Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
A few leading personalities had once come to Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) with the aim of seeking advice from him regarding the various efforts that could be implemented in trying to improve the situation in Baytul Muqaddas and Palestine. The advice that Hazrat Shaikh (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) gave them was such that it contains guidance for all Muslims at large. An extremely pertinent portion of Hazrat Shaikh (rahmatullahi ‘alaih)’s advice has been reproduced below:
“Wherever calamities and tragedies of this nature occur in the world, then there is no Muslim who does not feel distressed and grieved over what is transpiring. However, at the same time, there is no denying that everything that is happening is a result of nothing but our own actions. You are all well acquainted and abreast with the news. Who can deny the enmity that the disbelievers have for Islam? Their ridiculing Islam and spreading corruption and immorality in the world, their adopting all means to eliminate and exterminate Islam from the face of this earth, and every other effort that is taking place against Islam is now going on for some time in the Arab lands. In these trying circumstances, where the world is against Islam, if one has to ponder and reflect, one will realize that it is only the infinite grace and mercy of Allah Ta’ala that allows us to continue. Otherwise, the amount of transgression and sins that the Muslims are involved in warrants His divine punishment.
Allah Ta’ala says in the Qur’aan Majeed:
Whatever misfortune befalls you is because of what your hands have earned, and for many (of them) He grants forgiveness.
To understand this verse, one may consider the following illustration. A certain person’s brother or son is meted the death penalty on account of him killing someone. For the person to feel affected and grieved through losing his brother or son is natural due to the bond of mutual love that they share among themselves. However, he will have to come to terms with realizing that the consequences his brother had faced were purely on account of his own actions.
Allah Ta’ala speaks about the corruption the Banu Israa’eel were previously involved in and how Allah Ta’ala had subjected them to oppression and tyranny at the hands of their enemies. Whatever had occurred was, in reality, a consequence of their own actions.
And We declared to the Banu Israa’eel in the Book, “You will surely spread mischief on the earth twice and be elated with mighty arrogance! When the appointed time for the first of the two came, We sent against you some of our servants given to terrible warfare: They entered the very innermost parts of your homes; and it was a promise bound to be fulfilled. Then We gave you your turn to overpower them, and increased your strength with wealth and sons, and made you greater in number. If you do good, you will do it for your own benefit, and if you do evil, it will be against yourselves. Later, when came the time appointed for the second, (We sent others) to disfigure your faces, and to enter the Musjid as they had entered it before, and to completely destroy whatever they prevail upon. It may be that your Lord may (yet) show Mercy unto you; but if you revert (to your sins), We shall revert (to Our punishments).
Are all these incidents which are recounted in the Qur’aan Majeed mere fables and fairytales? My heart’s desire is that those people, who are orators and also well versed in history, should take lesson from the manner in which the disbelievers of that era dealt with the Muslims when the Muslims moved off the straight path, and they should thereafter warn the Muslim Ummah so that they may pay heed as well. This is what I am requesting from you. The essence of this advice is to first remove the corrupt substance and rot before attending to the wound. If the corrupt substance and rot is left in the body, you can well imagine what the result of merely applying a bandage to the surface will be.
Allah Ta’ala says:
Not your desires, nor the desires of the People of the Book (can prevail. The system of Allah is that) whoever works evil, will be compensated accordingly. And nor will he find, besides Allah, any protector or helper.
The evil effects and consequences of a sin perpetrated by an individual are such that they will be confined to that individual. However, when oppression and sins are carried out by people collectively, especially when the oppression involves openly opposing Islam and Deen, then the consequences that follow also affect the people collectively. This worthless servant has written in detail regarding the causes for the degeneration of the Ummah in his book, Al-I’tidaal, in answer to the question “Why are the Muslims facing oppression and tyranny at the hands of the disbelievers?” This book was published in Sha’baan 1357 A.H. approximately thirty years ago. I have already presented this book to you twice before. I first presented it to you a few years back, and the second time I presented it to you was during Shawwaal of last year. When you arrived here, hearing of the problems that had erupted in Sahaaranpur, then during the course of one of our conversations, I had made reference to this article. On that occasion, I also presented this book to you. Even if you now tell me that you want this book, it can be sent to you as many times as you wish.
