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.