Introduction – The Days of God and the Great Transformations:
We stand in these first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, as hearts turn to their Lord and prepare to receive His blessings. We stand before the texts of revelation and the laws of the universe, contemplating a deeper meaning than the outward rituals.
This is a rare moment where sacred time intersects with the time of national transformation in Syria. We discover that the sacrifice we proclaim in our rituals is a path of continuous transformation from a state of oppression to a state of dignity, from subservience to sovereignty, and from despotic centralism to pluralistic purpose.
God swore by these days, highlighting their honor and great significance, saying: {By the dawn, and by the ten nights, and by the even and the odd}. The majority of commentators have affirmed that the ten nights referred to are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and God only swears by what is truly great. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) emphasized its virtue when he said, “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to God than these ten days.” They asked, “Not even jihad?” He replied, “Not even jihad, except for a man who goes out risking his life and wealth and does not return with anything.”
Chapter One – Sacrifice and Citizenship in the Story of Prophet Ibrahim:
The story of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Ismail, is the greatest example of sacrifice for the sake of faith. However, the traditional understanding of this story has confined it to the ritual dimension only, while it embodies principles, rights, and duties that transcend the boundaries of time and place.
Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazali says in his book “Fiqh al-Sirah” (Understanding the Prophet’s Biography): “The ordeal of Ibrahim, the one to be sacrificed, was a test of the duality of fatherhood and prophethood, and he obeyed God at the expense of his human emotions.”
This great divine test also reminds us that true sacrifice is only complete when one purifies oneself of everything that hinders obedience to God and the realization of justice. This story, when applied to contemporary Syrian reality, signifies that we must sacrifice many of the corrupt political and social practices that have entrenched decades of totalitarian rule. We must dismantle the tyranny of centralism and subservience to establish a virtuous society governed by justice and equality for all its members.
A purposive reading of the story of the sacrifice leads us to its moral core. The thinker Malek Bennabi argues that civilization can only rise through collective sacrifice for a comprehensive renaissance project. Abraham, peace be upon him, taught us that true citizenship in a state of law and justice requires us to overcome the obstacles of building a nation and sacrifice our selfishness, sorrows, and narrow interests to establish a state of institutions, not a state of individuals. Just as the Eid sacrifice symbolizes the redemption of humanity from the tyranny of selfishness, wealth, and influence, today’s sacrifice is the offering of what is most precious for the sake of a new Syria.
Chapter Two – From Rituals to Purposes:
In the spirit of deconstruction and postmodernism, we dare to ask: Wasn’t traditional religious discourse captive to the authority of a closed text and the power of a single institution? Weren’t the concepts of “obedience” and “community” used to justify an authoritarian regime that drained Syria for decades? Then, from a symbolic perspective, we propose that the sacrifice in the story of Abraham was redeemed by a great sacrifice, not by the actual slaughter of a human being, thus reinforcing its symbolic and ethical dimension.
Perhaps the ultimate purpose of the sacrifice is the piety of the heart, as God Almighty says: {Neither their meat nor their blood reaches God, but what reaches Him is piety from you} [Surah Al-Hajj: 37]. This reminds us of the importance of establishing a modern, secular state that neither denies nor excludes religions.
On the other hand, in Imam al-Shatibi’s jurisprudence of objectives (maqasid al-shari’ah), we find that the objectives of Islamic law are divided into two main categories: the intent of the Lawgiver (the purpose behind the legislation of divine rulings) and the intent of the individual (the believer’s purpose in applying the laws of their religion). He thus establishes a dual awareness of the divine purpose and human intention. This dual awareness indicates that al-Shatibi established a balance between two sides: a fixed, unseen, and legislative side (what does God want from this ruling?), and a realistic, changing, and human side (what does the individual intend by this action?). For human behavior to be considered “legitimate and civilized” simply by adhering to the apparent law, it is insufficient. Rather, individuals must possess a dual awareness: understanding the philosophy and purpose of legislation (the intent of the Lawgiver), and aligning their psychological and moral compass (the intent of the individual) so that they are in harmony.
Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi emphasizes that the objectives of Islamic law are not merely theoretical texts, but rather a practical tool that guides the process of legal reasoning (ijtihad) towards achieving a balance between the legal texts and the demands of reality. The contemporary thinker Taha Abdel Rahman presents a philosophical and ethical project that integrates the science of Maqasid (objectives of Islamic law) into the science of Usul (principles of Islamic jurisprudence), emphasizing that knowledge without ethical commitment remains incomplete, and that reason divorced from spirit and conscience cannot build a mature civilization.
This places upon us the responsibility of modernizing religious discourse in Syria, elevating it from the level of mere guidance and preaching to a comprehensive intellectual, civilizational, and progressive level.
Chapter Three – The Sacrifice and the Transitional Phase:
At the end of 2024, after more than five decades of Ba’ath Party rule, the popular revolution and its complex consequences overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad. During this period, Syrians faced grave human rights violations and a catastrophic deterioration in economic and security conditions.
According to international reports, Syria is experiencing—and continues to experience—one of the most complex and urgent humanitarian crises in the world. More than 16 million Syrians are reportedly in dire need of urgent humanitarian assistance, while over 70% of Syrian refugees live in poverty within displacement camps.
The destruction of infrastructure has resulted in reconstruction costs estimated at between $140 billion and $345 billion, equivalent to ten times Syria’s projected GDP in 2024. Furthermore, the Syrian economy has shrunk by two-thirds, and half the population lives in extreme poverty.
These figures represent raw wounds that demand a major national sacrifice and a renewed collective sacrifice: sacrificing positions of power and quotas in the name of the public interest, sacrificing hate speech in the name of historical reconciliation, sacrificing centralized decision-making in the name of decentralization and empowering the provinces, and sacrificing the idea of ”the
The leader of the awaited one, in the name of constitutional institutions.
The transitional phase that Syria is currently undergoing necessitates a restructuring of the intellectual and religious landscape itself. Herein lies the urgent need to revise religious discourse and extricate it from the pitfalls of ideology, ritual, and fluidity. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy on him, said: “Let his concern be understanding the Prophet’s intentions in his commands, prohibitions, and all his pronouncements,” emphasizing that the scholar must know the objectives of Islamic law in order to act upon them and teach them to others.
Chapter Four – Civilizational Islam:
When we speak of the civilizational Islam that we have adopted in the Syrian Future Movement, we are speaking of an alternative vision that draws upon 1500 years of coexistence in Syria to transcend the shortcomings of previous models. Our aim is to build the “civilizational human being” as the true gateway to the renaissance of a new Syria, through the re-education of the virtuous and reform-minded citizen in work, knowledge, material and spiritual life, culture, and belief, based on the values of the Abrahamic religions, human rights, and respect for pluralism.
Furthermore, the concept of objectives that post-transitional Syria can adopt… This means separating the institutions of power from any religious hegemony, while celebrating religion as a source of values and principles.
Equal citizenship is the core of this project, which makes no distinction between one Syrian and another except through good deeds and cultural innovation.
Finally, institutional ijtihad, meaning transforming individual pronouncements into public policies emanating from research institutions that consider reality and consequences. This aligns with the vision of Malek Bennabi, who emphasized that cultural renaissance can only be achieved by producing a civilized individual who possesses both vision and the tools.
Conclusion:
We welcome Eid al-Adha during these blessed days, our hearts filled with hope that the coming Eids will find Syria having overcome its wounds and entered a phase of reconstruction. We pray to God Almighty to inspire our leaders and our people with a jurisprudence of prioritizing objectives, ensuring that the state serves religion by upholding human freedom, not guards religion by suppressing reason.
We in the Syrian Future Movement believe that a civilized Islam is a way of life manifested in thriving cities and open minds. Just laws and dignified human relations.
If lights are lit during Eid as a symbol of joy, then if we ignite the light of our intentions in our hearts and minds, we will build the Syria we dream of: a Syria of tolerance, a Syria of creativity, a Syria of citizenship.
May Syria learn each year how to vanquish the tyranny of those within and without.
May Syria rise from its slumber each year, a new civilization emerging.
May Syria draw ever closer to realizing the divine purpose on Earth.
And our final prayer is: Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.
