Islam preserved
and perfected in itself the true purpose of all religions which preceded it. By destroying
the impurity of idolatry and restoring the sublime faith in the Lord of mankind, Islam helped to mould purified and refined humans who
strived hard to reflect Divine attributes in their way of being, doing and
living through the centuries. Indeed, like the communities who were bestowed Divine Law in the past, leading
the world on spiritual purification was the heavy responsibility cast on the
shoulders of the Muslim Ummah by the Creator of
the Universe through His best Prophet, the Holy Prophet of Islam, Hazrat
Muhammad Mustafa (sa). Muslims who walked in the path of God became beneficiaries of Divine bounties as they were helped and assisted by God and His angels in their strivings. Indeed, the preservation of the true Faith and real spirituality
is a Divine Promise engraved upon the Holy Qur’an by Allah the Almighty
Himself.
At a
time when severe misfortunes have engulfed the Ummah, and sectarian disputes and violence destroy social peace in several lands, Muslims ought to recognize the extraordinary
magnitude of the task in front of them in the service of their noble Faith: of preserving
the good legacy and fair names of the pious ancestors- by repossessing and
displaying the solid Imaan (faith of
the early Muslims)- in their everyday lives; by being a force for good- enjoining
good and forbidding evil in their own communities wherever they are, Insha Allah, Aameen.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
Around fifteen hundred years
ago, when the world was plunged into the darkness of ignorance, sin and
immorality, a light of true knowledge and guidance appeared on the horizon
amidst the rocky mountains of Batha (i.e., the name of the small mountains around
Mecca). Its rays spread in the East, West, North and South. They have
enlightened every corner of the earth; in a short period [twenty-three years],
this light has paved the way for man to arrive at high positions of honour
which they had never attained before. It had enlightened the Muslims and
created in them the deep desire to follow the true path, and guided by this
light, the Muslims have achieved victory upon victory [success after success]
and they have come to the highest position of honour in history.
For many centuries they ruled the world with greatness and power; no leader at the time had the courage to resist; and if ever any ruler dared to do so, he risked being utterly annihilated. This is a historical truth
that no one can ever erase. But it is very sad that nowadays this historical
truth has become an ancient tradition, a “story of the past” just good to
relate [but not to follow], and moreover it may seem incredible and ridiculous
[in the eyes of today’s Muslims and non-Muslims alike] especially in the
current context, where the action of the Muslims has become like a big black
stain on the exemplary performance and outstanding achievement of the first and
true soldiers of Islam.
What Illness Has Overcome the Muslims?
Until the end of the
thirteenth Hijri century, history shows that Muslims alone possessed honour,
dignity, power and greatness. But when we turn our eyes from the pages of
history and watch today’s Muslims, we find a community that is plunged into
difficulties and dishonour, a people who have no real strength, power, honour
or dignity, having neither brotherhood, and nor being a true representation of
Islam. We do not find any trace of the extraordinary actions which at one time
were present in every Muslim. Nowadays, we can hardly find a Muslim with a pure
and sincere conscience. On the contrary, Muslims have fallen into vices and
sins. They have strayed so far from the path of good deeds, a path which has
always guaranteed success, that the enemies of Islam today speak and discuss
the weaknesses of Muslims with pleasure, mockery and hatred.
Unfortunately the problem does not stop there. The young Muslims of this new generation have been affected and influenced by so-called modern trends or even by Western fashion which take pleasure in mocking the principles of Islam and they openly criticize the Shariah (sacred code of Islam); they say that the Shariah is old-fashioned and impossible to practice. We are surprised by such behaviour! - A people who had brought strength and stability, prosperity, peace and honour to the whole world, now you find them demoralized, completely asleep, empty and helpless. People who once taught moral lessons and good conduct to the whole world are themselves lacking these qualities today.
The First Efforts to Change the Situation
For a long time, intellectuals
and defenders of Islam have thought deeply about the catastrophic situation of
their community and they have made a lot of effort to reform Muslims, but
unfortunately, they have not been able to do their job!
The Solutions/ Decisions They Applied Worsened the Illness.
