New resolution and fresh accountability

This year is coming to its end and many people will be looking for inspiration in forming their new year resolutions which, whilst they may have a purpose for some, for many they have become a fashionable chore intended only to impress others. We should understand that any change in life style means a change of heart and mind and any change of direction always implies a realisation of destiny and the purpose for which we have undertaken that journey. When I seek a resolution to live by it always seems, to me, to be singularly straightforward. The Quran teaches us one in its very first Surah, Al-Fatiha or the Opening Surah, saying: ‘You alone do we worship and You alone do we turn to for help. Show us the Straight Path’.

Allah also shows us another beautiful resolution in the Surah al-An`am, saying: ‘Whoever come to Allah with a good deed shall have ten times as much, and whoever come to Allah with an evil deed shall be requited with no more than the like of it. They shall not be wronged. Say: as for me, my Lord has guided me on to a Straight Path, a right religion, the way of Abraham who adopted it in exclusive devotion to Allah, and he was not of those who associated others with Allah in His Divinity. Say: surely my Prayer (Salaah), all my acts of worship (in Hajj) and my living and my dying are only for Allah, the Lord of the whole universe. He has no associate. Thus have I been bidden and I am the foremost of those who submit themselves (to Allah)’.  Surah 6 and verses 160-163

The ‘Straight Path’ leads to God and connects man with Him. We cannot create our own type of ‘spirituality’ and ‘connecting routes’ to God unless they lie within the framework of Allah’s guidance and fulfil the required terms and conditions. However, with all the measures that we take to satisfy our own kind of perception or conception of this ‘Path’ that leads to God, we often end up leading ourselves away from this ‘Straight Path’.

What is a resolution for? And why do we need one at the beginning of a new year? We should remember that accountability for oneself is a good thing and a helpful practice in steadying us on the Straight Path. The need that many of us feel for a resolution may be an indication of a desire in our sub-consciousness that is urging us to commit to the act of self-accountability.

In a hadith narrated from our Prophet Mohammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, it is said: ‘A clever person is one who brings himself to account and works for the life after death. And a feckless person is one who follows his vain desires and expects wishful outcomes from Allah’.

This contains a guidance for making a resolution that can change the lifestyle and future of a person, as we all know that ‘good reviews’ and ‘feedback’ help to improve a product or the work pattern of a person in their workplace. We all want to live well in this life and attain the best material support possible. While there is nothing wrong with this, we should remember that Allah has granted us this life so that He can see from our actions ‘who is better in good deeds’.

The Quran clearly states that ‘Has he not been informed of what is in the Scrolls of Moses? And of Abraham who lived up to the trust? That no bearer of a burden shall bear the burden of another; and that man shall have nothing but what he has striven for’; and that the result of his striving shall soon be seen’. S53 V36-40.

This requires from us a very conscious approach in all our ‘striving’ in this life and a constant analysis of all our actions and deeds that we are depositing in our accounts of this life. Indeed, it reminds me a verse in the Surah al-Tawbah (Repentance) that reads as follows: ‘do they not see that they are tried every year once or twice? Yet they neither repent nor take heed’. S9 V126

So resolutions and accountability are part and parcel of our need to reflect on changing the course of our lives.  Any desire to correct our path, and find the best one that can connect us with our destiny, must embrace the ‘Straight Path’ which every committed praying Muslim asks for in their daily Salaah.

Further, in another hadith, our Prophet Mohammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, directs us and the rest of humanity towards the path of achievement and successful outcomes in our lives by saying: ‘A stronger believer is better and beloved to Allah than a weaker believer, even though in both there is goodness. Commit yourself to what is beneficial to you, seek help from Allah and do not get stifled, and if you are afflicted by something, do not say: I wish I had done differently so the outcomes were such and such, but say: what Allah had stored for me and what He willed was done. Because the word ‘if’ opens the door of Satan’.

The Quran and the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad contain all the resolutions people could ever need and which will surely connect them to the right causes and bring benefits.

In today’s world words seem to have lost both their value and purpose. The more media outlets and social media channels that spring up the more we seem to stray away from the ‘Straight Path’ which connects our souls with Allah, the Almighty. We enjoy structuring beautiful sentences and love the sounds of inspiring words but while all appears fine on the surface, living in reality has become a tough task for many people.

