‘Ummah’: The Signs of Decline

  

Religious communities emerged in history against the backdrop of the advent of Divinely-raised messengers and prophets. These elects of God invariably stood for true values of life; with ethically-sound teachings and wisdom of pure conduct, they guided their peoples to the light of Divine guidance. Indeed, the good example of the holy men remains among the people for a period of time. Then, in the ebb and flow of time and history, we see that as the memory of the Prophet recedes and become distant from the generations born later, the teachings of the Faith will be obscured, misunderstood, or distorted by lesser men either out of personal desires, or otherwise corrupted through encounter with other nations and their idolatrous ways.  

 

Based on the spiritual history of the rise and fall of nations, Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) indicated to his companions and followers the Clear Signs that characterized the nations that were in terminal illness before their Final Fall: the spread of immorality, unjust enrichment, the breaking of Covenants and agreements, tyranny and persecution, sectarianism and strife, etc. According to several traditions emanating from the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), Muslim Ummah will also undergo profound changes in the course of time and encounter different challenges and trials as the world approaches the End Times. Reproduced below are a number of Prophetic Traditions [Ahadith] that foretells about the decline in Faith and loss of morality and ethics in the End Times:

Family Duties of the Muslim

  

‘All of you are guardians and all of you are responsible for your subjects. A man is the guardian in his home and responsible for his wards and a woman in her home is a guardian and responsible for her wards.’ ---Prophet Muhammad (sa) [Reported by Al-Bukhari in his Sahih, Chapter: Friday prayer in villages and towns, 1/248-249: Hadith 893].

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‘Indeed Allah will question everyone who is responsible about his charge, whether kept or lost.’ [Reported by Al-Tirmidhi in his Sunan, Book of Jihad, Chapter: Regarding the imam, 4/208, on the authority of Anas ibn Malik]. 

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'Never Stop; Keep Moving'

 

‘Work for this life 

as if you will live forever, 

and work for the Hereafter 

as if you will die tomorrow.’

- Prophet Muhammad (sa)

[Narrated by al-Haithami in Bughiat al-harith ‘an zawa’id musnad al-harith bin Abi Usama, 2/983h 1093t, Centre to Serve the Sunnah and Biography, first printing, 1415AH/1992].

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'Be Just and Righteous'

 

 Timeless wisdom of the Holy Qur'an

‘You who believe, fulfil your obligations…’ (5:2)

‘Allah commands you to return things entrusted to you to their rightful owners, and if you judge between people, to do so with justice: Excellent is that which Allah instructs you, for He hears and sees everything.’ (4:59)

‘You who believe, be steadfast in your devotion to Allah and bear witnesses impartially: do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice, but adhere to justice, for that is closer to awareness of Allah. Be mindful of Allah: Allah is well aware of all that you do.’ (5:9)

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Duahs for Divine Shade

 

Duah:

 

Ya Allah,

Have mercy on our weak souls

We claim to love you so much,

But we disobey You so often.

 

Ya Rahman,

Do not punish us for our actions;

We are weak and forgetful.

Ameen Summah Ameen

Ya Rabbul Aalameen

 

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Duah for the Purification of the Soul

 

Allahumma Ati Nafsi Taqwaha Wa-Zakkiha

Anta Khayru Man Zakkana Anta Waliyuha Wa-Mawlaha.

 

'O Allah,

Give my soul (Nafs)

It's God - fearing righteousness (Taqwah)

And purify it.

For You are the Best to purify it.

You are its Protector And its Guardian.'

(Sahih Muslim 2722).

'Forgive People, Accept Yourself'

 

If you want to see the truth

You must be brave enough to look.

 

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Relationships are like birds:

If you hold tightly, they die;

If you hold loosely, they fly.

                                      But, if you hold with care,

They remain with you forever.

 

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'Stay Humble for Divine Mercy'

  

No matter how successful you are,

No matter how big your house,

No matter how new your car, or

How big your bank balances is,

Your grave will be the same size

As everyone else's

 

No matter how high up you get,

Never forget where you came from.

So keep your feet firmly on the ground

And stay humble.

 

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When life is good, pray

When life is hard, pray

Never forget to pray,

 Jazak-Allah Khair

Ethics of Just Ruling

 

Fairness

‘David, We have given you mastery over the land. Judge fairly between people. Do not follow your desires, lest they divert you from God’s path: those who wander from His path will have a painful torment because they ignore the Day of Reckoning.’ (Holy Qur’an, 38: 27) 

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The Holy Prophet (sa) said:

“An ant stung one of the prophets,

who then commanded that the ant nest be burned.

 But Allah (swt) inspired the prophet:

‘If one ant bites you,

you burn one of the communities that glorify Allah?’”   

 

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‘Injustice will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection’

 

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'Beware of injustice, for injustice will become a multitude of shadows on the Day of Resurrection. And beware of avarice, for avarice destroyed those who were before you, carrying them away to the point where they shed their blood and thought their taboos permissible to them'

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‘What destroyed those before you was that whenever an aristocrat among them stole, they would let him be, but when one of the powerless among them stole, they would inflict the legal punishment on him’

'Be Kind to Animals'

 

According to Islamic teachings, birds and animals are communities like us human beings; just and kind treatment of animals is an obligation upon us. Kind treatment of animals is among the good deeds worthy of ultimate Divine rewards of forgiveness and salvation in the life to come. Likewise, cruel treatment of living beings entails consequences for the human soul. Explicit guidance of the Holy Prophet (sa) on the treatment of birds and animals leaves one with no doubt about the implications of our deeds vis-a-vis these living beings. Consider the following teachings of the Holy Prophet (sa).

According to Prophetic traditions, Allah (swt) thanked a man and forgave him for giving water to a panting dog eating moist earth in its thirst. The  Ahadith also confirm that ‘there is a reward for your kind treatment of every living being.’ The Holy Prophet (sa) also stated: ‘If any Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop, and then a bird, or a human being, or an animal eats of it, then it is sacred charity to his credit.’  

 

Further, the Holy Prophet (sa) relates: ‘A woman entered Hellfire because of a cat that she kept tied up, neither feeding it nor letting it go to eat of the vermin of the earth.’  

 

He also narrates, “one of the prophets stopped to rest under a tree, and an ant stung him. The prophet had his baggage removed from beneath the tree and ordered that fire be set to the ants’ abode. But then God inspired him with the thought, ‘Why not just one ant?’ ”  

 

The Holy Prophet (sa) also states: ‘A prostitute was forgiven because she passed by a dog panting at a well, and observing that thirst was about to kill the dog, she removed her slipper, fastened it to her veil, and drew out some water for the dog. And so she was forgiven because of that.’  

 

In response to a question on the cruel treatment of animals by human beings, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius profoundly explains Islamic ethics on this vital issue. 

Read the Response Below: 

Holy Prophet: The Perfect Role Model

                                                                                            

'Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.' (Al-Ahzab, 33: 22).

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Mecca, Arabia, nearly six hundred years after Hazrat Isa (as) [Jesus]. At that time, his people were deeply involved in idolatry, and their society was marked by corruption and decay. The Jews in Arabia had formed tribes and settlements but did not spread the message of the Unicity of Allah beyond their community. Christianity was divided into many feuding sects, and its stronghold, the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), was in decline.