Author: Obaidullah Nimruzi
Philosopher of Afghanistan; Sayyed Jamal al-din al-Afghan (Part 46)
The Corrupt Scholars – Those Who Undermined Religion
The scholars Sayyed referred to are the very same corrupt scholars (Ulamāʾ al-Sū) whom Abdullah ibn Al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned when he said: «ما أفسد الدین إلا الملوك، وعلماء السوء، والرهبان.» Translation: “Nothing corrupted religion except kings (tyrants), corrupt scholars, and ignorant monks.” [1]
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) held a similar view, stating: “Two groups have struck at their own roots: one, the corrupt scholars who know but do not act upon their knowledge; and the other, the ignorant worshippers and Sufis who do not know the proper way of worship. Both groups have ruined themselves.” [2]
Lutfi al-Manfaluti’s All-Round Critique of Society
The late Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti also presented criticisms of various social classes in his works Al-Nazarat (“Reflections”) and Al-ʿIbarat (“Tears”). He asked: Where can virtues be found? Every class in society—from rulers and military men to merchants, judges, scholars, and others—was criticized with valid reasoning. He argued that all worked for their own interests, not for the reform of society, except for a few who follow the path of truth. [3]
The Betrayers of the Homeland – Collaborators with Foreigners and Enemies of the Nation
Sayyed also criticized traitors to the homeland—those who allied themselves with foreigners and acted against their own people. He believed these people should be eradicated from the earth and executed. As he said: “Let them join their predecessors in slaughter and taste the torment of disgrace and humiliation for what they have earned.” [4]
A Forgotten Duty: Defending the Homeland and Justice
Sayyed Afghan reproached Muslims who, due to ignorance, had neglected one of Islam’s most essential duties: the defense of the homeland and strengthening themselves against the enemy. These people refused to establish justice among their citizens and had forgotten their great social responsibilities.
The Prophetic Cry Echoing Through History – Sayyed Afghan’s Pain
Sayyed Afghan becomes angry and deeply hurt. His pen and tongue ignite with fire, and he recalls the prophets of old; peace be upon them. He speaks as if in the voice of the Prophet Jeremiah, lamenting with sorrow and anguish: “I weep over the departed and cry out to them: Where are you, O people of mercy, compassion, and kindness? Where are you, O shining beacons upon the path of manliness? Where are you, O invincible forces? Where are you, O swift responders in times of need?
Where are you, O saving hands of the oppressed in hardship and difficulty? Where are you, O best nation created to guide humanity? You who commanded good and forbade evil—where are you, O upholders of justice and proclaimers of wisdom? Where are you, O founders of a powerful ummah? Can you not see from your graves what your descendants have done after you? What has befallen them? Who has followed your path? Your heirs have lost their way, deviated, and become fragmented. They have reached a stage of life where hearts melt from sorrow, and livers burn with grief. They have become prey to foreigners; they can neither defend their borders nor their homes and possessions. Will none of you cry out from your graves? Will you not awaken the heedless? Will you not alert the slumbering? Will you not guide the misguided back to the straight path?” [5]
The Eruption of Sayyed Jamal al-din’s Wrath Against Traitors and the Heedless (A Reference to John the Baptist)
(John the Baptist was a prophet from the Children of Israel who courageously opposed the corruption, tyranny, and hypocrisy of the rulers and clergy of his time. In the same way, Sayyed Jamal al-din, as a reformer, spoke boldly and courageously against traitors and social wrongdoers.)
Like John the Baptist, Sayyed again targets the sinful and heedless with his flaming arrows of anger:
“Cursed—cast out from the mercy of Allah—is the one whose heart is sick and betrays his homeland.
Cursed is the one who sells his people for fleeting pleasures.
Cursed is the one who paves the way for foreign intervention in his home and country. Such a person no longer belongs to the noble Hanafite (Islamic) nation. He tries to silence the voice of his compatriot so that the voice of the colonizer may prevail.
Cursed is the one who harbors in his soul and conscience the idea of attaching shame and disgrace to his nation while completing a fleeting pleasure for himself in return.
Begone, begone!
Shall this diseased soul be left free to carry out such evil? Does he think he will benefit from what he has done?” [6]
“Al-ʿUrwah al-Wuthqā”: The Document that Planted the Seeds of Freedom in Hearts
After a bitter, difficult, and manly struggle, Al-ʿUrwah al-Wuthqā became an enduring symbol of its massive impact. It sowed the seeds of freedom and the spirit of resistance in the hearts of the East and left a profound mark on minds and souls—something no preacher or missionary before had achieved.
And what better words to conclude this chapter than those of Sayyed Muhammad Rashid Rida, one of the greatest admirers of this movement, which provide a sincere, emotional, and instructive image of the intellectual spirit of that era:
A Magical Discovery in My Father’s Notes
“One day, by chance, I was flipping through my father’s notes—may Allah have mercy on him—when I found two issues of Al-ʿUrwah al-Wuthqā among them.
I read them both with immense eagerness and special interest. They had an almost magical effect on me.
I sought out the remaining issues. I found a few more with my father, and the rest I obtained from my teacher, Sheikh Hussein Jisr al-Tarabulsi. I collected them all and read them one by one.
This study introduced me to a new way of understanding Islam. I realized that Islam is not only a religion of spirituality and the Hereafter but one that encompasses both body and soul, this world and the next.
And at the heart of its aims lies the fundamental principle that the Muslim must govern justly on earth and be a representative of divine love and justice.” [7]
“This new understanding, along with my earlier perspective on guiding Muslims, brought me to a fresh insight.
Previously, I believed it was my duty to correct Muslims’ beliefs, keep them away from prohibitions, and encourage them toward piety and detachment from worldly things.
Wherever I went, I emphasized this—even during leisure trips to Lebanese villages, I would take Al-Zawājir ʿan Iqtirāf al-Kabāʾir with me to use in my lectures.
But after becoming acquainted with Al-ʿUrwah al-Wuthqā, my view changed.
I realized that Muslims must become familiar with civilization, defend their lands, compete with developed nations in science and technology, and achieve a respectable standing in industry and public life.” [8]
Continues…
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References:
[1] Ibn ʿAbd Rabbih, Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad. Al-ʿIqd al-Farīd, vol. 1, p. 47. Edited by: Mufīd Muḥammad Qamīḥah. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 1404 AH / 1983 CE.
[2] Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr. Ighāthat al-Lahfān min Maṣāyid al-Shayṭān, vol. 1, p. 82. Edited by: Muḥammad Ḥāmid al-Fiqī. Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, 1421 AH / 2000 CE.
[3] Manfalūṭī, Muṣṭafā Luṭfī. Al-Naẓarāt, vol. 1, pp. 115–118. Cairo: Dār al-Maʿārif, 1965 CE.
[4] Ḥakīm-i Mashriq, p. 97.
[5] Ḥakīm-i Mashriq-i Zamin, p. 98.
[6] Ḥakīm-i Mashriq-i Zamin, p. 98.
[7] Tārīkh al-Ustādh al-Imām, vol. 1, p. 84.
[8] Ibid.