With the blatant violations of human rights and the chaotic situations in many parts of the world and with money dominating the consciousness of most people, one resolution, in my opinion, becomes the most relevant;   to be a truthful human companion, accepting our own accountability and feeling shame for our wrongdoing.

The people of this world will receive only what they deserve in this life and in the next. We must not take that which is not ours, even if it appears to be under our control. We leave everything behind us when our time on earth is done. What remains, in the memory of others, is the good we have accomplished for God and for other people. But, never forget, many of us are now living in a dream world, very elusive and very deceitful.  

Jerusalem – ‘The City of Peace?’

Yesterday we all heard the disastrous news that the Trump administration took a unilateral decision to proclaim Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Of course, we, as Muslims, reject this unwise and disturbing political act and its inevitable consequences. We can only hope that other more fair-minded people and sensible politicians and countries, with a more stable and valid world overview, will also oppose this biased decision.

Democracy is a political system that claims to guarantee human rights and personal freedom for all peoples. Sadly, it also allows people to enter into political decisions that don’t contain the values of these democratic rights. Mr Trump is clearly a politically biased, prejudiced and ill informed Islamophobic president.  America has devalued its core values by electing such a person to its highest office.

Mr Trump serves three political constituencies; the extreme right, the American evangelical Christians who are the fervent supporters of Israel on the basis of Biblical belief and international Jewry. This has never, right from the beginning of his term in office, boded well for Muslims or for any Muslim cause. Muslims have, of course, never expected any fair or favourable treatment from a person whose anti-Muslim stance has been well known from the moment he stood for election. Banning Muslims from certain countries for a limited period would have never made America safe from extremists, but it was an indicator of his continuing anti-Muslim mindset.

Mr Trump cannot be regarded as a religious person nor is he of Jewish heritage, but the support of the above three political constituencies, during his presidential campaign, has provided him with what he regards as enough reasons for him to take the decision that he has taken. In addition, his vice-president comes from an evangelical background who would similarly ensure that the ‘right course’ of action is taken.

The BBC says that it is a ‘Christian thing’ and the highlighting of the face of Mike Pence, beaming over Mr Trump's shoulder during the announcement, said it all. The vice-president was an influential voice in convincing Mr Trump to follow through on his campaign promise, and this illustrates the political power of hardline Christian evangelicals who fervently support Israel.

That was not lost on Palestinian legislator and Christian Hanan Ashrawi.

"My god did not tell me what his god tells him," she spat out in an interview with the BBC. "We are the original Christians, we are the owners of the land, we are the people who've been here for centuries. How dare they come here and give me biblical treatises and absolutist positions!"

“Supporting Israel is not a political issue ... it is a bible issue,” pastor John Hagee, the founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, said in a speech.

Evangelical Christians make up the biggest pro-Israel bloc in the US. Support for Israel is stronger among American evangelicals than it is even among American Jews. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Centre, 82 percent of white evangelicals think God gave Israel to the Jewish people. Less than half as many Jewish Americans or Catholic Americans agree, and according to a Bloomberg poll, almost 60 percent of evangelicals say the US should support Israel even if its interests diverge from American interests.

Why do so many Evangelicals so strongly support Israel? The answer is that a significant majority of American Evangelicals believe that the Abrahamic Covenant is still in force. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3) says, amongst other things, that God promised the land of Canaan to the Jews forever. A significant majority of American Evangelicals believe that God is a keeper of His promises and that the "Promised Land" belongs to the Jews, in belief and unbelief, in obedience and in disobedience, forever. (It is an unconditional promise, with no time limits or conditions.)

Bearing in mind the political constituencies supporting Mr Trump and his Islamophobic stance and mindset, the values of human rights, which also include the right of nations for a dignified co-existence and the value of personal freedom and self-determination, will become ever harder to retain.

Europe and Canada seem to possess greater political wisdom than some politicians on the other side of the Atlantic. They appear to adhere to their political values and take a longer term world view in their political approach.

Mr Trump continues to devalue America’s role in the minds of many fair-minded people. UK and Europe have already made their stance clear and will not recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. East Jerusalem is Palestinian by UN directive, surrounded by occupied territory and the Palestinians want to make it the capital of any future Palestinian state. Stealing that land from them, as has been done elsewhere, serves only to degrade the Biblical values of God’s teachings or Commands.

