Inner Banes and Trials of the Islamic Movements
Islamic Uprising, a fruit of tireless struggle and inestimable sacrifices by the Islamic Movements, is an enormous phenomenon of the last three decades of the second half of the 20th century. The enemies of Islam think it a prickling thorn for them. Their utmost attempts to corrupt it and divert it away from its destined goal are thought inevitable. They try their best to make it prone to exaggeration, boorishness and extremism. For inducing the youths in the ranks of the Islamic Movements sentiments of rage are blown to make them resort to terrorism and revengefully start doing the things contrary to the teachings of Islam and peaceful course adopted by these Movements. Because all the three evils, going to be mentioned, are actually part of hellion characteristics, so when they are caused to enter in the veins of the Uprising, the sentiments easily come under devilish control.
We have the Prophetic model to follow in all our efforts to serve the noble CAUSE of getting the Islamic traits surmount. At every step on the track of serving this CAUSE, it is indispensable to take guidance from the same model to set our destination and keep our direction correct. Our Holy Prophet SAW strictly warning his Ummah about such ruinous ways once said:
“ Be warned! Avoid exaggerative attitudes in your Deen. The communities before you have been destroyed due to the exaggerations.” (Ahmed, Nisai)
Once preventing from extremism he repeatedly said: “ Destroyed are the extremists.” Anger is one of the major factors causing the extremism. Once reiterating his advice he said: “ Be not outraged.” While stressing the need of unruffled and patient attitudes he said:
“ The brave is not one who knocks down ones opponent in wrestling but really the brave is the one who controls oneself in condition of outrage and anger.” (Agreed upon)
1) Impatience
A poor contingent of a weak army is more likely to get a strong fort of enemy fallen to it within a short period of time but conquering a single heart of a combatant man is impossible to win for a well equipped battalion of soldiers by force. Da’wa with wisdom, passion and love is only weapon needed to vanquish the hearts. The task carried out impetuously is a dangerous thing. Precipitation and impatience are the moral evils more likely to spoil the efforts in winning the hearts. One of the nauseous designs of the enemies of Islam apt to harm the Islamic Uprising is pushing the Islamic Movements into impatience and hastiness. Desires and hopes go so high that a little delay in their fulfillment becomes unbearable. This condition is not unnatural. But success does not depend all on our sincere desires. Our vain hopes are not the standard to evaluate our qualities. Allah knows better whether or not we are able to run the Islamic system, when once established. Desires and hopes are the great motives for struggle but their feet are not necessary to be on the ground of realities. They deceptively allure men above the earthly facts and down the heavenly plans. Possibilities and potentialities have their own estimate of the speed of occurrences.
Any of the sincere and active group has the right to gain the force and endeavour for snatching the rein from the heretic authorities to rid the mankind from the infidels, but Allah’s help is conditional upon the power of Faith and trait of patience, and not upon the hopes and desires. A group of people complying with the criterion of Iman and patience qualifies itself for Allah’s help.
“ …And incumbent upon Us was to help the believers.”(Ar-Rum: 47)
An explicated and clearly defined fact in the Holy Quran for gaining a leading position on the face of the earth and making achievements by some individual or a group is essentiality of the patience with the Faith.
“ And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our commands when they were patient and when they were certain of Our signs.” (As-Sajdah: 24)
Most of the traditional and contemporary commentators of the Quarn including Seyed Qutab, Maulana Shabir Ahmed Usmani, Maulana Amin Ahsan Islahi and Maulana Seyed Abu Al A’la Maududi agree that the merit set by the Quran for conferring the status of the leaders and guides on a particular person or a group of people is Faith and patience obstructing the inner temptations and external forces. Lack of the firmness in belief and scant perseverance, steadiness and patience in unfavourable circumstances is a sheer ineligibility for leading the people for a great cause or holding a leading position. No room for short cuts and no quick expedient diversion.
2) Conceitedness
Apart from the use of conventional weapons this is the age of psychological trickeries in the wars. The enemy makes arrangements to get the opponent forces puffed up. In result, cut off from the ground realities, they delude themselves into believing what actually they are not. Americans successfully tried this psychological weapon against Iraq in both the gulf wars. Western media widespread exaggerated reports about the preparations for war and extraordinarily developed defence strategies by Saddam Hussain. But what happened in the battlefield? A disgraced and terrified Iraqi defence forces fled in rout without any resistance.
There are indications of the same tricks Islamic Uprising has started to experience from the enemies of Islam. Afghan Jehad against the Russian aggression was a really a never forgettable phenomenon of that time. The Westerners and particularly the Americans watched the miraculous deeds happening in that war. But the activists of the Movements should have not proved to be too much captivated by their own acts. We often come across the men in the Movements with absolutely repulsive and abominable behaviours of vain boasting. The events reveal them braggarts they are or not but boastfulness is never to be justified. Unfortunately news bulletins and media mouthpieces of the Islamic Movements also do not stay behind in giving the hyperbolized stories of their achievements. Such trends have never won Allah’s Will and pleasure.
