|
The Muslim Ummah and the Contemporary World
Shaykh Husayn Al
Sheikh [(Safar 16, 1424 (April 18, 2003)]
All praise is
due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. May peace and blessings of Allaah,
be upon the Messenger, his households and Companions.
Fellow Muslims!
Mankind is now living in a world full dissentions and wars. Our present
world is one that is at a critical historical crossroad in which all
relationships are kept away from the path of Allaah and the authentic
divine teachings are consigned into oblivion. The present world is one in
which mundane interests are the criteria for every thing.
Our
contemporary world is one, in which power and arrogance prevail over
peace, mercy and kindness. Ours is a world in which evils are promoted in
sweet and deceiving terms and in which rights are violated through false
slogans. Allaah says,
“And of mankind there is he,
whose speech may please you in this worldly life, and he calls Allaah to
witness as to that which is in his heart, yet he is the most quarrelsome
of the opponents. And when he turns away, his effort in the land is to
make mischief therein and to destroy the crops and the cattle, and Allaah
likes not mischief.”
(Al-Baqarah 2:204-205)
Brethren in faith! Our Ummah
is now undergoing indescribably difficult situations. Tragedies that
Muslims are subjected to in Palestine and Iraq are beyond the wildest
imaginations. Every Muslims is saddened by the daily suffering of innocent
peoples of these lands who are made to taste the punishment of the sins
they never committed. Lives of many of these brethren have been
unnecessarily and wantonly wasted and a great portion of their properties
was wickedly destroyed.
Brethren in Islaam! When
Al-Mansoor
built the city of Baghdad, he named it ‘Madeenatus-Salaam’ (City of
Peace) and he wrote in its plan, “In the Name of Allaah. All praise is due
to Allaah. Surely, the land belongs to Allaah. He gives it as inheritance
to whomsoever He wills and the good ending is for the pious.”
Baghdad was the sanctuary of
the scholars and reformers and a stronghold of the pious people. Baghdad
is a city that, in view of its history and origin, cannot live in peace
except with Islaam. It can never develop except through knowledge and
eemaan and it cannot enjoy ease, stability and security except with
the Qur’aan and the Sunnah. It is then incumbent on the inhabitants of the
city and its visitors to understand the past, the present and the future
of this city, to know their heritage and to realize that they cannot live
in a better and reformed condition except by following the path of their
predecessors. Let them hold fast to the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
His Messenger and judge among themselves according to their Lord’s
injunctions.
Dear people of Iraq!
Remember that your land is that of Islaam and eemaan. Unite under
the banner of Islaam and do not be divided among yourselves. Your security
is based on Islaamic Monotheism and your happiness depends on your firm
adherence to the injunctions of Islaam. Your recent past is enough a
lesson for everyone and the believer is not stung in one snake hole twice.
Fellow Muslims! Some Muslim
countries are still living under false slogans of nationalism that rejects
the path of Allaah and His Prophet and weakens the brotherhood of faith,
which Muslims are supposed to uphold. These countries established systems
that are based on abandonment of Islaam and relegating the way of the
Messenger to the background in all their affairs. Had these systems earned
anything for its authors more than ignominy and defeat? Had they earned
anything for their countries more than humiliation and destruction?
These systems that are based
on nationalism had brought nothing upon their countries but looting and
crippling moral and material crises. How many are the curses, evils and
woes that the systems and political parties that are anti-Islaam have
brought upon the Muslims? The Muslims will continue to suffer under these
man-made systems until they purify their hearts with real eemaan,
adhere to the teachings of Islaam and spread the implementation of the law
of Allaah to every path of the Muslim world.
Brethren in faith! The
nation of Islaam is the best of all nations. It is Allaah’s beloved
nation. The crises and tribulations that the Ummah is facing now is just
another way by which Allaah puts His beloved to test. Allaah says,
“And so are the days (good
and not so good), We give to men by turns, that Allaah may test those who
believe, and that He may take martyrs from among you. And Allaah likes not
the wrongdoers. And that Allaah may test (or purify) the believers (from
sins) and destroy the disbelievers.”