Peace in the Middle East now seems to be even farther away and more elusive than ever before. The world continues to expect the Palestinians to make sacrifices, even though their lands are being taken away from them inch by inch. Justice must be implemented, otherwise religious values will lose their divine perspective and evangelical Christianity will come to be seen only as an ungodly group of political extremists.

Jerusalem has become a more contentious issue now than ever before. No American president should be allowed to determine the fate of a people or ignore their desire for self-determination. There are many driving forces behind this conflict; Israelis, American, Europe, Palestinians and of course the Muslim and Arab world. How will the geo-politics of this conflict drive the world’s politicians and who will gain what?  Will the people’s will, the politicians’ will or God’s will prevail?

Murder most foul.

Recently we have been bombarded with increasingly murderous acts of modern militancy throughout the Islamic world. The latest and one of the most savage, involved the bombing and shooting of many innocent mosque attendees on their day of congregation. The notion of violating the sanctity of a religious place, in modern times, can be seen as dating back to the attack on the Holy mosque in Makkah in 1979. This attack was led by Jeheman al-Etaibi and Mohamed al-Qahtani, the latter claiming to be the awaited Mahdi (the guided leader). Hundreds of innocent people were murdered in this act of callous and premeditated violence. Jeheman was one who perhaps introduced the idea of armed religious insurgency, in this century, to unseat a ruler and to replace him with one claimed to be the righteous and guided one. From this moment the seed for existing extreme political ideology in Islam was sown.

In the ensuing years, after massacre in Makkah, we have seen the rise of al-Qaedah and ISIS(Daesh) which carry the banners of religious confrontation and rejection of all else in the name of pure Islam. Armed confrontations, such as these, continue to damage the beautiful name of Islam. As a result many opportunists and ignorant people out there took, and continue to take, the opportunity to call all Muslims terrorists and the sublime Quran as a manual for terrorism.

The attack that has just happened in Sinai in the mosque on a Friday, killing over 300 mosque goers, was a brutal, inhumane and unjustifiable act, whatever the motives behind it. For true Muslims it is unbelievable that an armed group of fellow Muslims should enter a Mosque and indiscriminately open fire on the congregation. How has this brutal concept crept into Islam? And who are the people who preach this concept of extreme ideology?

Looking back over the last few years at similar confrontations that happened in Pakistan, we see that, perhaps for the first time in  Muslim history, suicide bombers enter a mosque on a Friday, the Day of weekly congregation, blowing themselves and others to pieces.

Islam, the religion, gains nothing by such acts of brutality and murder. Only political activists, those who are angry and resentful, bereft of intelligence and clear thinking and regardless of the fact that their acts are damaging Islam, think they can benefit. They are wrong! These acts are a straightforward violation of Islamic teachings and against the purpose of Islamic revelation written in the Quran. 

Violence has taken over in the Muslim world and has invaded the conflict resolution process in many areas of our daily life. Most dangerous of all are the extreme thoughts and intolerance expressed by many who regard themselves as Muslims. Justification of violence and the use of brute force in solving any problem is un-Islamic. Islam endorses education and the first word of the revelation of the Holy Quran was ‘Iqra’ – Read.

Education and the development of human thinking is a prime goal of Islamic teachings. True Islam is decent and kind and promotes human decency to be kind and compassionate even to our enemies.

We are taught to take pride in the fact that Islam was the first religion that banned any suppression or compulsion in religion. People must not be forced, against their will, to accept any religion or interpretation of their religion.   

In a hadith the Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, said: ‘I am the leader of a house in the outer Paradise for those who relinquish any confrontation even though he might have been right. And I am the leader of a house in the middle of the Paradise for those who relinquish lies, even in their jokes. And I am the leader of a house in the upper Paradise for those who have the best manner’. Narrated by Abu Daud

We now appear to be hovering on the brink of total destruction with no thought for what this may bring down upon us. This twisted mentality is becoming all pervading and one wonders where it is going to lead us. The Quran describes such people in these words. ‘There are the types of men whose speech about this world’s life may dazzle you and he calls Allah to witness about what is in his heart. Yet it is he the most contentious of enemies. When he turns his back, his aims everywhere are to spread mischief through the earth and destroy crops and progeny. But Allah loves not mischief. When it is said to him: Fear Allah’, he is led by arrogance to more crime.  Enough for him is Hell, an evil bed indeed (to lie on). S2 V204-206

Islamic teachings, which should be a pacifying force for the believers in terms of violence, seem to have an opposite impact on many who may be only loosely connected with Islam. No person who fears Allah and follows the path of real Islam can commit brutality or such murderous acts, as he knows he would be accountable for every act by Allah.

