The light of the truth andthe fire of misconception

We live in a disturbed world. We encounter waves upon waves of
darkness. One who searches for the truth will struggle to see it,
except for he upon whom Allaah bestows His mercy and guides to it.
There are a multitude of television channels that people are exposed
to today, to the extent that the average universitygraduate watches
six hundred (600) hours of television annually.Eighty percent (80%) of
teenagersconsider television as their main source of information, to
say nothing of the effects of the internet. This is how great the
effect of this device is on them, to the point that one of those
surveyed stated that he flips between fifty two (52) television
channels daily.
Add to this other means, whether, text, audio or video, that influence
people's minds, and we come to realise that there is an immense
negative effect.
It is a common tool that has always been used by the enemiesof Islam.
They do not touch upon any aspect of our religion except that they
arouse misconceptions regarding it, and this represents a round in the
battle between the followers of the truth and thefollowers of
falsehood.
Man's natural disposition is to follow Islam as Allaah Says (what
means): "So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion,
inclining to truth. [Adhere to] theFitrah [i.e., natural disposition]
ofAllaah upon which He has created[all] people…" [Quran 30: 30] This
is what the enemies of Islam have launched a war against, in an
attempt to divert people from our religion. In a Sacred Hadeeth, the
Prophet narrated that Allaah Says: "I have created people upon natural
disposition (Islam), but the devils then divert them from their
religion and deem lawful for them what I have prohibited and command
them to associate with Me that for which I have not sent down
authority."
The situation has stemmed into people being divided into two groups:
those who believe and those who disbelieve. This is the wisdom of
Allaah, as He Says (what means): "And if your Lord had willed, He
could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to
differ." [Quran 11: 118] A group of peoplewill go to Hell and a group
will goto Paradise. This is based on His ultimate wisdom. Hell will be
filled, as Allaah Says (what means): "…And the word of your Lord is to
be fulfilled that: 'I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all
together.'" [Quran 11: 119] Allaah has addressed both Hell and
Paradise and informed them that He will admit into each enough
inhabitants to fill them.
Allaah has distinguished the people of the truth from those
offalsehood saying (what means): "Not equal are the blind and the
seeing. Nor are the darkness and the light. Nor are the shade and the
heat. And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allaah causes
to hear whom he wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves.
You [O Muhammad] are not but a warner." [Quran 35: 19-23]
This propagation of misconceptions through satellite television
channels, radio stations, magazines and newspapers is such a dangerous
development that it could lead tomass confusion and disorder; it may
thereby kill people's hearts so that they may no longer possess the
ability to distinguish the truth.
It is the will of Allaah that he established proof against mankind by
revealing His books and sending His messengers, the Quran being the
last and final proof against His creation. Allaah Says (what means):
"And thus Wehave revealed to you an inspiration of Our command [i.e.,
the Quran]. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but
We have made it a lightby which We guide whom We will of Our
slaves..." [Quran 26: 52]
It is the light of guidance and therescue for those who are exposed to
such misconceptions. Allaah Says (what means): "Allaahis the Light
[i.e., the source and bestower of light and enlightenment] of the
heavens and the earth. The example of Hislight [i.e., guidance] is
like a nichewithin which is a lamp. The lamp is within glass, the
glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from[the oil of] a
blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil
would almost glow even if untouched by fire…" [Quran 24: 35]
These misconceptions and falsehoods which the disbelieverspropagate
are described by Allaah as (what means): "But the disbelievers – their
deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is
water until, when he comes to it, he finds it nothing but finds Allaah
before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allaah is Swift
in Account. Or [they are] like darknesses within a deep sea which is
covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds –
darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand
[therein], he can hardly see it. And for he for whom Allaah has not
granted light – for him there is no light." [Quran 24: 39-40]
Some people are deafened to hearing the truth and blinded from seeing
it, they can never be guided to it. There are, however, others for
whom Allaah opened their hearts and guided to the truth; these people
acknowledged and accepted this and are alert to what Allaah has
revealed. Such people can clearly see the truth and easily
recogniseit, and this is the light that Allaahaddressed in the
abovementioned (thirty-fifth) verse of chapter An-Noor.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim stated:"Belief is complete light, and produces
light, and the abode of this light is the slave's heart and soul;
disbelief is utter darkness and leads to darkness, the place of which
is also in the heart and soul… When one whose heart is filled with
light reads the Quran, he feels as if its meanings were written in his
heart."
