Bismillahir
Rahmaanir Raheem
By Hadhrat Moulana
Abdul Hamid Is’haq Sahib
Daamat Barakaatuhu
In nursery school
or pre-school, little children are given pictures to colour in. If a child is given a picture of a lion, the child is not going to be afraid by the
picture of the lion. …In fact, the little child may take a pair of scissors and
poke the lion in its eye, cut off its tail or head – and may even squash or
tear the picture of the lion – because it is just paper.
…This is only being
presented as an analogy. It is not offering any concession for animate
pictures which we are forbidden to draw or take photographs of.
A picture of a lion
does not create any fear or disturbance to the heart because it is understood
that that is just a picture.
Then we have the
lion which is kept caged in the zoo. The authorities of the zoo keep a sign on
the outside of the cage: “DO NOT INTERFERE WITH
THE LION.” This is because the lion is real and if
provoked, can become very aggressive and violent.
However, despite
the lion being a real, living lion, there is not much fear because the lion is caged
and cannot do much. Children are also not scared of such a lion. In
fact, some children will even throw stones at the lion and say: ‘See, I’m so brave!’ …It matters little to
them if the lion is annoyed because the lion is behind bars and locked up.
And then we have
the lion who reigns as king of the jungle. The lion is known as the king of the
jungle because he overpowers all other animals. …This lion moves freely,
creating fear in animals and humans. His supremacy is accepted by all – uncontested
and unchallenged. …No one dares to interfere or provoke this lion for fear of
being the next meal of the lion!
Considering this
example, we can draw similarities to what we Muslims have become today.
Today, we are “picture
Muslims”: Take a glance at the
condition of the Ummah.
The land of Muslims
is dyed with the blood of the Muslims.
The land of the
Muslims carries the severe burden of the torture and suffering of the
Muslims.
The tears of the
Muslims have drenched their own land, whilst hundreds of thousands of slain Muslims
lie in the belly of the earth.
The Muslim land has
become a mass burial ground for the Muslims themselves – whether in Syria,
Palestine, Egypt, Burma, Africa or elsewhere.
…Lives are shattered and hearts
weigh heavy with grief.
The enemies
fearlessly persecute and imprison our brothers, rape our sisters and merrily
kill our innocent children – without care, concern or any conscience. There is
oppression, repression and injustice which just increases and intensifies – and
we are so helpless in the face of all these trials. …There is no escaping the
sight of the suffering Ummah. We are living in a world filled with injustice and oppression.
This scenario which we are
witnessing throughout the Muslim world is the consequence of our own actions.
We are to be blamed. We moved away from Dien and we moved away from the noble Sunnah
of our Beloved Rasul Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
There is no reality of
Dien in our lives; rather there is just the pursuit of dunya at the expense of
Dien and Aakhirah. Hubbud Dunya (love of the world) has consumed us – has made
us ghaafil (negligent) and has brought disgrace upon us. …Today, we are a feast
for the enemies of Islam.
Someone asked:
"Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?"
He replied:
"No, you will be numerous at that time but you will be froth and scum
like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of
you out from the hearts of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts."
Someone asked,
"O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?" He replied, "Love of
the world and dislike of death."[1]
Being a “picture
Muslim” will not help us - because there is no reality. In fact, so many cannot even be recognized
as “picture Muslims”. Many have forsaken the way of Islam and have adopted the
culture of the non-Muslims: The culture of Hollywood and Bollywood.
Allah Ta’ala
has warned us, cautioned us and identified our enemies for us. ‘Fore-warned
is fore-armed’. But our folly is that we see the mask of friendship, the
guise of comradeship and we think these are friends.
We will not be able
escape the stranglehold of the disbeliever’s oppression until we submit to
Allah Ta’ala, until we conform to the teachings of Islam and we follow the way
of Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
This is the solution.
There is no other solution.
We need the reality
of Islam in our lives if we want positive change. We need to become real
Muslims - in the real sense of the word.
…How often we read
of our Muslim brothers and even sisters who are unjustly imprisoned? They are like the
real lions that are caged. …So long as they are in captivity, they cannot
wield the strength that they have been blessed with – that is, if they are
obedient to Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam.
Whilst our brothers languish in the prisons
of this world, many of us languish in the prison of nafs and shaytaan – and the
prisoner of nafs and shaytaan is more helpless than the one who is imprisoned
by the enemies of Islam.
The Muslim
prisoners of Guantanamo Bay and other places are mazloom (oppressed). They
have Allah Ta’ala on their side despite their outward helplessness. The one
who is a prisoner of nafs and shaytaan, due to his sins, is deprived of Allah
Ta’ala’s Mercy and assistance, until he makes sincere Taubah.
By Allah, we can
go and stand before the United Nations – over a billion Muslims - pleading and
crying for help. Help will not come. …In fact, the United Nations is no
comrade and no well-wisher of the Muslims. We can turn to the
governments of the world for assistance and aid but they cannot do anything to
alleviate our plight. In fact, they desire the destruction of the Muslim Ummah
even though they show a face of friendship and offer some superficial
humanitarian aid.
…We have enemies on the outside, we have enemies on the
inside, and we have ourselves – and we cause more harm to ourselves than
others.
The need is for us – the Muslim Ummah at
large - to go and stand in the Court of Allah Ta’ala and plead to Him, cry
before him and sincerely repent for all our sins. This will invite the mercy of
Allah Ta’ala.
