Jahiliyyah!

[Nur]

Nomads.

 

The Holy Quraan has gems of knowledge that many readers do not pay attention to. When you read the Holy Quraan with a sincere soul ( Qalbun Saleem), you can get inspired in a special way. Today I would like to share a Quraanic Terminology and its shocking meaning.

 

Jaahiliyyah!

 

What is Jaahiliyyah.

 

Jaahiliyyah is like the night, its dark, its evil and the opposite to Islam in every sense which is the daylight. Omar Ibnul Khattab RAA said:

 

He who can not identify Jaahiliyyah, Does Not Know Islam!

 

What a contrast!

 

According to Lisaan al Carab, the word has root in Al Jayhala, which is a a stick that was used to move firewood around in a fire place. From that root, the Arabs began using the word for moving the fire, and then it progressed to be used as an adjective describing an angry person like a fire reacting to the stick that moves it by violent flares, and at the end it became synonymous to a person speaking without a knowledge of the subject matter.

 

From that origin, when Islam was born and the word of Tawhid, the Arabs reacted violently against this new religion, and their reaction earned them the name Jahiliyyah.

 

Now, let us examine Four Manifestations of the Jahiliyyah System:

 

1. Their Belief System: Dhannal Jaahiliyyah

 

Allah SWT says in Surah Al Imran Verse 154: ".......and they thought wrongly of Allah - the thought of Jahiliyyah..."

 

Meaning, they have the wrong idea about Allah, hence their actions.

 

 

2. Their Judicial System: Xukmal Jaahiliyyah

 

Allah SWT says in Surah ِ ِAl Maedah Verse 50: Do they then seek the judgment of Jahiliyyah? And who is better in judgment than Allah for a people who have firm Faith.

 

Because they yearn for the Jahiliyyah legal system, it follows that they build their allegiance in line with those opposing Allah's law, which is the third quality of those described in Holy Quraan as the people ofJahiliyyah

 

 

3. Their Loyalty System: Xamiyatul Jahiliyyah For the Clan

 

Allah SWT sys in Surah Al Fatx Verse 26: "When those who disbelieve had put in their hearts pride and haughtiness the pride and haughtiness of the Jahiliyyah, then Allah sent down His Sakinah (calmness and tranquillity) upon His Messenger and upon the believers, and made them stick to the word of piety, and they were well entitled to it and worthy of it. And Allah is the All-Knower of everything

 

Xamiyyatul Jahiliyyah means loyalty to the Clan and Nationalism and acting in a fiery way and violently in their preservation. From this definition, all of the human misery that took place in Somalia in the past can be traced back to this form of Jahiliyyah

 

4. Their Social Norms: Tabarrujul Jaahiliyyah aka Fashion Show

 

Allah SWT advices Muslim women in Surah Al Axzab, verse : .......and do not show yourselves off like the show off of the Jahiliyyah

 

 

This type of Social Jahiliyyah is the basis of the social decadence in Muslim societies.

 

 

Now, let us apply this lesson on Somalia, Somaliland, Puntland, Jubbaland, Shababland, Ahlusunnaland or e-Nuricyberland.

 

If The Belief System is Not Based on Tawheed and has the wrong idea about Allah SWT

If The Legal System is not Allah's Law

If Loyalty is Xamiyatul Jahiliyyah, for the Clan

If Social norms are permissive and not observing Allah's Law

 

If in a court of law, four proofs are presented against a suspect, a jury is likely to send the suspect to jail

If a Medical Doctor confirms four signs of a ailment, the Doctor prescribes the right medicine to save the patient

 

Can we then safely say that a society that displays all four manifestation of Jahiliyyah is a indeed a Jahili Society?

 

If you disagree, please enlighten us.

 

 

Nur

 

2011 eNuri Aqeeda Vigils

Standing Up For Allah Alone!

[Warmoog]

To the above, it helps to add the term's technical meanings and usage so that it is better understood. This term can have either a general or specific connotation. Its proper general usage refers to the period of time before the beginning of the revelation to Prophet Muhammad, salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. That was an age during which ignorance and misguidance completely prevailed and no one was upon the right path. The People of the Book were following religions which had by then become corrupted and the inhabitants of Arabia were predominately pagan. With the coming of the revelation, that period of general Jaahiliyyah ended. The period since then has been one throughout which the final, universal revelation will remain preserved and protected by Allah, unlike the previous revelations, and rightly-guided adherents of Allah's religion will exist among humanity at all times.

 

The Prophet, salallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, foretold that some aspects of Jaahiliyyah will persist and deviations will occur among the Ummah, but there will always be some Muslims who are on the right path and the world will remain as such until the Day of Judgment. It is for these reasons that <a href="http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/103660/jahiliyyah" target="_blank">scholars make the distinction between the age of general Jaahiliyyah and the specific remnants and reminders of it in the present day, saying that the term cannot be applied generally to all modern societies or whole Muslim societies. That would imply that Muslim societies have totally lost touch with Islam and have returned to the state of the pre-Islamic age and that no one in those societies is on the right path anymore, which would be a false idea. Certain types of attitudes and behaviours found among Muslims can be said to be of ignorance, but such statements have to be kept specific and restricted.

