The Muslim Village Introduction

The Quran has declared that its primary function is to explain all things:

Suratun Nahl 16:89 . . . And We have sent down to thee (O Muhammad) the Book (i.e. the Quran) which explains all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims.

(i) Reasoning and Revelation

The first conflict in history was a conflict between reasoning and revelation. Allah said: . . . usjudoo li Aadam . . . Bow down to Aadam (as). One who possessed reason, a Jinn whose name was Iblees, he reasoned and he said: No. Reason says that I should not submit to Aadam. I should not bow down and my reasoning tells me that fire is superior to clay. So I am superior to him. (The rational conclusion is that I should not bow down to him.) For that conflict, that disease of not worshipping Allah, but worshipping reason he was punished. The modern world today is producing from its western educational institutions, people with the same disease which afflicted Iblees. Now they dont worship Allah anymore. They worship human reason. Human reason must sit in judgement over the word of God, they say. When the word of Allah does not conform to their reason they subject it to the progressive

interpretation. That is the disease. Modern man no longer worships God. He worships himself.

(ii) Truth and Intuitive Knowledge

Uncorrupted revealed truth now exists in the world only in Islam. When truth is discovered it must be embraced with sincerity and must be applied to the totality of life. The truth will then be internalised, i.e. it will enter into the heart. Allah, the Most High, puts it Himself into the heart and He refers to this when He says in the hadith Al Qudsi: My heavens and My earth are too small to contain Me, but the heart of My faithful servant can contain Me. When truth enters into the heart, then the heart is given a divine light (nurullah) which permits the believers powers of observation and intuitive insight to penetrate beyond the external form to reach internal substance. It is only with that inner light of the discerning heart of a true believer that the world can be correctly read. Allah, the Most High, has provided the believers with a medium through which they can receive confirmation that they have been blessed with that capacity for intuitive knowledge (i.e. knowledge which the heart sees). That medium is true and good dreams. It is with intuitive knowledge alone (firasa) that one can achieve confirmation that we now live in the age of fitan, the last stage of the historical process. Knowledge and thought from trial and experience can only suggest, and not directly perceive the true nature of the age in which we now live. The implication of the confirmation (of the age of fitan) is that the authentic jamaah with the authentic Imam/Ameer must now be established and sustained, with greater urgency than ever before. All believers must hold fast to them with as-samu wa-taatu (listening and obeying), for that was the command of the Prophet (s).

The Muslim Village Part 1 We Are Now In The Age Of Fitan

Definition of fitan: Fitan is the term used by the Prophet (s) to describe the last age, or the age which will witness the end of history, - an age of strife, trials and tribulations an age which will fascinate, confuse, deceive intimidate, corrupt and oppress, - an age which will destroy faith in Allah, the Most High and reduce all of mankind to a state of godlessness, - an age which none from mankind can possibly survive except those who faithfully follow the way of Muhammad (s), the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Alhamdu lillah (Praise be to Allah) Who, in His wisdom has chosen to end the world in this magnificent way. Belief in the Last Day The deen of Islam is established on the firm belief that the earth will one day no longer be capable of sustaining human habitation. Allah, the Most High, made that abundantly clear at the very beginning of history when He declared to Adam and his progeny: We said get down (i.e. get out of heaven) with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling place and your means of sustenance for a (limited) period of time. (Suratul Baqarah 2:36) Prophet Muhammad (s) has prophesied an ecological disaster which will bring about that tragic situation. Hundreds of species of living creatures will become extinct. The first will be locusts, - and then others will follow like beads on a string. The Quran has also spoken of the earth as being eventually transformed into a veritable dustbowl because of the scarcity of (sweet) water: Verily what is on earth We shall make but as dust and dry soil (without growth and herbage). (Suratul Kahf 18:8)