لن يصلح آخر هذه الأمة إلا ما أصلح أولها
The latter portion of this Ummah will never be reformed except through that which reformed the first portion of this Ummah.
According to the above statement, the need of the time is for us to remain firm on Deen and hold fast onto the example set by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and the Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum), together with valuing and showing respect to it. It is only in this that the Ummah will find success, victory and honour. The story of Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) travelling to Shaam is well known and you are perhaps aware of it as well. While Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) was proceeding to Shaam, he arrived at a place where he needed to cross through water and mud. He thus dismounted from his camel, removed his leather socks, placed them on his shoulder and crossed. Seeing this, Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) said, “What will the people of Shaam say if they see you in this condition?” Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) acceded to the request of Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and accepted to ride a fine horse and to wear new clothing. However, after a little while, perceiving the change in his heart, Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) dismounted the horse and removed the new clothing he was given to wear. He then addressed Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and the Muslims in the following words:
فقال عمر أوه لم يقل ذا غيرك أبا عبيدة جعلته نكالا لأمة محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم إنا كنا أذل قوم فأعزنا الله بالإسلام فمهما نطلب العز بغير ما أعزنا الله به أذلنا الله
Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) exclaimed, “Aah! If someone besides you had said that, o Abu Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), I would have made him an example for the Ummah of Muhammed (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! We were undoubtedly the most disgraced of nations, then Allah Ta’ala granted us honour through Islam. If we ever seek honour in something besides that through which Allah honoured us, Allah will disgrace us.”
I have also mentioned the incident of Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and numerous other incidents of this nature in my book, Al-I’tidaal. All these incidents clearly show that the success and salvation of the Muslims lies in holding fast to Islam, not casting Islam aside and abandoning it, or even worse, destroying Islam and idealizing the ways of the disbelievers.
During the Mubaarak life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), when there was a need for adopting some means to call people for Salaah, and some Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) suggested lighting a fire or blowing into a trumpet, then Rasululah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) strongly rejected these suggestions on the basis that they resembled the ways of the disbelievers (the fire worshippers and the Christians). How strange it is to find that it is the Ummah of this very same Nabi (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) who are now striving to emulate the disbelievers in every facet of their lives! They are so overawed by the disbelievers that in every department of their lives, they examine their conduct and behavior and thereafter emulate them.
When Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) began to recite from the Toraat in the blessed presence of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), the noble countenance of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) began to change out of anger, and Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was greatly disturbed. On realizing his error, Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) immediately sought forgiveness. Imagine, when this was the extent of dissatisfaction brought to the heart of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) when he had seen Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) recite the book of the Jews, then how more disturbed and hurt would he not be to see that his Ummah now regard his guidance and the guidance left by his Sahaabah (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) to be worthless, and thus adore the ways of the West and other disbelievers, after which they are prepared to pay any price to try and adopt and promote their ways in their lives.
You yourself consider the extent of pain that we are causing to the Mubaarak heart of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) through our actions. When our actions cause such pain to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) (-may my life be sacrificed for him!), then as great as the resulting anger and reprimand of Allah Ta’ala may be (in order for us to come back on the straight path), it is actually His pure mercy upon us that He is not sending His Divine punishment upon us and destroying us entirely. Otherwise, had it not been His grace and forgiveness upon us, we are not worthy of living in this world.
You know more of these circumstances and conditions than I do, since you are more acquainted with the news and world conditions. You have substantial influence over people, as you interact with them. Therefore, in diverse ways, you should effectively convey your message to people and conscientise them so that they may take stock of their lives and reform their actions. In this way, as much as the enmity for Islam may be, they will be able to work towards decreasing it. Rather, they will even be able to look for ways to try and remedy the situation. According to this worthless servant, this is the one and only solution to the situation in Baytul Muqaddas and Palestine – that we return to Allah Ta’ala and come back onto the Mubaarak Sunnah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and abandon the ways of the disbelievers. I wish to write more on this issue. However, because people will not listen to an uninfluential personality, and because modernists do not subscribe to the ideas of simple people, you should merely mention to them the solution that I have spoken of briefly and concisely. You may also mention it to those who have always been affiliated with me. If you wish, you may also discuss it with those of your guests who are linked to me. (Tarbiyatus Saalikeen pg. 624)
