The Importance of Understanding Islam as a Complete System

When looking at the Islamic world today we see it is dealing with an immense amount of problems such as war, tyranny, oppression, poverty, weakness and exploitation by foreign powers.

Muslim minorities wherever they are living in the world are experiencing difficulties which are directly connected to their Islamic identity. They suffer direct attacks on their lives as we see in lands such as Burma, CAR and India or they are dealing with assaults aimed at their way of life as we see in the West, where the noble concepts and symbols of Islam are under constant scrutiny.

Any parent raising children in these circumstances will understand the dangers which lie ahead for them and their families. They will worry about the difficulties which they might  encounter when trying to instil a deep love for Islam and the Creator whilst living in countries where the anti-Islamic rhetoric is high on the agenda. What will the future bring for their offspring? Will they stay safe? Will they be able to lead happy and fulfilling lives? And most important will they stay on the path of Islam? These are just a few of the questions on every parents mind.

Most Muslims try to raise their children with a love for Islam and teach them that Islam provides the answers to all their questions and that it is a complete religion which shapes their lives. It is an answer which many youngsters will repeat when confronted with questions about Islam.  But will the next generation be able to keep up this loyalty towards Islam when all the problems they are encountering aren’t being solved and when they actually seem to be getting worse.

When children in Rohingya see their parent brutally murdered and at the same time see that Muslim leaders remain mute to their plight, how will they be able to console themselves? Similarly how will Muslim children in the West who get ridiculed because of the way they dress or think, be able to hold on to their religion. How can we as parents uphold the narrative that Islam is the solutions to their problems when they see that Muslims themselves don’t seek the solutions to these problems within Islam and for how long can we continue to tell them to have sabr (patience) without actively being involved in changing the status quo.

The situation of the Ummah has made it crucial for every Muslim to properly understand the completeness of Islam. To understand that Allah didn’t only bless His creation with a mere guidance for prayer and personal rituals but that He (swt) sent us the Quran as a source for guidance for every aspect of life. Including a system that will ensure that we rule and govern by its laws and values. With the coming of Islam came a complete and comprehensive Deen that encompasses all aspects of life as we see in the following verse and hadith:

﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ ۗ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَىٰ وَلَٰكِن تَصْدِيقَ الَّذِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَتَفْصِيلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ﴾

“It (the Qur'an) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of Allah's existing Books and a detailed explanation of everything...” [TMQ Yusuf: 111]The Prophet (saw) said:

«من عمل عملاً ليس عليه أمرنا فهو رد»

“Any action done not in accordance with what I have brought it is rejected”.

Only when we comprehend Islam in such a manner will we be able to convince our children that Islam is able to provide the answers and solutions to all their problems, and that the sole reason why the Ummah continues to face such grave problems is the absence of this complete system which is the Khilafah (Caliphate).

We should encourage them to study the history of the Ummah when living under the Khilafah. They will then learn that the Muslims in the past understood the completeness of Islam and that they were able to link all of what they did with Islam. They will learn that the Muslims then never doubted the necessity of the Khilafah and that only when Islam is seen as a complete system it has the potential to spread from Spain to China back to Madinah.

This is why it is necessary to increase our knowledge about the reality of the affairs in society and the world as well as the Islamic concepts, evidence and ahkam relating to them. So that we can at least teach our children what their Creator orders them and others to do in such and such situation. Only then will we be able to motivate ourselves and the next generation to work for the re-establishment of the Khilafah state on the method of the Prophethood.

﴿وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَى لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ﴾

“Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession to (the present rulers) in the earth, as He granted it to those before them, and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (i.e. Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange a safe security after their fear (provided) they (believers) worship Me and do not associate anything (in worship) with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” [TMQ An-Nur: 55]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Yasmin Malik
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir