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The
Sunnah of Planning in Islam
By
Faysal Burhan and Michael D. Berdine, Ph.D.
The
setting of goals, making plans and designing strategies to
assure the accomplishment of objectives are all Islamic Sunnah.
This is according to the Qur'an and the practice of Prophet
Muhammad peace be upon him (p). Planning, therefore, must be
at the center of a Muslim's life, in all his or her moral,
political, social and economic activities. Unfortunately, this
precious Sunnah, however, is not apparent in the lives and
activities of the Muslims today. It is the absence of this
Sunnah that has contributed much to our failures and suffering.
Planning in the Holy Qur'an
The Holy Qur'an teaches the Muslims to be strategists and planners in
their affairs. It shows this in a number of ways: through the stories
of the prophets, the law of Allah (swt) in nature, and in praising the
people of vision and foresight.
An illustration of this can be seen in the story of Prophet Moses (p)
and his strategies in approaching the Pharaoh of Egypt. When Allah commanded
Moses to go to Egypt and call the Pharaoh to God, Moses accepted the
order and spelled out his plans as can be seen in Surah Taha, Verses
25-32.
"Moses
said: Oh my Lord! Expand my chest (with faith, knowledge
and affection); ease my task for me; and remove the impediment
from my speech, so they may understand what I say: and give
me a minister of my family, Aaron, my brother; add to my
strength through him, and make him share my task." Qur'an,
20:25-32
In
this example, three major elements to build the plan clearly
stand out. In the first instance, Moses prepared himself for
da'wah. Crucial to an effective and successful da'wah is the
strength of the individual's knowledge, wisdom and deep faith.
These faculties together enable the da'ee to face difficulties
and prevail over them. Thus, Moses expressed his willingness
to open his heart and mind to receive deeper faith and wisdom
to enable him accomplish his task successfully. The second
element in Prophet Moses' planning was to deal with a problem
of communication. This may have been a speech impediment that
Moses (p) had, or it may be the difference of languages and
customs of the tribes of Midianies and the Qubts of Egypt.
One must bear in mind that each language has an associated
slang and figures of speech that can only be appreciated by
the local people or those who learned them. In fact, in a different
verse, the Qur'an clearly points out that Moses called for
his brother Aaron, who never left Egypt, to be the medium of
communication in this mission of da'wah than himself. "And
my brother Aaron, he is more eloquent in speech than I..." Qur'an,
28:34.
Although Moses was raised in Egypt, but he spent long time in Midian
(Northwest of the Arabian Peninsula) that he had forgotten the proper
and effective communication with its people. According to A. W. Najjar
in the Stories of the Prophets, Page 173, Biblical scholars
stated that Moses was 80 year old when he returned to Egypt. This points
out more towards language differences than a physical impediment in the
question of communication. In either case, eloquence of speech, in the
language of the listeners, is an essential tool of every da'ee. Without
a plan to deal with this situation, Moses (p) would not have been able
to effectively convey his message. Thus, providing good communication
was crucial part of his plan for da'wah.
The last major element to be considered in Moses' plan was a matter of
logistics and support: human elements and tools required to support him
in carrying out his mission. For this reason, Moses' plan included his
brother Aaron. Thus, Aaron was not only for a good communication, but
also for physical and moral support in meeting the Pharaoh.
The
above three points in Moses plan to approach the Pharaoh of Egypt
makes it very clear that Moses did not approach the Pharaoh with
no plans or haphazardly. Furthermore, one can see that Moses'
plan was centered around elements that were, at heart, relevant
matters to the process of da'wah. This example illustrates that
the Sunnah of Planning is indeed an integral part of the Muslim's
mechanism of work and faith. We must not forget that the story
of Moses with the Pharaoh is an inspiration for us, not for entertainment.
Similar to the story of Moses in the Qur'an, the plans drawn by Prophet
Abraham (p) in building the Ka'bah, and earlier, in breaking the idols,
as well as Prophet Jacob (p) in sending his sons to find their brothers
Joseph and Benjamin, are inspirations for Muslims to plan their tasks
and affairs wisely.
