Mohammad Elshinawy – Who do I vote for – Piety before Politics
AI: Summary ©
The speaker discusses the importance of religion and how it can be a political and political vehicle. They also mention the need for people to be aware of their political views and to practice their own strategies. The speaker emphasizes the need for everyone to be aware of their political views and practice their own strategies.
AI: Summary ©
Separating politics from religion could sometimes be the
greatest crime ever.
You know why?
Because it is ultimately Allah's creation, all of
it.
He created it all.
And so rightfully so, it's ultimately His determination.
Truth is what He says to be truth.
And justice is what He determines to be
just.
Our worldview comes from Him.
And to be on the opposite side of
that is to sabotage our salvation.
Our survival and hereafter depends on aligning with
God, not putting ourselves on equal footing to
contend with God.
Now on the other hand, confusing politics with
religion can sometimes be one of the greatest
crimes ever.
You know when this happens?
When a person wrongfully, incorrectly assumes that their
political views are absolute truths.
When you're as certain of your political position
as you are certain of Islam, that's a
big problem.
Because political maneuvers, political strategies, your approach, your
theory on how to bring about better conditions
for yourself and the world, these are not
exact sciences.
Grounding your value system in revelation, in Islam,
that is a definite.
Feeling Islamically obligated to pursue the lesser evil,
that's a definite.
That's a must.
Identifying which strategy, approach, methodology will generate the
lesser evil, that's not a definite.
That's speculative.
Why is it speculation?
Because none of us are God and only
Allah Azza wa Jal knows the future.
Practically speaking, who am I voting for?
I'm voting for the candidate that the specialists
in politics whom I trust deemed to be
the lesser evil.
So I feel morally obligated to support that.
Even if I don't agree with all of
that campaign's views.
They believe this and I believe their speculation
is less likely to be wrong than mine.
So I'm gonna remove my right to have
a view and defer to those who have
a more likely correct view.
That's it.
But at the end of the day, it's
speculation.
Am I gonna advise others to do the
same?
Sure.
I will advise others and if they see
otherwise or trust specialists that are saying otherwise,
I'm gonna assume the best of their intentions
and realize they might actually be right.
Because I know I don't know the future.
I know that I don't worship my opinion.
I know that political scientists are not prophets.
The sahaba, the companions of the Prophet sallallahu
alayhi wa sallam, they were not perfect.
One time the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's
wife was slandered, accused of infidelity.
And they kind of got into it, jumped
to certain conclusions, but in reality at the
core of it, they were all reacting to
what is the correct way to get to
the bottom of this.
But in the middle of that, someone said
complicit.
Someone said enabler.
Someone said siding with the hypocrites.
But the point being, very quickly did they
realize that they were wrong.
Very quickly did they realize that they were
offended.
Personally offended or offended for the sake of
the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.
And as a result of that, they had
jumped to a miscalculated conclusion.
They speculated incorrectly.
And so what did they do?
They retraced their steps and their brotherhood resumed.
And we must all do the same.
Our Lord is one.
Our destination is one.
May Allah gather us all in Jannah.
Our enemy is one.
And so our road is one.
We may sometimes take different lanes on that
road, but our road is one.
And if we don't accept as our brothers
and sisters, those whom Allah Azza wa Jal
has accepted as His servants, how can they
not be worthy to be equally your brother
and sister?
When Allah has accepted them, regardless of everything
else, as worthy of being Muslim.
If we don't accept that, then our problem
is not with our brothers and sisters anymore.
Our problem is with Allah subhanahu wa ta
'ala.
Our problem is with the fact that there
is something heavier, something outweighing in our hearts,
weighing heavier than la ilaha illallah because they
have it too.
And so may Allah allow for our piety
to guide our politics.