 

I once misused this term in another section of SOL by applying it sweepingly and incorrectly (may Allah forgive me). No one corrected me at the time and the mistake dawned on me much later. Hopefully, others will avoid making a similar mistake.

[Nur]

Can I deduce from the above that the answer to my Question:

 

"Can we then safely say that a society that displays all four manifestation of Jahiliyyah is a indeed a Jahili Society?

 

To Be:

 

NO, we can not. Even if all four above qualifiers appear in a Modern Muslim society ( That is all Muslim Societies since the Prophethood of Muhammad SAWS). Reason being that the scholars have reached that conclusion because applying this term to modern Muslim societies would imply that we have all lost touch with Islam altogther, which is an impossibility, therefore it follows that today's Muslim societies can never be referred to as Jaahili Society no matter what Jahiliyyah attribute they display, because Jaahiliyyah was only a period in time that have passed long ago and will never appear back again in modern Muslim societies.

 

Recapping the above summary of my understanding of your answer:

 

"If Muslim Societies become oblivious to the true meaning of Islam as it was meant by Allah and His Messenger, they can not be referred to as Jaahiliyyah Society, because Jahiliyyah would imply that they are oblivious to Islam " ( a circular logic).

 

Let me know if this is your answer before I respond.

 

Nur

[Warmoog]

Nur, what you deduced is not quite what I would say, but I will give an answer in my own words. I hope you have first understood that the lexical definition you provided above conveys a sense of what the term Jaahiliyyah means, but does not convey how it is applied. That is where the technical definition is useful and it is not based off my own thoughts, but based on the accepted view among the scholars. (The word 'scholars' in my post above is actually a link to a source containing some of their explanations on this matter.) It is good practice to provide both the lexical and technical definitions when they are available and in this particular case, knowing how to properly apply the term is crucial because it carries grave implications if it is misapplied.

 

The reason I did not directly address the question in your original post is because the way it is formulated is flawed. Quoting verses of the Quran which talk about pre-Islamic Arabia and its pagan society and then saying let us apply those verses to modern Muslim societies in a general way is basically an invitation to take them out of context. The line of reasoning you are using only leads the reader to make a false general comparison between pre-Islamic pagan society and modern Muslim societies, and it is due to a mistaken pre-conclusion on your part that such a broad comparison is valid, even though you did not actually establish its validity.

 

The validity of it cannot be established because the full conditions of the pre-Islamic age existed only during that particular time. There is no real basis upon which to draw a general, overarching correlation between what existed before the advent of Islam and what came after it, or what exists now, especially when it comes to societies that have accepted Islam. Jaahili society was a non-Muslim society. Muslim societies are Muslim societies, and the scholars make it very clear that it is impermissible and unacceptable to label them as 'Jaahili' in a general way. It would have the meaning of saying, implicitly or explicitly, that they are non-Muslim societies.

 

Brother, I hope that clarifies things now. If we want to be mindful of what is correct and Islamically permissible, we should know how this term is used and we should be willing to use it properly. Again, there is a huge difference between saying that there are certain aspects of ignorance among Muslims in a specific, restricted way and sweepingly labelling a whole Muslim society or, worse, all modern Muslim societies as 'Jaahili'. The latter would be a serious misuse of the term and it is not something that can be taken lightly. I hope you give this matter careful thought and consult the right scholarly sources before venturing any further.

[Nur]

Ukhti Al Kareemah

 

You write:

 

I hope you have first understood that the lexical definition you provided above conveys a sense of what the term Jaahiliyyah means, but does not convey how it is applied

 

I have done so, After explaining the Lexical Definition ( Lugha), I applied the term on four Technical contexts. ( Istilaax Sharci)

 

1. Dannal Jaahiliyyah

2. Xukmal Jaahiliyyah

3. Xamiyatal Jaahiliyyah

4. Tabarrujul Jaahiliyyah

 

For Example. In Arabic Zakaat Lexically means growth, Technically ( Istilaaxan) though , it means The Poor Due, or alms giving.

 

You write: The reason I did not directly address the question in your original post is because the way it is formulated is flawed. Quoting verses of the Quran which talk about pre-Islamic Arabia and its pagan society and then saying let us apply those verses to modern Muslim societies in a general way is basically an invitation to take them out of context

 

Can we apply this term when comparing the Pre-Islamic Arabia with present day Muslims?

 

Yes,

 

Narrated Abu Said: The Prophet said, "You will follow the wrong ways, of your predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into the hole of a mastigure, you too will go there." We said, "O Allah's Apostle! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom else?" (Meaning, of course, the Jews and the Christians.) Saheeh Bukhari 662

 

You write:

 

There is no real basis upon which to draw a general, overarching correlation between what existed before the advent of Islam and what came after it, or what exists now, especially when it comes to societies that have accepted Islam.

 

In a comparison, we only compare particular parameters, apples to apples, we are not looking for all parameters. In our case we are only interested in four aspects of the First Jahiliyyah ( In the Holy Quraan it reads, Al Jahiliyatil uulaa, hinting a second Jahiliyyah to come)

 

 

You write:

 

Jaahili society was a non-Muslim society. Muslim societies are Muslim societies, and the scholars make it very clear that it is impermissible and unacceptable to label them as 'Jaahili' in a general way. It would have the meaning of saying, implicitly or explicitly, that they are non-Muslim societies

 

Names are assigned to attributes. What happens when the name remains and the attributes are lost or changed or replaced by its opposite? I have shown four attributes of Jahili society. What happens when all four are found in a "Muslim" society? How about if I tell you that there is George and his Wife, both Catholics reading the Quraan, praying late night taraweeh and slaughtering a sheep to celebrate Eidul Adhaa , while their next door Muslim neighbors, Hassan and Halima celebrate Christmas with a big decorated Christmas tree and their children sing choir in the local Baptist church?

