"There Is No Hope for Reform Without a Return to Divine Rule, Implement Shari’a in Phases”

From the Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt, LEADING IN EGYTPIAN ELECTION POLLS site this past month.

MEMRI:

Article on Muslim Brotherhood Website: Implement Shari’a in Phases

In a June 11, 2011 article on the website of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, veteran movement member Sheikh Ahmad Gad argued that the implementation of shari’a in Egypt must be achieved gradually, by preparing the peoples’ hearts and minds for it and introducing it in stages. He proposed learning from the methods of the early Muslim Brotherhood, which worked in a step-by-step fashion, and called on Al-Azhar to focus on promoting the implementation of shari’a.

The following are excerpts from the article:[1]

“There Is No Hope for Reform Without a Return to Divine Rule”

“Following the blessed popular revolution on January 25, 2011, there was a debate between the majority, which hopes and yearns for the implementation of Allah’s shari’a, and the minority, which uses Islam as a tool of intimidation and fears the Islamists and a return to the Middle Ages.

“This minority, which denies the results of the referendum while calling for democracy,[2]is made up of those who oppose a religious state or a caliphate state, and advocate a return to the tyrannical secular regime that corrupted the land and the people – a minority [that receives] prominent media coverage…

“Islamic shari’a ruled for centuries, but became distant and absent for centuries more. The various forms of imperialism were a burden on the [Muslim] nation in various ways, and caused people to change… In that dark period, the state alternately mimicked Eastern and Western regimes. Corruption developed, grew, and accumulated… [Nowadays], there is no hope for reform without a return to divine rule, which the Creator chose for man. This nation will have no chance of success, [except] by that which caused it to succeed in its beginning.

“[However,] we must not impose Islamic shari’a, forcing the people to adopt something about which they are ignorant and with which they are unfamiliar… If we do this, [various] ploys will be used to circumvent it, and there will be hypocrisy. [People] will exhibit Islamic [behavior] only outwardly…

“Noah, peace be upon him, received a clear sign, a stark vision, a prophecy, and mercy that his people did not understand… Noah could not force or impose [his faith upon the people]. He determined the principle of choosing [one’s] faith [as a result of] persuasion and reflection, [instead of] oppression, authority, condescension, and coercion. [The Koran] says: ‘O my people! Tell me, if I have with me clear proof from my Lord, and He has granted me mercy from Himself, and it has been made obscure to you; shall we force you to (accept) it while you are averse to it?’ [Koran 11:28]

“Gradual Action Does Not Impose Islam at Once – But Rather Step by Step”

“There is no other way but gradual action, preparing the [people’s] souls and setting an example, so that faith will enter their hearts… Gradual action does not impose Islam at once, but rather step by step, in order to facilitate understanding, studying, acceptance, and submission.

“[Allah] the Exalted said: ‘And those who disbelieve say, Why was the Koran not revealed to him [i.e., to the Prophet] all at once? [So] that We may strengthen thereby your heart’ [Koran 25:32]. The Koran was sent down in parts over 23 years, according to the events, the circumstances, and the laws that these [circumstances] entailed, and in order to strengthen [people’s] hearts and make it easier [for them] to memorize and understand [the Koran]. And this [verse] is the ultimate proof: ‘And it is a Koran which We have revealed in portions so that you may read it to the people by slow degrees…’ [Koran 17:106].

“The Prophet, peace be upon him, acted in a gradual manner, by first preparing the people, and then [preparing] family, society, state, and finally the caliphate… This gradual method is also employed in the Koran [itself] with respect to the prohibition on [drinking] wine…[3] It was also employed in presenting the duties of Islam… First, there were two prayers – at noon and in the evening – and after people grew accustomed to them, Allah ordered five prayers during the day and night…

“At the [Muslim Brotherhood’s] fifth conference, [the movement’s founder,] Imam [Hassan] Al-Banna, spoke about gradual action and reliance on education, and clarified the stages [of implementing the shari’a]. They [i.e., the movement’s founding members] believed that da’wa must come in phases: The phase of reading, learning the idea, and delivering it to the public; the phase of forming [the idea]; and the phase of implementation, work and results. At that same conference, Al-Banna said, addressing the hasty: ‘Listen to what I say in a loud, resounding voice: This way of yours, whose phases are written and whose boundaries are defined, is long, but there is no alternative [way]. I am not with those who want to pick the fruit before it has ripened. Those who wait patiently for the seed to sprout, the tree to grow, the fruit to ripen, and the harvest to arrive – their reward will be with Allah… May that be the payment of those who do good.’”

The Islamic Streams Should Unite to “Restore the Caliphate”

“I ask the honorable Al-Azhar to rally the Islamic streams in order to unite the Muslim word and effort, restore the caliphate, and prepare a practical plan to implement the law of Allah the Exalted. This is the goal of the honorable Al-Azhar and of all Islamic streams. And Allah will help.

“O Allah, guide us, open our hearts to faith, and restore this [Muslim] nation to its previous self – one united nation worshipping You and You alone.”

Endnotes:
[1] http://www.ikhwanonline.com, June 11, 2011.

[2] This refers to the March 30, 2011 referendum on a series of constitutional amendments which limited the president to two terms in office, enabled independent candidates to run for president, removed restrictions on the establishment of political parties, and set the parliamentary elections to September 2011. Though the referendum did not deal with the country’s religious identity, Muslim Brotherhood propaganda created the impression that those who supported the amendments supported the religion, while those who opposed them, opposed the religion. The amendments passed, and on March 23, a temporary “constitutional declaration” was published, valid until the elections of a new parliament, which is to draft a new constitution. Recently, a debate has started regarding the election date, and whether the new constitution should be drafted before the elections take place. Those who support postponing the elections argue that it will allow the new political parties to prepare for them, thus giving these parties a fairer chance to compete with the established powers – the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party.

[3] The Koran initially forbade the drinking of wine only during prayer; later a sweeping prohibition was introduced.

Related articles

• Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Dismantling Mubarak’s State for a Sharia State (ibloga.blogspot.com)
• Shari’a law to blame for stoning of young Muslim beauty contest competitor? (hotair.com)
• Egypt’s military considering postponing September elections by three months(onecatholicnews.wordpress.com)