Failing to take Action
The Ummah is going through a catastrophic period, being attacked from all directions which appears to be only worsening by the day. This is despite the Muslims recognising that we have an issue that requires a solution. Unfortunately, we continue to either take no action, or pursue actions which are contrary to what Allah and his Messenger have ordered.
As a result, the enemies of Islam under their War on Islam continue to attack, occupy and divide our lands despite the military capabilities of our armies. They continue to violate the honour of our sisters, including persecuting and prosecuting the Muslims across the globe; not forgetting the most dangerous attack of them all, the intellectual attack on Islam to change it into something that is other than Islam via the agents and hypocrites from amongst the Muslims, In essence reducing Islam’s capability of transforming, reviving and providing solutions to people and society as per the Quran and the Sunnah. These stark facts clearly illustrate that we have a genuine problem that has plagued us since the collapse of the Khilafah, which have been perpetuated by our inaction in restoring Allah’s Deen at a societal level.
So how can a nation, which Allah says in the Quran is the best nation to be raised amongst mankind, sit idly and fail to do anything, and worse, pursue solutions other than Islam?
Some may say it’s down to fear and not wanting to question the status quo, which naturally requires you to think in order to understand the actual problem as opposed to focusing on the symptoms. If you fail to question the issue you will prevent yourself from understanding the actual situation and therefore misdiagnosing the problem. This situation at a bare minimum, demands that we reflect and question it and inquire what has Allah and his Messenger (saw) demanded of us. The Messenger of Allah said, “Whoever of you sees an evil then he must change it with his hand. If he is unable able to do so, then he must change it with his tongue. And if he is not able to do so, then he must change it with his heart. And that is the lowest of Imaan” (Muslim)
There is no doubt that the Ummah is in a dire situation which requires a response, as the hadith states. Otherwise there is a question mark over our Imaan!
If the Muslims were to question and think for a moment, then I have no doubt that they will quickly arrive at the solution: to resume the Islamic way of life. Consequently, Islam would be restored at a state level thereby alleviating us from our predicament.
Questioning and thinking about our situation
As a result of the prevailing secular environment, the Ummah is prevented from thinking and is presented with artificial solutions (charities, lobbying, conforming, remaining silent) that are contrary to the Quran and Sunnah. This is designed to prevent the Muslims from being able to think and therefore change and challenge the status quo. For the Muslim to be living in the current circumstances and in an era where Islam is absent, we have to question why things are the way they are. As we know, Islam and secularism are incompatible. They are like oil and water, there will always be a clash between the secularists and the Muslims. Hence, preventing the Muslims from thinking allows the enemies of Islam to direct our energies towards artificial solutions that are not from Islam and perpetuate the dire situation.
The moment one starts to think and study the Islamic texts (Quran and Sunnah), it will dawn upon him, causing an agitation, that we as an Ummah have a big responsibility on our shoulders which is not being fulfilled. This responsibility comes in the form of an obligation, accountability and understanding your objective in life. As a result, it will mean that we need to fundamentally change our approach on how we go about our daily lives, making sacrifices (time, energy and money) and doing things that we are not accustomed to doing. It will mean that we as Muslims cannot just sit idly and be spectators, allowing the enemies of Islam to attack and destroy us. It means that each one of us has to assume ownership of solving the issues and problems we as an Ummah face in a collective manner, as demanded by Allah and his Messenger (saw). As opposed to being onlookers, or be consumed by things other than what Islam has demanded.
Allah (swt) states in the Quran, “Let there arise out of you a group of people inviting to all that is good (Islam), enjoining Al-Ma‘roof (i.e. Islamic Monotheism and all that Islam orders one to do) and forbidding Al-Munkar (polytheism and disbelief and all that Islam has forbidden). And it is they who are the successful” (Al Imraan 3:104)
To reinforce the above command and highlight its importance, the great scholar Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya states, “The Religion is not just leaving off outer prohibitions. Rather, it is to fulfil what Allah Loves along with this. Most religious people today don’t do this except when it comes to things that the majority of people accept and agree with them in. As for Jihad, enjoining good and preventing evil, giving advice for the sake of Allah and His Messenger to His worshipers, giving aid and victory to Allah and His Messenger and Book and Religion – these obligations don’t even occur to them, let alone evoke a desire on their part to carry them out, let alone be carried them out by them! The lowest of people in the Religion and the worst of them with Allah are those who abandon these obligations, even if he practices the most abstention from everything in this world. It is rare to find from them one whose face becomes red for the sake of Allah, and who becomes angry due to His limits being violated, and who gives all he has to help his religion. Those who fall into major sins are better with Allah than these people.”
We as an Ummah are responsible for commanding the good and forbidding the evil. To remain silent would be worse than committing a major sin because ignoring or not even thinking about this duty that is an obligation equates to kufr which is far greater than any sin as it takes you out of the fold of Islam. Commanding the good and forbidding the evil in its complete sense can only be executed at a state level. This is because the issues facing the Ummah are societal issues due to the absence of Islam. The Islamic state governs and regulates our societies, and eradicates the evil physically. The verse ends with a praise: ‘they are the successful ones’; in other words, Allah is happy with those who undertake this duty.
