Despite the failure of these movements established on the basis of promoting morals, many people are still convinced that morals should be made the basis of reform (iSlaaH), and as a result have established reform societies. It should be emphasized that, even though the individual is part of the community, the means of reforming the community differ from the means of reforming the individual. The corruption of the community stems from the corruption of collective emotions, and from corruption of the intellectual and spiritual environment. In addition, the corruption stems from erroneous concepts within the community. In other words, it stems from the corruption of public traditions. Reforming the community will not occur unless correct public traditions are established. Such public traditions can not be established except by reforming the emotions of the community, creating the correct spiritual environments and the intellectual environments that are linked to the spiritual aspect, as well as implementing the system by the state. Only when the Islamic environment is created and the concepts are corrected throughout the entire population, will the community be reformed, which will in turn reform the individuals. Reforming the community can not occur through structuring on the basis of association, nor by making morals, preaching and education the basis for structuring.
All these structures that were established on such foundations failed miserably to create any revival or reform. In addition, the other groups that were established on a nominal party basis, and not upon a specific ideology, were also doomed to failure. They neither had the correct understanding, nor did they possess the correct bond that unites their members.
The failure of all these groups was also inevitable due to their membership. Due to the absence of the correct idea and the method, such groups while establishing their structures, did not take into account the individual’s suitability to the group. Instead, they established themselves on the basis of the individual’s social status and the immediate benefit from his presence in the party or the association.
A member would be selected on the grounds of being either prominent in the community or wealthy, or by holding an influential position such as a doctor or a lawyer, regardless of his suitability. As a result, these groups were predominantly affected by a lack of coherence and by class orientation. The members of these groups and associations were engrossed with an inner feeling of being distinguished from the rest of the people, not only in terms of their wealth and social status, but also by being members of the party or the association. Because of these sentiments, no interaction or contact occurred between them and the rest of the people, which made their very existence another problem that further burdened the society.
Careful examinination and survey of all the groups and parties clearly establishes the fact that not a single correct structure, that aimed towards revival of the Ummah was established in any of the Islamic countries during the past century. The Ummah cannot be revived without a structure or an organization, yet all structures which materialized eventually failed, because they were established upon an incorrect basis. The question that needs to be addressed now is what is the correct structure that will revive the Ummah.
The correct structure that will revive the Ummah cannot be established upon an association type organization, which leads its members only to engage in specific work, talk or both. This kind of structure must not be encouraged within the Ummah that aims to be revived, nor should non-ideological parties be encouraged, like the parties that have been formed in the Islamic world since World War One.
The correct structure is an ideological Hizb based on Islam. In this structure, the idea would constitute the soul of the Hizb as well as its nucleus and the essence of its existence. The first cell of the structure would be a person who embodies the idea, and a method which is of the same nature as the idea, until he becomes a person of the same quality as the idea in his purity and clarity, and like the method in his distinctness and straightforwardness. Once these three elements come together - the profound idea, the clear method and the sincere person - the first cell comes into existence. Soon the cell multiplies into other cells to form the first circle of the Hizb, or “the leadership” (qiyaadah). Once the first circle is formed, the Hizb group (Kutlah Hizbiyyah) emerges.The group then requires a Hizbi bond to bind the individuals who have embraced both the idea and the method. This Hizb bond is the ‘Aqeedah, from which the outlook of the Hizb and the culture that characterizes the Hizb’s concepts emanate. The Hizb group will thus proceed in the mainstream of life once it is formed. During this process, the Hizb will encounter many situations, face many obstacles, and be exposed to many different environments. In other words, the circumstances around it will fluctuate from hot to cool. Sometimes the Hizb would be stormed upon very strongly, and sometimes mildly. At other times, the Hizb will pass through a situation where it can see its path clearly, and sometimes the situation will be cloudy. If the Hizbi group manages to withstand these conditions, then its idea will become crystallized, its method clarified, and the group will have succeeded in preparing its members, and strengthening the bond of the group. It will then be able to take the practical steps in the Da’wah and the activity. At this point, it moves from being a Hizbi bloc to a fully-fledged ideological Hizb working towards revival. This is the correct structure, whose nucleus and essence of its existence is the idea.
