Muslims’ continual downfall and the worsening calamities

Dr. Firoz Mahboob Kamal

Muslims’ downfall: an overview

The downfall of a civilization always presents a huge catalogue of catastrophic calamities. The Muslims are now engulfed by its worst part. Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala has His set rules for every nation. He never helps those who decide not to change themselves and deliberately follow a downhill course. Therefore, like any uprise of a nation, the downfall is also a homegrown  process. And it is always suicidal. This is also the concept of British Historian Arnold Toynbee. Whenever a Muslim population invest all of their abilities in the way of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala, All-Powerful Allah comes to their help in miraculous ways. Then, the investment of the believers’ time, talent, wealth, and energy doesn’t work alone; Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala also makes His own invincible investment. He sends down His mighty angels to fight on the believers’ side –as mentioned many times in the Holy Qur’an. This is why a small number of believers could win over a huge army of non-believers. As per Divine plan, even tiny birds called ababil could work as precision bombers. Even tiny pebbles became explosive missiles to decimate King Abraha’s huge aggressive Army that had many elephants –as revealed in Surah Fil in the Holy Qur’an. He even divides the sea to make a walkable road for the believers –as was done to save Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and his companions from Pharaoh’s army. Because of Almighty Allah’s help, the early Muslims defeated the two contemporary World Powers –the Romans and the Persians and could establish a powerful Islamic state to practice khilafah, sharia, hudud, shura, justice, jihad, and other obligatory elements of Islam. The key element in their success lies in the fact that they qualified to get the promised help from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala by their own investment of wealth, intelligence and lives. And when All-Powerful Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala is the helper, who can defeat them? So, the early Muslims could do miracles by successive victories over the enemies. As a result they could stay as the number one World Power for centuries.

The obligatory five-time prayers, month-long fasting in Ramadan, hajj, and charity for the poor are the recommended Divine curriculum to build up the necessary commitment, and attachment with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. But, to dismantle the coercive and corruptive state infrastructure of the tyrant devils, the religious rituals don’t work. The Prophet (peace be upon him) of Islam and his companions needed to engage in jihad and defeat them in face-to-face bloody battles. Only this way, they created the needed space for Islam and could build the indispensable state infrastructure to eradicate evils and implement justice as per sharia. All victories come from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala and everyone is under His watch. All-Seeing Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala always reviews Muslims’ own investment of wealth, intelligence, and efforts prior to give them the promised victory. While believers’ jihad to eradicate the evil powers stops, the entitlement of Divine help and promise for victory also ends. Therefore, the war for annihilation of evils and enforcement of justice must go side by side in Muslims’ life. Such a relentless war in Muslims’ life is called jihad. It is indeed the expression of the inner belief of a true believer. The evil forces can’t be defeated by mere supplication, it needs a tough and persistent fight against them. Muslims could protect the Islamic state from enemies and build the best civilization on the earth only through such relentless jihad. It is indeed the highest act of piety that pleases Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala the most. So, it is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, “Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a cemented wall.”–(Surah Saf, verse 4).

But today, Muslims live with a different brand of Islam. As a result, they are highly dissimilar to the early Muslims. Their faith in Islam doesn’t express the same commitment and sacrifice for the cause of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala –as was seen in the golden age of Islam. Nor do they show the necessary allegiance to pan-Islamic Muslim unity, establishment of an Islamic state, implementation of sharia, eradicating evils, and enjoining the right.  So, fighting in His cause and sacrificing wealth and life in His way has no place in most Muslims’ life. The government, the media, the textbooks, and the so-called ulama of the Muslim countries are busy in hiding those specific Qur’anic verses from the public eyes that tell about jihad and implementation of sharia. Appeasing world powers like the US and its allies is considered more important than fulfilling the wish of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. In order to appease the enemies, the most fundamental elements of Islam like sharia, khilafah, hudud, trans-ethnic Muslim unity, and jihad are excluded from the private and state policy. Adherence to those basics is given a new label called religious extremism and is left out from the political and social life. The betrayal of Islamic obligations is so explicit in so-called Muslims’ life that jihad for ending the foreign occupation, elimination of divisive walls, and implementation of sharia is called terrorism. And killing Islamists is appreciated as the legitimate act of the war on terror.

