Why Muslims are in the present down trodden situation?
I have written to many scholars on this topic but it seems that people do not care to reply, whether I am wrong or not. This is indeed a sad situation.
During this time I started to wonder why the Muslim world was mostly in turmoil and in most instances Muslim forces are being annihilated. Yet sir, the Quran promises that if we live according to the Quranic laws, then Allah will make us rulers on the earth as in surah Nur verse 55. Presently I cannot see that Muslims are even remotely near to achieving this status on earth. It started me to think of the possible reasons why. It should cross one’s mind that it stands to reason that perhaps Muslims are not practicing the Divine laws?
Dear reader, I sincerely hope that you will not consider my questions as an affront, but that it is just a sincere attempt by myself to understand the situation which the Muslims are finding themselves in at present.
Now, for many Muslims they will regard this as minor and of no consequence. However, I have come to regard it as the single most important reason why the Muslims have reached such a low regard and status in worldly affairs and matters. I would like to start off on this topic by referring to Surah Nur verse 55:
Surah Nur
024.055
Yusuf Ali: Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: 'They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. 'If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.
This verse is so important, but it seems that Muslims do not give it much attention. Yet if we did it will certainly start the turn-around of the Muslims fortunes.
According to this verse of 24:55, Allah has promised that those of the nations that believe in the Divine Laws and strengthen human resources, Allah will surely make them rulers in the earth - Just as Allah granted rule to the previous nations. See (28:6, 33:27).
One might ask, how did Allah raise them? The Quran explains to us beautifully:
Surah: AL-AHZAB
033.027
33:27 And He made you inherit their lands, their houses, and their wealth and land you have not trodden. Allah has Supreme Control over all things, and all events take place according to His Laws. (24:55).
Can we see how Allah establish people on this earth? The Quran goes further and states:
Surah: AL-QASAS
028.006
And to establish them in the earth, and to show Pharaoh (the King) and Haman (the Chief Adviser and High Priest) and their troops what they feared from the Israelites (rebellion).
Now, let us think about the plight of Muslims world-wide. Are we truly prevailing anywhere? Aren't we subjugated slaves of foreign powers, even in our own countries? Dear reader we must think about it honestly and ponder if we are not stagnant in our thought and action. Either the Muslims are not true believers or the Quran is wrong by declaring that the believers will prevail, Na-oothubillah!
If one starts to dissect the problems, it becomes clear that Muslims are not fulfilling Allah's conditions to prevail in the earth.
A certain philosopher, professor A.N. Whitehead points out in one of his works, that accepting the customary thought without criticism is a form of idol-worship. He says, it brings the development of the human mind to a standstill. Dear reader, I found that amazingly, the Quran describes idols as authan, (things that do not move). This statement supports the assertion that Muslims have become victims of blind following and are, therefore, stagnant in their thinking and action.
However, I have to affirm, despite what I said in the previous paragraph, there is no doubt in my mind about the Quranic Truth that the believers will always prevail. But very importantly, the key word here is “believers”.
By researching authentic history one finds that when Muslims were adhering to the Quran they were the most dynamic force in the world to contend with. History is replete with their accomplishments in all walks of life. Examples of these achievements are:
Governmental, morals, philosophy, science, architecture, military, agriculture, medicine, surgery, physics, chemistry, optics, art, etc. In fact that era of accomplishments provided the most pragmatic test for the Quran with absolutely convincing results for humanity to behold. In fact, according to Robert Briffault, the European Renaissance was triggered not from Italy but from the Muslim Spain. Thus the claim, that we today as Muslims are not true adheres of the Quran, seems to be hitting the nail on the head.
How do I dare make such a statement you might ask? Let me give some examples in a humble way:
1. The Quran gives clear guidelines for the process of divorce, yet we have an instant divorce system by denouncing a phrase three times. This is contrary to the clear Quranic guidelines. The Quran gives some very important and clear Laws for divorce in 2:228-234, 4:3, 4:19, 4:35, 4:128, 33:49, 58:1-3, 65:1-4.