That would be the end of history and what a terrible end that would be. Fortunately the believers would not be around to suffer the great suffering of that final moment of the death of the earth. They will all be taken away by Allah, the Most Merciful, before that moment arrives. The Prophet (s) said, for example: The last hour will not come upon one who says Allah! Allah! (Sahih Muslim) Belief in the Last Age (fitan) The deen of Islam is also established on the equally firm belief that before that final moment arrives when the earth, as we know it, dies, there will be a last stage of the historical process, or a final age, which Prophet Muhammad (s) has described as the age of fitan. Allah, the Most Wise, will release into the world great evil beings whom He created. Those evil beings about whom, He has warned in the last 2 surahs of the Quran (Suratul Falaq and Suratun Naas) are pre-eminently Dajjal, Yajooj and Majooj. When they are released by Allah, the Most Wise, the havoc, destruction, trials and tribulations, intimidation and oppression which they will rain down on mankind, would be so great that the Prophet (s) described that entire age as the age of fitan (trials, temptation, deception, oppression etc). Allah, the Most Wise, has chosen to end the Quran with a grave warning in those last 2 surahs, Suratul Falaq and Suratun Naas. The ultimate objective of the age of fitan is to test mankind so that only those who truly have faith in Allah, the Most High, and in Muhammad (s), as His Messenger, can survive the test and enter into jannah (heaven). All the rest of mankind will end up in the single, global, melting pot of godlessness and will go to jahannaum (hell). Signs that the age of fitan has begun Prophet Muhammad (s) has spoken extensively and with minute details concerning the signs which will indicate the advent of the age of fitan, the last stage of history. Many of the signs spoken of by the Prophet (s) have now appeared. Some are still to appear.

Among the signs which have already appeared are the following: Time will pass very swiftly (as a consequence of mans attachment to the world at the expense of the remembrance of Allah, the Most High). Mechanised transport will replace natural transport (i.e. horses). Universal consumption of alcohol and prevalence of adultery and fornication in the age of dajjal (the age of fitan). Dajjal and the age of amazing scientific and technological discoveries. The collapse of character, integrity and morality of government and people. Universal consumption of riba (usury) in the age of dajjal. Feminist revolution in the age of dajjal. Return of paganism. Release of Yajooj and Majooj. The attack on religion Already Christianity and Judaism have been secularised. The process of the secularisation of society began with the French and Bolshevik revolutions in Europe. These revolutions transformed Europe from a civilisation which was based on faith (in Christianity) to an essentially godless civilisation. As for Hinduism and Buddhism the writing is on the wall. The fiercest and most sophisticated attack of all is being launched now on Islam, but most Muslims do not seem to recognise this.

Secular Islam Islam would be secularised if Dajjal succeeds in creating Muslim communities who: Establish the masjid, salaat and the maktaba for teaching Islam to children, Fast every Ramadan with gusto, Give of their wealth in charity, Invite people to Islam, Even observe much of Sunnah of the Prophet (s) with care, but avoid the struggle of responding appropriately and courageously to the awesome challenges posed by the modern secular materialist society. One such challenge is the economic oppression caused by riba. Such a jamaah will not only be innocent of the real nature of the world of oppression created by Dajjal, Yajooj and Majooj but would be incapable of responding to it. That would be an Islam which would be devoid of its very substance. Such would constitute a fulfilment of the prophecy of the Prophet (s) who declared of that secularised Islam in the age of fitan:

It is certain that a time will come when nothing will remain of Islam except the name, and nothing will remain of the Quran except its traces, and their masajid will be (grand) structures but will be devoid of true guidance, and their ulama (religious scholars) will be the worst of those beneath the sky. They will cause fitnah (strife, trials, tribulations that which confuses, deceives, intimidates, corrupts and oppresses) . . . . . (Baihaqi)
The challenge of the modern age of political, economic, and gender oppression is most dangerous of all in respect of its shirk (recognition of, and submission to, the sovereignty of the State), its riba (permanent poverty and the poor growing poorer) and the feminist revolution. It would hardly be an appropriate response that one should, like an ostrich, put ones head in the sand and pretend that the modern world of shirk, riba and the feminist revolution,

does not exist, or would go away. Such a response would give a false sense of security, whereas in fact Dajjal would be just waiting for more people to join that secularised version of Islam, before he takes them in the palm of his hand and crushes them. Signs of the age of fitan still to appear Perhaps the most important of the signs of the age of fitan still to appear are the following: the Hajj will be abandoned (Bukhari) the sea of Galilee will become dry (Kanz Al Ummal) the emergance of Imam Al-Mahdi (Bukhari, Muslim) the return of Jesus (Bukhari, Muslim) Jesus breaks the cross (ending Christianity) and kills the swine (ending Judaism) Allah, the Most Powerful, destroys Yajooj and Majooj Huge quantities of gold are discovered in the area of the river Euphrates The international monetary system of paper, plastic and electronic money collapses A Muslim army destroys the State of Israel Jesus (s) marries, has children, dies and is buried next to the grave of Prophet Muhammad (s).

Implications of living in the age of fitan In addition to the points already raised, Prophet Muhammad (s) declared that this ummah (i.e. the world of Islam) would be divided into 73 different sects (we seem to have many more than that today) and only one would be rightly guided. Which would be that rightly guided group of Muslims? No community of Muslims since 1924 (when the Khilafah was abolished) can conceivably be considered to be the one rightly guided group if it is not organised as a jamaah with an Ameer who is obeyed.

