Is The World In Need Of Islam?
06-12-2008
A few days had not passed since the Prophet's (Peace be Upon Him) death when
Islam became entangled in a fierce struggle with paganism, which suddenly came
back to life, and Christianity, which controlled the north of the peninsula,
prevented anyone from entering Islam and stopped its spread by force. The desert
had not seen the like of these violent battles during the lifetime of the
Prophet himself. The battlefields were wielder, the costs more and the losses
greater.
But the men whom the Prophet had brought up with knowledge of the Truth and
sacrifice for it were sincere in their actions to Allah and bore the heavy
burdens that were thrust upon their shoulders as gallant heroes. They broke the
backbone of paganism in the peninsula, squeezed out its lifeblood and destroyed
it forever. They routed the Romans at the borders where the latter had spread
their arrogance. Then they returned to Medina not to relax but to spread out in
the then populated world in a systematic order and by inspiration from a
foolproof law. Within a few years Islam had filled land and sea, ear and eye.
Now after fourteen centuries have elapsed since that glorious era. Islam is no
more ruling its Ummah, not to speak of steering the world to a land worth
mentioning or to goodness worthy of thanks. The other religions are living on
the brink of death, the existing civilizations do not allow religion to take
hold of their reins. Paganism in India and the Far East as well as other places
still has a great sway over the major part of the lives and behaviour of the
masses.
Judaism is segregating its flock from the world in order to implant in their
hearts hatred for mankind and to sweep away the greatest benefits for Israel by
playing upon the split within the rants of the Muslim ranks.
Christianity is like a creeping vine in the equator: it depends for its survival
on the adoption of the prevalent philosophies and support of the ruling regimes
in order to guarantee life (and what a life!) for its primary tenets of Trinity
and vicarious sacrifice.
The Muslims have been stained with the pollutions of deviations and adherence to
shells and rituals. The vices of weakness and ignorance have relegated them to a
condition similar to what the Jews and Christians had been in during the era of
prophethood and the rightly guided caliphs. Only an insignificant minority of
them remains up to today fighting Jahiliyah and holding fast to the Truth.
If there is hope in the fact that Islam has remained preserved from the
theoretical point of view in its two major sources, the Qur'an and the Sunnah,
then this preserved knowledge can never make action superfluous. Nevertheless,
it is to be noted that those who do correct work for Islam are encountering
severe opposition from various other fronts and I mean the fronts which have
opposed its spread since the time of its inception fourteen centuries ago and
have never cooled off for one day in their enmity towards it.
Someone may ask whether the world today is in need of Islam. Our answer to that
is if the world is in need of knowing Allah and preparation to meet Him and give
an account for what was done in this earthly life them it must have Islam.
Material advancement cannot substitute one bit for adherence of these great
realities. One may say: but there are people who do not believe in any god or in
the Hereafter and there are others who believe in these things but different to
what Islam teaches so let the people follow their own beliefs.
Our answer to this is: let the people believe what they will but the blind do
not have the right to dig out the eye of the one who sees or strangle him
because he sees what they do not! They must leave him to walk with the guidance
of his eyes and they must leave him also to describe what he sees or expects on
his way. Whoever whishes to follow him without being forced has the right to go
with him otherwise he should leave him alone and not put obstacles in his path.
This is all that Islam asks for.
The mischief-makers hate Islam because it is the Truth with a voice which
defends itself and proclaims whatever it contains and refuses to hide or keep
silent. This characteristic of Islam, the characteristic of enforcing the Truth
and decrying falsehood, has annoyed its adversaries and made them fabricate
accusations against it. Thus, if it refuses to compromise it is the attacker and
if it refuses to die under the plots of its enemies it is being spread by force!
This is the secret of the tale which is told that Islam was spread by the sword,
though Islam only unsheathed the sword in order to save itself from the danger
of the mob and the brigands. Had it been left without intrigues, it would never
have lifted a knife and would have contended itself with the use of the tongue
in place of the sword.
Yes, in this respect it is very firm. What else could be expected of it when it
has to confront enemies who are spurred on by the haughtiness and prejudice of
long centuries as well as erring ways which hide behind thick jungles of men and
arms? Had it not been for this firmness, Islam's moral and scientific principles
would not have remained intact to this day. Those religions before it which had
weakened were dragged by their enemies in a hideous manner from their roots and
have never been able to return safely to them. As for Islam, today you find it,
if not in its adherents, then at least in its book.
You may think that you have studied the life of Muhammad by following his
history from birth to death but this is a grave mistake. You will never really
understand the Sirah unless you study the noble Qur'an and the purified Sunnah.
The amount that you derive from these will tell the strength of your connection
with the Prophet of Islam, (Peace Be Upon Him).
By: Muhammad Ghazali
Submitted by a Mujahid