(Aal ‘Imraan 3:140-141)
Many are the trials that the
Ummah had faced and after which they had conquests and reforms! Many are
the tribulations faced by this Ummah that eventually waked them up from
their slumber! It is during trials that sincere believers are
distinguished from hypocrites, truthful ones from the liars and those who
are fighting for the cause of Allaah from those who are fighting for the
cause of Satan. These are trials in which obedience to Allaah and real
love for the Prophet manifest.
Dear Muslims! The present
situation of the Ummah that is full of massacres and pains is known to
all. The Muslims must therefore know that, among the lessons of the trials
is the need to do self-examination and make necessary reforms. It is
incumbent on the Ummah to take a serious look at the causes of these
crises. Allaah says,
“Verily, those who are
pious, when an evil thought comes to them from Satan, they remember (Allaah),
and (indeed) they then see (aright).”
(Al-A‘raaf 7:201)
We must also strike a
balance between the religious and worldly factors while facing the
challenges and crises. The Ummah must try to amend its defects in the
light of Islaamic principles, as it should correct its erroneous direction
in the light of its fundamentals, history and civilization. The Muslims’
first priority should be a realization of their dire need to turn back to
Allaah. That is the only light that guards against error and confusion.
Rulers of the Muslims
countries are also urged to fear Allaah and endeavour to reform the
conditions of their peoples in the light of Islaamic injunctions. They
should know that they are responsible before Allaah. They should also work
towards starting a new stage in their relationships that will be based on
clarity, reality and reasonableness. They should try to strengthen
individual capabilities while maintaining the foundations of Islaamic
brotherhood, and they should cooperate to defend Islaam first and foremost
and then their countries in accordance with the injunction of Allaah,
“Help you one another in
righteousness and piety; but do not help one another in sin and
transgression.”
(Al-Maaidah 5:2)
The Muslim Ummah must
realize that there is no real support but that of Allaah and no real power
but His. We should seek refuge with Allaah and strongly rely on Him alone.
We should be aware of the fact that as long as we stay firmly on the path
of Allaah and abide by His limits, He would always protect us against the
enemies. As soon as any nation losses its trust in Allaah, it will live in
commotions and distress, and it will not be able to withstand the
hardships and as a result, it will face a gloomy future. Allaah says,
“And whoever holds firmly to
Allaah, then he is indeed guided to the Right Path.”
(Aal ‘Imraan 3:101)
The Messenger of Allaah
said, “Preserve (the obligations of) Allaah, Allaah will protect you.
Preserve (the obligations of) Allaah, you will find Him in front of you.
Whenever you ask, ask from Allaah and whenever you seek for assistance,
seek it from Allaah. Know that if all the people are to unanimously agree
to do you a benefit, they cannot do you any benefit except a benefit that
Allaah has already written down for you. And if they are to unanimously
agree to do you harm, they cannot do you any harm, except that which
Allaah has already written down for you. Pens have been raised and the
paper is dried.” (At-Tirmidhee)
In another narration, the
Messenger of Allaah said, “Preserve (the obligations of) Allaah, you will
find Him in front of you. Know Allaah while in you are in bliss, He will
know when you are in difficulty. Know also that victory comes with
perseverance, relief comes with hardship and that there is ease with
difficulty.”
Brethren in faith! There is
no glory or power for this Ummah except through adhering to the religion
of Allaah, His injunctions and the Sunnah of the Prophet. Allaah says,
“And verily, this (the
Qur’aan) is indeed a Reminder for you (O Muhammad (peace be upon him)) and
your people (your followers), and you will be questioned (about it).”
(Az-Zukhruf 43:44)
Abdullaah bin Rawaahah said about the Battle of Mu’tah in
which Muslims were three thousand in number and the Roman soldiers were
two hundred thousand, “By Allaah, we do not fight the people with number
or military strength. We only fight them by the power of this religion
with which Allaah honoured
us. So move forward, for you are going to have either of the two
blessings: victory or martyrdom.”
