Ummah-Shepherds of Mankind

The blessed Ummah of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala's Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam have been appointed shepherds of mankind. It is their foremost religious duty to keep humanity on the Straight Path, to remove imperfections from human society, to defend the weak and to establish justice and peace on this Doonya. In everything, there can only be one choice: the choice between Right and Wrong and nothing in-between. Hence the intense insistence on action as an indispensable element of morality.

Every individual Muslim has to regard himself or herself personally responsible for all the happenings around him or her, and to strive for the establishment of Right and the abolition of Wrong at every time and in every direction. The sanction for this attitude is to be found in verse 110 of Surah Al-Imran where Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala declares:

This is the moral justification of the positive activism of Al-Islam, the justification of the early Islamic conquests and its so-called "Imperialism." For Islam is "Imperialist" if we must use this term; but this kind of Imperialism is not prompted by love of domination; it has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with economic or national selfishness; nothing with the greed to increase our own comforts at the cost of others, nor has it ever meant that we should connive or Fithnah against one another.

It has only meant, as it means today, the construction of a worldly frame for the best possible spiritual development of mankind. Moral knowledge, according to the glorious teachings of Islam, automatically forces a moral responsibility upon humanity. In Islam, morality lives and dies with the human endeavour to establish its victory upon this Doonya. Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal declares His Friendship and protection for those who believe in verse 257 of Surah Al-Baqara:

"Allah is the friend and protector of the believers. He brings them out of darkness into light. But those who disbelieve have the evil ones as protectors. They bring them from light into darkness. They are the companions of the fire wherein they shall dwell forever."

In these verses, Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala connects the friendship and protection of those who believe with a coming into light. This Light is the light of Seerathal Mustaqeem - the Light of knowledge and guidance. Those who deny or reject the signs of Almighty Allah will be cast into the depths of darkness as a result of the ignorance and pride. Today, the Muslim nation is a victim of self-complacency and readiness to compromise with the circumstances. The perils which are so relentlessly closing in on it from all sides leave it unmoved. It is drifting and it does not know to what end. Its heart is without the warmth of activism.

There is a dire need for disturbing the complacency of this Ummah; it must be persuaded to care for human welfare more than for its own interests. If we look to the Most Holy and Glorious Qur'an and the Sunnah of our Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam and take the principles of Islam - we find a crystal clear answer in so far as Islam stands for complete submission to none other than Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala; belief in all the Ambiya Alayhim Salaam; belief in the Aghirah and finally, our meeting with our Glorious Creator and Sustainer.

Unless we submit totally and completely to Almighty Allah Azza Wajjal and sincerely put into practice the principles of Islam, we will be unable to purify ourselves and make our spiritual progress in reaching our ultimate destination. We have reached a stage in the history of our nation where we cannot distinguish between good and bad and will willingly place our trust and confidence in a foe as a friend. Often, indeed, it turns out to be easier for our enemies to win our confidence than for fellow Muslim brethren.

Our present predicament demands that we not only do some serious soul-searching but that we look into the innermost recesses of our hearts and begin to address the sickness within ourselves. We cry out for change but we do not pay any heed to Almighty Allah's warnings throughout the Most Holy and Glorious Qur'an or to the Sunnah and the Seerah of our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. Almighty Allah tells us in verse 11 of Surah Ar-Raad:

Muslims are caught up in the race to acquire name and fame and to accumulate the material benefits which they have come to accept as the be-all and end-all in the Doonya. We are deceiving ourselves into believing that our good deeds will outweigh our bad deeds and that Janna'h is automatically guaranteed to us for as long as we declare" La Illaha Illallahoo Muhammadar Rasullullah."

Muhabbat, kindness, warmth and tenderness have become rare in today's world. Financial and material power, greed, Fithnah, jealousy, envy, suspicion, extortion and exploitation are the hallmarks of today's upper culture. We are deceived and tricked by Shaythaan by not focussing on understanding the foundations of Islam and working towards the building of the Muslim nation. We have forgotten who we are, what we are, why we are here and where we are heading to.

Forty eight times daily we say: "Iyyaka Nah'budu wa Iyyaka Nasta'een" in the performance of our Salaat - (Thee only do we worship and Thee only do we ask for help). How truly wonderful is this declaration. We use the plural even if we are performing Salaat by ourselves because we say "Nah'budu" and "Nasta'een." It is this selfless person who has integrated into the larger body of the Muslims in the world who consciously acknowledges the Grace, the Sovereignty and propriety of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala who says: "Iyyaka Nah'budu wa Iyyaka Nasta'een." He is no longer confused in a world filled with ego, Fithnah, jealousy, greed, envy and confusion. He is free of the empty souls who are looking for meaning to their lives. He conforms unto his Glorious, Exalted Creator.

It is the peak of hypocrisy for Muslims to verbalize "Iyyaka Nah'budu wa Iyyaka Nasta'een" and then rush off to the gambling casino or to but lottery tickets from the corner store or to engage in other evil forms of gambling and Haraam earnings. Without any question of a doubt, this has become a conflict between what we say and what we do. When will we be able to say these words from the depths of our hearts and place them in context of today's world? When will we awaken from our meaningless verbalization of Qur'anic words to meaningful actualization of the Qur'anic ayats?

Forty eight times a day we say in our Salaat: "Guide us on the Straight Path." The Path that we are praying for is not the path devised by any tribe, race, community or by any particular religious group. The "Straight Path" is the Royal Highway which all the Ambiya Alayhim Salaam and all truthful people have walked on. This Path is totally and completely free from the forbidden evils of greed, gambling, Fithnah, ego, jealousy, envy, suspicion, extortion and exploitation etc. for so declares Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala in verse 153 of Surah Al-An'am:

"Verily, this is My Way leading Straight: Follow it: Follow not other paths; they will scatter you about from His Path. Thus does He command you, that you may be righteous."

Yes, we encounter Muslims today who verbalize their Salaat but then walk around with inflated egos and puffed up egotism indulging in things that go against the Shari'ah. Regrettably, there are more than a few of these types who do not assimilate into the superb and Divine meanings of the Most Holy and Glorious Qur'an. These are the ones who belong to a poor community of Muslims or to an Ummah struggling to make ends meet.

Our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam said of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr: "O Allah! If these Muslims are destroyed, no one will be left on the Doonya to worship Thee." It is equally true of the Muslims today, because if there is anyone who can stand up to the challenge of paganism and offer to the world an alternative plan of life, is is only the Muslims. The plan of Islam is an eternal plan and it will remain valid for all time to come.

By virtue of Islam, the Muslims are the moral guardians of mankind and they will Insha'Allah return to their duty when they awake from their deep sleep. That day will be a day of reckoning for the nations of the world. The Ummah of Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam certainly possesses a spark which, if and when it is ignited, will burn down the entire super structure of Ignorance. The entire spiritual inheritance of the Muslim Ummah is preserved in its pristine purity. A complete record of the Sunnah and the Seerah of Almighty Allah's Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam which holds the key to the understanding of the memorable rise of Islam is still available to us without the least pollution.

The World of Islam can still give the message of faith, hope and life to a disillusioned humanity. It is the message of Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam had imparted over fourteen hundred years ago. It is a simple, dynamic, radiant message, a grander and more majestic message than which the world cannot ever hope to receive. Alhumdoelillah! The entire world is looking towards Islam as its saviour and to the Muslim Ummah for guidance and leadership. Can the Muslim Ummah fulfill the the expectations of the Doonya? Can the Muslim World rise to the occasion? For decades now, a bruised and maimed humanity has been crying out for spiritual guidance, still believing that the hands that built the Holy Kaa'ba can build humanity and a new world again.