IDEOLOGY Lesson 1

1. IDEOLOGYLesson 1 Notes from Lectures of Dr. Sayed Fadhil Al-Milani International College of Islamic Studies (ICIS) Student Translator: Aous Asfar

2. The Value of Ideology • The science of ideology is the most important of the Islamic sciences and the most honorable.

3. Why? • Because it researches and takes on the role of forming the strong foundation for the remaining branches of knowledge in religion. • Therefore, it is not uncommon to find the effect of ideology reflected upon jurisprudence, exegesis, tradition, history, and even literature.

4. Roots of Religion • Therefore, Islamic scholars have named it the “roots of religion.” • This is a metaphoric reference to the trunk of a tree and its roots.

5. Its Importance • The differences in some of the foundations of ideology were a major cause of bloodshed in history. • This is because each party claims that they solely have the correct ideology. • Therefore, it becomes important to understand our ideology.

6. Ideology Based on Evidence • Although a lay person (i.e. one who is not a jurist) is expected to emulate a jurist and is not required to derive Islamic laws from its evidences… • He can not emulate with respect to his ideology. • He must have full belief in an ideology based on proof and evidence.

7. Proof of this Claim The Holy Quran states:“وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ “And when it is said to them, Follow what Allah has revealed, they say: Nay! we follow what we found our fathers upon. What! and though their fathers had no at all, nor did they follow the right way” [Shakir 2:170]

8. Continued… Chapter of al-Zukhruf: بَلْ قَالُوا إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءنَا عَلَى أُمَّةٍ وَإِنَّا عَلَى آثَارِهِم مُّهْتَدُونَ “Nay! they say: We found our fathers on a course, and surely we are guided by their footsteps. “[Shakir 43:22]

9. Type of Evidence • Differs from person to person depending on their intellectual capacity, how well read they may be, or their environment.

10. Example • It is not expected of a Bedouin to know a circular argument or an argument in series that is infinite, or possible existence versus necessary existence. • It is enough to say (Amir Al-Mu’mineen (as) when speaking to an ignorant Bedouin) :“The baby camel signifies the presence of a father camel, feet signify walking; skies with planets, and an earth with bodies of water exploding from it, do they not signify The All Hearing and Seeing.”

11. Why Research Faith? • Before we get into the details of Islamic ideology, we are faced with an important question: • Why do we research about faith in Allah? And what is the importance of ideology?

12. Restating the Question • This question can be presented in two forms: • What is the importance of classifying people into believers and non-believers?Why limit things to these two classes, for there is a third idea of the “Non-denominational.”

13. Continued… • The second form it could take is: 2. Faith in Allah is specific to the era in which ignorance was dominant and scholars were unaware of the natural causes of physical and chemical reactions. Therefore, there pictured the presence of a metaphysical force outside of nature called “Allah”?

14. Answering the Questions • Before we move on with our study, we must first answer the two forms of the question.

15. Denominational and Non-Denominational • If we go through the pages of human history, we will find that no matter how different the nations around the world were, we find that the topic of faith in God (whether believing or not) was part of every nation. • Either these nations followed the path of faith or did not.

16. What does this tell us? • That there is a natural affinity within man that leads him to thinking about Allah-whether he believes it or not. • The idea of the non-denominational is one that is contemporary; they are affected by an intellectual void that makes them closer to animals than humans. • These people only see and seek the fulfillment of the desires of this materialistic world. • For example, the writings of Collin Wilson.

17. What about Agnostics? • Definition:One who believes it impossible to know anything about God or about the creation of the universe and refrains from commitment to any religious doctrine. • These people have no answers, but must in the end be swayed in one direction or the other.

18. Conclusions • Both the non-denominational and agnostics do not have answers that quench our thirst for certainty. • Instead, they leave man in a state of confusion, loss and complete ignorance.

19. An Answer • There is an answer that helps the intellectual to immunize himself from the waves of confusion, chaos and entropic mindsets that he will face: • So he says: I was born into a religious family, my mother fed me faith in Allah from her milk, and planted in my veins and nerves the direction towards a greater principal that encompasses all universal occurrences.

20. Continued… • As for my father, he was always in a state of remembrance of Allah and asking for His aid, whether seated or standing, coming or going, working or resting, and his work, in his every move. I grew up faithful, but through following my parents, not based on proofs. I believed that there was no other way other than faith and I grew up, and I became more well read. I read about different philosophies, and it was then that I began to slowly remove myself from the foundations of my thought.

21. Continued… • This is when doubt entered my mind: Is what I believe true and is it logical enough, or is it a figment of my imagination? • Since doubt is a junction between two roads, I must choose one direction. • And since I do not have any proofs to disprove the presence of Allah, I will research until I reach certitude.