The corrupation of faith has gone to the extent that even forging partnerships with the invading kuffar enemies got eulogized in many Muslim countries. Because of such rabid perversion, in 1917, the Arab nationalists took arms from the British to kill Turk Muslims and to defeat the Caliph’s Army. And the Kurds are taking arms from the US and its allies to kill both the Turks and the Arabs. More awfully, in recent years, thousands of Turkish, Afghan, Kurds, Albanian, Iraqi, and other Muslims fought side by side with the kuffar in the occupational Army of NATO in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Even a Turkish General held the position of the commander of the occupying NATO forces in Afghanistan and led the killing of Muslims there.

The corrupted belief and the wrong priority

Muslims have grown only in number, but not in iman and good deeds. To be a Muslim is the most important and most revolutionary event in one’s life.The fate in akhera entirely depends on that life changing revolutionary act. One can’t qualify for paradise without being a Muslim. So, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala warn all believers: “Don’t die unless you are a Muslim.”–(Surah Al-Imran, verse 102). Becoming a Muslim has a deeper connotation. It is all about making a solemn transaction with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. A Muslim sells his life to Him to get a place in paradise in the hereafter. The Holy Qur’an mentioned such a Holy transaction in verse 111 in Surah Taubah. Such a deal with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala brings a landmark transformation in Muslims’ life. It brings a total shift in his conceptual paradigm. Ownership of life and the wealth doesn’t belong to him, rather belongs to His Supreme Lord. All abilities of life are the Divine endowment to serve only His agenda. An enemy of Islam or a secularist has no share in it. Such a concept works in a believer’s mind to guide his every deed in life, every step in politics, every strategy in warfare, and every investment in any enterprise. This is why a believer lives for Him, fights for Him and gives his wealth and life for Him. He becomes an all-time soldier for Him. As a result, the whole Muslim ummah becomes the Army of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. That was indeed the norm in the golden days of Islam.  

But today, most Muslims fail to make such a Holy transaction with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. They claim their sole ownership of their lives, abilities and wealth. As if,  Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala   has no right to influence or access their personal territory. They spend those endowment given by his All-Merciful Creator only to satisfy their own whims, to serve their own family or party agenda, or to serve their own employer. The agenda of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala is not a matter to them. As a result, in politics, culture, and warfare, the Muslim men and women stand de-linked from Islam. Issues linked with family, race, language, tribe, ideologies, and geopolitics get the upper hand to fix the priorities in friendship, politics and warfare. Hence, the agenda of elimination of the wrongs, enjoing the rights, implementation of sharia, bringing glory to Islam and the unity of Muslim ummah enjoys hardly any influence on their life. Because of radical secularisation of beliefs, culture, and politics, they don’t feel restrained to get closer to the known enemies of Islam. They even engage with the enemies in their war crimes -as seen in imperialists’ wars of occupation and destruction in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The absence or inadequacy of iman thus gets clearly exposed.

Those who collaborated with the kuffar invasion of Bengal in 1757 and in occupation of the Middle East in 1917 are the fake Muslims who possessed no respect for life, honor, interest, or independence of their fellow Muslims.  Because of moral death, hundreds of thousands of Arab, African, and Indian Muslims fought in British, French, and Italian Armies as mercenaries in the 1^st and 2^nd World Wars. They thought that rituals like five times prayer, month-long fasting in Ramadan, charity, and hajj are all about the whole of Islam. As if, the Holy Qur’an doesn’t give any guidance vis-à-vis politics, judiciary, administration, education, culture, warfare and selection of friends and foes. As if, they are free to select even foreign invaders as friends and free to fight with them to kill Muslims. Islam -as was practiced by the prophet (peace be upon him) and the early Muslims stands totally alien to them. Hence, the societies and the states that are built by such people look grossly dissimilar to that of the Prophet (peace be upon him). In fact, they appear more similar to those of the contemporary kuffar who practice secularism, nationalism, racism, capitalism, and the kuffar law. Therefore, deviation from the Qur’anic road map has become the norm in the Muslim World. This is why the cultural life in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Cairo, and Istanbul with their pubs, clubs, and casinos shows hardly any difference from that of London, Paris, Rome, or New York.                                                                                                                                            

The forgotten duty   

The deal with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala sets the priority of a true Muslim. He needs to be a true Muslim not only in rituals but also in belief, commitment, and action. Because of fake beliefs, lack of commitment and treacherous acts, even five times prayers behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the mosque in Medina couldn’t help hypocrites to become Muslims. The word “Muslim” means a believer who fully surrenders to the revealed wishes, rules, and guidance of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. It is a life-long and a whole time commitment to bring the overwhelming victory of Islam. Hence, in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), a Muslim was not only a symbol of a humble man engaged in prayer, pilgrimage, charity, and other good deeds but also a model of a steadfast fighter against the enemies of Islam.