We hear the divine words, the words of Allah, the beautiful prophetic guidance that encourages us to be Muslims of high calibre and manner, but they seem to have no impact on us whatsoever. The guiding revelations of Allah have been, in many people’s minds, reduced to political goals or personal ambitions. We no longer use them to benefit humanity and serve the cause of Allah or in the ways of Allah. The beautiful recitations of the Quran, by eminent reciters, seem to have become musical entertainment, with their words inciting no inspirations, but to be enjoyed only as a pastime.  

These continual violent upheavals in Islam, particularly those taking place in the Muslim countries in violation of the religious character of its teachings, provoke great sorrow in many of us. We also feel low, violated and helpless. Our Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, says: ‘Islam is superior and nothing can supersede it.’ This is not a falsely boastful claim against other religious systems. It indicates the character and the Islamic manner with which we deal in all our affairs. Islam is all about good manners and best character. If this is deleted from people’s life then it is Islam itself which will disappear from our lives and not just the impact of Islamic teachings.

Islamic disciplines of belief and commitment are disappearing fast from within the lives of Muslims. We need to love Allah and commit to the leadership of our Prophet, Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, and restore ourselves back to the guidance of the Holy Quran and Prophetic Sunnah. That is the purity we need and only that will result in our salvation.

Islam inspires and brings hope

My studies of the teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and mercy of Allah be always upon him, have taught me that Islam is a religion of inspiration and accomplishment and is for life. Its guidance, when followed sincerely, gives us so much hope and inner peace and inspires us to serve all humanity. Its structural manifestations of ‘Ibadaat’ or devotional acts, i.e. the Islamic testimony of Shahadah, daily Salaah (prayers) Fasting of Ramadan, Zakah (the annual financial compulsory contribution of 2.5%) and the Hajj, are designed to encourage the aspirations of its sincere followers in improving their lives, become closer to their Creator and finding a serenity of life with peace and tranquillity. Indeed, Islam introduces so much meaning into our lives that when we finally understand and follow its teachings it becomes totally relevant and we experience its real taste.

The Quran emphasises this point by saying: ‘Believers! Give your response to Allah and His Messenger when He calls you to that which will give you life. And know that Allah comes in between a man and his heart and that it is He to Whom you shall be gathered.’ S8 V 24

This beautiful and meaningful verse tells us all about the nature of Islamic guidance and what outcomes can be expected once we respond to God’s teachings. It also indicates that if we choose to ignore them our hearts will become unresponsive. Allah’s teachings are for the benefit of all humanity and by observing them we become closer to Him and feel a serenity and spiritual blessing in our hearts that rewards us with a beautiful taste for life. Many people wonder what is the purpose of life and why have we been brought into existence. Our confusion and lack of understanding on this subject will remain while we humans endeavour to understand ourselves and our purpose in this life solely through our personal limited experience or observation and fail to engage in intellectual discourse, analysis or ‘research’.

According to this verse, a functioning heart can only have a life if it follows the guidance of its Creator. The alternative is a live heart burdened with a negative outlook, unhappy and in total bewilderment regarding the purpose behind its existence. This process is described as ‘Allah coming in between a man and his heart’.

Allah provides the purity and the life in people’s hearts. This has been described so meaningfully in this following verse: ‘Those who believe and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah. For, without doubt, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction. For those who believe and work righteousness is every blessedness and a beautiful place of final return’. S13 V 28-29

The ‘blessedness’ that is promised to us in this verse is an internal state of satisfaction and happiness that is difficult to describe in words. Many people, at some point in their lives, strive to find it in their material possessions but are inevitably disappointed and remain miserable even until the time of their death. We all find it elusive but it is there within reach of all of us.