In the battle of Hunayn the Muslims suffered a serious setback due to only this vanity seeing them first time greater in number against their enemy. In spite of being in shortage of material resources in almost all the previous encounters they were victorious but this time their unrivaled number of soldiers could not save them from a grievous blow. Why? According to the Quranic explanation it was a punishment for their boastful behaviour.
“Allah has already given you victory in many battlefields and (even) on the day Hunayn, when you rejoiced at your great number, but it did not avail you at all, and the earth, vast as it is, was strained for you, then you turned back fleeing.” (At-Tawbah: 25)
Habit of being opinionated and conceited is regarded as big moral evils. Harithah bin Wahab (r a) says: “ I heard the Prophet SAW saying: “Should I not tell you about those who will enter Hell? Every cruel, arrogant and desirous to be vaunted is doomed to go to the Hell.” (Agreed upon)
A true Muslim keeps his faith in Allah, the All Mighty and remembers Him in times of his pleasure and grief. When all the accomplishments are nothing else but graciousness bestowed upon by Allah, the Exalted, upon His servants, then why a believer should prove to be in air of haughtiness?
3) Involvement in Absurd and Worthless Discussions
If we have sense that our enemy, instead of direct attack, is most probably to dig pits in our way, then we should find out what are the formidable pits we have to contrive escape from them. The enemy will like the activists of the Islamic Movements get entangled at the places where they are more likely to waste their energies, resources and time. They will be diverted from the principled stand to irrelevant issues and ramifications and from unity to schism and disunity for making them move not towards their set goal but blindly and aimlessly in the same circles. Islamic Up-rising has to guard against such ideological and practical embroils. They should not let their opponents succeed in ensnaring them into absurd and worthless discussions in their ranks. Basic teachings of the Quran and the Messenger of Allah must not go out of sight.
The Prophet SAW is reported to have said:
“Surely, of the excellence of Islam of a person is that he leaves what does not concern him.” (Ibn haban, Tirmidhi)
In another Hadith, we find a golden piece of advice when the Prophet SAW said:
“ Allah, the Exalted, has laid down certain duties which you should not neglect, and has put certain limits which you should not transgress, and has kept silent about other matters out of mercy for you and not out of forgetfulness, so do not seek to investigate them.” (Ad-Daralqutni and others)
Once the Messenger of Allah, SAW said:
“ Verily, Allah likes three things for you and disapproves three things for you. He likes that you should worship Him Alone, not associate anything with Him (in worship) and to hold fast to the Rope of Allah and not to be divided among yourselves; and He disapproves for you irrelevant talk, persistent questioning and the squandering of the wealth.” (Muslim)
For keeping their ideological, moral and spiritual assets safe from going wasted Islamic Movements have to strictly watch over their supporters. To the utmost the guidance for their workers should be to avoid irrelevant and aimless discussions and remain away from investigating what does not concern them.
4) Unsoundness of the Intentions
One possible danger to distract the Uprising from the noble cause of Islam is keeping the eyes only on superficial successes and materialistic goals ignoring the sustainable Dawa and moral training ventures. Actually the Islamic Movements have aroused for inviting the people to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Their pledge is to establish the truth and eradicate the falsehood. But in case the intentions are corrupted everything is likely to turn converse. Worldly gains including the material resources, hegemony and predominance in social and political ranks surpass the noble pledge. An inner change like this sometimes creep up on the people unawares. Instead being done for the pleasure of Allah, the Most Exalted, everything starts getting done for ‘Self’ (Nafs). Extremely in self-deception of being ‘nearest’ and ‘dear’ of Allah, man gradually becomes disconnected from Him. He wants more from his Lord than what he has for Him. Our Holy Prophet SAW had warned in this case and said:
“ One among you who wants to know what position he has in sight of Allah should first see what Allah’s position he has in his own sight. A servant gains his position proportional to what Allah’s position is in his heart.” (Hakim)
In another Hadith the same fact has been related as follows:
“ The one who wants to know what there is for him with Allah should see what he has with him for Allah.” (Ad-Daralqutni)
The Prophet SAW once said: “Give honour to the Matter of Allah, you will get honour.” (Delmi)
As we find in the Quran “All honour, power and glory belong to Allah.” (Al-Munafiqun:8)
Allah’s Messenger and the believers do have the honour. All the sayings of the Prophet SAW indicate that the service of the cause of Allah with purity of intention and foremost sincere struggle for it is the criterion to evaluate the weight and value of the servants of Allah.
No comments:
Post a Comment