Yes, the Islaamic Ummah is a nation that regards the
victory over lusts and worldly pleasures as the first and foremost of all
priorities. The Messenger of Allaah said, “When you transact by ‘eenah,
and you become occupied with cattle rearing and you abandon Jihaad, Allaah
will impose an ignominy on you which He will not remove from you until you
go back to your religion.” (Aboo Daawood)
Now is the time that all
Muslims regardless of their status should know with certainty that the
Ummah’s return to its position of leadership is the responsibility of all.
Now is the time to realize that flattery, deliberate disregard for sincere
reforms and lack of examining issues objectively will do us no good. They
only bring about evils and corruptions.
Have we not had enough sad
events as a result of our careless attitude towards the commandments of
Allaah? In many of Muslim societies, there are immoral and destructive
ideologies like secularism, communism, nationalism, atheism and a host of
other objectionable thoughts. Has the implementation of the injunctions of
the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger not been shunned in
many Muslim lands? The Messenger of Allaah said, “As long as their rulers
do not judge by the Book of Allaah, their problem will be created from
among themselves.”
Are
rancour,
malice and dissent- that cause destruction and which the enemies use to
attack the Muslims and destroy their past and future -not become
widespread among the Muslims of today as a result of their negligence of
the commandments of Allaah?
Have the Muslims not fallen
into confusion as far as their priorities are concerned, the result of
which the means had metamorphosed into end and end into means? Have the
Muslims of today not abandoned the most important issue for a less
important one and the essentials for insignificant things?
Brethren in Islaam! The way
of Allaah is that, any nation that exchanges guidance for error and
refuses to take practical steps towards reform, such a nation shall
continue to live in backwardness, degeneration and in moral, ideological
and military weakness. We should therefore make a sincere return to the
path of truth and reclaim our position of leadership. Concerted efforts
should be made to educate our young generations to be proud of their
religion and always show its greatness.
The Ummah must
programme its life in accordance with Islaam
and its teachings. We must do away with all useless ideologies. It must be
well established in our minds that Islaam is the religion of this Ummah
and its law in all aspects of its life.
Fellow Muslims! The whole
world have seen and heard the anarchy that happened in Muslim Iraq as a
result of aggression and lack of a just world order. This incidence should
open the eyes of the Muslims to one fact: It is only the great Islaamic
system that can guarantee public and individual interests and that; it is
the only order that can prevent harms and corruptions. Ibn Taymiyyah said,
“It must be known that being in the position of authority is one of the
greatest responsibilities of Islaam. No matter of religion and worldly
life can stand without it. For the interests of humans cannot be
actualized except through intermingling because of their mutual need for
one another. Therefore, they should have a leader.” He further said, “The
ruler is the shade of Allaah on the earth.”
Ibn Taymiyyah also said,
“Sixty years of an unjust ruler is better than a single night without a
ruler.” The reality testifies to this. He also said, “If the authority is
separated from religion and religion from authority people become
corrupted.”
Let the Muslims know that
there is no good in overthrowing governments or causing disturbances in
the communities. For that has brought nothing but destructions and
corruption.
Muslims must live under the
shade of Islaam that links the ruler with the ruled in accordance with the
principle of cooperation on righteousness and piety and in the light of
sincere mutual admonition and consultation.
The
Messenger of Allaah said, “The best of your rulers are those whom you love
and they love you and on whom you invoke the blessings and who invoke
blessings on you as well. The worst among your rulers are those whom you
hate and they hate you and whom you curse and they curse you as well.” The
Prophet was asked: “Shall we not then resist them with our swords?” He
answered: “No, as long as they establish prayers among you. If anyone
among you is ruled by a person, and he sees in him an act of disobedience
to Allaah, let him dislike his act of disobedience but he should not rebel
against the authority.” (Muslim)
Dear Muslims! The Islaamic system is unique in its
comprehensiveness that no any other systems can be compared to it. Islaam
makes carrying the responsibility of the populace a great trust on the
shoulders of whoever is in the position of authority. The Messenger of
Allaah said, “Whomsoever Allaah gave an authority over a people and he
died on the day of his death while he had betrayed his subjects, Paradise
will be forbidden to him.” (A-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
The Islaamic system is one that is based on gentleness. The
Messenger of Allaah said, “O Allaah! Make things difficult for whoever
holds a position of authority amongst my Ummah and yet makes things
difficult for them. Also, make things easy for whoever holds a position of
authority amongst my Ummah and makes things easy for them.” (Muslim)
Islaam is a system of life
that is based on equality in all its senses. The Messenger of Allaah said,
“Every leader of a clan will be brought forward on the Day of Resurrection
in shackles. Nothing shall untie his shackles except his justice or else
his injustice shall make him remain in his shackles.”