Islamic teachings provide this quality of life for all those who strive to understand them, follow them in all sincerity and have the best understanding of their meaning. The Quran guides by saying: ‘Those who listen to the Words and follow the best of it. Those are the ones who Allah had guided and those are the ones endued with understanding’. S39 V18

A blocked heart has no real life. It becomes cruel, harsh and uncaring towards others. It no longer enjoys that joyous feeling  that is achieved after committing a good deed and resisting the commitment of an evil act.

The Quran again highlights the difference between the two kinds of heart: ‘Is one whose heart Allah has opened to Islam so that he has received light from Allah (no better than one hard-hearted)? Woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah. They are manifestly wandering (in error). Allah has revealed the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself (yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects). The skins of those who fear their Lord tremble; then their skins and their hearts do soften to the remembrance of Allah. Such is the guidance of Allah He guides therewith whom He pleases. But such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide’. S39 V 22-23

Islam with its divine guidance, brings hope and contentment into our lives and satisfaction with the purpose for our presence here. Islam is always at the service of all humanity. It does not turn people away from the real blessings of life. Islam is active and pro-active in the service of people who are most in need. Islam embraces them and does not break away from them or ignore them. Islam calls upon people and proclaims: ‘And spend of your sustenance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to your destruction. And do good, for Allah loves those who do good’. S2 V195

This beautiful verse at first encourages people to contribute towards the welfare of those who urgently need support. There are no set limits to this. Our negative decisions and our selfish attitudes could become the cause of our own ‘destruction’ and what we may think is good work at times may prove detrimental to our own wellbeing and destiny.

Then the verse commands and guides us to do good, because this is crucial for the development of humanity. What better encouragement is there to do good and keep doing it, than to let people know and feel that Allah, the Almighty the Creator, loves those who are the doers of good.

A good and purified heart is an essential requirement in achieving good work. The prophet Muhammad says: ‘Behold! Indeed therein in the body is a piece of flesh. If it is purified the whole body continues in purity. And if it is corrupt the whole body gets corrupted. Behold! It is your heart’.

If we really want a world in which we can still show the next generations that morality and good character still abide, we need to care for our hearts!

Guidance for today from the last sermon of the Prophet Muhammad

Most Muslims would agree that we are living through a very difficult and turbulent time in our history. The appalling upheaval has reached epidemic levels and must now be seen for what it is; a systematic attempt to implement a movement to destroy the very fabric of Islamic teachings and their sublime values. What is most painful is that, in many cases, it is Muslims themselves who have become the tools and are often providing the means to carry out this agenda.

When I was refreshing my mind by reading the farewell sermon of the Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, in which he highlighted the gist of the teachings of Islam to give Muslims bullet points of his Prophetic Mission my eyes caught this warning from him: ‘O people! No Prophet or Messenger will come after me and no new Faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I am leaving you with the Book of Allah (the Quran) and my Sunnah. If you follow them, you will never go astray’.

What a prophetic warning by a Prophet about whom the Quran says: ‘There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves, who is distressed by the losses you sustain, who is ardently desirous of your welfare and is tender and merciful to those that believe’, S9 V128

But, if people turn away from, or fail to heed the teachings of such a compassionate prophet towards the welfare of people, the Quran seems to say that there would be no hope for the salvation of those people and nothing further can avail them. It says: ‘Yet, if they should turn away, then tell them: ‘Allah is sufficient for me; there is no god but He. In Him I have put my trust. He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne.’ S9 V129

Muslims have a very distinct and precise Book for their guidance. We call it the ‘Book of Allah’. Nothing has been removed from it or, more importantly, nothing has been added to it. It has been transmitted to us in its precise original form. With the revelation of the Quran completed, Allah sent down this message to the believers: ‘This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My Grace upon you, and have chosen Islam for you as your religion.’ S5 V3

With the above reassuring messages from Allah and from the Prophet, what reasons can possibly justify many in the Muslim community for being so heedless to such guidance or unwilling to change their ways and extricate themselves from the mess they now find themselves in?

With every passing day, the crisis deepens and very little hope appears on the horizon. We have no leadership capable of leading us out of the crisis that is tearing us apart. One hears many fine and fiery speeches, filled with empty promises but no one stands up with the guts to deliver anything to minimise the suffering of our people.

