MUJADDID – مجدد ‎

 

Derived from the root of تجديد (Tajdîd) which means a renewing. To renew.

The literal meaning of Mujaddid is who renews, renovates and restores.

The Mujaddids are the elevated servants of Islam, they are mentioned in sahîh Hadith, as in each century they will be entrusted by Allah for the duties of:

1) Instructing religious haqiqahs with the understanding of the age through their works

2) Cleansing the bâtil ideas and bid’ahs which have been mixed up in religion

3) Showing the honour and perfection of the Sharî’ah and Sunnah as-Saniyyah of the Prophet (ASM) by their life as the heir of Him (ASM).

They are sent in the fitnah times and strive with those age’s leaders of the fitnah and ma’nawî collective personality of those leaders, that is; the currents, ideas and living styles of those leaders and have become perfect models for the people of that age who try to save their Islamic life and îmân from the attacks of the fitnah of that age. From the treasury of the Qur’an, they brought perfect ma’nawî remedies for their age’s ma’nawî sickness by ‘inâyah of Allah.

 

The qualities, attributes, duties and the way that a mujaddid follows are these:

“The high servants of religion, which the Hadith announces as coming at the start of each century are not innovators but followers. That is, they do not invent anything new and of themselves; they do not bring new rulings (ahkâm). Through following the path of religious foundations and rulings with strict obedience to the Sunnah of Muhammad (asm); their duties are to strengthen and reinforce religion, to display the authenticity and haqiqah of religion and to denounce and refute the bâtil which have been mixed up with it. It is to reject and destroy the ongoing assaults on religion, to establish the Rabbânî commands, and proclaim and make known the honour and exaltedness of the Ilahî rulings (ahkâm). They perform their duties using new methods of persuasion and new styles of classification and explanation appropriate to the understanding of the age, but without harming the fundamental essence and spoiling the original rûh.

These Rabbânî officials verify their duties through their actions and deeds. They personally fulfil the role of reflecting their strength of îmân and ikhlas. They display in their actions their degree of îmân. They completely represent the morals of Muhammad (asm) and mirror the practices of Ahmad (asm) and show that truly they have been invested with the Prophetic robe. In short: for the ummah of Muhammad (asm) they form perfect models in respect of deeds and morality and following and adhering to the Prophet's Sunnah (asm); they are exemplary guides.

The works they write, tafsirs of Allah's Book and elucidating the injunctions of religion and their presenting these in accordance with the understanding of the age and its degree of ‘ilm, are not the products of their own nafs and their own elevated, fertile minds; these are not the result of their own intelligence and knowledge. These are directly ma’nawî ilham and promptings of the Pure personage of the Prophet (asm), who is the source of wahy. Jaljalutiyya, Mathnawi-i Sharif, and Futuh al-Ghayb and such works are all of this sort. Those honourable people are considered to be merely interpreters of these sacred works. These blessed people have only a share in the arrangement and style of expressions used in those distinguished works. That is, they are considered as being the recipients, mirrors and the places where those meanings are reflected on.” The Rays

The hikmah and necessity of the mujaddids :

A Question: The samawî books and scriptures, which conformed with the degree of understanding and social life of humankind of their age, have revealed by the Prophets From the time of Âdam (as) to our Prophet (ASM) by time, gradually. After our Prophet (ASM) and Qur’an, no Prophet nor book has been sent and will not. Whereas the development and progress of humankind have not stopped. In that case why, would a new book and a new prophet not come in accordance with the degree of progress in humankind?

The Answer: The former samawî books were revealed in accordance with their time’s degree and needs. They had not the capacity of being the source of ordinances and meanings encompassing all of time and place. But Qur’an has such universality and comprehensiveness that can answer all the degrees of progress of humankind.

Yet, for unfolding and demonstrating instructions, guidance and ordinances of the Qur’an which can answer all ages’ needs and progress, there must be mujtahids who unfold and unveil the ordinances of the Qur’an and mujaddids who display and teach the haqiqahs, nûrs and hikmahs of the Qur’an with the perfect conformity of their times’ needs. That is to say, for the meanings of Qur’an’s universality in time and place and in the different needs of the different groups of humankind, there is no need for other books. Mujaddids and mujtahids who are the heirs of the Prophet (ASM) are sufficient for the duty of tablîgh and instructing the Qur’an.

(Please refer to the compilation of Why Risale-i Nur?)