Terrorists strike in Manchester and London

Our hearts broke when, on three separate occasions we became aware of, the savagery of the mindless, cowardly and murderous actions of the self-styled jihadist who inflicted appalling pain and suffering on innocent people going about their normal business. In Manchester, it became more poignant, when young children and their families were targeted and brutally murdered and there were also Muslims among the casualties. It became totally unbelievable when, on the last attack, we saw three murderous and godless morons running over people with a van and then cutting their victims down when they were off guard. Until recently such appalling scenarios would have been unimaginable, as would the thought that the barbaric ideas of those who plotted and carried them out existed. I am distressed that such actions are regarded as the acts of true Muslims. I dearly wish they hadn’t happened and that all those lives had not been lost, destroyed by the actions of a few misguided individuals who had been brainwashed into thinking they were promoting whatever misguided cause they espoused.

The violence perpetrated by Islamists (those who propagate a violent scenario of an Islamic caliphate) has been damaging Islam’s humane and compassionate teachings over many years, in trickles, resulting in what we now see, pools of blood everywhere. As a consequence, few appear to recognise the immense distress being experienced by Muslims who really care about the beautiful religion of Islam. Indeed, the Muslim community appears to be in complete disarray, broken and tired and finding difficulty with engaging with their own faith.

Everyone should be made aware that Islam most certainly does not preach violence. On the contrary, Islam provides antidotes to curb violence and human urge to violence, but a minority of followers of Islam still seem to regard violence as the only solution to all their problems. The Prophet of Islam, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, warned us about such a situation that would cause the destruction of the community, the Ummah, in a very sobering hadith, which needs to be read and reread by all Muslims and their leaders. It says:

‘Allah drew the earth for me and I saw its easts and its wests, and the rules of my ummah would reach all those parts of the earth that was drawn for me. I am also given the two treasures; red and white. And I asked my Lord not to destroy my ummah through any sweeping famine and He accepted it. Then I asked Him not to overwhelm them by setting upon them an enemy from outside and He accepted my prayer (request). Then I asked Him not to set one group of Muslims against others but He rejected that prayer. The Almighty Lord said: ‘O Mohammed! When I make a decision it is not taken back. It is my promise to them that I would not destroy them by any sweeping famine and I would not set upon them an enemy other than from within themselves who would destroy themselves, even if all the people of world come together against them. It is only them who would destroy each other and it is only them who would take prisoners of each other.

Then the Prophet said: ‘ I fear on my ummah of misleading leaders. And once a fighting starts in my ummah, it would never cease until the Day of Reckoning…..’

(This hadith is part of a longer hadith narrated in the book of al-Mustadrak `alas Sahihain).

The two important points from the hadith are: firstly, that Muslims would themselves be the tools for the destruction of their own community and secondly, once the infighting started it would never cease until the Last Day. This hadith carries a serious message to all who regard themselves as part of the ummah.

 Allah did not accept the prayer or dua from the Prophet, that the Muslim community would not engage in fighting against each other to the point of destruction, but should we accept this as our destiny? Or should we take heed of Allah’s wrath from the warning that He would let Muslims loose to destroy their own community? Allah has shown us the Right Path and told us of the Path of prosperity and His Pleasure. Why then do we continue to choose the path that mutilates Allah’s teachings, harms the Muslim community’s general interest and makes the rest of humanity our enemies?

Islam taught us, right from the beginning, how to co-exist with others. The Prophet, peace and mercy of Allah be upon him, taught us how to establish treaties and conventions with other people for a peaceful life. Islamic teachings teach how to bring peace and harmony to all. Religious politics have certainly won us no peace. We now speak only the language of violence and destruction. Our youth is being constantly misled into believing that politics is the right way to serve Allah and to restore to Islam its rightful place in the world.

Our hearts must learn the language of humility and respect. We must make ourselves aware of the consequences of our own actions. If our actions destroy other’s lives, is that what Islam teaches us? Is that really going to please Allah? We need to remind ourselves constantly what our obligations towards Allah and towards other people are.

We, it seems, have become a people full of hate and revenge. We don’t even know how to live with the differences amongst ourselves. We seem to turn every aspect of our lives into a battlefield.

The Muslim community has to wake up and accept its responsibilities and obligations. We must offer far more than just condemnation of violent and murderous acts and we need to recognise the consequences if we do not take action and exercise the self-restraint necessary to combat this violent mindset.

Islam teaches us to be compassionate even within an active battlefield environment or war zone. The turmoil in the Muslim world has all but wiped out that sense of compassion. Islam had laid down clear rules of engagement, which include that no brutality be inflicted on any fallen person. But the mindless among us follow only the commands of certain self-styled leaders and display no regard for the broader and wiser teachings of Islam. These people would inflict as much damage as they could, regardless of the fact that it violates Islamic guidance. What is happening in the Muslim lands is heart-breaking and a complete madness, but are our own people not causing that havoc with their continuing murderous acts? Can they not foresee the inevitable and dire consequences if this situation persists?

We sorely need to educate ourselves about Islamic guidance and its sublime teachings if we want to return to prosperity and success. Allah says: ‘Do not, then, lose heart or grieve, for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are (true) believers’.  S3 V139