Political enmity recognises no public interests and is, all too often, used as the reason for unleashing destructive forces, destroying everything and anybody that stands in their path, regardless of political, social and religious outcomes. Mercenaries, who take money to go ‘on jihad’ and fight for the interest of different countries, or those who are brainwashed by different groups, go on a rampage, killing people or carrying out suicide attacks whilst shouting ‘Allahu akbar’: all these have become the tools used to destroy the fabric of the teachings of Islam. Allah’s teachings are free of any blame for their acts.

We need to reflect. All of us! Both those in power and authority and those who take their commands or receive a financial gain to carry out any action ordered by them. Are any of our acts in violation of Allah’s teachings? If so, are we willing to bear the responsibility and endure the terrible consequences, in front of Allah, on the Day of Reckoning?

Many of the ‘small’ evil acts between people and groups have become giant differences and sources for antagonism and animosity. The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, reminded us in his sermon about obeying Shaitan in even small matters. He said: ‘Beware of Shaitan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so be aware of following him in small things.’ 

Our evil acts destroy our religious values and the values of our religion in both the sight of its followers and the non-believers.

Hajj is the most suitable time to remind ourselves of the values of Islamic teachings. Surely the Prophet did, so why shouldn’t the community be reminded of this noble sermon on this occasion? It is a beautiful sermon and it shows humanity its rights and offers a future course for successful and harmonious relationships.

These are its most important excerpts:

O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.

Allah has forbidden you to take usury, therefore all usury obligation shall henceforth be waived.

O people! It is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you.

All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab. Also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good deeds.

Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people’.

The above are the direct teachings of Islam and we are reminded of them by its last Prophet. One wonders why these words have no impact on our hearts. They are clear messages, containing detailed guidance and aims with which to create a sense of personal accountability.

However, the Quran also says: ‘The time of people’s reckoning has drawn nearer, and yet they turn aside in heedlessness. Whenever a fresh admonition comes to them from their Lord they barely heed it and remain immersed in play; their hearts being set on other concerns…. S21 V1-3

Turmoil in the land of Islam

With over 1.5 billion believers, the Muslim Ummah has never before experienced turmoil of the kind we are now witnessing. As a result the greatest thinkers among the Muslim scholars are at last beginning to wonder what is happening to this Ummah and why Muslims are being so systematically uprooted from their communities and lands.

In this world, people who truly wish to enhance their fortunes and raise the standard of their lives and civil rank, do everything possible to complete their higher education and do their work by the ‘book’. Everything must be performed according to the rules set by their masters. Living in this manner introduces discipline and harmony into their lives, a path they must walk if they are to be really successful.

Flouting of these rules, by any group, results in indiscipline. Such behaviour warrants serious consideration, as do the inevitable and serious consequences for the group.

This fact is also true when God grants a book to a nation or to a people. When Allah gave this Ummah the book we were faced with only two choices; either to hold it fast and obey or to neglect what is in it. Both have consequences.

In the case of the previous nations, Allah says: ‘In the beginning mankind was one single nation. Then Allah sent forth Prophets as heralds of good tidings for the righteous and as warners against the consequences of evil-doing. He sent down with them the Book embodying the Truth so that it might judge between people in their disputes. And those who innovated divergent ways rather than follow the Truth were none other than those who had received the knowledge of the Truth and clear guidance: and they did so to commit excesses against each other. So by His leave Allah directed the believers to the Right Way in matters on which they disagreed. Allah guides whomsoever He wills onto a Straight Way.  S2 V213

The Muslim community was among those who have received such a Book for guidance and were told: ‘We have bestowed upon you a Book that has your mention. Do you not understand.’ S21 V10

What does it mean: ‘it has your mention (zikr)’?

The scholars offer differing explanations. Imam al-Qurtubi says: ‘it means it has the mention of the matters of your religious affairs and rulings of laws and outcomes of your actions. Also it says it means ‘it is about you, it is what makes you best in character and best in your deeds. It also means therein everything that gives you life.

What is more important to understand is that the Quran is all about people and what would bring them blessings, success and good fortune and what would cause them wrath, failure and misfortune.

The first verse of the Surah TAHA lays down the purpose of the teachings of the Quran saying: ‘Taha, We did not reveal the Quran to you to cause you distress’. S20 V1-2

Further it says: ‘Surely We showed him the Right Path, regardless of whether he chooses to be thankful or unthankful (to his Lord). S76 V3

The Quran is all about the life of the mankind and what makes for blissful and happier lives. It is man and his fate and destiny that is the subject of this holy Book.

