Istiqomah In The Pursuit Of Allah’s Pleasure
19-09-2008
The present era that we are going through today is an era full of fitnahs. There
are a lot of advices from Prophet Muhammad shollallahu ’alaih wa sallam
regarding fitnah in the end times which correctly describe this era we are in
today. This is the era when the turn of victory in this world is not in the hand
of the Islamic ummah. This is the particular period in history where Allah
subhaanahu wa ta’aala are testing the believers. Who amongst them are following
the kafirs, who amongst then have an iman of gold and in fact are willing to go
for jihad in Allah’s way until they achieve the honour of dying as a shaheed or
witness the establishment of the Islamic system with its noble Shariat (Divine
Law).
One of the meanings of following the kafirs is – either consciously or
sub-consciously, the Islamic ummah are busy pursuing their own pleasure, NOT the
pleasure of Allah ta’aala. Sometime ago we were hearing the news that a Research
Foundation called the Rand Corporation was giving an input to the Pentagon in
order to formulate a kind of Islam acceptable to the international world under
the leadership of the United Stated of America. They called it Civil Democratic
Islam. This is the kind of Islam they want to impose on the Islamic world. The
Muslims who fulfilled the criteria of Islam in their version are named as the
Moderate Muslim. As for the characteristics of the moderate Muslims are as
follows:
(1) A Muslim who believes in democracy and the democratic system. A
commitment towards democracy in the same manner as the Western liberal tradition
understood it. Not the democracy as understood from the perspective of Islam,
that does not meet the characteristics of a moderate Muslim. So a Muslim is
still not considered as a moderate Muslim when he/she accepts democracy from one
angle, whereas from another angle he/she still supports the formation of an
Islam State.
(2) Accepting the non-sectarian sources of Law. In the sense of obeying
the man-made law voluntarily and openly. The dividing line between a moderate
Muslim and a radical Islamist is in the realization of the Shariah Law. When
he/she aspires for the implementation of the Shariah Law, then he/she is not a
moderate Muslim.
(3) Respecting the rights of women and non-Muslim minorities. In the
sense that, if the women are required to wear hijab in a country where the
majority of the population are Muslim, then that is called extremism. If a state
populated by the Muslim majority requires the Jews and the Christians to pay
jizyah, then it’s called extremism.
(4) Fighting terrorism and illegal aggression. Therefore a Muslim who
defends his homeland and fights occupation, and a Muslim who wants to live
according to the Islamic rules is an extremist. And a moderate Muslim is a
Muslim who is willing to invite the American forces to invade his country and he
is comfortable with the man-made laws and he has no integrity and honour to
defend himself against aggression.
They map out the criteria for Islam and want the Muslims to follow their
devices. Therefore, if a Muslim follows what they had formulated, it means that
he/she is giving priority to pursuing their (the kafir's) pleasure than pursuing
the pleasure of Allah ta’aala. If a Muslim sees that it’s necessary to present
himself/herself as a moderate Muslim in the version of the Rand Corporation,
then it means that he/she does not aim for the pleasure of Allah ta’aala
anymore, but the pleasure of the Rand Corporation. In fact it would mean that
he/she is not a Muslim anymore. It is more fitting for him/her to be called a
non-Muslim because in reality the four characteristics mentioned above require a
Muslim to become the reverse of what Islam stipulates and decrees like what had
been drawn by Allah ta’aala and exemplified by Prophet Muhammad shollallahu
’alaih wa sallam.
What they had attempted shed the light on the meaning of Allah’s words in
Al-Qur’an Al-Karim:
وَلَنْ تَرْضَى عَنْكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلَا النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ
"Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied
with thee unless thou follow their form of religion. Say: 'The Guidance of
Allah,-that is the (only) Guidance.' Wert thou to follow their desires after the
knowledge which hath reached thee, then wouldst thou find neither Protector nor
helper against Allah." (Qur’an 2:120)
If a Muslim follows the belief of their own standard, he/she would undoubtedly
be labeled as extremist, fundamentalist or even terrorist. And in their attempts
to make Muslims non-muslim (otherwise known as apostatizing the Muslims), they
are willing to exert all resources to the extent of declaring war if needed.
Like the events we are witnessing in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq.
وَلَا يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّى يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَنْ دِينِكُمْ إِنِ
اسْتَطَاعُوا
"Nor will they cease fighting you until they turn you
back from your faith if they can.." (Qur’an 2: 217)
It is very unfortunate when the Muslims – not to mention the Muslim activists-
do not realize this strategy of ghazwul-fikri (ideological battle) launched by
the enemies of Islam today. To the extent that a section of the Muslims have
changed from being slaves of Allah ta’aala who only occupied themselves pursuing
the pleasure of Allah ta’aala, to become the slaves to other than Allah ta’aala
(taghout) who engaged themselves pursuing the pleasure of that party other than
Allah ta’aala. They specifically believed that they are in the process of
improving themselves, to become moderate Muslims who could be accepted by the
modern world (read: System of Dajjal). The moderate Muslims would gain instant
appreciations, or even aids (morally as well as materially) from the modern
world which is in reality trapping themselves to become murtadeen...!
وَمَنْ يَرْتَدِدْ مِنْكُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِ فَيَمُتْ وَهُوَ كَافِرٌ فَأُولَئِكَ
حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآَخِرَةِ وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ
النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“And if any of you Turn back from their faith and die
in unbelief, their works will bear no fruit in this life and in the Hereafter;
they will be companions of the Fire and will abide therein..” (Qur’an
2:217)
Original article by: Ihsan Tandjung
Submitted by a Mujahid