Vision and Planning
The Muslim's plan must not be short sighted and should consider the far
and behind the seen's issues that are relevant to the goal. Furthermore,
minute matters must not distract a Muslim from reaching his objective.
Vision is the ability to see further than one's immediate surrounding
and circumstances. A plan may and may not be as successful if constructed
without without insight and vision. Allah (swt) praises those who posses
the trait of vision. As an example, Prophets Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
(p) are praised by Allah (swt) for their spiritual power and vision.
Allah (swt) said in Surah Sad, ayat, 45-47:
"And commemorate Our servants
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, possessors of power and vision...they
were, in Our Sight, of the company of the Elect and Good."
Similarly,
Prophet Muhammad (p) praised Sa'id ibn Mu'ath for his vision
and plan, prior to the actual fight in the Battle of Badr.
Sa'id's plan was centered around the safety of the Prophet,
rather than just the present circumstances of the battle. The
following was the plan he presented:
"Oh
Prophet of Allah, let us build for you a shelter and put
your riding camels in readiness beside it. Then we will meet
our enemy, and if God strengthens us and makes us victorious
over them, that is what we fervently desire. But if not,
then you can mount and ride back to join those whom we left
behind us in Medina...they would not have stayed behind,
if they had known that you would be faced with war. Through
them God will protect you, and they will give you good counsel
and fight at your side."
The
Prophet (p) praised Sa'id and invoked blessings upon him, and
the shelter was fashioned with branches of palms. The driving
factors for Sa'id's plan was the obvious fact that the battle
was not anticipated, and hence the Muslims were not ready.
Therefore, their small number of 300, including the Prophet,
could be perished by a well equipped 1000 strong army of Quraysh
who forced them into this fight.
Thus, Sa'id's plan was not only relevant to the present battle, but also
to the future survival of Islam embodied in Prophet Muhammad. The survival
of the Prophet Muhammad is far more important than winning the battle.
Sa'id's plan of building the shelter and of the Prophet's escape if the
Muslims were defeated, was of great vision and insight. Therefore, regardless
of the present circumstances, a Muslim must not lose sight of the overall
goal or the mission he or she is working on. It is clearly seen from
our example that vision and plans, such as these, were big in the success
of the early Muslims. Thanks to the Prophet and his companions for their
vision, wisdom and knowledge. Prophet Muhammad, himself, commended his
companions saying:
"People
of wisdom and knowledge, so much so, that their deep knowledge
and insight enable to almost be prophets."
May
Allah's blessings be on the Prophet and his companions.
Planning
for short and long term projects is certainly a work based
on foresight. If Allah (swt) and His Prophet love and admire
those with vision and wisdom, Muslims ought to be racing one
another to plan their activities so that they would be among
those of vision and of wisdom. Moreover, the Qur'an inspires
the believers, in a yet different way to design plans for their
actions through observing of the plans of Allah (swt) in His
creation. Allah (swt) said in Surah Al Qamar, ayah, 49:
"Verily,
all things have We created in (planned) proportion and measure."
Allah
(swt) also said in Surah Al Hadid, ayah 22:
"No
misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded
in a plan before We bring it into existence."
These
verses clearly show that both the conception and end result
of every creation is according to a plan. Thus, Allah (swt)
teaching us that His work is made according to a plan and a
record. This is true inspiration for any sincere believer to
follow and practice.
Planning in the Sunnah of the
Prophet (p)
Turning our attention to the life and example of Prophet Muhammad (p),
we learn that his actions were based on planning in both the religious
and worldly domains. It was reported in Bukhari that Prophet Muhammad
(p) said:
" If the Hereafter is about
to occur and in the hands of one of you a plant (he is about
to plant it in ground), he must do so as long as he has a chance."
The
companion of the Prophet and second Caliph, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
also said:
"For
your worldly affairs, construct your plans based on the assumption
that you are going to live forever, and as for the work reserved
for the Hereafter, construct your plans based on the assumption
that you are going to die tomorrow."