Fear and distraction
Then why is it, after highlighting the above, that we fail to get any traction? Is it down to the fact that the attack on Islam is not completely physical; in fact, its most potent element is the intellectual attack. The main aim is to instil fear and prevent people from questioning the truth while channelling their energies towards wasted and non-productive activities. For example, America and its partners have created initiatives such as CVE (Counter Violent Extremism) and Prevent; using their media machine and being facilitated by Muslims and non-Muslims a like, they try to pressurise and scare the Ummah from discussing key Islamic ideas such as the Islamic way of life, Khilafah, Jihad and Unity of the Ummah with the sole purpose of preventing these ideas from becoming mainstream in the minds of the Muslims, and in the process preventing key obligations of Islam from being fulfilled.
To further distort the solution and prevent the Ummah from thinking about these concepts, the enemies of Islam have added the threats of imprisonment, losing your job, revoking citizenship, inciting Islamophobia via the Far Right, threatening to take our children away, and threatening to close mosques and platforms where the message of Islam is being broadcasted, all under the pretext of terrorism and extremism. The worst are the misguided scholars who have been placed over the Muslims to advocate to the masses that they are not qualified to question the current issues facing the Ummah to bring about a change in the Muslim lands.
As a result, some from amongst us have started to view the commanding the good and forbidding the evil and resuming the Islamic way of life as tasks which are negligible and paved with hardships, fears and unnecessary sacrifices, and therefore not worth pursuing. Instead, we began to focus on the five pillars, charities and solutions stemming from one’s limited mind that are contrary to Islam. This is despite Allah warning us against of using our whims and desires for making judgments in regards to our affairs. Allah says, “Have you ever seen the one who takes his Gods as his desire? Or do you think most of them listen or try to understand? They are nothing but animals – nay, they are even further of track!” (Al Furqaan 43). They are worse than animals because they failed to think in line with what Allah and his Messenger had ordered. Instead, opting to use their own whims and desires to decide what is right and what is wrong.
Unfortunately, the thirst has not been quenched and the root cause to the issue remains. As we are not looking to the Quran and the Sunnah for the answer. The Prophet (saw) said, “Indeed, I leave two things behind, if you hold onto them, you will never go astray: The book of Allah and my Sunnah” (Al-Haakim)
Conclusion
Knowing what we now know and the dire situation of the Ummah due to the absence of Islam, are we going to remain idle and not give a thought to what we should be doing? Has fear overtaken us so much to the point where it has made our hearts stop beating, blinding us to the injustices being waged against the Ummah? Isn’t the breakup of our lands, the slaughter of the Muslims and the increasing Islamophobia enough to wake us up? Even though we have the capabilities and the resources to eliminate the Issue. Or are we going to continue to sit idly, falling prey to the situation, letting the destruction and carnage of the Ummah run its course until our deaths while in the process corrupting and destroying our families?
If that isn’t enough, then know that the accountability still stands because its an obligation to restore Islam to the realm of life, and commanding the good and forbidding evil at a state level, ending this dire situation of the Ummah, in the same fashion as the Prophet (saw) and the companions did.
Secondly, fear, hardships and the impact on things which are most dear to us are definitely no excuses in the sight of Allah because Allah says in surah Taubah verse 24, “Say, [O Muhammad], If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people”.
In the above verse Allah outlines the consequences of those who prioritise this life ahead of Allah’s command. It is also a reminder to remain steadfast and not to be distracted by activities other than what Allah has instructed, because it is a reminder for this life being a test, which we shouldn’t forget. As Allah informs us that do you think you will enter Jannah without being tested like those before you?
I am not saying change is easy, but sometimes in life you have to make sacrifices in order to attain the pleasure of Allah and get to Jannah. In the same way, we may not like to wake up in the morning to go to work. But the reality is that it needs to be done because the fear of being sacked and not having a stable income or being unable to provide for the family is what drives you to go to work, even though you may not like it. We should view this activity in the same light because failing to undertake this activity means we are neglecting an obligation that could result in us not entering Jannah, the stakes are very high!
Fear is an emotion that is caused by the threat of danger and harm. If understood correctly, it should become a catalyst for success, getting closer to Allah and changing our situation, instead of paralysing us.
I therefore, invite you to study the Islamic Texts (Quran, Hadith, Seerah - Life of the Prophet (saw)) and join in the activity of resuming the Islamic way of life. In the process exposing the plots and the plans of the enemies of Islam, by discussing, sharing and defending key Islamic ideas such as Khilafah, Resuming the Islamic way of life and the Unity of the Ummah.
“O you who believe! Answer Allah (by obeying Him) and (His) Messenger when he (SAW) calls you to that which gives you life” (TMQ - 8:24)