By Dr
Abu Sumayyah
12 February
2021
One of the
darkest periods in human history was the 6th century CE, when the Romans and
Persians ruled the West and East, respectively. Governing classes were drunk
with power and indulged in debauchery and sensuality. The middle classes tried
to copy them. The common people were in abject poverty. Idol worship and sexual
promiscuity was prevalent, as was the caste system in places like India, where
the lives of the lowest castes were the same as that of cats and dogs.
During the
same period, Arabs were matchless in their eloquence and use of language. They
held qualities such as chivalry, courage, and trustworthiness in high esteem,
but they had also sunk to the lows of idol worship, alcoholism, and gambling,
even staking their entire household on a single bet. Prostitution was rampant,
daughters were buried alive at birth, and women were treated as commodities.
Tribalism was pervasive – even trivial incidents would cause wars to erupt
between different tribes.
The
renowned scholar Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi writes in his wonderful book What
the World Lost With the Downfall of the Muslims that humanity in the
6th century lay gasping in the throes of death, and God raised a Prophet to
resuscitate humanity and deliver it from darkness into light.
“Alif, Lam,
Ra. [This is] a Book which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], that you
might bring mankind out of darknesses into the light by permission of their
Lord – to the path of the Exalted in Might, the Praiseworthy.”[1]
Amazingly,
in the space of less than a generation, the Arabs were transformed from a
people who were looked down upon by the world, to a group who were held in high
esteem and awe. From this generation came luminaries such as ‘Umar b.
al-Khattāb, who went from being a shepherd and burying his daughter alive
pre-Islam, to become the leader of a nation spanning different continents.
Salmān the Persian, a refugee and son of a village priest, returned to his
homeland as a governor. Bilāl, a Black Abyssinian slave, went from being
tortured in the boiling hot desert sands to someone who was called “our master”
by Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, and after whom millions of people of all races have been
named.
There is
the example of Rabī’ b. ‘Āmir, who was sent as an envoy to the Persian Empire,
a world superpower at the time. Rabī’ arrived riding a small horse, wearing
rags, and carrying poor equipment, yet refused to take off his armour and
helmet when asked to do so. His lance pierced the expensive carpet underneath
as he walked, and he proclaimed without any hesitation, “We have been sent by
Allāh to deliver whom He pleases from the overlordship of His slaves (i.e. men)
to His own overlordship, and from the narrow confines of this world to the
boundlessness of the next, and from the oppressiveness of other religions to
the fairness and justice of Islam.”
During
these early generations, Muslims had leaders who genuinely cared and loved
their people. ‘Umar b. al-Khattāb would go out on patrols in the middle of the
night with his servant, personally lifting large sacks of food on his back and
distributing it to the hungry and needy. Such was his piety that he would be
scared of any injustice that would occur while he was the leader, even as far
as to be worried that he would be asked about the maltreatment of animals on
the Day of Judgement.
How about
the story of the Caliph al-Mu’tasim in the 9th century CE? He was drinking
water when he was told that a Muslim woman who had been taken captive by an
enemy several hundreds of miles away had called out his name for help.
Al-Mu’tasim immediately put his cup down and personally set out with an army so
massive that when its head reached its destination, its tail was still at the
base camp.
From these
great men came the blueprints of a culture like no other – a culture that took
over three continents and led to an age of enlightenment, whilst the rest of
the world lay in darkness. We read that the superpowers of the world at the
time held the Muslims in awe and reverence. One Roman officer remarked about
Muslim soldiers: “At night you will find them prayerful; during the day you
will find them fasting. They keep their promises, order good deeds, suppress
evil, and maintain complete equality among themselves.” Another said: “During
the night it seems that they do not belong to this world and have no other
business than to pray, and during the day, when one sees them mounted on their
horses, one feels that they have been doing nothing else all their lives.”
Today, the
world is in turmoil. Even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we do not
need to look far to find examples of oppression; unjust wars, and injustice
both on an international and individual level are rampant.
Sayyid Qutb
eloquently noted that one of the most important characteristics of Islam is
that it teaches its followers how to acquire self-confidence without any
conceit or egotism. Sayyid Qutb also stated that the faith requires the Muslim
to shoulder the responsibility of humanity at large and enjoins on him the
trusteeship of the entire human race. It is the duty of Muslims to guide to the
right path those who have gone astray, as well as lead men from darkness to
light, with the help of light and guidance given to them by God.