The situation is getting worse
and worse and the days to come seem even darker. To sit idly by and remain
satisfied under the present circumstances has become a grave sin and an
unpardonable crime. But before we take a decision on what we should do, it is
necessary that we look out for the very real cause that brings about such a
deplorable situation.
People have found several
reasons for this deterioration and have adopted several solutions to prevent
the situation from deteriorating even more, but unfortunately all the efforts
so far have led to even more frustration. Instead of making progress, despair
and confusion have set in, especially among those who preach and as well as the
Ulama. The truth is that they failed
to find the real root of this disease. And as long as the true cause of this
illness is not found, Muslims will not be able to prescribe any treatment even
less to apply it; in such circumstances, how can we expect some cure or
improvement? Any treatment that is applied without knowing the true cause of
the disease will aggravate the situation and bring even more confusion and
discouragement.
HOW TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM?
Islam categorically recognizes
that ‘Shariah’ is a sacred code that
comes directly from Allah. It guarantees us a complete way of life and gives us
every possible means to move forward and progress on the path to true success
and good. It clearly shows which path we should take, and tells us the methods
to check and take that path.
In other words, the Shariah of Ummat-e-Muhammadiyya guarantees the material and spiritual
well-being of all Muslims and their progress throughout life, in all
situations, up to Qiyamah. It is
clear that we could lose our time if we seek the cause and solution of this
current situation which has deteriorated beyond Shariah regulations. Therefore, we must necessarily examine in
depth the Quran-e-Karim which is itself the basis of the Shariah and the source of all knowledge and guidance for all
mankind.
Verily the Quran is the only
source of wisdom for man. We must seek the help of the Quran to find out what
our difficulties are, how to remove them, if we really want to be completely
cured of our disease. Once we know what we have to do, we have to grasp the
solution and make a firm decision to apply it. There is no doubt that the
wisdom and guidance of the Quran will never let us down, especially in the
current context and in the critical situation that we are going through. Let us
seek the real solution [cure] in the ‘Quran’ and ‘Sunnah’.
LET’S ANALYSE THE PROBLEM!
Allah (twt), the Creator of
the whole universe has given power to rule and the Khilafat [Caliphate] on earth only to true Muslims (Mu’mineen). This is clear from this
verse of the Quran: “Allah has promised
the ones of you who have believed and done deeds of righteousness that indeed
He will definitely make them [His] Caliphs in the Earth”. (An-Nur 24: 56).
He also gives the guarantee
that the true believers will always dominate the unbelievers, and that the
unbelievers will remain behind without supporters or comrades as clearly stated
in this verse: “And if those who disbelieve fight against you, they certainly
would have turned their backs; then they would have found neither a protector
nor a helper.” (Al-Fath 48: 23).
We can add that Allah (twt) Himself has taken the responsibility to give all possible help to the true Muslims and He has also promised that these people will always receive honour and glory. This is confirmed by these following verses:
“It is Our duty to help the believers.” (Ar-Rum 30: 48)
“Do not falter or grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if
you are true in faith.” (Al-Imran 3: 140)
“And honour belongs to Allah and His Messenger, and to the
Believers” (Al-Munafiqun 63: 9)
These sacred declarations
clearly demonstrate the path that will restore honour, greatness, glory,
respect and value to Muslims, and that really is only found in a solid IMAAN (faith). If their connection with Allah and His Messenger is firm
and sincere, there is no doubt that they will control and direct everything on
earth. But, on the other hand, if their faith becomes weak or abandons the
heart, automatically we [Muslims] will tumble and calamity will ensue. This is
clear from this Quran verse:
“By the (passage of) time! Surely man is indeed in (sheer) loss,
except for those who believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and
urge one another to steadfastness.” (Al-Asr 103: 2-4).
As explained before, history
has proven that the early Muslims rose to the higher level in honor and glory
while modern day Muslims are heading in the opposite direction. It is clear
from these verses that the early Muslims attained this high position in their
lives because their Iman was solid
and sincere and their character was excellent. On the other hand, the situation
of the Muslims has become deplorable nowadays because there is a lot of
weakness in their faith and in their character, the opposite of what we find in
the first Muslims. So, it is not wrong to say that today, Muslims are Muslims
only in name!