2. The Quran outlines precisely as to what the marriageable age is, but no, we insist that we are allowed to marry a girl of 9 years old because the Noble Prophet did so. I contend that this is a slanderous lie against the Noblest of humanity. The criteria for the age of marriage is to be found in verses 4:6, 4:19 and 4:21 and those criteria are:
a. Sufficient maturity to grant consent.
b. Ability to sign a legal contract.
c. Competence to take care of one's own finances.
3. The Quran guarantees freedom of religion, but we prescribe the death sentence by stoning to a person leaving Islam. See verses 18:29, 10:99, 42:48, 17:15, 4:137, 109:6, 2:256
4. The Quran sets out the punishment for adultery, but Muslims have legislated stoning to death which is contrary to the Quran.
5. The Quran guarantees equality to women, yet we relegate women as second class citizens according to many questionable ahadith which are upheld by the Muslim scholars because they purport it to be the Noble Rasool’s words.
6. The Quran is absolutely clear about warning against forming sects, but what do we find in present day Islam, dear reader? So many sects and divisions...
7. The Quran is vivid about the sanctity of marriage but Muslims have a different understanding of "Ma Malakat Aymanukum",[33:50]. In this way we legalise sexual promiscuouity for men.
8. The Quran lays down the rules for government such as in verse 42:38 that we must conduct our affairs mutual consultation. But what kind of governments do we have in most of the so-called Muslim countries? Today, mutual consultation in political matters is the hallmark of democracy. (Ironically kingdoms, sheikdoms, despotism and autocratic rule today are seen mostly among countries that call themselves Muslim. This is another instance of the Muslims' departure from the Quran).
9. Murshids: At the Dawn of Islam, ideas such as murshids was the worst oppressor of humanity. They were considered to possess infinite occult powers. They were thought to know the Unseen and supposed to be intercessors between man and Allah. The Quran announced that Allah is the only Knower of the Unseen (72:26). There is no medium between man and Allah because He is “closer to him than his jugular vein" (50:16). In the so-called west we see that humanity has been gaining freedom from this hold the world over. (Ironically once again, Muslims, not currently heeding the Quran, are lagging behind even in this arena.)
10. The Quran guarantees Freedom of Speech and Assembly. Can we say the same of Muslim countries?
11. Most translations of the Quran convey the message that wife beating is allowed in Islam. However, by studying the Quraish dialect one comes to realize that this is in fact erroneous. Dear reader please study this topic.
12. Islam grants individuals the choice of spouse (4:3, 4:19), but we still continue with our arranged marriages.
13. Pragmatism: Experimentation had no place in the Greek system of learning. Aristotle had written that women were deficient in intellect because they had only 28 teeth. He never investigated if this was true! He also stated that an egg would float in the ocean without verifying it yet again! It was only Islam that taught mankind of the necessity of testing a theory or ideology by way of experimentation. Viz: 17:36 and you shall not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning. Sadly our jurists have declared that the door for research has closed which is contradicting to this very same verse.
Respected reader, my research indicates that the True Islam was implemented in the lifetime of the exalted Prophet Muhammad (saw) and his noble companions 14 centuries ago. No enlightened mind can deny the glory of humanity in that sacred era. Human dignity, women's rights, rule of law, justice and equity, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, true democracy, and sanctity of human life, honour and property have been well documented in the golden pages of history. Never since that sacred era has the world seen Islam as a collective System of Life in any nation.
To mention economic prosperity, the Islamic state of Medina was the only Empire in all history where it had become impossible to find a person willing to accept charity. The would-be second Caliph of Islam, Omar, the great, was the Chief Justice of the Empire in 633-34 CE. It is mind boggling to observe that not a single case was brought to his court about theft, rape, murder, robbery, or any form of violent crime. Non-Muslims used to embrace Islam by watching and experiencing the beauty of the true Islam.
