Hamas: The Faith Triumphant

(Published Saturday, 17 January 2009)

With each passing day of the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, with each additional death of a child or mother, Muslims all over the world are becoming more militant, more fundamentalist, more jihadic. This is very ominous for the West, on whose behalf Israel is doing what it is doing. Samuel Huntington, who died on December 24 last year, wrote Clash of Civilisations.  Now, more than ever before, this Clash is at hand. The call a few days ago by Osama bin Laden for Muslims to take up arms against Israel has been ayed by many all over the world. But for the Western-propped Arab regimes encircling Gaza, many young people would have gone into the Strip to join the martyr army of Hamas. The mere fact that Hamas has been attending a ceasefire negotiation meeting in Egypt indicates that already, whatever the outcome of this massacre, Faith has been Triumphant. Incidentally, The Faith Triumphant is the title of Chapter Eleven in one of the most important books of the Islamic Movement, Ma’alim fit Tariq (Milestones), written by the Movement’s leading intellectual and Martyr, Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966). In Milestones, Qutb wrote: “Allah says, ‘Do not be dejected or grieve. You shall be the uppermost if you are Believers’ (3:139). The first thought which comes to mind on reading this verse is that it relates to the form of Jihad which is actual fighting; but the spirit of this message and its application with its manifold implications, is greater and wider than this particular aspect. Indeed it describes that eternal state of mind which ought to inspire the believer’s consciousness. It describes a triumphant state which should remain fixed in the Believer’s heart in the face of everything, every condition, every standard and every person; the superiority of the Faith. “It means to be above all the powers of the earth which have deviated from the way of the Faith, above all the values of the earth not derived from the source of faith, above all the customs of the earth not coloured with the colouring of the faith, above all the laws of the earth not sanctioned by the Faith, and above all traditions not originating in the Faith. It means to feel superior to others when weak, few and poor, as well as when strong, many and rich. It means the sense of supremacy which does not give in before any rebellious force. “Steadfastness and strength on the battlefield are but one expression among many of the triumphant spirit which is included in this statement of Almighty God. The superiority through faith is not a mere single act of will nor a passing euphoria or a momentary passion, but is a sense of superiority based on permanent Truth centred in the very nature of existence. “The person who takes a stand against the direction of the society – its governing logic, its common mode, its values and standards, its ideas and concepts, its error and deviations – will find himself a stranger, as well as helpless, unless his authority comes from a source which is more powerful than the people, more permanent than the earth, and nobler than life. “Conditions change, the Muslim loses his physical power and is conquered; yet the consciousness does not depart from him that he is most superior. If he remains a Believer, he looks upon his conqueror from a superior position. He remains certain that this is a temporary condition which will pass away and that faith will turn the tide from which there is no escape. Even if death is his potion, he will never bow his head. Death comes to all, but for him there is martyrdom. He will proceed to the garden while his conquerors go to the fire. What a difference!” So wrote Sayyid Qutb. Let us now end today’s treatise with the following story on Challenge, the type the Palestinians are facing: “The Japanese love fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the catch. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste. “To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? “To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. Because they are challenged, they kick and protest and ultimately arrive fresh. Or martyred.” Allah has put a tiny shark (Israel) in the Arab tank. Only some fish called Hamas and Hezbollah are kicking. The others are frozen stiff. RIP. After all, L. Ron Hubbard had once written: “Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment.” May Allah help the Palestinians.