Introduction: Clarifying the Da'wah Path in Egypt
Peace be upon you, dear brothers. These are some observations that may be beneficial regarding the current situation in Egypt, including answers to questions that arose after the release of the statement "O people of Egypt, let us heal the wounds."
First: The Difference Between Correcting the Path and Appeasement
When we say that we should focus on da'wah and purifying our souls at this stage, we must not confuse this approach with what some Salafi adherents say. It is important to note the significant difference between saying: "We want to correct the path and win over those who can be won over from our people to this pure path so that we can all cooperate in uprooting falsehood from its roots," and surrendering to falsehood.
During this process, we do not reconcile with falsehood, nor do we surrender to it, nor do we grant it legitimacy in the eyes of the people, nor do we ask for a seat in its corrupt ruling structure. Instead, we distinguish ourselves from it and establish our da'wah on its separate foundations, and we endure the oppression of falsehood, which will not remain silent about us.
There is a huge difference between this and aligning with falsehood, granting it legitimacy, and subjugating people to it under the pretext of "interest and harm," and entering into its corrupt ruling structures.
Some object to those who emphasize the necessity of calling people and raising their awareness at this stage, arguing that the military will not allow us to practice this da'wah but will suppress us. I say: This is the practice of every oppressive system throughout history, and yet the callers have achieved much despite these systems; for they are among the tools of Allah the Most High in elevating His religion.
And to those who consider da'wah inappropriate for the stage and not conducive to the desired goal: What alternative solution do you propose? That the people of Islamic concern remain as they are in conflict with a large segment of society? And what outcome do you expect from that? Do you expect that the general public will realize their mistake on their own and side with the people of Islamic concern, causing the military to fall and a righteous Islamic rule to rise? I wish the objectors would answer these scenarios.
The Triad for Exiting the Crisis:
Our emphasis on the importance of da'wah does not necessarily mean stopping the opposition movement against military rule, but this movement will not bear fruit. Instead, it will waste the remaining energies if we continue in it while being isolated from the people and our cause being distorted in their eyes. It must be accompanied by:
- A Pure and Genuine Da'wah: That rids itself of twisting and adheres to the path that some of us have practiced under the names of interest, harm, and the status quo, for it has only brought us harm.
- Winning Over People: Convinced that if we sincerely intend for Allah, truly rely on Him, and improve our character, we will reach their hearts.
- Showcasing New Leadership: If this triad is joined by a movement in the streets, then this movement will have its benefit and impact.
Third: Balancing the Exposure of Falsehood and Da'wah Building
Some object to the statement that it is not enough to expose the crimes of the military and the shame of those who allied with them from among the corrupt scholars, and that speaking about these individuals should not distract us from corrective da'wah efforts.
We emphasize here that the discussion is about focus not the principle of exposure; those who follow my words know that I do not refrain from exposing the corruption of the military and its allies. However, our speech is directed to the brothers who monitor every statement and shameful position of this or that scholar, without any effort in corrective da'wah building.
Ask yourself, brother: Over the past months, how much effort have we exerted in correcting the methodology, learning from our mistakes, and winning people over to the truth? And in contrast, how much of our efforts have we spent exposing the ugliness and criminality of our enemy and the betrayal of his allies? Is the ratio of time and effort acceptable?
The true carrier of the Islamic call needs to work with both hands:
- One hand builds the structure of truth.
- One hand demolishes the structure of falsehood.
If one is preoccupied with demolishing falsehood at the expense of building truth, falsehood will inevitably return to fill the void again. Focusing solely on attack gives the general public the impression that we are competing for worldly gains and seeking revenge, as portrayed by the false media. However, when we work on presenting a pure and spotless model through da'wah, people will realize that our enmity is not for worldly gains.
Fourth: Dealing with the Common People and Classifying Their Positions
The speech of many brothers indicates a loss of hope in the common people who took a bad or negative stance in the events and returned to those who are affiliated with the Islamic direction. Therefore, they are surprised that I call for harmonizing with the people.
Yes, there is a segment of people who are wicked in nature, hostile to religion, and truly slaves to the tyrant. Their grudge against us is that they see us as a barrier to their shameful desires. It is not about these people that I speak, nor do I call for harmonizing and attracting them with good da'wah. I do not want it to be thought that we see these people as excused by the claim that the media has misled them or that the mistakes of the Islamists have led them astray from their religion. Those who oppose the Sharia and see it as backward and entrust the military with this intention have no excuse.
There is also a segment of people who are "with the standing one" whoever he may be, inclining with whoever has the upper hand because they lack principles, and it is not about these people that I speak or rely on.
I speak about a large category who aided the devils against us with our mistakes. These people have wronged us and exceeded the limits in their wrongdoing against us, and I have addressed them in the statement "To those who rejoice at the killing of the besieged in Egypt" and in words and articles before and after it. However, even with our criminalization of them for believing the media and responding to the sins of the Islamists by siding with the criminal corrupt dark ones, they were like those seeking refuge from the mirage in the fire. With all this, we will not be able to force them to do what is required of them. We only have the option of doing what we can do.
The Equation of the Bad Position and How to Change It
We can say that the bad position taken by some people was the result of several factors, as if it were an equation:
(Our Mistakes + People's Ignorance and Lack of Religion + Media Fabrications = People's Bad Position)
Among these three factors, the one we can eliminate is "Our Mistakes." The mistakes of the Islamists never justify the people's position, such as those who gave authorization or mocked us, but in the end, we are not empowered judges to have the right to avenge the oppressed from the oppressor. Therefore, no matter how much we prove to ourselves that the people were in error and oppression, this will not change reality unless we ourselves reform what can be reformed, which is ourselves.
What percentage of these people love religion in general and do not oppose the Sharia but were wronged and foolish towards us? Whatever their percentage, we are responsible before Allah the Most High for calling them, winning them over, and removing the confusion from their insights; because part of their misguidance was due to us.
Self-Criticism: Shortcomings in Da'wah Before and After the Revolution
Even their ignorance of Islam, which led them to their current state, were we not more preoccupied with our personal affairs? We engage in intellectual debates that often involve envy, hatred, and selfish desires, instead of focusing on guiding people and directing them to their religion?
Therefore, we are now paying the price for all of this, and we suffer from the people's focus on our shortcomings in calling them before. Many of those who mocked us were previously seeing one of us as "our sheikh" who deserves respect and precedence in gatherings and streets during the days of hardship under Mubarak's rule. This great turnaround against us was one of the reasons for our actions in the post-revolution period; actions that caused us to lose credibility in their eyes, as we were tested with ease and did not endure, after being tested with hardship and endured.
Conclusion: Shattering the Mass of Enmity and Restoring Popular Unity
Treating all those who have wronged us in the same manner will succeed in the "deep state's" plan to isolate and alienate us from the people, perpetuating a state of enmity with society. Our task now is to shatter this massive burden weighing on our chests. We should win over those who can be won over to a sound methodology and a corrective path, and we should sideline those who cannot be won over, so that the military fails to use them as a tool to strike the call (to Islam). Only the wicked of hearts, the enemies of the Sharia, and the worshippers of taghut should remain in the military's camp.
Let us remember that one of the greatest gains of the revolution at its beginning was the state of unity that occurred between the people and the members of the Islamic work, standing together against injustice. It was a mistake for us to leave the people and the street pressure, and to be distracted by political participation, the rules of which the enemy set. Thus, we lost one of the greatest gains of the revolution, which is the unity with the people. We do not want to cement this loss by antagonizing the general public and treating them all in the same manner.
May Allah know best. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.