Translated from the Arabic by Yassine Hicham

Introduction

God the Exalted has established divine Laws [sunan][1] within His cosmos. These laws govern life, animate all living beings, and exert a decisive power over the unfolding of events. Discerning these laws, particularly those governing the eternal contest between Truth and Falsehood, illuminates the path for believing men and women and inspires them towards sound judgment, righteous resolve, and clarity of purpose.

These laws may be defined as the immutable principles God has ordained for the ordering of existence and to which He has subjected all His creatures, notwithstanding their diversity of type and genus. Foremost among these is the Law of Countervailing Struggle [sunnat at-tadāfu^‹], the perpetual contest between Good and Evil.

The Law of Countervailing Struggle in the Holy Qur^›ān

The term daf^‹, signifying the act of repelling or pushing back, appears throughout the Qur^›ān in numerous passages and varied forms, in both Meccan and Medinan chapters. However, the explicit articulation of this divine law occurs in two specific instances within the Book of God.

The first is found in Sūrat al-Baqara, where God declares: “Were God not to repel one section of mankind by means of another, the earth would be filled with disorder. But God is full of bounty towards all peoples.” (2:251)

The second is in Sūrat al–Ḥajj, where God Most High proclaims: “Permission to fight has been granted to those against whom war is made, because they have been wronged, and God indeed has the power to grant them victory. They are those who have been driven out of their homes unjustly only because they affirmed: Our Lord is God. If God did not repel the aggression of some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of God is oft mentioned, would surely be destroyed. God will surely aid those who aid His cause; God is indeed Powerful, Mighty.” (22:39-41)

Ibn ^‹Abbās states that these verses from Sūrat al-Ḥajj were revealed concerning the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions following their expulsion from Mecca. More than one of the predecessors held that this was the first Qur^›ānic verse revealed to authorize defensive Jihād.[2] At that time, the polytheists were inflicting grievous harm upon believers in Mecca. The Muslims would come to the Messenger of God, beaten and wounded, seeking justice from him. Yet, he would counsel them: “Be patient, for I have not yet been commanded to fight.” It was only after the Emigration to Medina and the Pledge of al-^‹Aqaba,[3] that these verses were revealed, granting the believers permission to prepare for their own defense.

The law of Tadāfu^‹ stands as one of the sovereign ordinances governing the movement of individuals, societies, and nations. Were God not to repel the people of falsehood through the upholders of truth, and the corrupters of the earth through those who seek its reform, the forces of corruption would prevail unchecked. They would transgress against the righteous, and seize exclusive dominion, and reduce the earth to ruin through their depravity.

Out of His grace and universal beneficence towards all humanity, God has granted the upholders of His true faith, those who labor for reform upon earth, the right to confront the arrogant oppressors and aggressive tyrants. Throughout every age, the people of truth stand as a bulwark against the people of falsehood. So long as they uphold what is right and strive for the betterment of the earth, God Almighty shall always remain their supporter and protector.

The Qur^›ān names this process daf^‹ according to the widely accepted reading, emphasizing that the act originates from God Himself, as part of His established custom for human society. The reading of Imam Nāfi^‹, however, renders it difā^‹ [defense], which brings out the active contention and resistance between both parties: the righteous reformers and the corrupt wrongdoers.

“God Will Surely Aid Those Who Aid His Cause”

The law of Tadāfu^‹ between Truth and Falsehood is perpetual, and enduring for as long as this world endures. It assumes multiple forms and extends across vast and varied domains of action. Its supreme aim is the elevation of the Word of God Most High.

When striving believers purify their intention for God alone within this struggle; when they muster every strength at their disposal, whether material resources or spiritual resolve, God Almighty honors them with assured victory over His enemies: “God Will Surely Aid Those Who Aid His Cause; God is indeed Powerful, Mighty.” This divine aid, together with His promise of succession [istikhlāf] and empowerment on earth, is not bestowed upon the indolent or those who flee reality. It is reserved for those who strive earnestly in His cause

Imam Yassine writes: “God Most High has not promised succession and empowerment on earth to the indolent, who evade the divine laws governing this vast cosmos and the principles regulating human societies. These laws are encompassed in His words: ‘Were God not to repel one section of mankind by means of another, the earth would be filled with disorder’ (2:251). And in another verse: ‘If God did not repel the aggression of some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, wherein the name of God is oft mentioned, would surely be destroyed’(22:39-41).

