Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu ‘ala rasulullaah
Amma-ba’d

1) Secularism and Moral Values

MORAL values, such as honesty, trustworthiness, justice and chastity, are originally innate values which Allah planted in the hearts of mankind; then He sent His messengers with a system of life in accord with this innate disposition to affirm it.

  "So set your face toward the religion, as one by nature upright; the instinctive (religion) which Allah has created in mankind. There is no altering (the laws) of Allah's creation. That is the right religion but most people do not know." [Surat Ar-Rum:30].

 A believer adheres to these moral values because his nature, fortified by faith, induces him to do so, and because the religion he believes in commands him with them and promises him a reward for them in the Hereafter. Secularism, on the other hand, even in its less virulent form that satisfies itself with removing religion from political life, rejecting it and the innate values as a basis for legislation, undermines the two foundations for moral values in the hearts of mankind. As for secularism in its extreme atheistic form, it completely demolishes these two foundations and replaces them with human whims, either the whims of a few rulers in dictatorial systems or the whims of the majority in democratic systems.

 "Have you seen the one who has taken his own desire as his god? Would you then be a guardian over him?" [Al-Furqan:43].

 Since whims and desires are by their nature constantly changing, the values and behaviors based on them are also mutable. What is considered today to be a crime, punishable by law with the severest of penalties, and causes its practitioners to be deprived of certain rights granted to others, becomes permissible tomorrow, or even praiseworthy, and the one who objects to it becomes "politically incorrect." This shift from one point of view to its opposite, as a result of society's estrangement from innate religious values, is a frequent occurrence. However ignorant a traditional society may be, it, or many of its members, will maintain some innate values; but the further a society penetrates into secularism, the fewer such individuals will become, and the more marginal their influence will be, until the society collectively rebels against those same innate religious values it used to uphold. There may be another reason for some traditional Jahili cultures to maintain innate religious values: they might appeal to their desires, or they represent their heritage and do not conflict with their desires.

 "And when they are called to Allah and His Messenger to judge between them, Lo! a party of them refuse and turn away. But if the right is with them they come to Him willingly." [Al-Nur: 48-49].

 Their relationship with truth is similar to Satan's, as described by the Prophet (sallallahu alayhe wa sallam) to Abu Hurairah, whom Satan had advised to recite Ayat al-Kursi when going to bed: "He told you the truth, even though he is an inveterate liar." Contemporary Western, secular societies are the clearest examples of the shifting, self-contradictory nature of jahili civilization. From one angle it views culture and the values it rests upon as a relative, variable phenomenon. However, from another angle it characterizes some values as human values, views their violation as shocking, and punishes their violators severely. The sources of this problem are two fundamental principles which democratic secular societies rely upon. The first is majority rule as a standard for right and wrong in speech and behavior; the second is the principle of individual freedom. These two principles will necessarily conflict with each other if they are not subordinated to another principle that will judge between them.  Secularism, by its very nature, rejects religion, and in its Western form it does not consider fitrah (innate values) a criterion for what is beneficial or harmful for humanity. It has no alternative but to make these two principles an absolute standard for what behavior is permissible and appropriate, and what isn't. The contradiction and conflict between these two principles is showing itself plainly in some of the current hot issues in these societies.

 Those who advocate the acceptance of homosexuality and the granting to avowed homosexuals equal rights and opportunities in every aspect of life, including military service, base their argument on the principle of individual rights. They see no one as having the right to concern themselves with what they call their "sexual orientation." The same argument is made by supporters of abortion. You frequently hear them say incredulously, "How can I be prohibited from freedom of choice in my own affairs and over my own body? What right do legal authorities have to involve themselves in such personal matters?" The only argument their opponents can muster is that this behavior contradicts the values held by the majority of the population. Even though the basis for many people's opposition to abortion is moral or religious, they can't come out and say so openly, nor can they employ religious or moral arguments, since secular society finds neither of them acceptable.

 If we accept that there is no basis for values except individual or majority opinion, and that it is therefore possible for all values to change from one era to another, and from one society to another, this means there is no connection between values and what will benefit or harm people in their material and spiritual lives, which in turn means that all values are equality valid and it doesn't matter which values a given society accepts or rejects. However, this means that all behavior considered abhorrent by secular societies today, such as sexual molestation of children and rape of women for which it has serious penalties, are considered repulsive only because of current inclination, which might change tomorrow, so certain serious crimes may become acceptable, based on the principle of individual freedom.  The reason a secularist is confused when posed with certain questions is that his repugnance toward such crimes is not really based on these two principles, which have become the only accepted bases for argument in societies dominated by secularism; the real reason for it is the remnants of the moral feelings he still possesses from the original nature with which Allah endowed him, and which linger on in spite of his secularism. Perhaps the confusion of the secularist would increase if he were asked for what reason he had given such precedence to these democratic values, until he made them the standard by which all other values and behaviors are judged. If he says his reverence for them is based merely on current personal preference and inclination, or on cultural chauvinism, he will have no reply to one who opposes him on the basis of his contradictory personal preferences, or because the norms of his society differ from those of the other.