The consequences of injustice are disastrous. The Prophet
said, “Allaah gives respite to a
wrongdoer, whenever He seizes him, he never releases him.” He then recited
the verse:
“Such is the Seizure of your
Lord when He seizes the (population of) the towns while they are doing
wrong. Verily, His Seizure is painful, (and) severe.”
(Hood 11:102)
(Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)
The Messenger of Allaah also said, “Allaah will punish
those who persecute people in this world.” (Muslim)
Fellow Muslims! The world has allowed itself to be deceived
by false statements and terms about Islaam. The enemies of Islaam
wrongfully and maliciously accused Islaam of terrorism whereas the reality
shows that it is the accusers who are terrorizing the world. If they had
made a comparison between the reality and the teachings of Islaam and its
history, they would have realized that, war in Islaam is not promulgated
in order to achieve worldly gains but to avert persecution in religion and
prevent oppression. Therefore, wars according to Islaam should be neat and
should not threaten the lives of people. Among the admonition that the
Prophet used to give his companions whenever he sent them out to a war was
that, they should not destroy any plantation, cut down any tree or kill
any weak person. He would say, “Go on in the name of Allaah and on the way
of Allaah. Fight the enemy of Allaah but do not cheat, betray, mutilate or
kill an infant.” He also use to say, “And do not kill children or
labourers.”
In one of his wars, he saw a
killed woman and he angrily asked: “Who killed this woman?”
As for his treatment of war prisoners, it was excellent and
great. He told those who persecuted him and his companions when he
captured them: “Go. You are free.”
He also used to say: “Treat war prisoners with kindness.”
If the above
are some of the teachings of Islaam, who should better be called a
terrorist then? History is the best witness.
Fellow Muslims!
As long as humans rebel against the way of Allaah and they transgress,
they will have to face the consequences. Mankind are therefore in dire
need of making the way of their Lord and His guidance the basis of their
life.
Dear brethren!
It should be known that every tribulation has its end. Whoever reads the
history of mankind keenly and objectively will realize that every human
power however great it is, shall come to an end.
Brethren in
faith! Right from the first days of Islaam, this Ummah had been afflicted
with some enemies within among the hypocrites who went astray. Allaah says
about them,
“And when they meet those
who believe, they say: "We believe," but when they are alone with their
(fellow) devils, they say: "Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but
mocking.’”
(Al-Baqarah 2:14)
Allaah also says,
“Had they marched out with
you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder, and they would
have hurried about in your midst (spreading corruption) and sowing
sedition among you - and there are some among you who would have listened
to them. And Allaah is the All-Knower of the wrongdoers.”
(At-Tawbah 9:47)
O you who play tricks
against your Ummah! Abandon the stance of the hypocrites. For whoever
betrays his nation and works for the enemy will face disastrous
consequences. Allaah says,
“O you who believe! Betray
not Allaah and His Messenger, nor betray knowingly things entrusted to
you.”
(Al-Anfaal 8:27)
The Messenger of Allaah
said, “Every treacherous person will be given a banner on the Day of
Resurrection.”
It is incumbent on all Muslims to listen to the voice of
Islaam and wisdom. They should
endeavour to protect the lands of Islaam and
promote unite in the light of Islaamic Monotheism and under the banner of
the Prophet. Let us take the Messenger of Allaah as the model to be
followed in all affairs of our lives.
Back
|