 

Ukhti, lastly, are you saying that :

 

The Term Jahiliyyah does not apply to any Muslim society even if they:

 

1. Have the wrong Aqeedah

2. Follow or legislate secular laws

3. Whose loyalty is not for Allah alone

4. Who collectively ignore Islamic etiquette in public?

 

Nur

[Warmoog]

Brother, I'm trying to help you avert a serious mistake, but you are rushing headlong into it. Did you read the source I linked above? It contains very relevant information. I'm pasting it here so please read it, then review what we have discussed so far and let me know if your position is still the same afterwards.

 

 

Islam-Q&A: Fatwa No. 103660

 

Is it permissible to use the word Jaahiliyyah to refer to societies after the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), whether they are kaafir or Muslim societies?.

 

Praise be to Allaah.

 

Firstly:

The word Jaahiliyyah is used to refer to the period before the coming of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). It refers to two things that are combined in this period: jahl (ignorance) and jahaalah (foolishness).

 

The word Jaahiliyyah is a blameworthy word. Ignorance and foolishness together are sufficient for a person to disavow himself of them, even if he has these attributes, and knowledge and guidance are sufficient for a person to feel proud of, if he has these attributes, and even if he does not.

 

In al-Mu’jam al-Waseet (1/300) it says:

Jaahiliyyah refers to the ways of the Arabs before Islam, namely foolishness and misguidance. End quote.

 

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Jaahiliyyah refers to that which came before Islam.

 

Fath al-Baari (10/468).

 

Al-Mannaawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Jaahiliyyah refers to the time before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent; they called it that because of the extent of their ignorance.

 

Fayd al-Qadeer (1/462).

 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

What is meant by Jaahiliyyah is the time before the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent, because at that time the people’s ignorance was great; it included ignorance both of the rights of Allaah and the rights of His slaves.

 

Al-Qawl al-Mufeed ‘ala Kitaab al-Tawheed (2/146); Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (10/ p. 601).

 

And he said:

Wailing is an act of Jaahiliyyah which inevitably continues to exist among this ummah, although it is something that belongs to the Jaahiliyyah, either because of ignorance which is the opposite of knowledge, or because of foolishness which is the opposite of wisdom.

 

Al-Qawl al-Mufeed ‘ala Kitaab al-Tawheed (2/149); Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (10/p. 603).

 

 

Secondly:

Allaah sent His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) with guidance and the religion of truth, and Allaah filled the world with light because of him, and brought people forth from darkness into light. By means of him, Allaah dispelled the darkness of ignorance and kufr. With his coming, the era of Jaahiliyyah ended, but has ignorance disappeared from all places and all eras? Of course not. Hence it is not permissible to describe all societies as ignorant after his coming (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but we cannot say that all societies are free of ignorance either. Some societies are still living in the depths of Jaahiliyyah, so they are not free of this attribute. But the societies on which the light of Islam has shone cannot be described in these terms, and even if they are falling short in some aspects of Islam they cannot be described as jaahili. The scholars are agreed on this point.

 

1. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

Before the sending of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) the people were in a state of Jaahiliyyah or ignorance.

Their words and actions had either been invented for them by one who was ignorant or they were done by one who was ignorant.

 

Similarly, everything that was contrary to the message brought by the Messengers, namely Judaism and Christianity, was Jaahiliyyah.

That was Jaahiliyyah in the general sense. But after the coming of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it may exist in one place and not another – as it exists in the lands of the kuffaar – and it may exist in one person and not another; a man is in state of Jaahiliyyah before he becomes Muslim, even if he lives in a Muslim land.

 

But in general terms of time, there is no Jaahiliyyah after the coming of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), because among his ummah there is a group which will continue to prevail and follow the truth until the Hour begins.

 

In specific terms, Jaahiliyyah may appear in some Muslim lands, and in many Muslim individuals, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Four things among my ummah are of the Jaahiliyyah” and he said to Abu Dharr: “You are a man in whom there is some Jaahiliyyah” and so on.

 

And he said in this hadeeth: “Someone who tries to follow a jaahili way after becoming Muslim.” This refers to Jaahiliyyah in general, specific type of Jaahiliyyah, Judaism, Christianity, Magianism, Sabianism. idolatry, or a combination of all or some of these or a way that is adopted some of these jaahili religions, because all of them are innovated and were abrogated and became Jaahiliyyah with the coming of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him); although the word Jaahiliyyah is usually used to refer to the Arabs and their former ways, the meaning is still the same.

