Shaheed Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr and Islamic unity: Difference between revisions
Shaheed Ayatullah Baqir al-Sadr and Islamic unity (view source)
Revision as of 16:02, 30 December 2020
, 30 December 2020no edit summary
imported>Peysepar (Created page with "Shaheed Ayatollah al-Udhmah al-Sayyid Muhammed Baqir al-Sadr had a prominent role in the Islamic unity in Iraq. ==Short biography== Shaheed Ayatollah al-Udhmah al-Sayyid Muh...") |
imported>Peysepar No edit summary |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
Central to Martyred al-Sadr’s worldview was the belief, consistently made from his first writings to his last, that: | Central to Martyred al-Sadr’s worldview was the belief, consistently made from his first writings to his last, that: | ||
Islam is a holistic and complete Concept, because it is composed of a complete system of beliefs in creation, stemming from which is a comprehensive social system that encompasses all the aspects of life, and satisfies the most two important needs of humanity: an ideological basis and a social system. | Islam is a holistic and complete Concept, because it is composed of a complete system of beliefs in creation, stemming from which is a comprehensive social system that encompasses all the aspects of life, and satisfies the most two important needs of humanity: an ideological basis and a social system. <ref>Sadr, Al-Usus No.1. This concept is repeated in Falsafatuna, Iqtisaduna et al.</ref> | ||
It was up to scholars in Islamic law, politics, economics, sociology and so forth to ‘discover’ elements of this holistic system, as if they were all involved in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. In pursuing this grand goal, Martyred al-Sadr went on to make his contributions in all these diverse fields, all of which were rooted in his unique approach to understanding Islam through ‘topical exegeses’ (thematic tafsir) of the Qur’an (al-tafsir al-mawdhu’i) which he himself had pioneered. | It was up to scholars in Islamic law, politics, economics, sociology and so forth to ‘discover’ elements of this holistic system, as if they were all involved in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. In pursuing this grand goal, Martyred al-Sadr went on to make his contributions in all these diverse fields, all of which were rooted in his unique approach to understanding Islam through ‘topical exegeses’ (thematic tafsir) of the Qur’an (al-tafsir al-mawdhu’i) which he himself had pioneered. | ||
Martyred al-Sadr’s theories involved a critique of Capitalism for what he held was its elevation of the individual over everything else. At the same time, he rejected Marxism for its denial of human individuality altogether, both as agent in history, and as the driving force of social and economic life. For Martyred al-Sadr, both theories were flawed, not least because they neglected the spiritual aspect of man, which if nurtured properly, elevates him beyond his base desires and mere material existence, ever closer to the absolute, Allah (swt). | Martyred al-Sadr’s theories involved a critique of Capitalism for what he held was its elevation of the individual over everything else. At the same time, he rejected Marxism for its denial of human individuality altogether, both as agent in history, and as the driving force of social and economic life. For Martyred al-Sadr, both theories were flawed, not least because they neglected the spiritual aspect of man, which if nurtured properly, elevates him beyond his base desires and mere material existence, ever closer to the absolute, Allah (swt). | ||
A similar error was made by western scholars and revolutionaries of liberty. Martyred al-Sadr praises the revolutionary moment when Europeans in the pre-Renaissance era broke away from the shackles imposed by the Church and by Feudalism, which had left Europeans “downtrodden”. However, Martyred al-Sadr argued, Europeans then made the mistake of converting liberty, one important value amongst many and a means to the end of creating a prosperous and happy society, into the value upon which to construct the new world, that is, the end in itself: | A similar error was made by western scholars and revolutionaries of liberty. Martyred al-Sadr praises the revolutionary moment when Europeans in the pre-Renaissance era broke away from the shackles imposed by the Church and by Feudalism, which had left Europeans “downtrodden”. However, Martyred al-Sadr argued, Europeans then made the mistake of converting liberty, one important value amongst many and a means to the end of creating a prosperous and happy society, into the value upon which to construct the new world, that is, the end in itself: | ||