“You are
the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right
and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh. If only the People of the
Scripture had believed, it would have been better for them. Among them are
believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient.”[2]
Sadly,
Muslims today are generally not living up to this standard. Although there are
decent God-fearing people amongst us, they are few and far between. Ignorance
and backwardness are widespread in our communities. As Sheikh Abul Hasan Ali
Nadwi said, “The decline of Muslims is due not to the shortcomings in Islam but
to their failure to live up to Islam.”
So the
question is, why have Muslims gone from such an illustrious past to the
ignominious state we see today? More importantly, how do we regain that lofty
position as leaders of mankind that Allāh has ordered us to be?
Many look
at the poor financial state of some Muslim countries and contend that we need
to become more financially powerful so that we do not rely on other countries
for loans and aid.
Others
would say that Muslims should study hard and excel in academia to lift
ourselves out of the mire – a good idea, perhaps, because it appears that the
Golden Age of Islam is synonymous with scientific achievements. The historian
Robert Briffault writes that “science owes a great deal more to the Arab
culture, it owes its existence,” and that “had it not been for such Muslim
upsurge, modern European civilization would never have arisen at all.” We know
that Muslim scientists were at the forefront of new discoveries in the fields
of astronomy, chemistry, medicine, and mathematics, to name but a few. Today,
the Muslim world lags behind in academia and technological prowess.
But
although there is some truth to the above arguments, the reality is that financial
wealth and scientific progress alone will not help the Muslim world to
advance. The evidences for this are
many.
The Prophet
Muhammad (Sall Allāhu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) could not read or write, like
many of his Companions, most of whom were poverty-stricken. Yet they were so
blessed and confident in their message that they spread it over many cultures
and continents over a short period of time. The Muslims in Spain were
technologically advanced, but their hearts became so attached to the Dunya that
they eventually lost everything. Tellingly, when the last Muslim ruler of
Al-Andalus was looking at the land he had just lost to the Christians and
weeping, his mother said to him, “Do not cry like a woman over what you could
not defend like a man.” The strength of any community, whether Muslim or not,
lies in the character of its people, not its wealth or technology.
Today, many
Muslims have a lot of money, and there are many scientifically literate Muslims
at the forefront of their fields, yet sadly their hearts do not have a strong
connection to Allāh. Science and academia cannot promote good character. In
fact, it may bring about the mentality of ‘survival of the fittest’ and a
community without ethics. The real purpose of science is to remove barriers in
the way of the development of man’s personality by harnessing nature to broaden
life and make it rich. With such an advancement, a believer has humility and
can use these gifts appropriately in the path of faith and righteousness in
order to worship his Lord better.
The only
way that Muslims will regain their lofty status in the world will be by
returning to the worship of Allāh and attainment of piety. Although we should
aim to excel in the fields of science and academia, as well as gain wealth
through permissible sources, these things in and of themselves will not
guarantee success unless the pleasure of Allāh is attained. We should be aiming
for Muslims to fulfil the basic obligations of Islam, namely, prayer, Zakāh,
fasting, and Hajj, in order for our character and manners to improve.
Allāh the
Mighty and the Majestic is the Lord of all creation. He only needs to say ‘Be’
for His Will and Command to be carried out. If He wanted Muslims to regain
leadership in the world, He could easily do so. We should therefore realise
that true success will only happen once we try to fulfil the obligations we owe
to Him and once He is happy with our efforts. If we fail to reach this
objective, we will never be successful no matter how much power, wealth, or
superiority we think we have over our enemies.
Two
examples perfectly illustrate this. The first is the Battle of Uhud, in which
the Muslims were on a high after defeating Quraysh in the Battle of Badr. The
Muslims had with them the Prophet of Allāh, the best and most beloved of all
creation to Allāh. They were winning in the battle, but when some of the
archers disobeyed the explicit command of the Prophet because they were tempted
by the spoils of war, their imminent victory was lost, and they sustained many
casualties.
The other
illustration of this principle is when the Prophet and Abu Bakr were migrating
from Makkah to Madina. They hid in a cave, but the Quraysh, in their attempt to
kill them, followed them to the entrance of the cave. However, Allāh made a
spider weave its web at the entrance of the cave, and when the Quraysh saw
this, they thought that no one could be inside, so they went away. This shows
that if Allāh wants, He can make a spider’s web – flimsy and weak as it is – a
cause and means of victory for whomever He chooses.
----
Notes:
[1]
Al-Qur’ān 14:1
[2]
Al-Qur’ān 3:110
Original
Headline: How do Muslims improve their position in the world today?
Source: The islam21c.com
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-society/sayyid-qutb-version-white-man/d/124284