Let Us Start Afresh

There are various views as to the causes which led the Arab world to be involved in such insignificant level of treaties, such those of Madrid and Oslo .  But these views, adopted by the opposition groups of are not new, although the dissemination of such views is unprecedented.  This has been, primarily, due to the conflict with Israel .  Furthermore, there has been many coup de tat and new political systems since the creation of Israel .  But the result has not been the desired one. 

The Arab realism has awaken up from its confused dreams to find that the determination to win is able to achieve victory despite the passage of time and the numerous defeats . . . and this calls upon us to start afresh in revealing our reality.

If you were in the weak position and your enemy in the strong one, there are important factors that brought about your defeat, especially if the gap between you and your enemy is a significant one.

After a battle between two armies, one of which was defeated, people enquired for the reasons of defeat.  The army chief said, there were some forty causes for our defeat, the first one being lack of ammunition, the second . . . He was interrupted and told that is enough we do not need to know any more.

If there is an effect that depends on a number of causes, then all of those causes must prevail of the effect is to become a reality and it is sufficient for one of the causes to prevail.  That is to say, to attain victory there are many obstacles and the removal of one of the obstacles is not sufficient to achieve that victory, but it is necessary to remove and overcome all those obstacles.

On the other hand, in the case of defeat it is enough for one of its causes to prevail for it to exist in reality as can be seen from the case of the defeated army, above, and the lack ammunition as being one of the causes of its defeat.

Therefore victory has its basis and criteria, and the victory in southern Lebanon has been achieved as a result of such criteria being adhered to.

However, if we are to evaluate and achieve the victory and prosperity of the entire Ommah of Islam, we should have a comprehensive awareness of all the criteria factors contributing to this victory.  Here, therefore, we need all the efforts of the intellectuals and leaders of this nation.  It is great significance that an intellectual and a leader is also an eminent religious authority in Islamic sciences who, through his strategic encyclopaedia of more than 1150 books, has covered various areas of concern.  He is Great Ayatollah Imam Muhammad Shirazi who has dedicated his life in disseminating authentic knowledge of Islam with the aim of awakening the Muslim masses.

In his book "Let us start afresh" imam Shirazi states: 

The Muslims have been defeated because of one thousand and one causes.  Now, if we can claim that we have overcome and eliminated some of those causes, will this be sufficient to awaken the Muslims and kick start their movement?

There are people who regard the collapse and backwardness of the Muslims to be due to their lack of unity, others see it to be due to the lack of sufficient religious scholars, others view it to be due to the absence of correct and competent leadership, and others, and others, . . . Are the causes being one of these or are they all of them?  Or are there other causes too? 

If we united our efforts, provided sufficient religious scholars, and assigned the task of leadership to a competent and qualified leader, but we were not up to date with other aspects of life, and we do not have sufficient and independent means of defending ourselves, will we win?  No.  Unless that is, we address all aspects of life, and all means of progress and prosperity. 

Therefore, there may be only one cause for defeat but victory may not be attained unless all obstacles are overcome.

The first step to change, whether to the good or to the bad, is the individual himself.  Of course progress, or backwardness, may also be dependent on factors other than the individual, but he remains the fundamental aspect of it all. 

A prisoner may engage his heart with the remembrance of Allah, or with some unworthy issue.  A prison may be school for virtuous learning or for vice.

Good example for both of these cases are; the British forces had entered India for three hundred years before the Congress Party was formed and resisted the British occupation, which in turn led to the expulsion of the colonial power and India gained its independence leading to the creation of the biggest democracy in the world.  On the other hand, the British forces entered Iraq for only a few years and were expelled through the leadership of Imam Muhammad Taqi Shirazi, but today Iraq lives an absolute dictatorship.

What is the difference between the two?

The former in its natural strength and the latter in its natural weakness.

In order for us to start afresh and regain the strength and glory of the Ommah, three aspects must be provided: Freedom, Science, and Manufacturing and Production.

Freedom is the foundation of progress and survival, and it is the cornerstone of the salvation plan.  Therefore it is important to revive it.  However, it should not be considered to be an easy task.  The West with all its various forces would resist the return of freedom to our countries.  Therefore everyone must be educated about its importance so that everyone would strive for it.  Dictatorship cannot accommodate it, and the West runs away from just as it did when in India and elsewhere.  It is then that we can start afresh. 

As for Science, it is the foundation for progress and prosperity in a life anew.  If freedom is facilitated then science would follow, science cannot be there if there is no freedom, since science enters every aspect of life: in its creation or in its development, quantitively or qualitatively.

As for manufacturing, it would follow science since it is dependent upon it, and this the same for heavy and light manufacturing. 

It is true that self-sufficiency may mean having to lead a simple life to begin with, but a simple life is preferable to the non-life that we live now, since we are relying on others for the provision of modern needs.  When the British colonial forces left India after 300 years, a massive gap was brought about and caused her poverty and backwardness, but after only half a century of independence it has attained a significant progress.

The same will be if the colonial powers leave the Islamic countries.  In half a century they would make the necessary progress by the will of Allah.  Would it be beyond the means of two billion Muslims to achieve such a progress that is achieved by Israel of one million population?

If we consider what has been achieved by the victory in southern Lebanon , we will realise that some of the causes of awakening have been adopted by the some of the Muslims in small part of the Islamic land.  The invincible power in the region has been crushed by those who Muslims who had adopted such measures.  Now what if all the Muslim Ommah awakens and decides to relief itself from all catastrophes it is in whether the occupation of Palestine or international treaties which are presented to be important but are in fact insignificant.

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