The
above traditions are certainly another clear order for the
Muslims to conduct their affairs according to a plan. One wonders,
how many Muslims have intentionally draw a plan of action based
on the principles of these traditions? Furthermore, in the
Prophet's life there are many examples where he applied this
precious Sunnah. For example, in the story of his migration
to Yathrib (Medina), we see many instances of his careful and
well thought-out planning at every step of the way. Once being
inspired to migrate to Yathrib, the Prophet (p) devised a plan
with his closest companion, Abu Bakr. This plan was secret
and known only to those who played a part in it. First, Prophet
Muhammad (p) hired Abdullah Ibn Uraqitt as a guide for the
journey. He then asked Abu Baker to prepare a camel load of
food and drinks.
To
ensure that he would know what the enemy was up to during this
migration period, as well as be in touch with the rest of the
Muslim community, he instructed Asma, Abu-Bakr's daughter and
her brother Abdullah to provide him and their father with food
and news in their hiding place. To further ensure a safe escape
and avoid falling into the hands of the Quraysh, the Prophet
(p) instructed Abu Bakr's servant, 'Aamir Ibn Faheerah to graze
the heard of sheep behind Asma' or Abdullah to destroy their
foot prints as they delivered the food and news to the Prophet
(p) and their father.
To fully appreciate the thoroughness of his plan, it is necessary to
recall all the details of the immigration. Prior to leaving Makkah for
Yathrib on Hijrah, on at least two occasions the Quraysh tribes planned
to murder the Prophet but did not, out of the fear of blood feud with
the clan planned to murder the Prophet (p). They did draw up a plan,
however, to kill the Prophet (p) without fear of reprisal. This plan
calls for the murder to be carried out by a representative from each
of Quraysh clans, with each plunging his sword into the victim. This
way, the Prophet's clan, the Benu Hashim, would not be able to fight
all the clans of Quraysh combined.
Allah (swt) told Prophet Muhammad (p) of their plan and gave him permission
to migrate to Yathrib. On the night the murderers surrounded the Prophet's
house, to do foul deed, the Prophet (p) instructed his faithful son-in-law,
Ali Ibn Abu-Talib, to wrap himself in his clock and lay in his bed. At
midnight, the Prophet (p) slipped away through the sleeping plotters
and made his escape from Makkah. To mislead his enemy, who believed he
would head north to join the rest of the Muslims in Yathrib, Muhammad
and Abu Baker headed south instead and hid in the cave of Thour south
of Makkah. There they spent three days until the feverish search for
them subsided. During the three days, news and food were brought to them
according to plan. Consequently, they were kept aware of all Quraysh
actions and plans, as if they were still among them.
Prior to leaving their hideout, the Prophet instructed Abdullah to prepare
the camel loads they had provided for their journey, give them to their
road guide, Abdullah Ibn Uraqitt and have him meet the Prophet and his
father at a specific point on the road leading west towards the Red Sea.
After leaving their hideout, they met Abdullah Ibn Uraqitt as planned
and started on their journey to Yathrib by taking the longer route, first
going west towards the Red Sea, then north along the shorelines of the
Red Sea, then east to Yathrib, instead of the normal shorter route.
Despite Muhammad's deep faith in Allah (swt) that He would protect him
regardless of the situation, he still drew up his plan of migration with
care and deliberation. His actions and plans in this situation are a
clear example to Muslims that, regardless of the situation they find
themselves in, they must consider every possibility and its alternatives
when making their plans in order to insure its success. It is thus inappropriate
to do a haphazard job and assume that Allah (swt) will straighten out
the mess, because "He is kind" and you are a "believer".
No, the plan of escape drawn by the Prophet (p) demonstrates the extent
of physical work, talent, leadership and vision that a Muslim must demonstrate
in all his or her undertakings.
The leaders of Mecca offered one hundred camels as a reward to the one
who apprehended Muhammad (p). However, because of well thought-out and
careful planning by the Prophet, they failed to find him and after ten
days journey, Muhammad (p) arrived safely in Yathrib. That day in mid
June, 622 C.E. marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar and the founding
of the Muslim ummah.
Regrettably, for the past several hundred years, plots to undermine if
not eliminate Islam and Muslims have been devised and carried out. Massacres
against Muslims in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Kashmir, Lebanon and Palestine,
are but a few examples of more recent aggressive actions against the
Muslim world.
