Izhar-Udeen

Introduction

We want to start off by giving a brief definition of the two words Izh-haar and Deen followed by the understanding the Qur’aan and Sunnah gives.

Root word of Izh-haar:                    ظهر

Meaning:                                     he made apparent; clear; obvious;  
                                                  superior; dominant

[Simplified] Meaning of Deen:       Complete way of life

Having a look at these definitions, when we talk about Izh-haar ud-Deen, we are talking about making the way of life of Islaam more apparent and dominant over all other ways of life. In other words, Izh-haar ud-Deen is the total domination and rule of the Earth by the Deen of Allaah [swt]. Although this concept may be unusual to us Muslims in this era, this is actually from the basics of our Deen. Allaah [swt] clearly makes mention of this in the Qur`aan:

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the Deen of truth, to make it dominate over [yuzh-hirahu ‘ala] every other Deen...” [9:33, 61:9, 48:28]

It is common knowledge that when Allaah [swt] sends Prophets, they are sent to establish Allaah’s authority so that the people can submit to that authority. The difference between Muhammad [saw] and other Prophets is that previous Prophets were sent to specific places and localities whereas the Messenger Muhammad [saw] was sent for the whole of Mankind.
 

‘Each Messenger was sent to his own nation. I was sent to all of Mankind’ [Saheeh Bukhaaree]

So since Allaah [swt] sent the Messenger Muhammad [saw] to establish the Deen over all other Deens and he was sent for the whole of Mankind, we can simply conclude that he was sent to establish the Deen of Islaam over the whole Earth. And this was exactly what the Messenger Muhammad [saw] promised us:

‘Allah showed me the earth and I looked at the east and the west. The authority of my Ummah will reach everywhere I was shown’ [Muslim 8/171, Abu Daawood 4252]

‘This affair will reach what is reached by the night and the day; and Allaah will not leave a dwelling of brick, nor fur, except that Allaah will cause this Deen to enter it - bringing honour or humiliation. Honour which Allaah gives to Islaam and humiliation which Allaah will give to disbelief.’ [Ahmad 4/103, Ibn Hibbaan 1631 – Hadeeth Saheeh]

It is true that the authority to implement the Deen of Islaam over the lands was given to the Prophet [saw] and the Sahaabah [ra], but what is promised in the Aayaat and Ahaadeeth is the authority over the whole world to implement Islaam. So the fact that the Prophet [saw] and Muslims in the previous generations had authority already should not make us think that Muslims in current generations would never be granted this privilege. In fact this was also prophesised by the Prophet [saw]:

‘Prophethood will remain amongst you for as long as Allaah wishes it to, then Allaah will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilaafah upon the manner of Prophethood and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allaah wishes it to, then Allaah will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be harsh kingship which will remain amongst you for as long as Allaah wishes it to, then Allaah will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be tyrannical kingship and it will remain amongst you for as long as Allaah wishes it to, then will raise it up when He wishes to raise it up. Then there will be Khilaafah upon the manner of Prophethood.’ [Ahmad 4/273 – Hadeeth Saheeh]

Observing our current reality, we find that it is very close to the last parts of the Hadeeth as we find tyrannical rulers everywhere around the world. Hence, Inshaa`Allaah, the ruling by Allaah’s Deen [Khilaafah] would be the next phase to be witnessed by mankind.

In conclusion, from these Aayaat and Aahadeeth, it should be well established in our minds that there is such a concept in Islaam called Izh-haar ud-Deen; to establish the Islaamic way of life throughout the whole earth. This is a matter which is well established by clear-cut, unambiguous text and is a matter which is known in the Deen by necessity. Hence anyone who rejects this concept is in danger of falling into Kufr.

And a final note, this goal should be the desire of every single Muslim and should be the objective and in the agenda of every single Islaamic Jamaa’aat working for the cause and revival of Islaam and Muslims as this was the agenda of the Messenger Muhammad [saw] and the Sahaabah [ra].