 

Iqtida’ al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (p. 78, 79)

 

 

2. Explaining what is wrong with the phrase “The Jahiliyyah of the twentieth century”, Shaykh Bakr Abu Zayd (may Allaah preserve him) said: The great scholar al-Albaani said that this phrase involves exaggeration and overlooking the fact that Islam prevailed over all other religions. In Hayaat al-Albaani (the Life of al-Albaani) it says:

The phrase “The Jaahiliyyah of the twentieth century” in al-Albaani’s opinion:

 

Question: The daa’iyah Sayyid Qutub (may Allaah have mercy on him) used a phrase that is often repeated in some Islamic schools of thought of which he is the figurehead, namely “The Jaahiliyyah of the twentieth century”. How precise and correct is this phrase? To what extent does it correspond to the Jaahiliyyah of ancient times in your opinion?

 

Al-Albaani replied:

Praise be to Allaah and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah and his family and companions and those who followed him after that. What I think is that this phrase, “The Jaahiliyyah of the twentieth century”, is not free of exaggeration about the current century – the twentieth century. The fact that Islam is alive in this century, even though it has been infiltrated by things that are not part of it, means that we cannot say that this century is like the first Jaahiliyyah of old.

 

We know that what is meant by the first Jaahiliyyah is the Arabs only: they were idolaters, they were clearly misguided, and it applies to the religions that existed around the Arabs, namely Judaism and Christianity, which are distorted religions. Therefore, at that time there was no pure religion left that had not been changed and altered. Undoubtedly describing that era as Jaahiliyyah is correct. But that is not the case in the present era,

because Allaah blessed the Arabs first, then the rest of mankind, by sending to them Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Seal of the Prophets, to whom He revealed the religion of Islam, which is the final religion, and Allaah has promised to preserve this religion as He says (interpretation of the meaning): “Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur’aan) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption)” [al-Hijr 15:9].

 

His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the Muslim ummah, although it would be faced with some deviation as befell the nations before it, he said: “You will certainly follow the ways of those who came before you hand span by hand span, cubit by cubit, to the extent that if they entered the hole of a lizard, you will enter it too.” We said: “O Messenger of Allaah, (do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said: “Who else?” I say, Although the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told us that the Muslims would deviate to a large extent and they would imitate the Jews and Christians in that deviation, at the same time he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also gave his followers the glad tidings that they would continue to follow the line that he drew for them. He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “My ummah will divide into seventy-three sects, all of whom will be in Hell except one.” They said: What is it, O Messenger of Allaah? He said: “It is the jamaa’ah (main body of the Muslims)” and according to another report he said: “It is the group that follows the same path as me and my companions.”

 

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) confirmed that when he said in a hadeeth the authenticity of which is agreed upon: “A group of my ummah will continue to prevail adhering to the truth and they will not be harmed by those who oppose them, until the decree of Allaah comes to pass.”

[Warmoog]

(continued from the above)

 

So there is still in this ummah a good and blessed group that is following the guidance of the Qur’aan and Sunnah and is far removed from the Jaahiliyyah of the past or present. Hence I think that using the word “Jaahiliyyah” to refer to the twentieth century is exaggeration, because this may give the impression that all of Islam has deviated completely from Tawheed and sincerity in worshipping Allaah alone. So this century – the twentieth century – has become like the time of Jaahiliyyah in which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was sent to bring them forth from darkness into light.

In that case, this usage in general terms should be limited to the kuffaar first, those of whom Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): “Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allaah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allaah and His Messenger (Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم), (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued” [al-Tawbah 9:29]. Describing the twentieth century as Jaahiliyyah can only be applied to non-Muslims who do not follow the Qur’aan and Sunnah.

 

But using it in general terms may imply that there is no goodness left in the Muslims, and this is contrary to what has been explained above in the ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said that there would remain a group of this ummah that would adhere to the truth, such as the hadeeth in which he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Islam began as something strange and will go back to being something strange so glad tidings to the strangers.” They said: Who are they, O Messenger of Allaah? There are several versions of this hadeeth, in some of which the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) described the strangers as: “The ones who will revive what the people neglect of my Sunnah after I am gone.” According to another report he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “They are people who are righteous and few in number among many people and those who disobey them will be more than those who obey them.”

 

Hence it is not permissible to use this description (Jaahiliyyah) in general terms to refer to the current era, because among them – praise be to Allaah – there are some good ones who still adhere to the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his Sunnah, and it will continue like that until the Hour begins.

Moreover, in the words of Sayyid Qutub – may Allaah have mercy on him – and in some of his books there is that which makes the researcher think that he may have been somewhat over-zealous in the way in which he explained Islam to people. Perhaps his excuse for doing so may be that he was writing in a literary style. With regard to some matters of fiqh, such as when he spoke about workers in his book al-‘Adaalah al-Ijtimaa’iyyah (Social Justice), he started to write about Tawheed, and with phrases all of which are strongly worded and instill in the hearts of believers confidence in their religion and faith. In that sense he did indeed renew the call of Islam in the hearts of the youth. Even if we feel sometimes that he said some things which indicate that he did not have the time to examine thoroughly some of the issues that he wrote about, in brief we may say that using this word (Jaahiliyyah) to describe the modern age in sweeping terms is not free from some element of exaggeration which leads to undermining the group that is still prevailing and adhering to the truth. And this is all that I have to say about this matter. End quote.

 

Mu’jam al-Manaahi al-Lafziyyah (p. 212-215).

 

 

3. Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) was asked: Is it permissible to use the word Jaahiliyyah with reference to contemporary Muslim societies?