The Quran again says: ‘Believers! Respond to Allah and respond to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. Know well that Allah stands between a person and his heart, and it is to Him that all of you shall be mustered’. S8 V24

Probably the biggest irony is that the Book, that was revealed to guide humanity and bless further the believers, was not only ridiculed by others but has been often neglected and failed by its own followers. No wonder the Messenger will complain on the Day of Judgement saying: ‘And the Messenger will say: My Lord! My own people had made this Quran an object of laughter.’ S25 V30

The turmoil present in Muslim lands knows no boundaries and is totally destructive, destroying many towns and cities, causing many thousands of deaths and presenting a doomsday scenario for the people affected by it. Most importantly, people’s lives were destroyed even after they were put to their greatest test. People behaved like animals or worse and the quantity and techniques of torture employed far outstripped those inflicted on inmates in Abu Guraib prison in Iraq.

What the opponents of Muslims and Islam have destroyed is the concept of the unity of Ummah in the minds of Muslims. They are now anything but Muslims. The West would never allow anyone or any political groups to destroy the fabric of unity of their nations. Differences are allowed to exist only to an acceptable degree. Quite rightly the laws of these countries and legal rights they offer put a halt to any further deterioration in the fabric of unity of these nations.

Groups of people have been created in the name of Islam (with spurious religious titles) although they give no allegiance to it and fail to serve the religion by any of their actions. People take up weapons thinking that offers a solution, never heeding the advice of our own Prophet Muhammad, Peace and Mercy of Allah be upon him, who warned about this in his famous Hadith Qudsi and which requires our attention. It says, with stark warning to Muslims: ‘Allah, my Lord, contracted the earth for me and I saw its easts and its wests. And the lands of my Ummah would reach all that was contracted to me. I also have been granted both treasures, the red and the white. And I requested my Lord not to destroy my Ummah by a general famine and not to let an enemy from outside who may destroy them to their last. My Lord responded by saying: O Muhammad! When I make a decision it is irrevocable. I will not destroy them by any general famine and I will not let an enemy overpower them, other than from among themselves, who may destroy them to their last, even if all the nations of the world may come together. It is only one against other that would destroy the Muslim Ummah, even one (group) would enslave another.

The Prophet then said: ‘I indeed fear for my Ummah and about misleading leaders. And if once the sword is used (when wars take place) in my Ummah it would never be taken back until the Day of Reckoning’.  And the Hour will not happen until some tribes from my Ummah join hands with Polytheists and until some tribes from my Ummah start worshipping idols. And there will be within my Ummah some thirty liars all claiming they were prophets but I am the seal of the Prophets, no Prophet will come after me, and there will always be a group among my Ummah who will stand steadfast for Truth’. Narrated by Ibn Majah

We Muslims need to reflect on why are we so eager to take guns into our hands for the causes of other people and powers and destroy ourselves in the name of our religion. Why have we lost the discipline the Quran taught us?

Another irony is that many Muslims when asked about the teachings of the Quran, their straight answer is ‘Oh I read the Quran every day and I know what is there’. Everyone sees himself as a scholar, community leader, a faction leader or would like to be a leader of some sort.

Unfortunately the qualities that make a true leader are often lacking, indeed they are very rare!

Allah loves discipline among people and then He blesses it. Discipline brings unity of rank and unity of purpose but to end the current turmoil in the Muslim lands we need to humble ourselves and become servants to the cause of Allah and His creation and not a tool for destruction.

Islam’s golden rules for peace

When Islam started in 610 AD, it was introduced into what was then a chaotic part of the world, where people were divided by tribal differences and loyalties and where their lives were not safe and feuds could last for decades. The wider world was at war too, even the biggest powers of the time. The Roman empire and the Sassanid empire were at loggerheads with each other, while the rest of the world either supported one or the other or were engaged in conflicts of their own.

In this, what is now all too easily recognisable, situation, Islam set out to create an atmosphere of tranquillity, peace and human brotherhood. Then, as now, it was never going to be easy to convince people to accept changes to the political spectrum, alter the way they ran their lives and reject the whole mindset of the time, so that they could be united within a sense of human belonging.

