Since the early 20th century, the Islamic world has witnessed profound deterioration and fragmentation. The Ummah has been politically occupied by its enemies and internally afflicted by partisanship, discord, and factionalism among its own people. It has suffered intellectually from chaos, turmoil, and atheism, with its beliefs undermined and its noble ideals shattered in the hearts of its children. In this atmosphere, the Islamic movement emerged as the mother of all movements to confront these challenges, igniting the sparks of concern in the hearts of those zealous for Islam, proud of their faith, and hopeful in the ability of Islam to uplift nations as a great civilizational project that embraces the entire Ummah. It is characterized by a smooth presentation, ease of approach, offering legal evidence, gradual steps, avoiding points of dispute, and deep faith in Islam's comprehensive approach to reform until the end of time.

The Project’s Mission, Purpose, and Pillars

The mission of the Islamic movement's civilizational project is to confront the materialistic project that has inflicted great harm upon our Islamic nations and to create an alternative based on values and ethics. This will be followed by comprehensive reform in all aspects of life, with the cooperation and direction of the entire Muslim Ummah, addressing all situations requiring transformation. Our Islamic nations have been swept away from the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the guidance of the Quran by the civilization of materialism and the culture of indulgence, delaying its progress for centuries.

The pillars of this great revivalist project are based on the general principles of Islamic civilization, which include: faith in Allah with all aspects of belief; knowledge in all its branches, religious and civil; good and precise work; jihad in the path of Allah and readiness to repel any aggression; exertion and diligence to liberate humanity from fears and delusions; and securing a safe and dignified life befitting their humanity.

Potential for Revival

While some may have caved to frustration and despair due to the current state of decay and weakness among Muslims, a keen reader of history understands that such is the fate of nations. The strong do not remain strong forever, nor do the weak remain weak eternally. Imam Hassan al-Banna says, “The revivals of nations have always begun in a state of weakness, seeming to observers that reaching their goals is a mere impossibility. Yet history tells us that through patience, steadfastness, wisdom, and perseverance, these revivals, despite their initial weakness and limited means, have reached the peak of success.”

The urgent need for a just human system is evident, as the world continues to await a savior from the state of confusion and loss that has continued for centuries. There is no savior for humanity except Islam. We, as Muslims, must seize the opportunities and leverage events to our advantage. We should not think that ruling the world is far-fetched, as we have led it for centuries before. Instead, the world awaits the call of guidance to relieve it from its pains.

Project Requirements

In order to prepare and launch the project successfully, several important factors are required, on top of which are willpower, dedication, and sacrifice. The idea succeeds when there is strong belief in it, sincerity in pursuing it, increased enthusiasm for it, and a readiness to sacrifice towards achieving it. Therefore, the preparation of individuals who bear this burden is the first milestone of the project. The success of the project is linked mainly to the success in producing men befitting it. Indeed, men are the secret of the life and revival of nations. The history of nations is merely the history of men of geniousness, strong souls, and wills. The strength or weakness of nations is measured by its ability to produce men who possess the qualities of true manhood. Therefore, it is necessary to establish nurseries to raise these men. The primary goal of these nurseries is to raise a righteous generation and mobilize them to carry out the duty of spreading the project, conveying its idea, and preparing it mentally, spiritually, and materially.

Aspects of Project Renewal

• Rooted Islamic Project: Its foundation lies in the Quran, the Sunnah, and the consensus of Muslim scholars. It represents the essence of Islam, its system, and its entire set of principles.
• Comprehensive Islam, Not Partial: It is not Islam that addresses certain aspects while ignoring others. It embodies the Islam of the companions, the noble Salaf, and those who followed their path.
• Balanced Moderation between Sharia and Intellectual Perspectives: It rejects blind imitation and seeks to break free from the stagnation that has engulfed the Islamic world. It aims to settle the ongoing debate between two groups, each claiming superiority over the other.
• Global Project: It encompasses the entire world and is not limited to Muslims alone. It is the Islam chosen by Allah for all humanity, a light, guidance, and mercy for the world.
• Embracing Knowledge and Rationality: It relies on knowledge and reason as its foundation, rejecting randomness and improvisation while acknowledging knowledge as a duty. It values reason as a guide and proof for all that is good and righteous.
• Independence and Non-Subordination: It’s a return to the source, following the righteous Salaf, who never settled for anything less than dignity and honor, refusing humiliation and subordination to others.
• Liberating the Nation from Political Shackles: This requires breaking the political shackles that bind the Ummah, striving for its freedom, and rebuilding it anew on the principles and systems of Islam.
• Establishing Social Justice and Guiding Society: Part of several foundations of the project, translated into various institutional forms that have played a tangible role in its societies.
• Economic Reform and Bringing Social Classes Together: Another practical aspect of the project, achieved in societies despite numerous obstacles.
• Adapting to New Developments: The project encourages embracing every permissible and beneficial development, even if it comes from an opponent. As the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “A wise word is the lost property of the believer, so wherever he finds it, he has more right to it.”
• Striving to Restore the Caliphate for Global Leadership: In the movement's vision, it is necessary to strive to restore the caliphate as an Islamic ritual and an international entity for the Muslim Ummah.
• The Islamic State as a Duty: Muslims remain lost unless a state is established to protect their religious and worldly interests. If they fail to strive for its establishment, they are all sinners.
• Government as a Pillar of the Project: Such a comprehensive project can only be implemented in reality through strong executive power, which is the authority of the government.
• People's Right to Hold Rulers Accountable: The project places the people in a higher position than the ruler, who is judged, monitored, held accountable, and guided by them and must comply with their will. This is the rule of Islam.
• Cooperation on What’s Agreed Upon: The project establishes a principle for resolving jurisprudential disputes among scholars and settling disputes between entities and groups, which have wasted much of the nation's effort and time, dividing it to factions and parties.
• Stance on Citizenship and Arabism: It acknowledges citizenship in its modern form and its known components, which is an Islamic principle. It also recognizes the rights of Arabs and Arabism, as they are vessels of Islam and its people.
• A New Vision for Minorities and Foreign Policy: The project does not come devoid of a vision on how to deal with minorities internally and cooperate with the world externally, a cooperation built fundamentally on the pillars of human rights embraced by Islam.

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Egyptian journalist and researcher

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