22. Faith in God is Innate • Most researchers in ideology have held fast to “innate belief” to answer the previous question. • Their proof is in the Holy Quran: • فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {30}[Shakir 30:30] Then set your face upright for religion in the right state-- the nature made by Allah in which He has made men; there is no altering of Allah's creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know--

23. Continued… • The tradition of the holy prophet (saw):“Verily every newborn is born with the innate affinity[towards God], except that his parents make him a Jew or a Christian.”(Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol.12:120:hadith 7181.)

24. Conclusion • Therefore, faith in Allah is the innate nature in the soul of mankind. • Therefore, he cannot escape it because it is part of him.

25. The Next Step • We must now explore the meaning of the “innate nature” (fitra). • Is fitra the conscience? • Or is fitra existence? • Or is it the fourth dimension (metaphysically speaking)? • Or is it something else?

26. Fitra • The meanings of the word: • Can mean “’aql” (intellect). • Can mean creation (from “shaq”) • Can mean “Islam” • A bright torch within man’s soul that guides him to faith in God.

27. 1. Fitra as ‘aql • If one says that faith in Allah is “fitrie” or innate, they mean that man does not need more than to have simple attentiveness to realize that there is a creator to this universe. • Therefore, one does not necessarily need to have introductory proofs and evidences to to have faith. • It can be said that this is an issue that is “fitrie” (meaning innately known) with respect to logic (Usool al-Falsafa by al-’Allama Sayed Muhammad Husayn al-Tabtaba’ee).

28. 2. Fitra as creation • “Al-fatr” means to break, tear from, or create a fissure. • And so, Allah tore us out of non-existence to existence. • Hence, creation. • This is how the term is seen in the holy Quran: • Al-Room:30 • Ibrahim:10

29. Continued… Ar-Room: 30 فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَةَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا لَا تَبْدِيلَ لِخَلْقِ اللَّهِ ذَلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ {30} [Shakir 30:30] Then set your face upright for religion in the right state-- the nature made by Allah in which He has made men; there is no altering of Allah's creation; that is the right religion, but most people do not know-- Ibrahim: 10 قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ أَفِي اللّهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُّسَـمًّى قَالُواْ إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلاَّ بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا تُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَآؤُنَا فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ [Shakir 14:10] Their messengers said: Is there doubt about Allah, the Maker of the heavens and the earth? He invites you to forgive you your faults and to respite you till an appointed term. They said: You are nothing but mortals like us; you wish to turn us away from what our fathers used to worship; bring us therefore some clear authority.

30. 3. Fitra as Islam • Source: Lectures on Juresprudence of the Imamiyya by Ayatullah al-Milani; compiled by and commented upon by Sayyid Fadhil al-Husayni al-Milani.

31. 4. Fitra as an Internal Torch • Within the soul and heart of man is a bright torch that guides him to faith in God and pulls him towards The Creator of the Universe. • Just as we see a child’s instinctive affinity towards his mother, so too is man’s affinity towards Allah. • Just as the earth’s gravity pulls everything to its center no matter how far they may be on its surface, Allah has the gravity that pulls all hearts towards him.

32. Continued… • This is manifested more profusely when one feels a void in their depths that can only be filled with knowing Allah. • It is a thirst that is only quenched by Allah:الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ[Shakir 13:28] Those who believe and whose hearts are set at rest by the remembrance of Allah; now surely by Allah's remembrance are the hearts set at rest.

33. Proof of the Innate • A man asked Imam al-Sadeq (as): “Oh son of the prophet, guide me to Allah, what is He? For many debaters have cause me to fall into doubt.” The Imam (as) said:“Oh servant of Allah, have you ever been on a ship?”

34. Continued… • He said: Yes. • Imam (as) said: And did it sink, such that there was no boat to save you or your swimming? • He said: Yes. • Imam (as) said: And did your heart grab onto something that is capable of saving you from your predicament? • He said: Yes.

35. Continued… • Imam (as) said: That thing [that you your heart grabbed onto] was Allah The Capable of saving you when no one else could, and helping you out of distress when no one else can.(Sh. Al-Sadooq: Ma’aanie al-Akhbaar, p.4; Tafseer al-Imam al-Hassan al-’Askari, p. 7; Sh. Al-Faydh al-Kashani: Tafseer al-Saafie)

36. Answer to Question 2 • This question dealt with belief that faith was only relevant in the age of ignorance. • This is one of the first misconceptions in the topic of Allah and belief in Him and it is the topic of our study.

37. Course of Study • In our course of study, we will cover five chapters: • Proving Allah (tawheed) • Justice (‘adl) • Prophethood (nubuwwa) • Imamate (imama) • The Day of Judgement (al-ma’ad)

38. Conclusion • This phenomenon is not just seen with Muslims. • It is common to all mankind, believer or non-believer.