It is not enough to break the chains. Freedom from them only provides a framework for the progress and development of humanity, whereas proper development of individuals requires an inner basis in the light of which progress may be made. Mere freedom to do whatever one wants and to go wherever one wishes is not enough. Man must know how and why he should take a particular step… | It is not enough to break the chains. Freedom from them only provides a framework for the progress and development of humanity, whereas proper development of individuals requires an inner basis in the light of which progress may be made. Mere freedom to do whatever one wants and to go wherever one wishes is not enough. Man must know how and why he should take a particular step… <ref>Sadr, Lecture 10 of his socio-political series, re-published in Arabic as Al-Madrasa al-Quraniya. An approximate translation is available online, as ‘Trends of History’ from www.al-islam.org See Lecture 10, pg 126-127</ref> | ||
For Martyred al-Sadr, true freedom contained not only this ‘negative’ component of the absence of physical restraints, but rather self-mastery and direction, possible only when man attaches himself to God Almighty. | For Martyred al-Sadr, true freedom contained not only this ‘negative’ component of the absence of physical restraints, but rather self-mastery and direction, possible only when man attaches himself to God Almighty. | ||
==Political Activities== | ==Political Activities== | ||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
Sunni rule does not mean the rule of a person, who has descended from Sunni parents, but it means the rule of Abu Bakr and Umar, which has been challenged by the tyrant rulers of Iraq today in all their practices. They abuse Islam, they abuse Ali and Umar together, violate Islam every day in every step they take. | Sunni rule does not mean the rule of a person, who has descended from Sunni parents, but it means the rule of Abu Bakr and Umar, which has been challenged by the tyrant rulers of Iraq today in all their practices. They abuse Islam, they abuse Ali and Umar together, violate Islam every day in every step they take. | ||
O’ my sons and brothers, the sons of Mosul, Bassrah, the sons of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf, the sons of Saerra and Kadhimiyah, the sons of Amarah, Kut and Sulemaniyah, the sons of Iraq everywhere. | O’ my sons and brothers, the sons of Mosul, Bassrah, the sons of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf, the sons of Saerra and Kadhimiyah, the sons of Amarah, Kut and Sulemaniyah, the sons of Iraq everywhere. | ||
I promise you all that I am for all of you, for the sake of all of you, and that you are my aim in the present and the future. Your words must unite, and your plans must be unified under motto of Islam, for the sake of saving Iraq from the nightmare of this authoritarian rule, building a free, glamorous Iraq, brightened by the justice of Islam, and covered by the dignity of man. In this Iraq, citizens with all their nationalities and sects will feel that they are brothers and they will all contribute in the leadership of their country, building their home and realizing their Islamic ideas and the dawn of our glamorous history. | I promise you all that I am for all of you, for the sake of all of you, and that you are my aim in the present and the future. Your words must unite, and your plans must be unified under motto of Islam, for the sake of saving Iraq from the nightmare of this authoritarian rule, building a free, glamorous Iraq, brightened by the justice of Islam, and covered by the dignity of man. In this Iraq, citizens with all their nationalities and sects will feel that they are brothers and they will all contribute in the leadership of their country, building their home and realizing their Islamic ideas and the dawn of our glamorous history.’ <ref>For more information on the struggle between Martyred al-Sadr, the IDP and Saddam Hussein’s regime, please visit www.islamicdawaparty.com</ref> | ||
In the words of Late Ayatollah Fadhlallah | In the words of Late Ayatollah Fadhlallah | ||
‘Because you are a power; | ‘Because you are a power; | ||
| Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
Because you are the secret to a nation’s awakening; | Because you are the secret to a nation’s awakening; | ||
You will remain for us, | You will remain for us, | ||
You are alive for us.’ | You are alive for us.’ <ref>Quotation translated from poem by Ayatollah Muhammed Hussein Fadlulah, first published in Al-Jihad No.181 Special Edition 8th April 1980.</ref> | ||
The Legacy of al-Sadr | The Legacy of al-Sadr | ||
Martyred al-Sadr was a passionate believer in man’s capacity to change his destiny. On an individual level, seeking knowledge and deepening one’s connection to God are the keys to success. On a societal level, collective action, organisation, moderation and incremental change are the means by which our visions can be transformed to reality. | Martyred al-Sadr was a passionate believer in man’s capacity to change his destiny. On an individual level, seeking knowledge and deepening one’s connection to God are the keys to success. On a societal level, collective action, organisation, moderation and incremental change are the means by which our visions can be transformed to reality. | ||