True Freedom

The unity of worship, in the sense of submission to God alone, has a profound impact on human life because it liberates people from submission to anyone else. Thus man ensures his true dignity and freedom which cannot be guaranteed under any system where people are subjugated by others, in one form or another. Such subjugation can be manifested in beliefs, rituals or laws, but their effects are the same, in the sense of submission to beings other than God. People cannot live without self-surrender to one thing or another. Those who do not submit to God soon find themselves in the worst type of submission to others. They lose out to their desires which spiral out of control. Hence, they lose their very humanity: “The unbelievers may enjoy their life in this world and eat like animals eat, but the fire is their ultimate abode.” (47: 12) The greatest loss man can suffer is the loss of his own humanity. Moreover, they fall into different aspects of submission to other creatures, such as submission to rulers who always try to tighten their grip on power, pursuing their own self interest. Submission to other creatures can also take subtle forms, which may even be more domineering and cruel than the political form. One example is submission to fashion houses. We ask: what power do these have over a very large section of humanity, which claims to be civilized? When a fashion deity prescribes a certain style in clothes, cars, buildings, parties, etc. people slavishly toe the line. No one even contemplates dissidence. If people submitted themselves to God in an even smaller

measure than they do to fashion lords, they would be truly devout.

How can submission be practically demonstrated if not in the form people follow with fashion? What is the meaning of Lordship and sovereignty if they are different from those exercised by fashion makers? The poor woman who feels she must wear something too revealing, despite its being unsuitable for her figure, and wear make-up that leaves her subject to ridicule, simply cannot stand up to the lords of fashion with their immense power. What woman can resist such humiliation when she sees the whole of society around her toeing the line? If this is not submission to lordship, what is? Yet this is only one form of humiliating submission which people endure when they turn their backs on submission to God alone. Repugnant dictatorship is not limited to the political sphere and government. How important is the unity of worship and submission to the preservation of people’s lives, honour and property? All these become vulnerable when people submit to other human beings, whether in legal affairs, traditions or beliefs. In the sphere of beliefs and concepts, submission to anyone other than God means falling prey to endless myths, legends and superstitions, examples of which are easily found in both pagan societies and popular myth. Pledges and sacrifices are often offered under such false beliefs. Such sacrifices may not be limited to money and property, but may also include the sacrifice of children. People live in fear of false deities, priests who claim to be in touch with deities, sorcerers who claim to have contact with the jinn, saints and holy men who claim to possess powerful secrets, etc. Under the influence of such fears, and similarly false hopes, people waste their talents and energy. We have cited the example of fashion houses which human beings submit them to within a social context. However, we may also ask what the financial costs involved in such submission are.

An average family spends half its income on perfume, make-up, hairstyles, clothing, shoes and jewellery, etc. Similarly, an average family spends half its efforts on being up to date with such changing tastes. What is more is that most of the fashion houses are financed by Jews who make the greatest profits from the fashion industries. Men and women never stop meeting the demands of such submission, sacrificing in the process effort, money, honour and morality. False idols are set up, such as the motherland, nation, race, class, production, etc. Their honour is celebrated in spectacular forms, and people are urged to come forward with their offerings. Anyone who shows a reluctance to so come forward is accused of treason and made to endure humiliation. If personal honour runs against the requirements of submission to such false deities, honour is slain and the media never tires of describing such a travesty in superlative terms of praise. Islam makes jihād obligatory. Its purpose is to ensure that only God is worshipped by man, and that mankind liberates itself from submission to tyrants and idols. Thus, it is the means by which humanity rises to the sublime level God wants it to achieve. Undoubtedly jihād requires sacrifices, but those who submit to beings other than God have to make even greater sacrifices. People who refrain from jihād for fear of having to make sacrifices should reckon how much submission to others costs them in terms of their lives, children and money, in addition to sacrificing morality and honour. Never does jihād against all worldly forces equal the heavy cost of submission to others.