Women site, - Are We True Muslims? - II

Share

- -









Two Kinds of Muslims
Partial Muslims
Some Muslims profess faith in Allaah Almighty and the Messenger sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam and declare Islam as their religion; but then they confine this Islam to only a part of their lives. To the extent of this part, they express great attachment to Islam, extensively perform worship rituals like Prayers, use of the rosary, remembrance of Allaah Almighty. They are very particular in conforming to outward piety in matters like food, dress and other external social, cultural customs. Thus they are fully 'religious'.
But beyond these conventions their lives are not according to what Allaah Almighty commands. If they love, they love for the sake of their own selves, their country, their nation, or for anything else, but not for Allaah Almighty. If they become displeased, are angry, hate someone, make enemies, or wage war, it too is for the sake of some worldly or selfish interest. Their relations with their businesses, their wives and children, families, societies — will all be to a great extent unaffected by Islam and based on secular considerations. As landlords, traders, rulers, soldiers, professional people — in all spheres they will behave as if they are autonomous, having no connection with their position as Muslims. When such people establish cultural, educational and political norms and institutions, these have nothing to do with Islam, even though they may seem Islamic.
True Muslims
The second kind of Muslims are those who completely merge their personalities and existences into Islam. All the roles they have become subordinate to the one role of being Muslims. They live as Muslims when they live as fathers, sons, husbands or wives, businessmen, landlords, laborers, employers. Their feelings, their desires, their ideologies, their thoughts and opinions, their likes and dislikes, all are shaped by Islam. Allaah's guidance holds complete sway over their hearts and minds, their eyes and ears, their bellies, their sexual desires, their hands and feet, their bodies and souls. Neither their loves nor their hatreds are formed independently of Islamic criteria. Whether they fight or make friends, it is purely for the sake of Islam. If they give anything to anybody, it is because Islam requires it to be given. If they withhold anything from anybody, it is because Islam wants it to be withheld.
And this attitude of theirs is not limited to personal lives; their public lives, their societies are also based entirely on Islam. Their collectivity exists for Islam alone; their collective behavior is governed by the precepts of Islam alone.
What Kind of Muslims Allaah Almighty Desires
The above two kinds of Muslims are significantly different from each other, even if, legally, both are included in the Ummah and the word `Muslim' is applied to both equally. Historically the first kind of Muslims have made no achievement which may be worthy of mention or which merits our being proud of it. Nothing these ‘Muslims’ have done has left an Islamic imprint on the pages of world history. The world has received no benefit from their existence; indeed, Islam has suffered decay because of them. Because of the preponderance of such `Muslims' in Muslim society, power and world leadership largely passed into the hands of rebels against Allaah Almighty. For these `Muslims' have been content merely with ensuring that they enjoy the freedom to live religiously within the narrow confines of their private lives.
Allaah Almighty never desired to have such `Muslims'. Nor did He Almighty send His Prophets or reveal His Books to make them. Indeed it is the second kind of Muslims who are desired by Allaah Almighty. Only they can ever accomplish anything worthwhile from the Islamic point of view.
Supreme Loyalty to Allaah Almighty
This is not a phenomenon peculiar to Islam. In fact, no way of life can ever prevail in the world if its followers accord their faith and commitment a subordinate position in their lives. Or, if they live and die for causes other than their faith. We see even today that only those are considered real and true followers of a creed or ideology who are loyal to it with their hearts and souls. Every creed in the world desires such adherents and no creed can prevail in the world except through such followers.
However, there is an important difference between Islam and other creeds and ideologies. Although others demand from men total loyalty and dedication, they in fact have no such right upon him, their claims are entirely unjustified. The objects they place before men are not the kind of objects for which a human being should sacrifice anything. But Allaah almighty for whom Islam demands the sacrifice of life has a right upon us. Everything must be given in His way, for whatever exists in heaven and on earth belongs to Allaah Almighty. Man himself, whatever he possesses, and whatever lies within him, all belong to Allaah Almighty. It is therefore in perfect harmony with justice as well as reason that whatever belongs to Allaah Almighty must be reserved only for Him Alone. Whatever sacrifice man makes for others or for his own benefit or to gratify his desire is indeed a breach of trust unless it be with the permission of Allaah Almighty. And whatever sacrifice is made for Allaah Almighty is in reality a payment of what is due.
But, one lesson Muslims must learn from those who are sacrificing everything for the sake of their false ideologies and false gods: how strange it is that, while such unimaginable dedication, sacrifice and fidelity is being shown for false gods, not even a thousandth part of it is shown for the True God by those who profess faith in them.
Where Do We Stand?
Let us examine our lives by the crucial criteria of Imaan and Islam as laid down by the Quran and the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam.
If you claim that you have accepted Islam, have you oriented your living and your dying towards Allaah only? Are you living for His cause alone? Are your hearts and minds, your bodies and souls, your time and efforts, being devoted to the fulfillment of Allaah's commands? Is that mission being accomplished through you which He wants to be fulfilled by the Muslim Ummah? And, again, do you obey and serve only Allaah? Have you eliminated from your lives subservience to selfish desires and obedience to family, brotherhood, friends, society and state?
Have you made your likes and dislikes totally subordinate to what Allaah Desires? If you love somebody, is it really for the sake of Allaah? If you dislike somebody, is that too for the sake of Allaah? Is no element of selfishness involved in this? Do you give and withhold only for the sake of Allaah? Are you spending on your own selves and giving wealth to other people, or withholding the same, because that is what Allaah Almighty wants? Is your motive nothing but to gain His pleasure?
If you find such a state of faith and submission within yourself, you should thank Allaah that He has bestowed upon you the blessing of Imaan in its fullness. And if you feel any deficiency, you must give up every other concern and worry and concentrate wholly on remedying this deficiency. For on its removal depends your wellbeing in this world as well as your success in the Hereafter. Whatever success you may enjoy in the present life will not compensate you for the loss you will suffer in the Hereafter due to this deficiency. But if you make up for this deficiency, even if you gain nothing in this world, you will benefit immensely in the life to come.
Do not use this criterion to test or judge others and determine whether they are Believers or hypocrites and Muslims or disbelievers; use it only to judge your own selves and, if you detect any deficiency, try to remove it before you meet Allaah Almighty. How a mufti )religious jurist( or a court judges you should be of least concern to you; it is only the judgment of the Supreme Ruler and Knower of the seen and unseen which matters. Do not become happy merely on seeing your names registered as Muslims, but remain anxious about how and where your names are entered in the Register of Allaah Almighty.
Real success consists in your being judged as believers and not hypocrites, obedient and not disobedient, faithful and not unfaithful, by that God who is the final Judge.

- PUBLISHED by"NajimudeeN_M-INDIA"