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The
essence of what we call the “Islamic revolutionary thought” consists
of the idea that it is not enough to practice Islam in one's individual
life but that the teachings of the Qur'an and those of the Sunnah
of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) must also be implemented in their totality
in the social, cultural, juristic, political, and the economic
spheres of life. The credit for reviving this dynamic concept
of Islam in
the Indian subcontinent, after centuries of neglect and dormancy,
goes to Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The first attempt towards the actualization
of this concept was made by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad through his
short-lived party, the Hizbullah. Another attempt was made by
Maulana Sayyid
Abul A`la Maududi through his Jama`at-e-Islami; however, the decision
by the Jama`at after the creation of Pakistan to take part in the
electoral process instead of continuing the original revolutionary
methodology gradually resulted in its degeneration from a pure
Islamic revolutionary party to a mere political one. The vacuum
left by the
departure of Jama`at-e-Islami is being filled by Tanzeem-e-Islami,
founded in 1975.
Objective
The obligations of a Muslim as ordained by the Qur'an
and Sunnah, can be understood as having four levels:
 a
Muslim is required to develop real faith and conviction (Iman)
in his heart;
he is required to live a life of total obedience to the injunctions
of the Shari`ah;
he is required to propagate and disseminate the message of Islam
to the entire Humanity;
and
he is required to try his utmost in establishing the ascendancy
of Islam over all man-made systems of life.
The objective of establishing Tanzeem-e-Islami is to assist the
Muslims in carrying our these obligations. The ultimate goal is to
seek Allah's pleasure and salvation in the Hereafter.
The Basic Resolution of Tanzeem-e-Islami
In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Ever Merciful
Today, in the name of Allah, we resolve to establish an Islamic
organization which may help to fulfill the individual and collective
obligations of our Deen.
In our opinion the addressee of Deen is an individual. To provide
his moral and spiritual fulfillment and salvation are the main topic
of Deen, and the proposed collectively is required chiefly for the
purpose that it may help an individual in achieving his goal, that
is to seek the pleasure of Allah.
Therefore the nature of the envisaged collectivity should be such
that it may have due consideration for the religious and moral training
of an individual, and special arrangement should be made so that
the religious sentiments of the participants can be awakened and
there can be a continuous increase in their knowledge. Their beliefs
should be corrected and purified, they should become more and more
inclined towards prayers and in following the Sunnah. In their practical
lives, they should become more and more sensitive about the lawful
and the prohibited and their actions should be based on piety. Their
passion for the invitation and propagation of Deen and for its domination
and establishment should increase with the passage of time. In addition
to the intellectual and educational guidance in these matters, it
is imperative to pay particular attention to provide practical training
and effective [and pious] companionship.
With regard to the Da`wah, we consider it necessary that the spirit
of Al-Deen Al-Naseeha (Deen is loyalty and sincerity toward each
other) and the gradation of Al-Aqrabo Fal-Aqrab (one who is nearer
should be given priority) be maintained. Therefore, the practice
of Da`wah and reform should extend from an individual to his family,
his kith and kin, and then gradually to his surroundings. In this
context, it is imperative to make special effort to provide religious
teaching and training to the new generation.
In regard to the collective responsibility of the Ummah concerning
the work of Da`wah and propagation among the masses, we consider
that the most important task is to counteract the false beliefs and
customs of the period of ignorance [that are still prevalent today]
and to effectively refute the misleading thoughts and philosophy
of the modern times. Moreover the guidance given by the Book (Qur'an)
and Sunnah concerning the various aspects of human life should be
explained in clear terms so that their real wisdom and rational worth
can be made clear, and the doubts in the minds of the people of the
present times may be removed.
(Rahim Yar Khan, September 8 and 9, 1967. Included in Ta`aruf-e-Tanzeem-e-Islami)
Baiy`ah
Any
male or female Muslim (belonging to any school of the Ahl Al-Sunnah)
can become a member of
Tanzeem-e-Islami by giving a pledge (or Baiy`ah)
of obedience — within the limits set by the Shari`ah — to
the Ameer of Tanzeem-e-Islami, Hafiz Akif Saeed. As soon as a Muslim
takes the conscious decision to live his life in accordance with
the commands of Almighty Allah (SWT), he may join Tanzeem-e-Islami;
the stages of learning, training, and purifying will occur subsequently.
However, he must promise, on the occasion of becoming a member,
that he will give up all that is disliked by Almighty Allah (SWT)
and
that he will try his utmost in fulfilling the obligations he owes
as a Muslim.
The
Western constitutional and democratic model work satisfactorily
as the basis of organizational
structure for community work, institution
building, and da'wah work. Since Tanzeem-e-Islami addresses specifically
to the duty of struggling for the establishment of the Deen, it
believes that the Western constitutional and democratic model
is not suitable
for this purpose. Further, we do not find that such a model was
adopted by Prophet Mohammad (SAW) for his mission. The organizational
model
we find in the Seerah of the Prophet Mohammad (SAW) is based on
Baiy'ah (pledge of allegiance). The Prophet (SAW) was a messenger
of Almighty
Allah (SWT) and every command from him had to be followed; still
he took Baiy'ah so as to leave an example for his Ummah. The Caliphs
after him continued the same system and after them almost all of
the revivalist movements have adopted the same system of Baiy'ah.The
fundamental difference between the two is that the Western constitutional
and democratic basis of organization rests on the idea of "one
person one vote." A number of people who want to achieve same
goals get together and form an organization in which the majority
vote is decisive. Whereas in the system based on Baiy'ah, one person
(a da'ee) gives a call that he is going to initiate the struggle
for the Deen of Allah (SWT) and invites people to join him in this
cause. (see Surah Al-Saff 61:14). In such a system, the leader
(Ameer) is required to consult with his rufaqa (those who join him)
but is
not bound by the majority decision (see Surah Aal-e-Imran 3:159).
