Therefore, thinking positively of such individuals—despite the many motives they had for concealing or distorting the truth—is not rational; rather, it is certainly an instance of foolishness. Nevertheless, it appears that many Muslims are deliberately bent on this self-deception and believe that they are obligated to absolve the early generations of any error, even by resorting to lies. However, certainly, self-deception and lying have no place in Islam; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿يُخَادِعُونَ اللَّهَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَمَا يَخْدَعُونَ إِلَّا أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾[1]; “They seek to deceive Allah and those who believe, while they deceive none but themselves, and they do not realize,” and: ﴿إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ۖ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ﴾[2]; “Only those who do not believe in Allah’s signs fabricate lies, and it is they who are the liars.” Rather, the utmost obligation that can be inferred from the intellect and Sharia in this regard is to show respect to the early Muslims, similar to the respect shown to one’s parents—not to absolve them of any error they committed. This is because paying attention to the errors of one’s parents does not necessitate disrespect toward them; rather, it is possible to criticize them for their errors without disrespecting them. An example is Ibrahim , who criticized his father for his errors without disrespecting him; as Allah has spoken of him in order to teach Muslims, saying: ﴿إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئًا﴾[3]; “When he said to his father: ‘O my father! Why do you worship something that does not hear, see, or benefit you in any way?!’” Similarly, showing respect to someone does not necessitate blind obedience to him. For this reason, Allah has permitted disobedience to one’s parents, but He has not permitted disrespect toward them, saying: ﴿وَإِنْ جَاهَدَاكَ عَلَى أَنْ تُشْرِكَ بِي مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا ۖ وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِي الدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا﴾[4]; “And if they strive with you to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them, and accompany them in the world with kindness.” From here, it is understood that one can show respect to the early Muslims while still pointing out their errors and refraining from following them in those errors.

In any case, whether we like it or not, whether we accept it or not, the current structure of the Islamic world and its existing alignments have been shaped more by the rule of the Umayyads and the political events of the early Islamic centuries than by Islam and its pure and perfect teachings. They have originated from the inclination of oppressive rulers, the passivity of Muslim scholars in the face of those rulers, and the void left by the Hashemites; to the extent that the current official understanding of Islam, especially in matters of belief, can be considered an Umayyad understanding of Islam—an understanding that, at least in matters concerning the structure and dynamics of political authority, stands fully exposed and overt.