 

He replied:

Jaahiliyyah in general terms ended with the coming of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), so it is not permissible to apply this word to Muslim societies in general terms. As for applying some of its characteristics to describe certain individuals, or some groups, or some societies, that is acceptable and permissible.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to one of his Sahaabah: “You are a man in whom there is some Jaahiliyyah.” And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are four matters of Jaahiliyyah in my ummah that they will not give up: pride in one’s forefathers, slandering lineages, seeking rain by the stars and wailing.”

 

Al-Ajwabah al-Mufeedah ‘an As’ilah al-Manaahij al-Jadeedah (86, question no. 31).

 

 

Thirdly:

It is not permissible for the Muslim to regard Muslim societies with a sense of arrogance or to look down on them. That includes regarding all of them as ignorant, deviant and doomed.

 

It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If a man says ‘the people are doomed,’ he is the one who caused their doom.” Narrated by Muslim (2623).

 

Imam Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

What this refers to, according to the scholars, is when a man says this by way of looking down on them and showing contempt towards them, and expressing self-admiration. But if he says that out of sorrow and regret, and out of fear for them because of what he sees of their reprehensible actions, then he is not one of those referred to in this hadeeth. The difference between the two is that in the first case the speaker is pleased with himself and admires himself, and he is envious of those who are above him and scornful of those who are below him, whereas in the second case he is scolding and rebuking himself and is not pleased with himself.

 

Al-Tamheed (21/242).

 

And Allaah knows best.

[Khayr]

ِAl Maedah Verse 50: Do they then seek the judgment of Jahiliyyah? And who is better in judgment than Allah for a people who have firm Faith.

 

If only those demo-crazy jean wearing young arabs in Egypt would reflect and those that suppor their cause. SubhanAllah!

[Nur]

Ukhti Al Fadilah

 

I went through the entire post, I found it very interesting by representing differing opinions of some modern and old scholars. Noteworthy is Ibn Taymia, and Sheikh Fawzan's take on the issue. The Classification that there are two types of JAAHILIYYAH, a General one and a Specific one, and that the Specific one may apply on a. Individuals, Groups and Societies, although there is no Daleel Sharci from the quraan and Hadeeth to support, is sufficient to answer my thread question: "Can we then safely say that a society that displays all four manifestation of Jahiliyyah is a indeed a Jahili Society? in the Affirmative.

 

The Hadeeth that Muslims will follow the Jews and Christians in every way and the Verse in Surah Al Maedah 50, that was describing the Jews "Do they then seek the judgment of Jahiliyyah? And who is better in judgment than Allah for a people who have firm Faith. connects the dots that, as the jews have sought the Jahiliyah Law instead of the Tawraat that was revealed to them, likewise, Muslims will one day follow them to the end, and adopt Jaahiliyyah Law.

If that happens, the question is : Can we safely refer to such a society a Jahili Society? the classification of General Jahiliyyah and Specific Jahiliyah is a red herring, it does not add value in the afore mentioned question.

 

However, to settle the linguistic errors that I found in the post, inshaAllah, when I get more time, I will filter the following verses to show clearly that some of the translated words from the Sheikhs words require simplification for those who only rely on the English translation as it can be misleading at times.

 

The scholars have their own limitation ( what the say can be accepted or rejected based on Quran and Sunnah) , when you add that limitation to loss of original meaning in the translation from the Arabic to the English text, the confusion increases. For that purpose, before I respond fully for the above post, I will attempt to find the Arabic sources of the quotes in order to make sure that I capture the subtleties in the translations.

 

Secondly. The word Jahiliyyah and its derivatives have been brought up in the above thread in a way that confuses the topic which is centered on a single Term ' Jaahliyyah

 

In the Holy Quraan, the root verb JAHILA and its derivatives have been mentioned in the Holy Quraan as follows:

 

1. YAJ HALU a. Ancaam 111,YAJ haluun, b. Acraaf138, Huud 29, Al 55Naml , Axqaaf 23 TAJ haluun,

2. JAAHIL a. Al Baqara 273

3. JAAHILUUN, a. Yusuf 89, Al Furqaan 63, Al Zumar, 64,

4. JAAHILIIN a. Al Baqara 67, Al Ancaam 35, Al Acraaf 199, Huud 46, Yusuf 33

5. JAAHILIYYAH a. Al Cimraan 154, Al Maedah 50, Al Axzaab 33, Al Fatx 26

6. JAHAALAH a. Al Nisaa 17, Al Ancaam 54, Al Nxl 119, Al Xujuraat 6

 

InshaAllah, I will go through the above verses to glean useful information that will enrich the debate.

 

Baarkallahu Feeki

 

 

Nur

[Nur]

Bismillah, wa bihi astaciin

 

Regarding the translation of the terms used in the translation of some of the fatwas, I found as I suspected that the Term " GENERAL" Jaahilyyah, was grossly mistranslated. In the Arabic Language, the term used was "ITLAAQ" in the sense of absoluteness, which different from the word, "Caam" as in General.

 

The meaning hence is that in the absolute sense "Jaahiliyyah" means The STATE OF AFFAIRS" (Xaalah) ( Sidii lagu dhaqmi jrey) The period before the appearance of The Messenger of Allah Muhammad SAWS and after the disappearance of the last Abrahamic guidance. In that sense, "Jahiliiyah" can be the immediate period before appearance of any Prophet/Messenger according to the Hadeeth narrated by Cimraan Ibn Xussayin that the Messenger of Allah said in that hadeeth a ( Part of The Hadeeth) (There was no Prophethood that was not preceded by "Jahiliiyah" Reported by Tirmidhi.

