The DEEN in BYTES Series | Repost 1: OBLIGATIONS OF A MUSLIM

The obligations of a Muslim as ordained by the Qur'an and Sunnah.

OBLIGATIONS OF A MUSLIM

1.  Develop REAL FAITH and CONVICTION in his heart; IMAN.

2. Live a life of TOTAL OBEDIENCE to the injunctions of the Shari'ah; IBADAH.

3. PROPAGATE and DISSEMINATE the message of Islam to the entire Humanity; SYAHADA-'ALAN-NAAS.

4. Try his utmost to ESTABLISH the ASCENDANCY of ISLAM over all man-made systems of life; IQAAMAT-UD-DEEN.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO SEEK ALLAH'S PLEASURE (REDHA) AND SALVATION IN THE HEREAFTER (AKHIRAH).

1. Conviction of the Heart: IMAN.

The first duty of a Muslim is to develop IMAN. Believing, reciting, understanding and pondering the Ayats of the Quran and behaving accordingly. Establish an intimate relationship with the Quran to increase one's IMAN.

< One must wage a constant struggle (jihad) to fulfill the duty of attaining and increasing one's Iman. This struggle is fulfilled through the following 3 ways;

TAZAKKUR (Remembrance through the Quran): To grasp the most essential and basic meanings of the Quranic ayat through constant recitation.

TADABBUR (Pondering over the Quran): To ponder deeply over the Quranic ayat to understand its wisdom (hikmah).

LEARNING THE ARABIC LANGUAGE: An intimate relationship with the Quran can only be genuinely established if its message is understood in its own language - translations are not sufficient.>

2. Complete and Loving Submission to the Will of Allah: IBADAH.

To become a genuine slave ('abd) of Allah, one must willingly, completely and at all times submit to His commands with a sense of love and gratitude. This submission is not limited only to the 5 pillars of Islam; it is also required in one's economic endeavors, political conduct and social behavior. Thus, the total submission to Allah must encompass all of our individual and collective affairs.

< A struggle (jihad) must occur through the following 3 levels;

JIHAD AGAINST ONE'S OWN SOUL (NAFS: the impulses of the self)

JIHAD AGAINST THE WHISPERING TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN.

JIHAD AGAINST THE WRONG TRENDS OF SOCIETY. >

3. Bearing Witness Unto Mankind: SYAHADA 'ALAN NAAS.

Since there is no Prophet after Muhammad, it is the duty of the Muslim Ummah to collectively deliver the message of Islam to humanity for all times to come. The message has to be delivered through words and actions.

< There are 3 levels of jihad to fulfill this duty;

CALL WITH WISDOM (Da'wah bil Hikmah): To spread the message of the Quran in the highest intellectual idiom of the day, so that its knowledge and wisdom is understood and acknowledged by the intellectual elite of the society.

ADMONITION (Da'wah bil Mawa'izah Al-Hasanah): To spread the message of the Quran with the utmost sincerity in simple language. This sincerity should be reflected by the exemplary behavior of the message-giver.

DEBATE (Mujadalah): To respond to the confrontational and evil spirited propaganda against Islam in the best manner through debates and arguments. >

4. Establishment of the just socio-politico-economic Islamic Order: IQAMAT UD-DEEN.

It is only by establishing a just socio-politico-economic order, as outlined in the Quran and Sunnah, that Muslims will fulfill the obligation of Syahada 'Alan-Naas (Witness Unto Mankind). Struggling to establish the Deen is an obligatory duty on every Muslim.

The 3 initial steps above are necessary to fulfill this most important duty, IQAMAT-UD-DEEN.

< The struggle (jihad) required to fulfill this duty can only be accomplished through a well-structured and disciplined organization (jama'ah) and must pass through the following 3 phases;

PASSIVE RESISTANCE: The members must endure with steadfastness and perseverance (sabr) any oppression, slander, torture or opposition directed against the Islamic movement.

ACTIVE RESISTANCE: Upon achieving a sound infrastructure, critical mass, and moral credibility to confront the shortcomings of the present corrupt system, the organization (jama'ah) will engage in active resistance by means of a non-violent mass movement to promote its goal of establishing the Deen of Allah.

DISCIPLINED, NON-VIOLENT MASS MOVEMENT: Through active resistance the movement will use all constitutionally sanctioned means to bring about just changes in social, political and economic practices. This includes non-violent direct action and civil disobedience. >

Source: Qur’an and Ahadith as compiled by Dr Israr Ahmad, Tanzeem E-Islami.