We have to turn to
the government of Allah Ta’ala for aid and support - by becoming faithful and
loyal to His Government. It will only be then that the Muslims will find the
support of Allah Ta’ala and will have with them, the force and the power and
the might of Allah Ta’ala on their side. With such
assistance, the Muslim Ummah will then be able to overcome all its enemies.
But we don’t want
to change. We don’t want to mend our ways. We don’t want to submit. …And so as
long as we remain aloof of Allah Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala will remain aloof of us.
Then we have the real, living Muslim – free
from the clutches of the Kuffaar, free from the prison of nafs and shaytaan,
free from the prison of the love of this world. His connection is with the Creator
of the universe – Allah Ta’ala!
He is the vicegerent of Allah Ta’ala on earth
– a king without a throne and without a crown – living and breathing in the
obedience of Allah Ta’ala and Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam. He
moves in the protection of Allah Ta’ala and he is assisted and supported by
Allah Ta’ala – because he is the friend of Allah Ta’ala.
Nabi Sallallaahu
‘alayhi wasallam related a Hadith-e-Qudsi, wherein Allah Ta’ala states:
“…And the most beloved things with which My
slave comes nearer to Me is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave keeps
on coming closer to Me through performing Nawaafil (praying or doing extra
deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become his sense of
hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his
hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I
will give him, and if he asks My protection (Refuge), I will protect him; (i.e.
give him My Refuge) …."[2]
The enemies of
Islam fear him because they know that he wields a power that lays waste to their
efforts to destroy the Muslims – in fact, their efforts to destroy mankind.
He wields a power that subjugates hearts to
Allah Ta’ala. He is a king of hearts. Wherever he goes, wherever he
travels, the hearts of the creation connect with Allah Ta’ala.
The enemies fear
him whilst others love him. He benefits the creation and he guides them. He
carries with him a key of unique composition – The key of Ma’rifat (recognition
of Allah Ta’ala) and Ishq (Intense Love) - given by Allah Ta’ala – which unlocks
the hearts and which releases us from the prison of nafs and shaytaan, and
makes us like the free, living lions in the jungles.
On a different level, if the real Muslim
engages the enemy in battle, he comes forth fearless of death – seeking death.
This is a lion. How many of us have this kind of spirit? How many of us have the lion's courage? …Look at the Mujahideen:
Allahu Akbar! They seek the honour of martyrdom, because they understand the
reality of this worldly life. They have certainty of the Aakhirah and they seek
it.
We run away; we shy away – we want to escape
because we are not real Muslims; rather we have become cowards. May Allah
Ta’ala have mercy upon us and forgive us and guide us and make us true, real
Muslims.
History bears
testimony to such men who walked on the earth, free, and supported by Allah
Ta’ala in every way: Hadhrat Hamza (Radiyallahu’anhu) was “Asadullah” (The lion
of Allah Ta’ala), Hadhrat Khalid bin Waleed (Radiyallahu’anhu) was “Saifullah”
(The Sword of Allah Ta’ala), Hadhrat Umar (Radiyallahu’anhu) was such a unique
personality that Rasulullah Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam said: “O Ibn Khattaab, by the Divine Being in whose
hand is my life, if shaytaan sees you walking on any road, he will leave that
road and walk on another road.”
It is narrated that
on one occasion, the emperor Heraclius addressed a delegation of Sahaba-e-Kiraam
(Radiyallahu’anhum) and asked them for a description of the character of the
ruling Khalifah, Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallahu anhu). A Sahabi – illiterate, simple
in dress and demeanour, replied: “He neither deceives nor can he be
deceived.”
Subhanallah! …In
one, single statement he presented the character of the Khalifah in the most
befitting manner. The emperor was left awestruck upon this reply.
The emperor then
addressed his courtiers and noblemen and said: “These two qualities in their
leader have established his authority on the land: The entire world cannot
oppose a man in whom these two qualities exist. That he does not deceive
clearly indicates that he is a man of exceptional piety and piety is the crown
of kingship. That he cannot be deceived clearly indicates that he is a man of
great intelligence. A man blessed with such piety and intelligence will dominate and
rule over all.”
Similarly, all the
Sahaba-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu ’anhum) were like the lions who are free and they
were people, whom Allah Ta’ala established as His vicegerents on earth. …Allah
Ta’ala’s assistance was with the Sahaba-e-Kiraam (Radiallahu ’anhum) wherever
they went – because they were obedient to Allah Ta’ala and His Messenger
(Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam)
If the Ummah
strives to be like the Sahaba-e-Kiraam (Radiyallahu ’anhum), there would be a
revolution in this world, success will follow the Muslims wherever they go, and
the forces of Kufr will be subjugated for good.
However, we need to
start with ourselves. We need to make this effort on ourselves – to free
ourselves from the shackles of nafs and shaytaan, and this will only be so when
we give up sins and strive in the obedience of Allah Ta’ala and bring alive, in
our lives, the beautiful Sunnah.
…And it is by virtue of the Suhbat of the
Friends of Allah Ta’ala that we will be successful in this endeavour. We too
will find freedom and we too will become the friends of Allah Ta’ala. We will
become real Muslims. We will be a force to be reckoned with, Insha-Allah.
May Allah Ta’ala
grant us the understanding, inspire us in His love, such that we give up all
sins and we eagerly seek His pleasure, in His obedience.
[1] Abu Dawud and Ahmad
[2] Sahih Bukhari