Islam emphasised to the people that ‘Allah does not love those who spread mischiefs in the land’ and that if they did so they were challenging their religious loyalty to Allah. Islam even then forbade them to initiate any act of transgression, as Allah does not love aggressors, by saying: ‘Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you but do not transgress, for Allah does not love transgressors’. S2 V190

Permission to defend against a transgression is granted but prohibition is made against initiating a transgression or conflict. However, those who initiate hostility are directly responsible for that transgression and then a defensive action is granted.

Why Islam is peaceful? The reason is simple: Islam forbids all hostility or any hostile actions for religious, political or social reasons!

But Islam also argues its case logically, as always, saying that a good action and a bad action cannot be seen as equal, and that only goodness must be followed.

The Quran says in the Surah 41verse 34: ‘O Prophet! Good and evil are not equal. Repel (evil) with that which is good, and you will see that he, between whom and you there was enmity, shall become as if he were a bosom friend (of yours). But none attains to this except those who are steadfast; none attains to this except those endowed with mighty good fortune’.

Obviously this is the path we must follow if we want to create a peaceful and friendly world! Not an easy task, certainly, as it requires personal sacrifices from us all. We must reject our unjust temptation to dominate others, or to put others down, or to always win the day. Human greed can never be seen as logical, based, as it is, solely on personal interest and benefit. We must also demonstrate a spiritual commitment to peace and a sense of accountability within our souls, in this world and in front of Allah the Almighty.

People are all too readily tempted to react in the most adverse manner, often as a result of a dislike for, or a disagreement with a person or for some other issue. Islam asks that people pause and think before reacting to any such situation, saying just after the above mentioned verses: ‘and if you are prompted by a provocation from Satan, seek refuge with Allah, He and He alone, is All Hearing, All-Knowing’.

Furthermore, in the most hostile of situations when the provocation is at its most severe, the Quran requires people to practice serenity and reflection. It says: ‘O Mohammad! Repel evil in the best manner. We are well aware of all that they say about you’. S23 V96

Our greatest test against the forces of evil comes when we are personally affected and the challenge then is not to respond ‘in kind’ or, even worse, to ‘teach a permanent lesson’. In Islam, the path of forgiveness and the seeking and finding of a solution, to minimise the hostility or passion created by conflict, is the best path and divinely approved.

We all struggle to avoid provocation but our greatest struggle will be to lay down the foundations of peace and peaceful human interaction.

The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, never allowed Muslims to use violence as the solution for any of their problems. A peaceful path was always recommended as the most powerful and positive tool in bringing people together and in creating peace in the society and in the world.

In todays world, the noble meaning of the concept of Jihad has been so badly distorted that even the most level headed Muslims are reluctant to use it any more, fearing a backlash and negative reactions. It has become synonymous with mindless violence and sheer brutality in which no rules are followed.

In their thirst for revenge, some people attempt to justify their vileness by their use of the name of Allah, and other religious slogans, which is completely unjustified, untenable and un- Islamic!. The worth of a human soul is described in this following verse and we all need to remind ourselves of this before we commit to any violent action. The Quran says: ‘he who slays a soul unless it be (in punishment) for murder or for spreading mischief on earth shall be as if he slain all mankind; and he who saves a life shall be as if he had given life to all mankind.’

There cannot be a better description of human worth than this and the reason why every soul should be regarded as sacred. That this is so was repeated and reinforced in the last sermons of the Prophet, in his last Hajj, when he told people that; ‘your soul, your property and your honour are as sacred as the sacredness of that day, that land and that month.

Conflict begets conflict but peaceful engagement bears a peaceful outcome. We must fully engage in whatever creates peace and strengthens human bonds. Only a peaceful environment is conducive for the acceptance of mutual understanding and values. A hostile world is not a good place for anyone to be and we all must cooperate to avoid it. Violence by individual Muslims has heightened the passion for revenge and for tit-for-tat reactions and any tolerance for others or their values has all but disappeared.  No good will ever come from this present situation, and we can only hope that people will understand that good and evil cannot be equal and that evil must be repelled by good.  

The Quran says: ‘As far those who strive in Our Cause, We shall surely guide them to our ways, indeed Allah is with those who do good’. S29 V69