Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.
I pray you’re all in the best of health & Imaan, Insha’Allah.
Before I begin I would like to apologise for this long note, but please do read it as it's something I believe you can all relate to, Insha'Allah.
On the authority of Thawbaan.
The Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “The People will soon summon one another to attack you as people when eating invite others to share their food.” Someone asked, “Will that be because of our small numbers at that time?” He replied, “No, you will be numerous at that time: but you will be froth and scum like that carried down by a torrent (of water), and Allah will take the fear of you from the breasts (hearts) of your enemy and cast al-wahn into your hearts.” Someone asked, “O Messenger of Allah, what is al-wahn?” He replied, “Love of the world and dislike of death.” [An authentic hadith recorded by Abu Dawud and Ahmad]
As you read that hadith what came into your mind? Did you see any correlation with that hadith & the situation we are in today?
The state of the Ummah at this point in time is indeed a dire one. All around us we see the destruction caused by ourselves and others. The hadith mentions that the Ummah will be like the scum on the sea. It’s unfortunate & painful for me to admit that this is the situation of our people today. We have no-one to blame but ourselves. The people of today’s world have been enveloped in self-worshipping and greed, something which you can expect from a disbeliever, but certainly not something you would expect from someone who has been saved from disbelief by the Almighty, the most Generous. The Ummah have decided to follow in this path & do whatever is best only for themselves, sometimes even leaving their own family behind. Subhan’Allah. We do whatever we can to please ourselves, to make ourselves happy & when we see disasters occurring around the world or even in front of us, what do we do? We turn away in order to blind ourselves from the truth. If someone places the truth in front of our eyes what do we do? We tell them that it’s not for us to worry about & that it is their own problem. “Let it happen to them”, is a phrase I have heard numerous times & it makes me sick to my stomach.
We often wonder why terrible things are happening to our brothers & sisters across the world & in our front yards. If we look at ourselves, the answer will surely be clear. If we are too self-indulgent to care about anyone else, then of course the oppressors will and have found a way in which they can attack our brothers, sisters, mothers & fathers without us saying anything, because we are too happy in our comfy homes.
Don't forget Oh Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "Whoever goes to sleep, and wakes up, without being concerned of the affairs of the Ummah, then he is not one of us" Sahih Muslim.
How many of us make dua for our brothers & sisters every time we make dua for ourselves? How many of us actually care about the women & children getting killed, raped and tortured for fun? How many of us watch the news & say ‘Oh… That’s really sad’ & then go back to our daily lives forgetting what we have just seen?
When we wake up in the morning, do we remember to praise Allah (Subhannahu Wa Ta 'ala) for allowing us to survive another day? Do we remember to make dua for our brothers & sisters who have not managed to make it another day because a bomb fell on their house as they slept, killing everyone inside? Do we remember to thank Allah (Subhannahu Wa Ta 'ala) for giving us parents & not leaving us stranded like the many orphans across the world? We have so much to be thankful for my dear brothers & sisters… But we take it for granted & we turn a blind eye to the suffering of others as long as our own hearts are happy.
I will admit that I was once blind to everything I had & even now I cannot thank Allah for everything I have been blessed with. If I sat & thanked Allah (Subhannahu Wa Ta 'ala) for the rest of my life it would not be thanks enough. I was also blind to what was happening around me… Too caught up in my own life to even care. I too switched the channel every time I saw a baby suffering, or people getting tortured & I would say “no, I’m too busy” anytime someone asked me to watch a video of it on Youtube, mainly because I knew it would take me out of my comfort zone. I was greedy & selfish, & for that I cannot apologise enough to my Creator. I pray that He forgives me for my ignorance. I thank Allah (Subhannahu Wa Ta 'ala) for opening my eyes & I pray that I can do whatever is in my power to not only help those across the world, but also those around me. Ameen.
There is not a single person who can say they don’t see the situation the Ummah is in. However, how many of us want to do something about it? How many of you sit back & say “let it run its course, I’ll just get on with my life as it’s not like I’m affected”? I am not just speaking about the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Palestine, Bangladesh, Kurdistan, Pakistan, Egypt, Yemen etc. I’m also speaking about just helping those around us. How many of us see our friends sinning but look the other way because we feel it’s not our business to say anything? If you care about someone would you not want them to go to Jannah? Certainly you would hate to see your loved ones perish in the fire of hell.
Do you know that the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam) said,“The Muslim Ummah is like ONE body, if one part of it hurts, the rest of the body aches and shivers in pain also.” Ahmed.
Now let me ask you something…
How many of you feel the pain of the Ummah?
Do you feel the terror running through a little child as he is held at gunpoint?
Do you feel the pain of the young boy who just witnessed his own mother die in front of his eyes?
Do you hear the cries of the young girl who just got kicked to the ground & raped?
Do you feel the grief that a family feels when they see their house & belongings burnt to the ground?
How about saying goodbye to your father as he goes out for some bread and then never seeing him again?
Do we feel their pain? Do we remember that we are one Ummah? Do we speak out against it? Or do we sit back & relax in our comfortable chairs & say nothing?
Do not be afraid to speak out, be it just to your friends if you see them doing something wrong, or on a larger scale. Allah sees all that we do my brothers & sisters, he sees what is in our hearts. Do not forget that we will be questioned on the day of Judgement for everything we have done, or failed to do. Don’t be afraid of the oppressors who may imprison you for your words or call you a terrorist for speaking the truth, you know in your own hearts what you are, & Allah sees all that you do. The oppressors just want us to think that those who speak out are terrorists. It is part of their plan to keep us quiet. Don’t be afraid of what your friends may say when you politely question them about something they’ve done wrong, because Allah (Subhannahu Wa Ta 'ala) knows your intentions & if they are truly your friends, they will understand that you just want to protect them from committing sin.
The Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:
"Whoever amongst you sees anything objectionable, let him change it with his hand, if he is not able, then with his tongue, and if he is not even able to do so, then with his heart, and the latter is the weakest form of faith." Sahih Muslim.
So let us strive, dear brothers & sisters to have the strongest of faith & not the weakest.
It’s never too late to change our ways, Insha’Allah.
Allah is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.
I apologise again for this extra-long note, but I truly believed it is something that needed to be said. Please take a look at the Palestinian Project album on my page, Insha’Allah.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=718720312&aid=579376
If you wish to donate to a worthy cause in order to help the Ummah & others, please visit:
http://www.muslimaid.org/
http://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/Donate.aspx?gclid=CPKkgdqcgaYCFcse4QodMlz2nQ
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/
I would especially recommend this last one as the brother is in need of help at the moment.
http://www.wix.com/davis21309/mhm
"The Muslim Ummah is a unique Ummah among the whole of mankind: Their LAND is ONE, their WAR is ONE, their PEACE is ONE, their HONOR is ONE and their TRUST is ONE".
Musnad Of Imam Ahmad.