At this stage dear reader, I am going to make a bold statement, which could be termed as controversial, but in essence I am asking you not to make any judgment but to think this statement through thoroughly:
It appears that the West is, unconsciously, a greater and practical believer in the Quranic Laws. The same laws that I have quoted above and which are being violated by the very Muslims. Yes, I agree that the west have at the same time also been incorporating some moral laws contrary to the Quran, but aside from that, the west have been silently adopting the Quranic laws.
I pray that the Muslims worldwide must stop and think over this. Is the Quran wrong? It makes me wonder, that, perhaps a great majority of us Muslims are not indeed believers. We think of ourselves as believers because we have been born into the so-called Muslim families. However, we as Muslims today are slaves of false tradition and blind following.
Therefore, my contention is that we should get back to The Quran and implement the authentic laws and only then will we qualify to be restored in authority according to verse 024.055 of the Quran.
If we fail to do this, then the Noble Prophet will claim on the day of judgment:
Surah Furan
25:30 And the Messenger will say, “O my Lord! These are my people, the ones who had disabled this Quran making it of no account."
Finally, I would like to quote a passage from the book, Road to Mecca by Muhammad Asad which is indeed thought provoking. He writes:
“In my endeavour to gain a fuller picture of what Islam really meant and stood for, I derived great benefit from the explanations which some of my Cairene Muslim friends were able to provide me. Outstanding among them was Shaykh Mustafa Al-Maraghi, one of the most prominent Islamic scholars of the time and certainly the most brilliant among the ulama of Al-Azhar University.[..] A pupil of the great Egyptian reformer Muhammed Abduh, and having associated in his youth with that inspiring firebrand, Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani, Shayk Al-Maraghi was himself a keen, critical thinker. He never failed to impress upon me that the Muslims of recent times had fallen very short indeed of the ideals of their faith, and that nothing could be more erroneous than to measure the potentialities of Muhammed's message by the yardstick of present-day Muslim life and thought. 'Just as' he said, 'it would be erroneous to see in the Christians' unloving behaviour toward one another a refutation of Christ's message of love...' With this warning, Shayk Al-Maraghi introduced me to Al-Azhar.
Out of the crowded bustle of Mousky Street, Cairo's oldest shopping centre, we reached a small, out-of-the-way square, one of its sides occupied by the broad, straight front of the Azhar Mosque. Through a double gate and a shadowy forecourt we entered the courtyard of the mosque proper, a large quadrangle surrounded by ancient arcades. Students dressed in long, dark jubbas and white turbans were sitting on straw mats and reading with low voices from their books and manuscripts. The lectures were given in the huge, covered mosque-hall beyond. Several teachers sat, also on straw mats, under the pillars which crossed the hall in long rows, and in a semicircle crouched a group of students. The lecturer never raised his voice, so that obviously required great attention and concentration not to miss any of his words. One should have thought that such absorption would be conducive to real scholarship; but Shaykh Al-Maraghi soon shattered my illusions: {and now comes the important part, so pay close attention what this man says!} 'Dost thou sees those "scholars" over there? he asked me. 'They are like those sacred cows in India which, I am told, eat up all the printed paper they can find in the streets...Yes, they gobble up all the printed pages from books that have been written centuries ago, but they do not digest them. They no longer think for themselves; they read and repeat, read and repeat- and the students who listen to them learn only to read and repeat, generation after generation.' 'But, Shayk Mustafa,' I interposed, 'Al-Azhar is, after all, the central seat of Islamic learning, and the oldest university in the world! One encounters its name on nearly every page of Muslim cultural history. What about all the great thinkers, the theologians, historians, philosophers, mathematicians it has produced over the last ten centuries?' 'It stopped producing them several centuries ago. 'he replied ruefully.
Makes one wonder what character of scholar is taught at today's Islamic universities.
References:
Yusuf Ali – Translation of the Holy Quran
Dr Shabbir Ahmed – Islam s I understand
Muhammad Asad – Road to Mecca
Marmaduke Picthal – The Holy Quran
