail. This is also because we have many young people upon this blessed Salafi Dawah who have not heard about these issues.  I ask Allah to forgive me for anything I say that is not true. Anything beneficial in this discussion with my brother is from Allah’s facilitation, and all the errors and misconceptions in it are from me and Shaytan. If anyone can benefit us further on this topic, may Allah reward you as well. And Allah knows best.

This was my final, very deficient contribution on this subject. InShaAllah, there are other issues we desire to engage brother Shamsi on, related to criticisms and praise of some carriers of knowledge. However, this requires careful deliberation and precise speech from the scholars, because we are dealing with the honour and integrity of Muslims, which should not be subjected to trial by proxy, backroom deliberations, speculation, unfounded suspicions or guessing.

And Allah knows best.

To be continued InShaAllah

[1] At-Tabari

[2] Al-Qurtubi

[3] Ruh Al-Ma’aanee 5/263 Dar Fikr 1417H (1997) by Imam al-Alusi

[4] I’lam Al-Muwaqqi’in 3/12-13

[5] https://youtu.be/TjAN_3xUhrQ?si=4wSz5dCbaR3-yR9b paraphrased