Reward for holding onto faith in the age of fitan What is the reward if we hold onto faith and do not betray Allah? The answer is in a hadith of Prophet Muhammad (s) who said: My ummah is like the rain. I dont know which shower is better, the first or the last. (Razin) So those who hold onto faith in the last part of this countdown can have a status equal to the companions of the Prophet (s) or even greater than the companions. Isnt this hope!

The Muslim Village Part 2 Long Neglected Aspects of The Sunnah

Collapse of the immune system When Al-Masih Al-Dajjal attempts to destroy Imam Al-Mahdi, then Allah responds by sending Jesus (s) back to earth to kill Dajjal. Thus Mahdi will be saved when Jesus (s) appears and kills Dajjal. The death of Dajjal will be quickly followed by the release of (the last wave of) yajooj and majooj. Jesus will invoke Allah, the Most High, to kill them (yajooj and majooj). Allah, the Most High, sends insects which bite them on the back of the neck. They all fall down paralysed and by next morning they are dead. One hypothesis is the collapse of the immune system, so that the body has no resistance when bitten by a small insect. Is there evidence that the immune system is becoming weaker today? Ask any doctor. The evidence is already there that the immune system is getting weaker and weaker and the doctors are prescribing stronger and stronger antibiotics to combat infection. The sunnah that we have abandoned When you join the global economy you say goodbye to Prophet Muhammad (s) and a large part of his sunnah. Every step towards a global economy is a step away from the sunnah of Muhammmad (s). The Prophet (s) gave us not only the beard as a sunnah. He also gave us a system of political organisation as sunnah. He also gave us an economy as sunnah. He also gave us money as sunnah. All of these are sunnah. The sunnah which he gave us, today we have abandoned that sunnah of Muhammad (s). And still we are fighting with each other? We are better Muslims than you. You are kuffaar, we are Muslims. Both of them are reprehensible because both of them have abandoned Muhammad (s). But the pity of the situation is that

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neither of them knows they have abandoned Muhammad (s). Money as a sunnah They have abandoned real money, for example, sunnah money. Sunnah money is the money which he (s) used and which every Prophet of Allah used. The definition of sunnah money is the money where the value of the money lies in the money, therefore the money has intrinsic value. Today we have replaced this money with paper money. Political organization as a sunnah He (s) gave us a system of political organization in which there is no shirk. A system of political organization which recognises Allah as sovereign, which recognises Allahs authority as supreme, which recognises Allahs law as the highest law and if Allah makes something haram, no one can change it and make it halal. We abandoned that. We have all embraced what came out of this godless Europe, the modern secular state, in which the state now declares: (the same one which you pledge allegiance to, to get your citizenship and passport) Allah is no longer sovereign, we are sovereign, that is shirk! Allahs authority is no longer supreme, our authority is supreme, that is shirk! Allahs law is no longer the highest law, our law is the highest law. -that is shirk. Allah has made it haram but we can change it and legalise it. -that is shirk. Every single step in the way of the global society is a step away from Muhammad (s). Food as a sunnah Sunnah food, is food which has been created and produced in accordance with fitrah. When you attempt to interfere with the internal composition of food with Genetic Engineering, this GE food may provide nutrition but it can longer function medicinally, because you have changed the internal structure of the food. In the US today roughly 70% of supermarket food is GE food.

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As you buy milk from animals given hormone injections and antibiotics and fed with GE feed; As you eat the food which has been grown with chemical fertiliser, you are departing from the sunnah as food. This food can no longer sustain the immune system. So as the global society gets hooked onto supermarkets, that entire global society witnesses the collapse of the immune system. So they get what they deserve when the attack comes. How do we respond? The global economy It is mentioned in hadith that Jesus (s) and Imam Al Mahdi will be sharing wealth. Giving away money. What sort of money? Not paper money, but real money, gold and silver. So long as you remain trapped within a global economy, you will get poorer and poorer. You will be ripped off and reduced to destitution. You will loose your faith and you go down the path of no return into jahannum. The only way you can escape is by disconnecting from the global economy, disconnecting from the global society. The Prophet (s) said: The time will come when you will not be able to find a single person in all of mankind, who will not be consuming riba. And if anyone were to say that he is not consuming riba, verily the dust of riba will be upon him. (The vapour of riba will be upon him.) One opinion is that we have now come to a time when that prophecy has been fulfilled. We are at a stage now where riba has taken total control of the whole economy around the world. You cant fight it. You cannot destroy it. So what do we do? We have to disconnect from it. The Prophet (s) said: A time will come when, that in order for a man to preserve his faith, (in order to preserve his religion) he would have to flee to the mountain sides where rain falls and take with him some sheep and goats.