During the time of the Prophet (SAW), each one of his decisions
had to be obeyed; but now the Ameer will be obeyed only within the
bounds
of the Shari'ah (i.e., fil Mar'uf).
As for those who strive in Us, We surely guide them to Our paths
(Al-Ankabut 29:69)
Dr. Israr Ahmad, the second son of a government servant, was born
on April 26, 1932 in Hisar (a district of East Punjab, now a part
of Haryana) in India. He graduated from King Edward Medical College
(Lahore) in 1954 and later received his masters in Islamic Studies
from the University of Karachi in 1965. He came under the influence
of Allama Iqbal and Maulana Abul A`la Maududi as a young student,
worked briefly for Muslim Student's Federation in the Independence
Movement and, following the creation of Pakistan in 1947, for the
Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba and then for the Jama`at-e-Islami. Dr. Israr
Ahmad resigned from the Jama`at in April 1957 because of its involvement
in the electoral politics, which he believed was irreconcilable with
the revolutionary methodology adopted by the Jama'at in the pre-1947
period.
While still a student and an activist of the Islami Jami`yat-e-Talaba,
Dr. Israr Ahmad gained considerable fame and eminence as a Mudarris
(or teacher) of the Holy Qur'an. Even after resigning from the Jama`at,
he continued to give Qur'anic lectures in different cities of Pakistan,
and especially after 1965 he has, according to his own disclosure,
invested the better part of his physical and intellectual abilities
in the learning and teaching of the Qur'anic wisdom.
Dr.
Israr Ahmad wrote an extremely significant tract in 1967 in
which he explained his basic thought — that
an Islamic Renaissance is possible only by revitalizing the
Iman (true faith and certitude)
among the Muslims, particularly their intelligentsia. The revitalization
of Iman, in turn, is possible only by the propagation of the Qur'anic
teachings and presenting the everlasting wisdom of the Book of
Allah (SWT) in contemporary idiom and at the highest level
of scholarship.
This undertaking is essential in order to remove the existing dichotomy
between modern physical and social sciences on the one hand and
the knowledge revealed by Almighty Allah (SWT) on the other.
This tract
is available in English as Islamic Renaissance: The Real Task Ahead.
Dr. Israr Ahmad gave up his thriving medical practice in 1971 in
order to launch a full-fledged and vigorous movement for the revival
of Islam. As a result of his efforts, the Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an
Lahore was established in 1972, Tanzeem-e-Islami was founded in 1975,
and Tahreek-e-Khilafat Pakistan was launched in 1991.
Dr. Israr Ahmad first appeared on Pakistan Television in 1978 in
a program called Al-Kitab; this was followed by other programs, known
as Alif Lam Meem, Rasool-e-Kamil, Umm-ul-Kitab and the most popular
of all religious programs in the history of Pakistan Television,
the Al-Huda, which made him a household name throughout the country.
Although he did not like to receive it personally, Dr. Israr Ahmad
was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1981. He has to his credit over 60
Urdu books on topics related to Islam and Pakistan, 9 of which have
been translated into English.
In the context of Qur'anic exegesis and understanding, Dr. Israr
Ahmad is a firm traditionalist of the genre of Maulana Mehmood Hassan
Deobandi and Allama Shabeer Ahmad Usmani; yet he presents Qur'anic
teachings in a scientific and enlightened way, being also a disciple
of Allama Iqbal and Dr. Muhammad Rafiuddin, and also because of his
own background in science and medicine. Concerning the internal coherence
of and the principles of deep reflection in the Qur'an, he has essentially
followed the thinking of Maulana Hameed Uddin Farahi and Maulana
Ameen Ahsan Islahi, though even here he has further developed their
line of argument. Dr. Israr Ahmad believes in a dynamic and revolutionary
conception of Islam, and in this regard he is a disciple of Maulana
Abul Kalam Azad and Maulana Sayyid Abul A`la Maududi.
For the last forty years or so, Dr. Israr Ahmad has been actively
engaged not only in reviving the Qur'an-centered Islamic perennial
philosophy and world-view but also reforming the society in a practical
way with the ultimate objective of establishing a true Islamic State,
or the System of Khilafah. He has widely traveled abroad and the
audio and video tapes of his Qur'anic discourses in Urdu and English
languages have circulated in thousands throughout the world.
A master's thesis, entitled Dr. Israr Ahmad's Political Thought
and Activities, was written by Ms. Shagufta Ahmad in the Islamic
Studies department of Canada's Mac Gill University. This thesis is
available from Markazi Anjuman Khuddam-ul-Qur'an Lahore.
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