 

"Jahiliiyah" Partial "Jahiliiyah" can be found in a specific person. Also, a partial "Jahiliiyah" can be found in a given society, in both cases, we can not say that the person or that society is a Jahili, but according to the Hadeeth, we say he/she is a person with a "Jahiliiyah" trait akaif that person claims superiority on others by insulting them. Wailing at loss of a loved one etc. Here we have what I call a partial "Jahiliiyah", not specific, which is a misleading term even if it was translated from the Arabic word " Khaassah".

 

Likewise, a society can be partially Jahiliyyah if that society displays a limited trait of "Jahiliiyah", such as TABARRUJ ( Women displaying their bodies to attract men), but that trait alone is not sufficient to make that society "Jahiliiyah", since that is a partial "Jahiliiyah".

 

We have to understand that Islam is a complete system which opposes another complete system aka Jaahiliyyah. When Allah SWT said in Holy Quraan " Today I have completed for you DEEN (System that is composed of Human interrelationships and Human-Divine interrelationship), this meant that SYTEM was complete and it is DIFFERENT than Jaahiliyyah. Its important to note that when Islam appeared that it opposed "Jahiliiyah", NOT KUFR. Because iimaan opposes Kufr in the strictest sense, while Islam opposes a system that is at odds with it in every sense (Beliefs, laws, loyalties etc). Because in the beginning, there was only a set of information from Allah that were to revealed to be believed in, and rejection of such belief was disbelief KUFR. Later when the belief in the information the Messenger of Allah delivered was accepted by a the companions and their numbers swelled, it followed that the code of orders for changing the SYSTEM of the "Jahiliiyah" were revealed, which became a test for those who claimed to have believed in the information that was revealed to Muhammad SAWS, to see if they would indeed fulfill the orders that were sent down by Allah SWT, and precisely its here where the Jaahiliyyah of Beliefs of the hypocrites (Munafiqeen) was exposed in Al Imran 154 that Allah SWT says:

 

Then after the distress, He sent down security for you. Slumber overtook a party of you, while another party was thinking about themselves (as how to save their own selves, ignoring the others and the Prophet ) and thought wrongly of Allah - the thought pattern of Jaahiliyyah. They said, "Have we any part in the affair?" Say you (O Muhammad ): "Indeed the affair belongs wholly to Allah." They hide within themselves what they dare not reveal to you, saying: "If we had anything to do with the affair, none of us would have been killed here." Say: "Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death," but that Allah might test what is in your breasts; and to atone that which was in your hearts (sins), and Allah is All* Knower of what is in (your) breasts.

 

Now, let us use modern terminology of this Jaahiliyyah Beliefs to simplify for the Facebook and Twitter generation. Let us call it a Worldview, which signifies our perception of the past, present and the future. This world view can be influenced by the revelation, or it can be different than the revealed information, in which case it becomes a JAAHILIYYAH worldview or Dhannal Jaahiliyyah.

 

The Jaahili World view in above verse is based on selfishness " Naftooda ooo qudha ayaa u daran", which leads to the corruption of all other aspects of common interest and social life hence the corruption of the law ( Xukmal Jaahiliyyah) and Loyalty system ) ( Xamiyatul Jaahiliyyah) aka the anger, haughtiness and stubbornness.

 

My question in this thread was examining the case when all of the elements of the Jaahiliyyah System are manifested in a modern society that claims to be "Muslim Society", we set out in this thread to verify such a claim in a scholarly way.

 

A common mistake in most translations including the above Fatwas is that Jaahiliyyah is translated as mere ignorance or not having the right information. ( Fuqdaan al Cilm). Ig that was the case, it woul have been logical that the minute the knowledge was revealed to any Jaahili Society, that they would immediately adopt this new faith. But it was always quite the opposite. Although they have realized the information revealed to them as TRUE, they have always stubbornly rejected it as Allah SWT tells in the Holy Quraan referring to Pharoah of Egypt's rejection of the signs of Allah as shown by Prophet Moses May Peace Be Upon Him:

 

"But when Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) came to them, clear to see, they said: "This is a manifest magic."

14 . And they belied them (those Signs) wrongfully and arrogantly, though their own selves were convinced thereof [i.e. those (Ayat) are from Allah, and Musa (Moses) is the Messenger of Allah in truth, but they disliked to obey Musa (Moses), and hated to believe in his Message of Monotheism]. So see what was the end of the Mufsidun (disbelievers, disobedient to Allah, evil-doers, liars.).

 

The above verse shows that the act of rejecting clear signs of Allah is the epitome of Jaahiliyyah as displayed by Pharaoh who was blinded by his power to subjugate the oppressed Children of Prophet Israel ( Yacqub- Jacob) May Peace Be Upon Him.