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It is not now possible to take control over territory anywhere in the world to establish an Islamic State. Any attempt to do so would see the entire godless world ganging-up to prevent the emergence of Islamic control over the state. Since Muslims cannot establish macro-Islam anywhere, then we must concentrate on establishing micro-Islamic communities where ever possible. The time has come to disconnect from the godless cities, with their relentless grinding economic oppression. Look for land where land is cheap and where there is water. Build a Muslim Village. We pray that Allah taala may bless the efforts of all those who now return to the Quran and return to Muhammad (s) to study carefully and seriously the guidance which has come from Allah and His Messenger, that this guidance may explain the world in which we live today and that this guidance may guide us how to respond to the awesome challenges of the world today.

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The Muslim Village Part 3 Guidelines For Establishing The Muslim Village
If such a Muslim community, which is established authentically on the foundations of the Quran and Sunnah, is to survive, it must fulfil the following conditions: The public life of the Muslim Village must be established on the firm foundations of the Quran and authentic Ahadith. Whatever is not based on the Quran and Sunnah cannot be recognised as essential for survival. If a Muslim religious practice cannot be so established then, regardless of how beneficial it may be or how long Muslims may have observed it, it should not be brought into the masjid and into the public life of the Muslim Village, nor should it be allowed to become the grounds for division and conflict between Muslims. Only thus would the Muslim Village survive the sinister contemporary effort directed at purging Muslim communities of all practices (both harmless and harmful) that are not based on Quran and Sunnah and the way of the salaf (early Muslims). The Muslim Village must be self-sufficient in food production and energy. Suratul Kahf of the Quran points to solar energy as the solution for energy. This surah also warns concerning absolute purity in food hence abstinence from genetically re-engineered food and from hormones in milk and meat. The Muslim Village would also have to establish a micromarket which would be independent from the macromarket and which would use real money (i.e. gold and silver) rather than the artificial paper money of the macro-market. In this way the micro-market would survive when the fraudulent international monetary system based on paper money collapses. The Muslim Village would have to make a determined effort to pursue Al-Ihsan (or Tasawwuf) in order to achieve internal spiritual insight. Thus village life would

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have to be one of great simplicity and austerity. The Muslim Village would have to ensure that it takes complete control over education. The Quran must remain at the centre of the education system throughout all stages of education. But the entire guidance which emerges from the Quran and Sunnah which must be applied to the task of establishing the micro-Muslim community needs to be extracted and classified. This has already been done by Dr. Muhammad Fazlul Rahman Ansari in book The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society, in 2 volumes. The micro market Most of all in the Muslim Village we have a micro market. The micro market cannot be attacked and dislodged. You cannot take riba out of the macro market but in the micro market we will return to the sunnah and the money which is sunnah. So in the micro market you will get the true value of your sweat. In such a market, those whose wealth is in animals and the land will not be ripped off by the constantly decreasing real value of wages, the constantly falling value of paper money and the accompanying constantly rising prices. They will sell neither their animals nor their land, hence their wealth will be preserved. It is those whose wealth is paid for in paper money, or who must sell their goods or properties for less and less, who will grow poorer and poorer, eventually ending up in debt and working for slave wages. Others will live off their sweat. The owners of animals and of land, who stick to the land, will not only deny the predatory elite the opportunity to exploit them, but they can even increase their wealth if Allah, the Most Gracious, blesses their flocks and herds with manifold increase.

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The wisdom in the advice of sticking to the land and to animals is also to be found in the doubt which will attend all livelihood earned in a totally corrupt economy. When the entire system is ripping off an individual, then that individual may end up being forced to rip off others in order to earn his livelihood.

