|
| |
The
Process of an Islamic Revolution
The Iranian Experience
Dr. Israr Ahmad
First published in "The Qur'ânic Horizons" April-June , 1998
Posting of Abu Tasneem From: salafitalk.net
Posting 1
"The Iranian Revolution is one of the major socio-political upheavals in
recent history. The transformation of the state from a secular and nationalist
monarchy to a theocracy has led, over the years, to far-reaching effects not
only on the balance of power in the region but also on the struggle for
Islamic revival in the Muslim world. The latter is exemplified by the fact
that the term "Islamic Revolution" itself came into vogue as a result of the
enthusiasm and excitement generated by the change in Iran. With reference to
our ongoing discussion of the methodology for the establishment of the Islamic
Public Order, we are going to deal in the present article with the following
three issues:
Can the Iranian Revolution be called a true revolution?
Is it correct to describe the Iranian Revolution as a genuinely Islamic one?
and
Can this Revolution be adopted as a model in other Muslim countries,
especially in Pakistan?
The significance of these questions is two-fold. First, during the years
following the revolution, our Iranian brethren as well as the Western media
emphatically presented the upheaval in Iran as an Islamic Revolution. The
widespread use and subsequent acceptance of this label implied that if there
was anything worthy or desirable in the Iranian Revolution then it would be
Islam that would receive the credit; similarly, if there was anything wrong or
corrupt in it then this would inevitably tarnish Islam’s image. Therefore, an
analysis of the Iranian Revolution — for the purpose of deciding as to whether
or not this was truly Islamic — has tremendous importance.
Secondly, a number of Muslim intellectuals floated the idea in the early
1980’s that the change in Iran represents the most perfect model of an Islamic
Revolution. They propounded that all Islamic activist groups should embrace
the Iranian example as an ideal vis-ŕ-vis their struggle to establish Islam as
a socio-political order in their respective countries. These intellectuals
went even to the extent of suggesting that Ayatollah Khomeini should be
accepted as the leader and guide of the entire Muslim Ummah. We believe that
this was an overly enthusiastic and impulsive approach. Since the
revolutionary fervor generated by various Islamic revivalist parties could not
find its proper outlet due to their lack of success, and since the Iranian
Revolution was the only successful political change in modern times where
religion had triumphed over secularism, these Islamic thinkers erroneously
concluded that success for Islamic groups is possible only through emulating
the Iranian example. In their zeal, however, they failed to take into account
the numerous and substantial differences between the conditions existing in
the pre-Revolution Iran and those prevailing in the rest of the Muslim world.
As a consequence of these differences, all attempts to export the Iranian
Revolution — i.e., re-enacting as such the Iranian experience in other Muslim
countries — failed to meet with any success. It is for this reason as well
that we need to study the Iranian Revolution in detail.
The first point that needs to be understood is this: As far as the methodology
is concerned, the one revolution that must be taken as the ultimate source
of guidance by all Muslims is the archetypal Islamic Revolution brought about
by Prophet Muhammad (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) and his devoted Companions (RAA)
in the 7th century Arabia. No other revolution, irrespective of how
marvelous or remarkable, can ever take the place of this Prophetic model as a
source of guidance. Having said that, however, we must acknowledge the
extraordinary sacrifices offered by the Iranian people in their struggle
against the repressive regime of Reza Shah Pahlavi. We should also cherish the
outstanding example set by the Iranians as a source of inspiration for all
those who wish to bring about fundamental and positive changes in their
respective societies. Moreover, despite the fact that the Iranian Revolution
took place under conditions that were quite unique and it cannot, therefore,
be used as a model in each and every Muslim society, the fact must be
recognized that there was, indeed, one aspect of this Revolution that deserves
to be carefully incorporated in the methodology of contemporary movements for
Iqamah Al-Deen"
He goes on to say concerning the situation in Pakistan:
"Another related issue that must not be overlooked is that, under the
conditions prevailing in Pakistan, a reconciliation between Shi‘ah and
Sunni Muslims is indispensable for any fruitful and meaningful effort in
connection with Iqamah Al-Deen. We firmly believe that the establishment of a
true Islamic state in Pakistan is impossible unless Shi‘ah and Sunni Muslims
become unanimous in their demand for the Islamic Order and cooperate with each
other in this struggle. It is not possible, of course, to eliminate the
numerous and centuries-old disagreements between them — whether these are
related to beliefs, historical events, or jurisprudence — but Shi‘ah and Sunni
Muslims can still pool their resources and work together for a cause that
transcends these differences. We believe that the only practicable formula for
a Shi‘ah-Sunni reconciliation is the one adopted by Iran."
