TWO TYPES OF MUSLIMS (II)

Our Prophet Muhammad ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ said, “Religion is under the shadow of the swords”, which means that Muslims will live comfortably under the protection of the laws and rules provided by the government. When the government is strong and powerful, peace and prosperity flourish. Muslims, who live in non-Islamic countries of Europe and America, should not disobey the laws of those countries. For, in those countries, the government provides freedom of religion through laws. Therefore, every Muslim can practice their religion freely. Thus, Muslims who have a comfortable lifestyle and freedom of religion should not incite trouble against the governments that provide them these opportunities, and they should be on the alert lest they get embroiled in an activity of sedition or anarchy. This strategy is what the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat ‘rahimahumullâhu ta’âlâ’ counsel for us to pursue. The most dignified act of worship is to learn the tenets of Ahl as-Sunnat Belief and adapt one’s credal behaviour to these tenets, rather than frolicking with ordeals of instigation and sedition or serving the purposes of anarchists and separatists. After thereby correcting one’s faith and immunizing oneself against the seventy-two pernicious and heretical systems of belief, which are called ahl-i-bid’at, the next stage to be entered upon is to avoid committing bid’ats in the acts of worship, which means doing things in the name of worship although they are not Islam’s commandments. Allâhu ta’âlâ’s commandments and prohibitions as an ensemble are called the Sharî’at. To worship means to obey the Sharî’at. The Four Madhhabs are the true sources providing clear instructions on how to perform acts of worship. All four of them are right and true. They are, namely, Hanafî, Shâfi’î, Mâlikî, and Hanbalî. Every Muslim has to read a book teaching one of these four Madhhabs (and called a book of ’ilm-i-hâl) and perform their acts of worship in accordance with that book. Thus he will have entered that Madhhab. A person who has not entered any one of the four Madhhabs is called a la-madhhabî (or a nonmadhhabite). A lâ-madhhabî is not in the (true group of Muslims called) Ahl as-Sunnat. And a person who is not in the Ahl asSunnat group is either a holder of bid’at (i.e. a heretic), or a disbeliever.