 

Sheikh Utheimeen, Raximahu Allah's quote has been taken out of context. What the Sheikh says is that by the arrival of Islam, falsehood was weakened, in the sense that no one can claim that they don't have the right information from Allah as an alibi. We know this to be true since the Prophet SAWS talked about an era that would come later that Islam will be strange again like the early days of Makkah, and for that to happen, Jaahiliyyah must be fully established in a previously "Muslim" society. The quote from Sheikh Uthaimeen Raximahullah clarifies that if we find a partial Jaahiliyyah trait in otherwise observant Muslim society that we can not call it a Jaahili Society. The Sheikh says: And even if they are falling short in some aspects of Islam they cannot be described as jaahili Note the word Some aspects, which implies if all aspects are are manifested there is no Islam Inside .

 

Ibn Taimiyah's caption above used the word Itlaaq ( which is mistranslated as General instead of word Absolute). He supports also that partial and absolute Jaahiliyyah can be found in a person or a society. The Sheikh says:

 

[...But after the coming of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), it may exist in one place and not another – as it exists in the lands of the kuffaar – and it may exist in one person and not another; a man is in state of Jaahiliyyah before he becomes Muslim, even if he lives in a Muslim land.

 

In Conclusion. The answer to the my question lies in understanding the context:

 

The Context of Term Jaahiliyyah:

 

1. Historical: Its only the period prior to the appearance of Islam and the Prophethood of Muhammad SAWS. And this is what most of the Ulema referred to.

 

2. Judicial ( Xukum): Any Period when Islam as a system is replaced by any other belief system with its own Laws, Culture, Allegiance, Social Norms etc. This further classified as:

 

A. Absolute: When it is the only visible SYSTEM

i. Person: Who is not a Muslim is Jaahiili

ii. A Society : That has chosen to take a wholesome SYSTEM opposite to Islam as their System.

 

B. Partial: When aspects of Jaahiliyyah is visible

i. In a person ( Does not make him Jaahili)

ii. In a Society ( Does not sufficiently make it Jaahil)

 

 

 

Wallahu Aclam.

 

Nur

 

2011 e-Nuri Caqeeda Vigils

Standing For Allah Alone

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

all this so you can call people jaahil, lol

[Khayr]

Nur,

 

JazakAllah khayrun for your clarification on the term "Jahilliyah".

 

B. Partial: When aspects of Jaahiliyyah is visible

i. In a person ( Does not make him Jaahili)

ii. In a Society ( Does not sufficiently make it Jaahil)

 

This part is confusing and does not support your other comment of:

 

Now, let us use modern terminology of this Jaahiliyyah Beliefs to simplify for the Facebook and Twitter generation. Let us call it a Worldview, which signifies our perception of the past, present and the future. This world view can be influenced by the revelation, or it can be different than the revealed information, in which case it becomes a JAAHILIYYAH worldview or Dhannal Jaahiliyyah.

 

The Jaahili World view in above verse is based on selfishness " Naftooda ooo qudha ayaa u daran", which leads to the corruption of all other aspects of common interest and social life hence the corruption of the law ( Xukmal Jaahiliyyah) and Loyalty system ) ( Xamiyatul Jaahiliyyah) aka the anger, haughtiness and stubbornness.

Naxar,

 

How ironic is that you respond to this thread?

[Nur]

Akhi Kheir

 

Let remove the confusion from the above statement:

 

I wrote: Now, let us use modern terminology of this Jaahiliyyah Beliefs to simplify for the Facebook and Twitter generation. Let us call it a Worldview, which signifies our perception of the past, present and the future. This world view can be influenced by the revelation, or it can be different than the revealed information, in which case it becomes a JAAHILIYYAH worldview or Dhannal Jaahiliyyah. The Jaahili World view in above verse is based on selfishness " Naftooda ooo qudha ayaa u daran", which leads to the corruption of all other aspects of common interest and social life hence the corruption of the law ( Xukmal Jaahiliyyah) and Loyalty system ) ( Xamiyatul Jaahiliyyah) aka the anger, haughtiness and stubbornness.

 

This paragraph is simply explaining Dhannal Jaahiliyyah which is the Aqeedah component that governs all other aspects of the Jaahiliyah system ( its like the source code of an application software . If the Aqeedah aspect is seriously flawed, its sufficient enough to make a person or a society a Jahili, because it will adversely affect the Laws, and the social system . If the Aqeedah concept is not critical, then it does not by itself make a person or a society a Jahili and this is the case that I have concluded with at the end of the thread, notice that I have used TABARRUJ, since it is not a critical Jahiliyyah component as serious as the Aqeedah ( Dhannal Jahiliyyah) component.

 

Baarakallahu feek

 

Nur

[Nur]

Journey In Time From Mecca Village to The Modern Global Village

 

 

Nur

[Warmoog]

Some more clarifications are needed here. The fatwa was meant to show that the scholars makes an important distinction between the two types of Jaahiliyyah on the basis of specific Quran verses and Ahadith. The distinction comes with important rulings which govern how this term is applied and they are the key to understanding this concept. I agree the words general and specific are imprecise. General does not fully convey the pervasiveness of the pre-Islamic Jaahiliyyah. In Sheikh Fawzaan's Aqeedah at-Tawheed, the two types are referred to as Universal Jaahiliyyah and Restricted Jaahiliyyah, which in my view are more fitting. The terms used above, Absolute and Partial, are also more suitable.

