(Series of Answers by the Scholar Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah, Ameer of Hizb ut-Tahrir, to the Questions of the Visitors to His Facebook Page)
Answer to a Question:
Regarding Hizb ut-Tahrir's Way of Expressing Itself
To: Dede Tahboub
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum,
I have a comment on one of the pages of the booklet "Hizb ut-Tahrir" (which introduces the Party), written on 9/5/1985. On page 20, I find that the Party's way of expressing itself makes it approach the status of the Divine, and perhaps this is a reason for the delay of our victory (nasr) until now. The book states: "It has avoided all the deficiencies and reasons that led to the failure of the movements (takatulat) that arose to revive the Muslims through Islam." Here, it negates the attribute of error from itself, which is an attribute of the Lord of the Worlds, as every creature errs. However, if it had said this and added "by the permission of Allah," perhaps it would have been a cause for Allah's assistance to us. It also says, "Rather, it is a duty upon the Ummah to embrace it and march with it, because it is the only party that has digested (hadham) its idea..." While "oneness" here is linked to certain attributes, I find that it belongs only to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. No creature is unique from others in any attribute except those which Allah, Subhaanahu wa Ta'ala, has distinguished with a miracle. Therefore, I see that the word "the only" (al-wahid) contains some error, and perhaps it is a major one that has delayed Allah's victory for us.
Answer:
Wa Alaikum Assalam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
It seems that a misunderstanding has occurred regarding the meaning of the mentioned phrase. What was stated is: "It has avoided all the deficiencies and reasons that led to the failure of the movements (takatulat) that arose to revive the Muslims through Islam." (At-Ta'reef)
The Party mentioned this in the introductory booklet after it had enumerated the reasons for the failure of movements in the book At-Takatul al-Hizbi (The Party Grouping), where it stated:
"The observer of these attempts and the student of these movements sees that the primary reason for the failure of all of them, from a grouping perspective, returns to four matters:
First: They were based on a general, undefined idea, which was even vague or semi-vague; furthermore, it lacked crystallization, purity, and clarity.
Second: They did not know a method (tariqah) to implement their idea; rather, the idea proceeded through improvised and crooked means, and was surrounded by vagueness and ambiguity.
Third: They relied on individuals in whom correct awareness was not complete, and in whom correct will was not centered; rather, they were individuals who had only desire and enthusiasm.
Fourth: Those individuals who carried the burden of the movements did not have a correct bond between them, other than the mere grouping taking forms of actions and various names." (At-Takatul)
The Party then exerted its effort (ijtihad) and avoided those specific causes. So, what is the error in saying "It has avoided all the deficiencies and reasons"? What does this have to do with every creature making mistakes? And that Allah alone is free from every deficiency? Now I ask you: If you were a school teacher and you said to a student after looking at her answer, "There are deficiencies in your answer, such and such," and you specified these deficiencies as 1, 2, 3... etc., and told her "Go and complete them," and the student went and avoided those deficiencies, then returned to you saying, "I have avoided all the deficiencies that you mentioned to me, O honorable teacher, and here is my answer again." Would that student have described herself with the attributes of the Lord of the Worlds? Would she...?
As for your other observation, you say: "Rather, it is a duty upon the Ummah to embrace it and march with it, because it is the only party that has digested (hadham) its idea..." I will quote for you the paragraph before this text and then the paragraph you quoted in the question. The following was stated:
"So it perceived the idea (fikrah) and the method (tariqah) with a precise intellectual perception from what was revealed in the Revelation from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, and what they guided to of the Ijma’ of the Sahaba and Qiyas. It did not make the reality (waqi’) the source of its thinking, but rather the object of its thinking to change it according to the rules of Islam. It committed to the method (tariqah) of the Messenger ﷺ in his path of carrying the Da’wah and proceeding with it in Makkah until he established the State in Madinah, and it made the bond that binds its members the Creed (Aqeedah) and the Islamic ideas and rules it adopted.
By this, it was worthy for the Ummah to embrace it and march with it; rather, it is a duty upon it to embrace it and march with it because it is the only party that has digested its idea, is far-sighted in its method, understanding of its cause, committed to following the footsteps of the Seerah of the Messenger ﷺ without deviating from it, and without being deterred from achieving its goal." (At-Ta'reef)
You are commenting on the statement "because it is the only party that has digested (hadham) its idea, far-sighted in its method..." by saying that "oneness" is among the attributes of the Creator, Subhaanahu.
The subject is different, dear sister. The Party does not say that it is the "only" one in everything. Rather, it has extracted an idea and a method correctly with Shari'ah evidences according to the principles (Usul). Naturally, it would be the one that has "digested" (fully comprehended) this idea that it extracted. The speech is not about a person, but about the Party which adopts this idea and method. Everyone who has digested this idea and method is part of the Party and this description applies to them. Thus, it is true for the Party that extracted its method and idea to say that it is the only one that has digested them; for it is the one that extracted them, studied them, acted upon them, and struggled for them. So, what is the harm in saying that it is the "only" one to have digested this idea? And what does this statement have to do with the Oneness of Allah, Subhaanahu, who is the One (al-Ahad), the Eternal Refuge (as-Samad), and there is nothing like Him?
I ask Allah, Subhaanahu, to guide you to the most upright matter and to expand your chest to that which is good. Allah, Subhaanahu, is the Guide to the Straight Path.
Your brother, Ata bin Khalil Abu al-Rashtah
Link to the answer from the Ameer’s Facebook page
Link to the answer from the Ameer's website
Link to the answer from the Ameer’s Google Plus page