Every word, every pledge, and every declaration of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala in the Holy Qur’an has a serious binding on a believer. It doesn’t need any repetition of a Qur’anic order or a special emphasis to make it obligatory. A simple announcement in the Qur’an is enough for that –as has been the case of obligatory rituals like 5 times prayer, fasting in Ramadan, the performance of hajj, and deliverance of charity. To add extra importance to His order, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala has incorporated the word “inna” (means: certainly) at the beginning of verse 111 of Surah Taubah. To reinforce the pledge further, the Almighty Lord has also invoked the names of three Divine books like Taurah, Injeel, and Qur’an in the same verse. Thus the most powerful deal of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala was made public to benefit the true believers. At the end of the verse, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala asked the believers to rejoice the holy deal that they could make with the All-Powerful Sovereign of the universe.

The change-maker and the neglect

The Holy Qur’an worked as the most powerful change-maker in life. But now Muslims stand disconnected from this most powerful transformer of souls. Only a single command in verse 185 of Surah Baqarah, made month-long fasting in Ramadan obligatory and didn’t need a second verse to reemphasize it. Similarly, the above mentioned verse 111 of Surah Taubah was enough to bring an overwhelming conceptual shift in the Muslim mind vis-à-vis their role on earth. The pledge of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala thus worked as the greatest change-maker in the whole human history. For any societal or civilizational change, such a ground-breaking conceptual shift is indispensable. The earth is not flat, rather round -such a ground-breaking discovery of Copernicus laid the foundation of Europe’s huge geographical discovery. It gave Europeans a quick territorial and material gains to have global dominance. The new concept of a globular shape of earth prompted Cristopher Columbus to navigate westward to find a shorter route to India. While searching for a new route for India, he instead discovered America. Thus he opened a gateway to add enormous material splendor to Europe.

The Muslims’ glory in the past also owes to a revolutionary paradigm shift. The Arab people used to believe that life ends with death. After death, the body gets decomposed and lost and there is no resurrection. So, all efforts were spent only to maximise their worldly pleasures. The Holy Qur’an implanted a new conceptual model in Muslims’ minds. It reconfirmed the old Divine message that life is infinite. It doesn’t end with death; rather enters into another phase which never dies. And there is a resurrection of every man and woman after the death; and every human will face accountability in the Court of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. The final abode either in paradise or in hellfire will be decided on the result of accountability. The new concept brought a ground-breaking revolution vis-à-vis humans’ understanding of the ultimate fate.  In the new conceptual premise, worldly life is viewed only as a short exam period to qualify for the mercy from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala and a place in paradise in the hereafter. An abode in paradise is considered the greatest achievement in life, and hellfire comes as the eternal punishment.

The new conceptual revolution instilled a new set of priorities in Muslims mind. Whatever Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala wishes was given the topmost importance. The personal agenda wasn’t given any preference to that. In the deal, Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala asks believers not only to slay His enemies; but also ask to be slain in His way. So the companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed exceptional valor not only to kill the enemies of Islam but also to embrace martyrdom. All time readiness for myrterdom became the most distinctive marker of a Muslim. Khaled bin Walid was a great hero of Islam. He is recognized as a famous war strategist of exceptional talent. He is reputed as a famous Army General in the annals of warfare. He led Muslim Armies so many times to victory. He could kill numerous enemies, too. But he couldn’t be killed in the cause of Islam; that very point remained a source of his deep frustration in later years of life. Such a conceptual state of the believers tells a lot about the impact of the Qur’anic deal on the psyche of the early Muslims.

Many other verses of the Holy Qur’an reinforce the same spirit. For example: “O you who believe! Shall I guide you to a trade that will save you from a painful punishment? (It is that) you believe in Allah and His messenger and do jihad in the way of Allah with your wealth and your lives. That is the best for you if you could know.”- (Surah Saf, verse 10-11). It is also revealed, “Therefore, let those fight in the way of Allah, who sell their worldly life for the hereafter. Whoever fights in the way of Allah, then he be slain or be victorious, We shall grant him a mighty reward.“- (Surah Nisa, verse 74). Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala also asks the Muslims to examine their own compliance with the Divine decree. Hence they are asked, “And what is (the matter) with you that you fight not in the cause of Allah and (for) the oppressed among men, women and the children who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper” – (Surah Nisa, verse 75). It also revealed: “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who disbelieve fight in the cause of Taghut. So fight against the allies of Shaitan. Indeed, the plot of Shaitan has been weak.” – (Surah Nisa, verse 76).   