Posting 2 of Abu Tasneem
This is what they say about their leader a man who
has hundreds of tapes spread around the world and who has taken many
universities and colleges by storm:
"Dr. Israr Ahmad, the second son of a government servant, was born on April
26, 1932 in Hisar (a district of East Punjab, now a part of Haryana) in India.
He graduated from King Edward Medical College (Lahore) in 1954 and later
received his masters in Islamic Studies from the University of Karachi in
1965. He came under the influence of Allama Iqbal and Maulana
Abul A`la
Maududi as a young student, worked briefly for Muslim Student's Federation
in the Independence Movement and, following the creation of Pakistan in 1947,
for the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba and then for the Jama`at-e-Islami. Dr. Israr
Ahmad resigned from the Jama`at in April 1957 because of its involvement in
the electoral politics, which he believed was irreconcilable with the
revolutionary methodology adopted by the Jama'at in the pre-1947 period"....
..."In the context of Qur'anic exegesis and understanding, Dr. Israr Ahmad is
a firm traditionalist of the genre of Maulana Mehmood Hassan Deobandi
and Allama Shabeer Ahmad Usmani; yet he presents Qur'anic teachings in a
scientific and enlightened way"...
..."Dr. Israr Ahmad believes in a dynamic and revolutionary conception of
Islam, and in this regard he is a disciple of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and
Maulana Sayyid Abul A`la Maududi"...
And about their Hizb (party) they have as an integral aspect of their mission
statement:
"Any male or female Muslim (belonging to any school of the Ahl Al-Sunnah) can
become a member of Tanzeem-e-Islami by giving a pledge (or Baiy`ah) of
obedience — within the limits set by the Shari`ah — to the Ameer of
Tanzeem-e-Islami, a position currently held by its founder, Dr. Israr Ahmad.
As soon as a Muslim takes the conscious decision to live his life in
accordance with the commands of Almighty Allah (SWT), he may join
Tanzeem-e-Islami; the stages of learning, training, and purifying will occur
subsequently. However, he must promise, on the occasion of becoming a member,
that he will give up all that is disliked by Almighty Allah (SWT) and that he
will try his utmost in fulfilling the obligations he owes as a Muslim"...
They remove all doubt with this statement:
"...He considers
Maulana Maududi to be his teacher and mentor and publicly
admits, without hesitation, that he was able to understand the comprehensive
and holistic concept of Islamic obligations from the writings of Maulana
Maududi. All this and more is on record, in the form of Dr. Israr Ahmed's
various writings and his numerous speeches that are available in the form of
audio/video tapes"...
And last but not least, from our elder Shaikh Rabee
ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee regarding some of Mawdoodee's concepts:
..."so hopefully it will have become clear to the reader that these
conclusions are based upon intellectual and political analogies and
deductions. They are not based upon proofs from the Qur'aan and the Prophetic
Sunnah, and this is an idea requiring Divine Revelation, not a place for
intellectual and political discoveries"...
Taken from 'Methodology of the Prophets in Calling to Allaah That is the Way
of Wisdom and Intelligence'*
*Something that it is clear that neither Maududi or Israar Ahmad had/have!
| |
|