 

The fatwa is most useful in the way it presents what the scholars, past and present, have said on this subject and it shows that there are no major differences of opinion among them. They have generally said the same things in different words. Their definitions and rulings can be summed up as follows:

1) Jaahiliyyah is of two types: Universal and Restricted (or Absolute and Partial)

2) Universal Jaahiliyyah existed during the pre-Islamic age; it was ended by the mission of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him)

3) It is impermissible to say there has been Universal Jaahiliyyah during any period of time since the advent of Islam or to apply universality to the term in reference to any period since then

a) It would mean there is no true source of Divine Guidance in the world, as in the pre-Islamic age

b) It would contradict Allah's promise to preserve Islam (e.g. Surah al-Hijr 15:9)

c) It would contradict the hadiths that say some Muslims will always adhere to the truth

d) It would contradict the way term was applied by the Prophet (may peace and blessings be upon him)

4) Restricted Jaahiliyyah will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment; it may appear in some lands, some groups, or some individuals

a) Some of the characteristics of Jaahiliyyah can be used to describe certain people, groups, or lands

b) The description has to be made specific and restricted by a condition

Example:

A Muslim person may be said to have an element of Jaahiliyyah in him/her, if the description rightfully applies to him/her; or a Muslim land may be said to have some aspects of Jaahiliyyah in it, as opposed to it being described as a 'jaahili' land in general terms.

5) It is impermissible to describe whole Muslim societies or all Muslim societies as 'jaahili'

a) For all of the reasons mentioned in point 3

b) Only non-Muslim societies can be described as 'jaahili' in general terms

c) It is also impermissible to look down on Muslim societies and show contempt towards them

 

Those are the raw facts from what they have said. It needs to be reemphasized that in order to handle this subject properly in any discussion, the rulings on the usage of the term have to be followed. Knowing that Restricted Jaahiliyyah continues to exist and knowing it can appear in Muslim individuals, groups, or lands, we are required to address its manifestations in a specific and restricted way. It is impermissible to apply the term Jaahiliyyah in a general and unrestricted way to whole Muslim societies, the Ummah, or any period of time since the advent of Islam. As the fatwa stresses, "the scholars are agreed on this point" of it being impermissible to describe or view whole Muslim societies as 'jaahili'.

 

Now some brief points of correction about the conclusion drawn above: part 1 is correct, but 2 is incorrect. The Hukm factor that was added to the equation is out of place and the meaning of Absolute/Universal Jaahiliyyah was erroneously redefined. It does not apply to a particular person or society in the context of our time or any period since the advent of Islam. It is when there is a general absence of a true source of Divine Guidance and it refers to the Jaahiliyyah of the pre-Islamic era, which ended and will not return. Here are the definitions and rulings as explained in Sheikh Fawzaan's book:

 

Chapter 1.5: Jahiliyyah, Fisq, Dhalal, Riddah: Its Types and Rulings

From "The Book of Tawheed" translated by Mahmood Muraad

1. Jahiliyyah:

the state in which the Arabs were before Islam, during which they were ignorant of Allah, His Messengers and His laws, and were boastful of their ancestral nobility, arrogance, ruthlessness and the like.

 

Jahiliyyah is ignorance, or lack of knowledge. Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said: "He who does not know the truth possesses simple ignorance, but if he believes in other than the truth, his ignorance is compound. If he speaks against the truth knowingly or unknowingly, he is ignorant too. Having clarified this, people, were in an era of ignorance prior to the Mission of the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), for what they used to follow of utterances and deeds were invented by the ignorant and practices by the ignorant.

 

Similarly, everything which contradicts which the Messengers brought, whether the Messages of Judaism, or Christianity, is considered as Jahiliyyah. Such was the universal Jahiliyyah. But after the Mission of the Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), it is not more universal, rather Jahiliyyah may exist in one country or another. It also exists in the lands of infidels (non-Muslim countries). It may also exist in one person or another. For example, a man prior to his conversion to Islam, was in Jahiliyyah even though he lived in a Muslim country.

But there is no universal, or absolute Jahiliyyah after the Mission of Muhammad (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam). There shall always be a victorious band of his Ummah (nation) adhering to the truth until the Final Hour.

 

Restricted Jahiliyyah, one the other hand, may exist in some Muslims, and in many Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: "There are four traits of Jahiliyyah in my Ummah."

 

And he said to Abu Dharr: "You are a man, who possess a trace of Jahiliyyah."

 

In brief, Jahiliyyah is derived from Jahl which is lack of knowledge and it is of two kinds:

 

1. Universal Jahiliyyah, which existed before the Mission of the Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), and ended with it.

 

2. Restricted Jahiliyyah, which exists in some countries, cities or persons. Hence, it becomes clear the mistake of those who impute universal Jahiliyyah to this age referring to it as the Jahiliyyah of this century of the like. Whereas the correct statement to say is, 'the Jahiliyyah of some or most of the people of this century.' It is neither correct not permissible to impute universality to it, for universal Jahiliyyah was obliterated by the Mission of the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam).

This makes it abundantly clear that the age of Universal Jaahiliyyah ended and will not return. What exists now and will continue to exist until the Day of Judgment is Restricted Jaahiliyyah. We are required to address its manifestations accordingly; in specific and restricted terms. The scholars' position is pretty clear and straightforward. It has been presented and clarified so we have no excuse to ignore it.

 

I will expand on the points of correction, insha'Allah.