“To ensure that our actions are sound and effective, we must first know ourselves as individuals. Each one of us must ask: Am I progressing in drawing nearer to God Most High, or am I stumbling without guidance? We must also know ourselves collectively, delving into our historical roots, tracing the evolution of events during the times of fitna [the Great Ordeal]. We must further study the history of nations and the history of the world in which we live, with all its sudden, startling upheavals.

“At the end of the twentieth Christian century and the dawn of the fifteenth Islamic century, sudden and astounding shifts appeared, heralding—God willing—the era of the Second Caliphate upon the Prophetic Method (al-Minhāj an-Nabawī).[4] Socialism met its end, and its ideology was discredited even by its former adherents. The rivalry between the Western and Eastern blocs dissolved. In light of such momentous change, Muslims must carefully reckon with every new development within God’s universe.”[5]

Imam Yassine, may God have mercy on him, therefore, urges us to reflect deeply upon the divine laws manifest both within the human soul and across the horizons of creation, that we may wisely weigh every unfolding reality within God’s design. His summons is unequivocal: we must enter the arena not as passive spectators but as active participants, beginning with the spiritual and moral education of ourselves, both individually and collectively, in accordance with the Minhāj of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.

Drawing further insight from the verse (2:251), Imam Yassine outlines essential duties incumbent upon the servants of God.[6] He says: “It is incumbent upon the servants of God to defend themselves and never yield to despair. They must master the rules of the political engagement and the Prophetic principles of resistance alike. They must utilize the presence of these rules in people’s minds and amid the chaos of trial, and devise ways to dismantle through principled, Truth-based struggle that eradicates Falsehood. For Falsehood, by its very nature, is ever destined to perish.

“Consider the Messenger of God: though he endured injury with patience, though he proceeded with measured wisdom, though he prayed at the Ka^‹ba while three hundred and sixty idols stood unscathed around him; he was never silent. Nor were his Companions, endowed as they were with the capacity to resist and protest, ever silent in meek submission.

“Witness Abū Bakr, boldly declaring: ‘Will you kill a man simply because he says, My Lord is God?’ At that time, the Muslims were few and powerless; polytheism reigned in its full arrogance. Yet still, the servants of God proclaimed Truth openly, confronting threats and persecution with steadfast resistance, clear argument, and unflinching warning, even at the most perilous and trying moments.”[7]

In summary,were it not for the countervailing strugglebetween the upholders of Truth and the people of Falsehood, and the permission for the oppressed to confront the oppressors and repel them with both strength and wisdom, corruption would spread unchecked across the earth; sacred boundaries would be violated; mosques would be razed; and the landmarks of goodness and guidance would vanish beneath the ferocity of Falsehood and the dominance of misguidance.

[1] [Translator’s Note:] Sunna [plural Sunan]: Translated here as “Law” (capitalized) when referring to God’s immutable patterns and principles in creation and history. This is distinct from the Sunna of the Prophet, which is his normative example.
[2] See Ibn Kathīr, Tafsīr al-Qur^›ān al-^‹Aẓīm, ed. Sāmī ibn Muḥammad as-Salāma (Riyadh: Dār Ṭayba, 2nd ed., 1999), vol. 5, p. 433.
[3] [TN:] A pivotal event where the people of Yathrib (Medina) pledged allegiance and protection to the Prophet Muhammad, paving the way for the Hijra.
[4] [TN:] Caliphate upon the Prophetic Minhāj: A reference to a famous ḥadīth predicting the return of a just and righteous governance resembling the rule of the Prophet, following eras of oppressive monarchy and tyranny.
[5] Aḥādīth fī al-^‹Adl wa-l-Iḥsān: Min Maḥāḍarāt al-Imām al-Mujaddid Abdessalam Yassine, ed. Rachid Halim (Istanbul: Dār Iqdām, 2nd ed., 2021), pp. 25–26.
[6] [TN:] Servants of God (literally Soldiers of God – jund Allāh): A term for devoted believers who actively struggle for God’s cause, encompassing spiritual, moral, and societal dimensions.
[7] Abdessalam Yassine, Al-Minhāj an-Nabawī (Istanbul: Dār Iqdām, 5th ed., 2022), p. 321.