It is of concern that the state of Israel is heavily involved with the
governments of Turkey and Ethiopia in discussion over control of the
headwaters of the Euphrates and Nile rivers. This step is a part of a
plan made to make Israel dominant in the region. This is also directly
related to a statement made by Israeli Prime Minister Ben Gurion in 1950,
when he said that the future of the Middle East is with those who control
its water resources. Another example of the superiority of its opponents
over Muslims in the successful use of the Sunnah of Planning is the Balfour
Declaration of 1917, which gave official British government public support
for a Jewish home land in Palestine. It was proposed (and primarily written)
by Zionists for the British government to agreed to in return for Jewish
financial aid and support in bringing the United States into World War
I on the side of the Allies. At the time, the beleaguered Allies were
on the brink of losing the war. This official British document later
became part of the Constitution of the state of Israel. Still, it was
not for another forty years when the Muslim world as a whole reacted
to its implementation in 1947.
On a more basic level, Muslims have not been able to devise a plan that
would unify their Eid celebrations to a single day. Regarding this, a
simple plan combining modern science and the traditional sighting of
the moon can be developed in two steps, thereby solving this simple problem:
1) identify the coordinates of the crescent of each lunar month at the
same time it can be seen with the naked eye, and 2) send two observers
to the location matching the crescent coordinates determined in Step
One above to confirm the sighting of the crescent. This observation and
sighting can be repeated for the twelve lunar months of the Islamic calendar
as means of confirmation. The data obtained from this exercise and existing
lunar and astronomical data can then be used to draw up a lunar calendar
for the next 200 years or more. This calendar will provide Muslims everywhere
in the world with the date of all anticipated occasions including Eid
celebrations. This simple plan may not require more than an astronomer
and an alim of a religious authority to be fully implemented. Logistics
and costs for this plan may not exceed transportation to the proper location
where the moon can be sighted per Step One above. Why then have over
1.5 billion Muslims been unable to resolve such a simple problem? Why
is it that Muslims take themselves out of the "playing field, " as
it were, in the Planning Sunnah of world-shaping events, but get so easily
excited over the minutia.
After hearing the following passages from Surah Abraham, ayat 24-27 in
the Holy Qur'an, I could not help notice the similarities between the "goodly
word" and our subject mater, "Planning". These are the
verses:
"See you not how Allah sets
forth a parable? A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root
is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens. It
brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord….and
the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree; it is uprooted
from the surface of the earth: it has no stability. Allah will
establish in strength those who believe with the word that stands
firm, in this world and in the Hereafter."
The
structure and life cycle of a typical plan is very much similar
to the example of the "goodly word" given in the
above verses. In fact a plan functions just like a tree in
many ways. First of all, an action is based on a plan, just
as are the roots for a tree. Then, a plan in its results is
like a tree and its fruits. Some plans are design to yield
short-term results, while others are made for the long-term.
Finally, like the branches of a tree reaching to heavens, a
well-thought-out and properly-executed plan can bring about
a successful conclusion with far-reaching consequences.
On the other hand, actions taking without proper planning, or little
or no planning at all, is as useless as an uprooted tree. It will fail
to yield any fruit, just as unplanned, directionless and "unstable" work
will fail to achieve its objectives. But the truth is that Allah (swt)
establishes in strength those who believe in the "goodly word",
or "plan" that stands "firmly fixed" or "based
on vision and insight." This is the truth here in this world and
in the Hereafter. With this in mind, one can not help but agree with
Muhammad Iqbal's father, who told him: "son, read the Qur'an as
if it is being revealed to you."
For nations, communities and individuals,
planning is essential in their growth and ultimate success.
For a Muslim, planning is a Sunnah that will help establish
him or her firmly in their work thereby yielding its
blessed and successful fruit. Muslim councils supported
by research institutions and think-tanks must be established
to resolve crisis, draw and design plans for all Muslims
to follow. In the book, The Solution to the Muslim
Crisis, the concept of Islamic research institutions,
think-tanks, the Sunnah of Preparation, Consistency,
Prerequisite, Maturity, and Punctuality are studied as
indivisible parts of Muslim prosperity and success.