 

 The flimsy foundation of values in secular societies makes them liable to turn at any time against all the values they currently hold dear. It also paves the way for them to descend to their practices of the occupation and colonization of weaker nations. There is nothing to make them refrain from doing so, once one of them stands up and announces that there is a nationalist benefit to be gained by it and a large number of fellow citizens believe him. His policy proposal becomes official policy, based on the standard of majority approval.

It is, however, as you can see, an approval based on nothing more than greed. This has been the justification for every transgression in history. In fact it is the basis on which any animal attacks another. Personal freedom and majority rule are not, then, the fundamental values on which secular culture is based. That is because freedom entails choice, but it is not the criterion for that choice. I mean that whoever is given the freedom to choose needs a standard that he can use as the criterion for his choice. Likewise, majority opinion is not itself the standard; it is merely the result of many individual choices made on the basis of some standard. So what is the basis for the choices of a free individual and a free society in the secular system? It is, without the slightest doubt, those whims and desires which have taken the place of the real Deity.

 By Dr  By Jaafar Sheikh Idris--Translated by Riaz Ansary

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  2)The Disbelievers are like Cattle; Rather they are more astray!

Bismillaah Al-Hamdulillaah wa salatu wa salaamu ‘ala rasulullaah
Amma-ba’d

During his lecture “Refraining From The Disobedience of Allaah,” Shaykh Abu ‘Umar al-’Utaybi (hafidhahullaah Ta’aala) said:

Allaah, Subhanahu wa Ta’aala, said about the disbelievers – those who do not believe in Allaah and the Last Day – that they are like cattle:

???????? ????????? ??????????? ??????? ? ???? ???????? ????????? ?????? ?????? ? ??? ??????????? ????? ???????? ??????? ? ??? ??????????? ????? ???????? ????? ? ??? ??????????? ????? ??????????? ???????????? ???? ???? ??????? ??????????? ???? ?????????????

And surely, We have created many of the jinns and mankind for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not (the truth). They are like cattle, nay even more astray! They are the heedless ones. (Al-A’raf, ayah 179)

They are like cattle —-> because they don’t learn the commands and prohibitions, and they don’t act upon them.

Rather they are more astray —–> Why are they more astray?

1- The first question is: Why did Allaah make the disbelievers as the cattle?
2- The second question is: Why did Allaah say: ???? ???? ??????? (Rather they are more misguided and astray)?

Allaah said the disbelievers are like the animals because they don’t learn Allaah’s Deen, nor do they implement it. Because the animals don’t learn. They don’t read or write or teach (Allaah’s Religion). They only eat and seek their pleasure.Why are the disbelievers more astray than the animals? ——> Because the animals praise Allaah, whereas the disbelievers do not praise Allaah. The animal doesn’t commit polytheism. As for the disbeliever, he associates partners unto Allaah. For this reason, the disbeliever is more astray than the animal.So the individual who is intelligent and has an intelligent mind will know why he is created and will work to fulfill that purpose. So whoever is intelligent, he will be successful.

Who is the intelligent?Why is the intellect named in the Arabic language as ‘Aql?The ‘Aql is derived from the root word of a rope that is tied.

So when one wants to captivate an animal, you tie it so it doesn’t run away. Because if the animal runs away, it doesn’t know where to find its own benefit, because it could do good or bad. But when you tie the animal, you make the animal only do good. You only use the animal for what is beneficial. So the human being has a brain, and the animal has a brain. But your brain knows what will benefit you and what will harm you. Hence, you do what will benefit you, and abstain from what will harm you.So the one who ties himself down to do good and imprisons himself away from the prohibitions, he is the one who is ‘aaqil (has intellect). In the Arabic language, the intellect is also called a Hijr. It is a barrier that stands between an individual and evil.Hence, we see that the person of true intellect is the one who deprives himself from what Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, prohibited. So the true intellectual who does good and leaves evil, he is the one who is Sa’eed (successful, happy).So this is the definition of having a true, insightful intellect, the intellect which orders you with good and prohibits you from evil.It is not intended by intellect that a person knows the details of mathematics or he has knowledge of wordly matters that the believers and disbelievers share in. The intent of ‘aql (intellect) is the benfecial intellect which would help you stay away from entering the Hellfire.What benefit would it serve a person if had knowledge of business or manufacturing or physics or chemistry, but he worships a cow or a stone or the dead – instead of worshipping Allaah, The Ever-Living Who does not die?For this reason, Allaah said in the Qur`an regarding the disbelievers and hypocrites that they don’t have knowledge nor do they have the ability to analyze something intellectually.Even the disobedient Muslim – a Muslim who commits disobedience – needs to rush to repent from his disobedience. Allaah says:

???????? ?????????? ????? ??????? ?????????? ??????????? ???????? ?????????? ? ????? ?????????? ???? ?????? ? ????????????? ??????? ??????? ?????????? ??????? ??????? ???????? ???????

Allaah accepts only the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and foolishness and repent soon afterwards; it is they to whom Allaah will forgive and Allaah is Ever Al­l-Knower, All-Wise. (An-Nisa`, ayah 17) Even the Muslim – when he disobeys Allaah – he is in a state of ignorance when he is disobeying Allaah. And when he does so, his intellect weakens. So when they commit these acts of disobedience, they do not think of these repercussions of these sins…

wa salamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuhu

Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, www.thekhalids.org

ompiled, edited adapted by khalid lastif

 

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