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Some of the practical steps we need to consider in developing the Muslim Village concept: The Ameer The Ameer is appointed in agreement with residents of the village, who pledge their allegiance to him. The Ameer has the right to remove from the village anyone who disrupts village life. The role of the Ameer and the authentic jamaah can be explained in much more detail in a future document. Private property The village must be located on private property, so that unsuitable visitors may legally be denied access. Housing In the Muslim Village we are not going to build houses worth $200,000 and $300,000. In the Indonesian Muslim Village they build good quality bamboo houses with thatched roofs and natural cooling for US$2,000. In Australia they are planning houses worth about A$10,000 to A$15,000 each. In the Muslim Village we build simple houses. We produce our own food so we are secure, not insecure. Lawyer A lawyer will have to be consulted over issues which impinge on New Zealand common law. Insurance Your insurance policy in the Muslim Village will be that if your house burns down, brothers will gather and build a new house for you. Insurance is a loss of dependence on Allah. Village size This will obviously be limited in New Zealand by various factors. Overseas recommendations are to start with a minimum of 100 families. When numbers reach 1,000 families, a new village should be started, so that village does not reach the size of a town or city.

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Currency Minting our own currency will be too expensive in the early stages of the village, so alternatives will be considered. Education Start with the Quran. The Quran expands the childs mind, so by the time he is a young adult he can absorb great knowledge in science, medicine etc. There should be no pre-school. The child should be left to be free in early life with his mother. Traditionally schooling starts at 6 or 7 years of age. Some children have memorised the Quran by this age. Much work was done by the Islamic Education and Dawah Trust in Auckland in the 1980s concerning home schooling for Muslim children, before they established the first Muslim school in New Zealand. So their experience will be valuable. Ibaadah As soon as we institute a village life according to the Quran and authentic Sunnah there will be a number of problems for some people, for example: Sisters will be allowed to pray in the masjid without a barrier (except children who are praying) from the brothers. There will be no communal dua after each fard salat in the masjid. Any acts of worship which are beneficial but not found in the Quran or Authentic Sunnah (e.g. circles for dhikr) must never be brought into public life in the Muslim Village but done in the privacy of the house. Concerning such practices in private, if individual declares that a resident is guilty of BIDAH! and HARAM! in the privacy of their own home, the accuser will be evicted from the village. The khutbah will always be in Arabic, no other language. Knowledge of deen may be acquired through classes etc but all residents of the village have a duty to study Arabic language to the minimum level enabling them to

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understand the khutbah. To neglect this duty of studying Arabic is offensive. When you leave the city, if you belong to a particular Jamaah whether it be Wahhabi or Salafi or Tablighi or whatever, you leave it behind in the city. The Muslim Village will not be divided on sectarian grounds. There is one jamaah and one ameer. Potential residents Houses should be provided in the village for those from the city who cannot cut their ties with it but want to taste the village life for short periods of time (e.g. weekends). Polygyny Sisters may want to enter the village from the city. They may be: divorced; having children; suffering illness etc. It is the responsibility of the village to provide for their welfare. Brothers who can provide for more than one wife may do so. It is not easy. You have to be a master of psychology to keep the peace in a polygynous marriage situation. Sports and recreation There is a lot of scope for further discussion here. Horse riding will be encouraged. So long as the village is secure from the community outside, girls will be free and able to play sports without being caged-in and surrounded by high fences. If a Muslim boy goes to watch them, he may prefer to vacate the village rather than experience the shame he has brought upon himself by the rest of the village. Age group The preferred age range for potential villagers will be around 17 to 25 years. This is simply because young people generally have less ties to the city and can easily make the transition. No one will be precluded residency in the village according to age.

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Television and cinema Since television and the cinema are today by far the most powerful force at work creating the homogeneous society and attacking, corrupting and destroying the internal integrity of the Muslim economic, moral and social order, the authentic jamaah will be one which takes adequate steps to protect itself from the grave dangers posed by television and the many Hollywoods which have sprung up around the world. This may take the form of a ban on television, the cinema and video movies. Non-Muslims Non-Muslims may live in the village. Their women dont have to wear hijab but must wear long clothing which is not revealing. They must abide by the rules set for them. Security At night a watchman will patrol the village. Non-Muslims will be levied a small tax for the cost of security. Firearms Firearms will not be permitted so the government will have no pretext to destroy our village.

Oh Allah, we take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow, weakness and laziness, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of debts and from being overpowered by men Oh Allah, give us patience, knowledge and the depth of understanding to make us successful in dunyah and akhirah Oh Allah, may our small differences as brothers serve to enhance our unity through diversity and break down our divisions Ameen

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References: One Jamaat One Ameer, by Shaikh Imran Hosein The Prohibition of Riba in the Quran and Sunnah, by Shaikh Imran Hosein 2002 New Zealand lecture tour by Shaikh Imran Hosein The Quranic Foundations and Structure of Muslim Society in 2 volumes by Dr Muhammad Fazl-ur-Rahman Ansari Compiled by Muhammad Shameem 18/11/02