Authentic Islam: Or Why I Support the Taliban
 

In The Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful
 
 
It is now well over four years since I - an Englishman whose father fought for and worked on behalf of the British Empire - converted (reverted) to Islam. Before my conversion, I knew and understood little about Islam and, although my knowledge and understanding is still quite limited, I believe I do now understand a few things about Islam (Alhamdulillah). Furthermore, I am, in these current difficult times, proud to be a Muslim, knowing as I do that Islam represents honour, reason and true justice, and accepting as I do that only Islam can create a truely civilized society where there is genuine humanity arising as this humanity does from us, as individuals, being humble before our Creator and knowing that one day will be judged by Him for what we have done, or failed to do.

For quite a while after my conversion I struggled to make some sense of the modern divisions within Islam and especially between what are often called "Orthodox Sunni" and Salafi beliefs. Not having any preconceptions, intellectual or otherwise, I tried to consider the different Islamic perspectives in a rational way.

Given my own background and political history, I was especially interested in what I initially in my naivety considered was "Islamic politics": that is, how to implement Islam in a practical way and so create a true Islamic society, community or State.
 

After several years of reading, discussion and thought I have come to the following conclusions which I know many other Muslims will disagree with, just as I know that these conclusions could possibly be wrong, given my still limited understanding.
 

1) That we have an Islamic duty to strive to implement Islam in a practical way. That is, that we a duty - an obligation, which is Fard - to establish Allah's law on this planet.

This involves us in fighting and combating Ignorance (Jahiliyya) in deeds, words and thought. Part of this is, or may be, practical Jihaad: that is, physical confrontation with those forces which are striving to undermine an Islamic community or invading an Islamic land or are at war with Muslims.

2) That Allah's law, manifest in the Shari'ah, takes precedence over any and all human-made laws and edicts, and that while we have a duty to obey Allah's laws, we should - if we reside in a non-Muslim country - only obey those human laws and edicts which do not in any way contradict any of Allah's laws.

Furthermore,  a true Islamic community (what the West would term a State) implements only Shari'ah, or Islamic law, and that an Islamic community would be a Khilafah, whether called by that name or not, which Khilafah is totally different from any and all modern Western-type nations, and certainly not "democratic", for such democracy is a Western idea, based upon Ignorance.

For Islam, sovereignty and rights belong to Allah alone,  and cannot be obtained by or contained in human-derived laws or edicts. That is, Islam cannot compromise with Jahiliyya in any way. There can only be a true, authentic, Islamic way of life, or there is Ignorance and imitation of the kuffar (the Unbelievers).

3) That it is obligatory for us to support our fellow Muslims, and forbidden to ally ourselves with those who are at war with Muslims, or who are oppressing them, or invading their lands.

This applies even if we ourselves do not share the particular "interpretation" of Islam which the attacked or oppressed or invaded Muslims follow. For what matters is: (a) that they are fellow Muslims, and (b) those who oppose them are infidels: Unbelievers.

That is, solidarity with fellow Muslims is far, far more important, than whatever differences we may have or believe we may have, and that we make the distinction between who or who is not a Muslim by the fundamental criteria established by the Quran and the Sunnah.

4) That if we need guidance about any matter, then we turn to the Quran, Ahadith and the judgements and example of the Righteous Predecessors, accepting that anything which contradicts these is wrong and probably Bida, an innovation. That is, our judgement is and must be an Islamic one based upon Islamic principles and Islamic principles only.

This applies to governments, and rulers, just as much as to individuals, so that the question we must ask is: Is this government Islamic? Is this ruler upholding Islam? Are they applying the Shari'ah? No other criteria whatsoever are necessary, and certainly not ones deriving from Western concepts such as "democracy" or "human rights".

For myself, I regard this Western concept of "human rights" as a product of Jahiliyya, for there is only Islam, or Ignorance.

5) That the many attempts to "modernize" Islam are wrong and must be resisted. That is, Islam is sufficient for us, is perfect and complete, and therefore the only true Way.

Islamically, the advanced society, the truely enlightened society, is the one that brings us comes closer to Allah, and this means one that is governed by Shari'ah (which is the Way to Allah) and in which individuals judge everything from an Islamic perspective, according to the Quran and the Sunnah, with Ahadith judged according to the criteria anciently established.

Modernists, however, constantly seek to undermine this, claiming that many Hadith - or aspects of Shari'ah - are not "relevant" to the modern world, or require "re-interpretation", and often  "re-interpretation"  in the light of some Western social theory, idea, concept or whatever. This is especially true of those modernist Muslims who have adopted the Western concept of what is called "human rights" which concept in essence and in practice contradicts Islam because as mentioned above sovereignty and rights belong to Allah alone.
 
 
 

Having arrived at these conclusions, I find that in applying them to the world around me I must make choices which currently - at least in the West - are unpopular. Thus, I find myself compelled to support, in whatever way I can, the Taliban in their Islamic struggle against the infidels who have begun a new crusade against Islam, just as I am compelled to defend what I understand is authentic Islam from those who would, from whatever reason or motive, seek to "modernize" it and who therefore seek to compromise with, or imitate, the Ignorance of the kuffar.
 
Allah knows best.
 
Abdul-Aziz
9 Sha'ban 1422