|
|
Reflection for the Ummah in the year 1428 h (2007)
Posted By Shamsuddin Bolatito
As Muslim across the globe approach 1428 after the completion of the Deen of Islam, it is crucial for this unbeatable giant to ponder upon it existence by those who hold to its rope. These are the Muslims who whole accept Islam as a true and righteous religion on the surface of the earth. This religion is bordered by enemies within and outside and there are trying to dismantle it. This enemies of Islam always tried to extinguish the light which Allah (swt) has provided through the Qur'an and the Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).(Surah Saff: 8). They tried any methods and ways, but could not totally succeed in eliminating Islam. Islam rose and fell, but it never disappeared from the world.
Recent history was not a good time for Islam. The colonial powers, with the British and French ahead, occupied most of the resource-rich countries of the southern hemisphere and with it also the Muslim lands. They struck their severest blow against Islam by indirectly destroying the Caliphate on the 3rd of March 1924 , after it had existed for about 1400 years. It was followed by a division of the Muslim land into many small countries separated by artificial borders.
At that time, Islam was on the bottom, on the lowest level it could fall and as it seemed that battle against Islam, had been won but at the same time it was an awakening signal for the Muslims. They knew they had to revive the values of Islam and bring it to glory once again and to start, they had to change themselves first. The Muslims realized that it was their fault that Islam was in the state of decline, as Allah (swt) stated in the Qur'an: "Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls)." (Surah Ar-Rad:11)
This revival process is still unfolding. Muslims up till now and are suffering from military, economic, infrastructural and scientific inferiority, compared to the Christian/Jewish western powers.
The colonial depended on the resources of the southern countries which they occupied and exploited. Anyhow, there was always resistance against colonialism by the oppressed. Popular revolts were on the incline and, as we see on examples of Algeria , Sudan , Ethiopia and other countries finally kicked, the colonialists out.
But the expulsion was only physical. The colonialists knew a long time before that one day they might have to leave the subjugated countries, and had taken precautions, because the flow of cheap resources to Europe was too important and had to be secured. In order to achieve this goal, they installed, before they left, native agents, who served as kings, dictators and presidents who always won the elections unopposed.
These agents were willing henchmen selling their countries and their people for cheap money under the name of democracy and monarchy, two systems which are incompatible with Islam, because the first is secular and the second is based on hereditary. Moreover, the entire administration in these governments was comprised of people loyal to the former colonialists.
The Muslim and Arab world suffered a lot, as well as Latin America under US-sponsored dictators like Pinochet, Noriega, and in West Africa under the French.
The plan worked quiet well. As long as the dictators received their bribes and suppressed any opposition, the flow of oil and resources continued, and factories with slave workers could produce cheap consumer items for the wealthy nations of the world. The few religious people in the Muslim world who tried to resist the secularism and the government imposed lifestyles, were imprisoned, killed or forced into exile.
To establish a continuous source of loyal henchmen, the Europeans, North-Americans and Russians offered free studies abroad to the sons of the ruling elite or to extraordinary students. On one hand, the Western universities brainwashed them, by telling them over and over again that Islam is the root cause of all economic misery in their countries and that Western values and laws and usury, or, let's say, capitalism, are the only solutions, and on the other hand, the USSR indoctrinated the young people with communism as the way to salvation in this life.
Meanwhile, world trade could be monopolized rather quickly by Europe and the USA , although most of the resources came from the southern half of the globe. They could dictate the prices of the products as they wished through their mysterious organizations of IMF, WTO, OPEC and the World Bank, without their entire military machine being present as in the time of colonialism. Just here and there some special troops were stationed to secure their friends and citizens abroad.
Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism could only succeed if the colonialized people were unorganized, ignorant of the reality, uneducated, and, in case of the Muslims, negligent in the practice of Islam.
Take the police as an example. When they want to search a house for suspected criminals, they always come early in the morning to gain from the advantage of surprise. The people of the subdued countries were caught in a similar situation: dizzy and be fuddled, unable to see the seriousness of their situation and to resist the occupation of their homelands.
Nevertheless, there was just 'one grain of sand in the gearwheel' which threatened the machinery of the ex-colonialists and their local henchmen: Islam. They hated Islam from the beginning, because it forbids monopolism, usury and urges the Muslims to Jihad. The unbelievers knew too well that there was a giant in deep sleep and they were afraid that he would waken one day.
As they tried everything to kill him but could not succeed, they now tried to prevent him from waking up.
To achieve this goal, they tried several things. One way was to mutilate Islam into a religion of mere rituals like they did with the Qadiani movement of Pakistan . A crazy man, called Ghulam Ahmad, claimed to be the Messiah, said that Muhammad is not the last prophet and formed a sect which he sold under the banner of Islam. This movement fooled ignorant Muslims, because it did not propagate Jihad and served the interests of the British Empire on the subcontinent, which gave special favors to the Qadianis, e.g. helping them to get posts in the government.
Another way, besides creating sects, was to change the minds of the Muslims by spreading immorality and feelings of inferiority, especially amongst the youth. They hoped to keep them far away from their roots, which is Islam. Albania , Bosnia and the southern ex-Soviet republics like Chechnya , Tajikistan and others, which are populated mostly by Muslims, are sad examples how the Communists succeeded in uprooting the people until all that remained were their Muslim names and the century-old ritual of circumcising the boys. To find a Qur'an in the bookstore rather than the books of Marx and Lenin was nearly impossible. In Albania it was even forbidden to enter the country with a copy of the Qur'an.
In other parts of the Muslim homeland the mini-skirt, alcohol and Coca-Cola culture left its impact deeply on the Muslims. Islam was considered as something backward with many prohibitions. The new "culture" seemed more relaxed and progressive, but this trick, to change the minds of the Muslims and upnroot them from Islam, was only temporary. It is like a hungry child whom you give 100 dollars. It will buy only sweets, candies and useless things. In the evening it will come home with stomach pain.
All the tricks and deception that the enemies of Islam invented in the last century to destroy the Deen of Allah (swt) had only reverse effects. Muslims were fooled, but in the end they understood, and woke up. They knew something was wrong, but did not know how to solve the problems.
Communism promised a lot, but could not live up to its word and finally was destroyed, while democracy more and more turns out to be a tool for neo-colonialism. So now little is left except the sleeping giant (Islam) to whom many people turn for help. It looks as though, at the beginning of the millennium, his long sleep will be over quite soon insha Allahu.
What is your plan and mission statement for Islam as we approach 1428h?
No success can be achieved with mere Seminars, Symposium and Conference except through hard work and brotherhood and unification of file and ranks then we show the west that in Islam is remedy for Social, Political, Economy, Military and Welfare solution.
A reminder and reawakeness for the entire Muslims both the present and the unborn generation.
|
|