In this same context, the
Truthful Messenger of Allah, Rasullullah (pbuh) predicted: “A time will soon come when Islam will exist only in name, and the
Quran will exist only in its writing”.
This clearly applies to
Muslims today. In such a situation, it is necessary to consider these points as
soon as possible:
1. The fact that the true Islam, which is approved by Allah and His
Messenger and which will bring spiritual and material progress, is no longer
present anywhere, by what means, then, can we find that true Islam again?
2. What has brought about the disappearance of this true Islam and
together with this, why has the spirit (Ruh)
of Islam left the lives of bane Muslims?
When we study the Quran, we
will find clearly how to keep true Iman
and Islam on the required level, and subsequently attaining positions of honour
and glory depends on a special work which Allah (twt) in His infinite bounty
bestows to the Muslims only. It is for this reason that Muslims have been given
this high position in the Quran: KHAIR-UL-UMMAH (best of the peoples).
According to Deen-e-Islam, the real reason behind the
creation of the Universe is to establish and prove the sacredness, uniqueness
and noble existence of Allah, the Almighty and to show His infinite powers and
unlimited qualities through humans. Man can be guided with the light of true
knowledge but before that he must first purify himself from all impurity and
immorality. It is only after this purification that man can perfect himself
with good qualities, and develop an excellent character and capacity to do
good. It is for this reason that Allah (twt) purified man [Insan] and developed in him the ability to do good. And the most
perfect of the entire human race is the leader of all prophets, our beloved
prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). It is through him that the human race has
reached a higher stage in the development of mind and body until it has reached
complete purification. It is then that man received good news in the following
verse: “This day, I have perfected your
religion for you, and completed My Favour upon you.” (Al-Maida 5: 4)
The highest purpose in man's
creation is finally accomplished [fulfilled in Islam]; Good and Evil are
clearly to be separated; a complete way of life has been revealed; and most
important is that the chain of prophecy, and prophethood [Nabuwwah] - the Nabuwwah
which is law-bearer has ended, but Allah has reserved for the survival of Islam
and Muslims - an Islamic Nabuwwat,
which comes from the breath of the Quran and Nabi Kareem Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)
to accomplish the work of reforming Muslims across the world. Now, in the
presence of such a prophet-reformer, Islam regains its life, but in his
absence, when such a reformer has not yet appeared, then there is the
collective responsibility of the Ummat-e-Muhammadiyya
(the Muslim community in its entirety) to safeguard Islam.
This responsibility has been
clearly emphasized in the following Quranic verses: “You [i.e. the followers of Muhammad (pbuh)]
are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid
evil, and believe in Allah.” (Al-Imran 3: 111).
“Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that
is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: Such are they
who are successful.” (Al-Imran 3: 105)
In the first verse, Allah
(twt) has mentioned why the Muslims were called ‘Khair-ul-Ummah’ (best among the peoples). This is because they encourage good and
prevent evil. In the second verse, Allah (twt) has made it clear that only
those who fulfil this obligation will succeed and receive honour in this life
[on earth]. This command does not stop here. It has been mentioned in another
place that if we do not do this necessary work, then curse and calamity shall
fall upon us. We can find this conclusion in this verse: “Those of the
Children of Israel who went astray were cursed by the tongue of David, and of
Jesus, son of Mary. That was because they rebelled and used to transgress. They
used not to forbid one another any malfeasance that they performed. Miserable
indeed was whatever they were performing!” (Al-Maida 5: 79-80).
The Hadiths of Rasullullah
(pbuh) explains this in detail as well and makes these verses of the Quran even
clearer.
Insha-Allah, I will come with
these Hadiths in my Khutba next week and I will continue to explain about this
problem affecting the Ummah and what
one needs to do to remove these problems and enable [once again] the revival of
Islam. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
May Allah save Islam and
Muslims from all misfortunes! May Allah allow Muslims to wake up from their
sleep where Satan has tried in every way to divide us, and to sow trouble and Kufr [disbelief] among us! May Allah
remove this veil once and for all and make Muslims stop following anti-Islamic
teachings and move towards Islam with faith and fear of Allah, Insha-Allah, Ameen.