The deal with Shaitan!

Islam stands firmly on some fundamental pillars of faith. A Muslim can’t grow up as a true Muslim with compromises on those basics. Any amount of compromise on those basics is not trivial; these are grave sins that cause detachment from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. The deal with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala means strong attachment with the Qur’anic roadmap and jihad in His way to bring overwhelming victory to His deen (the code of life) over all fake religions and beliefs. The Qur’anic straight path is the only right path towards paradise. All other paths are the Shaitanic deviation. The Qur’anic straight path is not confined within the premises of religious rituals like five times prayer, fasting in Ramadan, zakat, and hajj but also moves through politics, warfare, trade, education, culture, and all other aspects of life. Hence, there exists no scope of deviation in any arena of life. Any deviation from siratul mustaqeem means journey towards the hellfire following the Shaitanic roadmap. The Shaitanic roadmap has its own distinctive milestones and identifying markers. These are the abolition of the Qur’anic literacy from the education system, the rule of autocracy instead of shura, the abolition of shariat from the judiciary, the rule of the corrupts, the political and military pledges with the enemy forces, and the promotion of secular ideologies like nationalism, monarchism, tribalism, fascism, socialism, and capitalism. It is a pity that the ruling elites of almost all Muslim countries are following this Shaitanic roadmap.

The deviants don’t move alone towards hellfire. Because of their powerful dominance, the whole state craft with its subsidiary organisations becomes a giant Shaitanic vehicle to take people towards hell. Hence in Islam, it is the greatest jihad not only to defend the geographical frontiers of Muslim states but also to protect the internal and ideological premises of a state from the Shaitanic take-over. But Muslims have terribly failed on both counts. The mission of great prophets like Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) collapsed mostly due to ideological corruption of their Divine teachings. Due to such corruption, the monotheism of the Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) turned to polytheism with a deceptive façade of the so-called trinity. And sharia –as delivered to prophet Musa (peace be upon him) as Ten Commandments remains captive in the Book of Torah and receives no chance for the implementation.

The immunizing against Islam

Muslims now face the same evil strategy of the same enemy who corrupted the Divine faith of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) and Prophet Isa (peace be upon him). The several-century-old war of these enemies not only aim at occupying and exploiting the Muslim countries but also at corrupting and dismantling the core elements of the Islamic faith. As the colonial occupation got its grip on the Muslim World, the sharia-based judiciary and the Islamic education were fully dismantled. The enemy used the whole education system as a tool of immunizing people against Islam. Hence those who received education in the colonial institutions become hardcore opponents to Islam. They could easily become Trojan horses cum political agents of their colonial masters. Because of them, growing up as a full Muslim, practicing the full Islam and the full implementation of the obligatory sharia laws remained impossible even in Muslim majority countries.These Trojan horses of the enemies led to dismemberment of the great Osmania Caliphate into more than 20 powerless states.

The colonial occupation ended long ago. But, the colonial legacy still survives with greater ferocity. In fact, the new occupation of Muslim lands under the home-grown de-Islamised Trojan horses now goes unfettered. Under the new era of occupation, more wine shops, more brothel houses, more casinos, more obscene sea beaches, more interest-based banking, more enforcement of kufr laws and more public shows of vulgarity are visible in Muslim countries. A hundred years ago Muslims were closer to Islam than today. The basics of Islam like sharia, hudud, shura, Muslim unity, and jihad have become invisible. As a result of long kufr indoctrination during the anti-Islamic occupation –whether alien or native, most Muslims have forgotten the most basic element of iman that entails abiding by the solemn transaction with Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’ala. Such a binding deal has gone completely to oblivion. As a result, fighting in His way is no more seen in the lives of the majority Muslims. The very few who still claim to be Islamic, many of them also show their conceptual deficiencies cum incorrectness. They forget the basics that fighting in His way means fighting for His sharia, hudud, Qur’anic literacy, khilafah, justice, pan-Islamic brotherhood, and trans-ethnic Islamic civilizational state. Islam is very inclusive; hence nothing can be left out of any genuine Islamisation project. Any derailment from an all-inclusive Qur’anic Islamisation endeavour can only expedite further disaster and downfall. Muslims are already a long way down on the declining road. 1^st edition 18/12/2016; 2^nd edition 31.10.2021.