One of the ways of Allaah is His decree that conflict would
alwaysexist between the followers of the truth and those of falsehood,
as He Says (what means): "…And ifit were not for Allaah checking
[some] people by means of others, the earth would have been
corrupted…" [Quran 2: 251] This is something that is continuous, but
the final victory and good end will be in favour of the believers, as
Allaah Says (what means): "Allaah has written [i.e., decreed]: 'I will
surely overcome, I and My messengers' …" [Quran 58: 21]
Allaah willing, nobody can mislead with a misconception one whose
heart is pure and upon the sound nature on which he was created. When
a misconception presents itself to a believer whose heart is filled
with light that he derives from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
the Messenger such a believer will strike truth upon the falsehood and
it destroys it, causing it to vanish.
True happiness and guidance lies in following the way of the Messenger
and real misery is the fruit of differing from his way. Imaam Ibn
Taymiyyah said: "The message (of Muhammad ) is light and life for the
universe, and is the way to its reformation. If life and lightare
missing, life becomes dark and cursed, except for the parts of it on
which the message was revealed. Likewise is the case for the slave:
unless the light of the message has risen in his heart and has
affected him, he will live in darkness until death."
The door of misconception was closed during the time of the Prophet
and during the caliphate of Abu Bakr but it was burst open by the
assassination of 'Umar . It was then that religious innovations began
to appear, andthe companions of the Messenger who had remained
resisted them resiliently. Things have continued to deteriorate from
that time until misconceptions have prevailed.
Allaah with His comprehensive Knowledge knew that such misconceptions
would appear, which is why He has instilled refutations for them in
the Quran. For example, a man once approached one of the Companions
holding a bone of a dead person and then crushed it in front of him,
asking:"Can your Lord revive this after what I have just done to it?"
Allaah then revealed the following verses (which mean): "Does man not
consider that We created him from a [mere] sperm-drop – then at once
he is aclear adversary. And he presents for Us an example and forgets
his[own] creation. He says: 'Who willgive life to bones while they are
disintegrated?' Say: 'He will give them life who produced them the
first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'" [Quran 36: 77-79]
Also, the disbelievers claimed that the Prophet was receiving and
relating the Quran from a non-Arab carpenter in Makkah, so Allaah
revealed the following verse (which means): "And We certainly know
that theysay: 'It is only a human being who teaches him [i.e., the
Prophet ].' The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, and this
[recitation, i.e., Quran] is in a clear Arabic language." [Quran
16:103]
The enemies of Islam have not left a single field except that theyhave
aroused misconceptions regarding it, even when it comes to Allaah, an
example of which is the claim of the Christians that Allaah is one of
three (i.e., the concept of trinity).
An important contemporary example of mass misconception is
globalisation, and this is something that we must all combat. Under
the pretext of this, everything is allowed, including television
channels thatpropagate Christianity and attack Islam, the Quran and
the Messenger and some of theseattacks are claimed, deceitfully
ofcourse, to be based on authentic prophetic narrations from
Al-Bukhaari. People therefore watch this and complain of thereby
becoming confused.
It is important, therefore, that a Muslim distances himself from
misconceptions and refuses to expose himself to them; he must leave
the matter of refuting misconceptions and debating with those who
propagate them to the scholars. How can a Muslim who believes in
Allaah and the Last Day attend gatherings or locations in which
misconceptions are discussed and expose his eyes to the prohibited
matters that occur in them and then complain of beingconfused? When
one watches anyof the multitudes of satellite television channels that
propagate misconception, he is committing a prohibition, because
Allaah Says (what means): "And when you see thosewho engage in
[offensive] discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them
until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause
you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the
wrongdoing people." [Quran 6: 68]
Imaam Ash-Shawkaani said: "This verse includes a stern reminder to
those who undermine sitting with innovators who play with the words
found in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah and who distort the correct
usage of words. The very least that one is required to do regarding
such people is to abandon sitting withthem, which is an effortless
action."
We have seen some of these cursed gatherings, refuted falsehood and
supported the truth on many occasions to the best of our ability, but
even thosewho are well founded upon knowledge have problems when they
sit with the people who propagate such filth. Therefore, ifa common
man allows such people to talk and sits and listensto them, he will
certainly becomeconfused.