The explanation of how this ideological Hizbi structure emerges naturally in the Ummah is as follows:
The Ummah is an indivisible whole that resembles a human being in its overall structure. As a person recovers from a potentially fatal disease, and life flows back into his body again, it flows into him as a whole. Similarly, the declined Ummah is considered ill as well, and life will flow into the Ummah as a whole. The life of the Ummah is the idea linked with a method of its same nature. Thus, both the idea and its method constitute what is called the ideology.
The mere existence of the ideology within the Ummah is not sufficient to bring life into her. Rather, when the Ummah is guided to the ideology, and the Ummah implements it in its life affairs, it is only then that the Ummah becomes alive. The ideology may exist in the Ummah within her legislative, cultural and historical heritage. However, she may be unaware of it, or unaware of its idea or its method, or unaware of linking them together. In this case, the mere existence of the idea and its method would not lead to revival.
Vitality usually streams into Ummah when severe shocks occur in the society and produce a common feeling. This collective feeling leads to an intellectual process, which in turn produces a host of propositions and ideas as a result of discussions about the causes and effects of the shock, as well as the direct and indirect means to save the Ummah.
Although this feeling is the same and common to all individuals in the community, the degree of feeling varies amongst them because Allah (swt) bestowed different capacities to every individual. Hence the community’s realization of the idea remains latent in the Ummah until this realization is accumulated and becomes concentrated in those who have a greater degree of sensitivity and perception. The idea awakens them, inspires them, and motivates them into action. Accordingly the signs of vitality first appear in that group of people. The feelings of the people will be reflected in those who have a higher degree of sensitivity and perception. The idea will be concentrated in them, causing them to move forward with awareness and comprehension.
They are the eyes of the Ummah and the aware group from amongst her. In the beginning, this aware band of individuals will be worried and uncertain. They will see numerous paths and will be uncertain as to which path to follow. The degree of awareness within this group will vary amongst its members. The thinking that is based on sensation (mantiq ul-ihsas) will be higher in some of them than in others. Out of this aware group, a select and distinguished band will arise. This band will embrace one path after deep and thorough research. It will perceive both the objective that this path leads to as well as the clarity of the way, so it will follow it towards its objective. Thus, this band of individuals will discover the ideology with both its idea and its method and will embrace it as a deeply rooted ’Aqeedah. This group will embody the ideology and the ’Aqeedah, which together with the Hizbi culture, will be the bond that binds the individuals in this group.
When the ideology becomes embodied within these individuals, it will not remain confined in them, rather it will drive them to spread it to others. They will proceed according to its method and restrict themselves within the limits of the ideology. The life of these individuals will be devoted to the ideology, calling for it and fulfilling its obligations. This Da’wah aims to make people embrace this ideology alone to the exclusion of all others, and to establish general awareness about it. Therefore, the first circle would grow into a bloc, and the bloc would in turn grow into an ideological Hizb which would progress naturally in two tracks: First, through multiplication it will generate other cells which embrace the ideology with complete awareness and comprehension; and second, through creating and building general awareness about the ideology throughout the Ummah. The general awareness about the ideology will lead to the unification of the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs within the majority if not the whole of the Ummah. Hence the objective of the Ummah, as well as her convictions (qana’aat) and her outlook on life, will be unified. Therefore, the Hizb will serve as a melting pot, which would melt the Ummah and purify her from the impure and the corrupt ideas that led to the decline of the Ummah, or developed during the era of decline. The Hizb should undertake this melting process within the Ummah, thus leading to the revival of the Ummah. This is a tedious process that can only be undertaken by a Hizb that lives its idea, devotes its entire life to the idea, and is aware of its every single step.
