How to avoid Beef without becomming a Vegetarian - Imam Shaheed Hasan al Banna Review
“The method of da’wah employed by Imam Al Banna was unique. His method aimed to build and not destroy, re-conciliate and not divide. Rather than limiting his da’wah to the audiences in the mosques and Islamic gatherings, he chose also to visit the coffee houses, clubs and streets. Imam Hasan Al Banna always avoided entering conflicts, disputes and useless arguments and sought to reconcile parties and explain to them the comprehensive, moderate, balanced and realistic nature of Islam. On one occasion he relates the following:
I noticed something disturbing among the listeners. I found them divided into different groups. A question was put to me, as soon as I started my lecture, “What is your view on wasila?” I replied, “I guess you are not thinking about this issue alone. You will want to ask me whether the recitation of Surat al Kahf on Fridays is permissible or not, whether the word Sayyidina be prefixed to the name of the Holy Prophet or not? What is the position of the parents of the Holy Prophet after their death and where do they live now? Does the recitation of the Holy Quran reach the dead or not? Whether the present sittings of the sufis and men of Shari`ah should be considered sinful or a means of reaching Allah?” I related almost all the disputed questions that had divided them in the past. The man who asked the question was stunned by my response. He said: “Yes, I want to know all the answers to these questions!”
I replied, “My brother, I am not a religious scholar. I am just a teacher. I have learnt some verses of the Holy Quran and Hadith. I have also studied some Islamic topics and gained some knowledge of the Shariah. I am preaching Islam voluntarily. If you want to speak to me beyond this area, I would not be on sure grounds. If you like my lectures and feel that you have benefited, then pay attention and if you wish to know more, you are free to approach some other scholars. You can obtain opinions on these issues from scholars who are able to help you. Whatever I know, I have placed before you. Allah assigns responsibility to a person according to his capability.”
The man who had put the question to me was very much impressed by my talk and could not find the words with which to reply. I was thus able to avert the trouble and avoid a disturbance. Most of the listeners were satisfied with my explanation. Without losing the opportunity I addressed them: “My dear brethren, I know very well that the questioner, and most of you, wish to know to which party I belong. You also want to know whether I belong to the party of Shaykh Musa or Shaykh Abd al Sami [two leading scholars of the day representing rival theological camps. This kind of inquiry shall not prove helpful to you at all. You have wasted eight years on party politics and disputes, now you should refrain from it. We have differed on these matters for many centuries, yet the differences still exist. Allah likes our mutual love and unity and dislikes dissension and differences amongst us. Try to learn the principles of Islam and follow the Holy Quran and the Sunnah, so that your hearts are purged. Our aim should be to follow the tenets of Islam and not insist on any particular school of thought. If we have trust and love for one another, we shall be able to express our views in an atmosphere of confidence and understanding. I am sure that you will accept my advice and adhere to it.”
My appeal proved very effective. They agreed a pledge to co operate with one another in the spread of Islam and avoid issues of dispute. Every individual is free to have his opinion, until Allah Himself decides the matter. After this discussion we continued our preaching peacefully. Now, I made it a point to discuss topics that related to mutual love and co operation among men of faith. I tried my best to inculcate into them feelings of Islamic brotherhood. Sometimes I took up issues that were not in dispute among them. I tried to tell them how the pious people of the past exhibited tolerance for others, despite their differences of opinion.
The moral of the story is Fiqh should always be secondary to REAL Work in a communal setting.
This is not a full review, but then again this is one of those 80 page books which would be spoiled if talked about in detail. There are many awesome stories and instances from his life like this which are mentioned. I especially enjoyed reading about how he enjoined good and forbade the evil.
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