This is because it is sensation that leads to thought in the Hizb. This thought would shine in the Ummah amidst other thoughts. Initially, the Hizb’s thought will just be another thought amongst many. It will be the weakest of them because it is newly born and not yet deeply rooted in the Ummah. Also, the Hizb’s thought will not have established a supportive climate for itself yet. However it is a thought based on the logic of sensation (manTiq al-Ihsas) i.e. understanding of reality through direct sensation, it will generate an intellectual sensation, i.e. having a clear sensation. Hence, the deep thought, due to its nature, purifies whoever it impresses, making him sincere, even if he wished to be insincere he could not be. This thought will be embodied as an ’Aqeedah’ and culture in this sincere person, and generates within him an unruly outburst. This outburst would be nothing but an eruption which occurs in the wake of a combustion in the emotion and the thought, this would spread in the Da’wah a blazing passion, enthusiasm and truthfullness. At the same time, it would spread (in the Da’wah) the logic (manTiq) and the thought and becomes a fire that burns corruption and a light that enlightens the road to righteousness (SalaH). Therefore the da’wah would be caught up in a struggle with the corrupt ideas (afkaar), the dilapidated doctrines (‘aqaid) and the degenerate habits (‘adaat); these would try to defend themselves. However this defense would itself become a friction with the new ideology, hence increasing its strength. This struggle will continue until all these ideas, doctrines and methods collapse, and only the ideology of the Party remains in the Ummah as its thought and ’Aqeedah.’
Once the Hizb unified the thoughts, the doctrines, and the opinions, it will have correctly established the unity of the Ummah with clear insight, thus melting and purifying it to become one single Ummah. Hence, the correct unity will be achieved. Then follows the second stage of the Hizb, which is to lead the Ummah to undertake the work of radical reform in order to revive the Ummah and to fulfill its obligation of carrying Islam to the world.
Because this Hizbi structure must be a collective movement and not an individualistic one, those in charge of the Hizb in the Islamic countries must deeply scrutinize the collective movements and understand them.
Understanding of the collective movements which had influence in their time reveals that movements do not emerge when affluence prevails, natural rights are secured, prosperity is ensured and people are selected to hold important positions based on their competence. Understanding of the collective movements makes it easy for us to assess every such movement properly: By studying the environment in which the movement exists or in which it existed, and by studying the circumstances which currently surround the movement, or surrounded it in the past, and the role given to the bright individuals in running its affairs, and in dealing with obstacles hindering its success or progress. The success of a collective movement is measured by its ability to instigate resentment amongst the masses and to exhort them to express their resentment each time the regime undermines or manipulates their ideology according to its own whims and interests.
Additionally, understanding these collective movements requires studying life in the society. Furthermore, it requires the Hizb to understand the relationship between the Ummah and the rulers, and vice versa and the basis of both of these relationships. We must compare the prevalent views and thoughts within the society to what Islam calls for, and determine any variance between the two. We must know whether this variance is due to changes in the fundamentals or the branches, and whether Islam approves of such changes or not. The understanding also requires studying the sentiments of the Ummah as it witnesses these Islamic opinions, thoughts and rules fade away from her life, which is caused and imposed by the regimes using force, deception and money.
Understanding these movements also requires knowing the Ummah’s general inclination towards the systems that are being forcibly implemented upon her. These non-Islamic systems in-fact threaten to extinguish Islam from the society and throw the Ummah into the abyss of suffering and misery. In addition, this understanding requires a knowledge of the inclination of the thinkers in the Ummah, the extent of their acceptance or rejection of the corrupt system implemented upon the Ummah, as well as the extent of how much they were affected by the intimidation, or taken by temptation.
Furthermore, knowing the Hizbi bloc itself is essential to ensure that it maintains sharp perception, deep thinking, and absolute sincerity. The Hizbi bloc must ensure that the events taking place in society must not weaken its belief in Islam and its laws, and that all temptations, intimidation, threats, favors and trials have no effect upon it whatsoever. It must also ensure that it upholds its inherent values to a high standard, and its belief must be safe, and the bloc’s inculcation with deep Islamic thoughts, its adoption of the public interests and its sense of responsibility, must be complete. It must also make sure that the ideology is preserved without any compromise or violation, no matter how much oppression, tyranny, hardship and threat befalls the bloc, and the bloc must ensure that it is determined to shoulder its responsibility, while being fully aware of all the consequences and be ready to bear them.
The historical and factual study of the collective movements guides one to comprehend the nature of the ideological Hizb’s course of action as a collective movement. The Hizb must ensure that it fulfills its requirements and proceeds in its natural path. If the Hizb notices any shortcoming in its performance, or if any study reveals the need for flexibility in its actions, or the need for any modification in the Hizb’s apparatus, or it is found that the Hizb needs to be more firm in its struggle, then the Hizb must adopt the required means that guarantee that the Hizb successfully conveys its message of revival to the Ummah, and empowers the Ummah to carry this message to the world.