November 1, 2023

The Ummah's Failure

Towards Palestine

Although the headline here is Palestine, the reality is that there is a failure towards Islām, some major shortcomings, and some outright misuse of statements of scholars who have already passed away to satisfy certain political agendas.

1. Muslim governments are weak, divided, hate each other, and do not trust each other. Some of them might not be acting because they fear that other governments will stab them in the back. All of this is due to the shortcomings of ALL Muslim governments in comprehensively implementing the Sharī‘ah. Some of them who were a symbol of Islām at a point in history have turned into hubs for sexual promiscuity, music, entertainment, and corruption. Enjoining the good and forbidding the evil has been replaced by a general authority for entertainment that is run by losers who could not halt an annual festival for the sake of supporting Muslims getting slaughtered in Gaza. Normalizing relations with the enemies of Islām, let alone diluting Islām and attempting to blend it with false religions and ideologies, is on the rise.

2. Certain individuals who attribute themselves to the Da'wah are telling us that it is prohibited to boycott the products that support the oppressive Israeli regime, and that this can only occur by permission of the Muslim rulers. The same individuals are using statements of respectable scholars who have have passed away over 20 years go that Muslims in Palestine must migrate just as the early Muslims in Makkah migrated. First of all, everyone is free to boycott and choose what they wish to buy. This has nothing to do with obeying the ruler. Boycotting their products is the least we can do. On the other hand, defensive Jihād is an obligation that the rulers have abandoned, where is the outcry about this by those same individuals? As for migrating from Palestine, I say that those same scholars who gave such a verdict probably 30 years ago would not say the same given the situation today in which Jihād is taking place against the oppressors. That would be nothing short of turning their backs on the enemies. Neighbouring Muslim governments will be held accountable by Allāh for abandoning their brothers and sisters.

3. This blindness and extremism in giving sanctity to the rulers has caused some major blunders and misjudgments on the part of those who uphold such a strange approach. They conflate this with not rebelling. Not rebelling does not mean not advising the rulers and not calling out the corruption taking place. As the Fitnah gets worse, hypocrites will be exposed, those who hide behind the Salafī Da'wah and do this have nothing to with the Salafī Da'wah and the major scholars who called for it, especially those who have already passed away. We are to love what Allāh loves and to hate what Allāh hates. We love Muslims to the degree of their obedience to Allāh. We have an aversion to those who commit sins openly and fall short in their responsibilities. It is not an obligation to love the rulers, this is not part of the Sunnah. We may not need to mention rulers by name, and it is somewhat futile to criticize them on social media or even in private circles, but to mention them by name and praise them despite the oppression and corruption they are causing is taking it to a whole different level.

Allāh warned us about inclining towards those who do wrong [Noble Qur'ān 11:113]

The Messenger ﷺ warned us about entering upon rulers and supporting them in their lies and helping them in their wrongdoing. [https://sunnah.com/nasai:4208]

He ﷺ also told us that the greatest Jihād is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler. So the obligation is on those who are in the vicinity to advise the rulers to do so. [https://sunnah.com/abudawud:4344]

4. Muslims in general, as an Ummah, need to return to their Religion, to abandon the major sins, such as dealing in Ribā, committing Zinā, falling into Shirk whether major or minor, and to definitely get educated in the Religion to gain the balanced fear of Allāh. So-called Muslim modernists disguised as reformers must be shunned and banned. Muslims should not be fooled by them. They attack Islām from within and are most likely paid by certain corrupt governments to do so. There are Muslims who are being bombed and killed, and there are Muslims who are losing their Religion while they are alive, their ‘Aqīdah is what is killed.

The Messenger ﷺ warned us about entering upon rulers and supporting them in their lies and helping them in their wrong-doing. He ﷺ also told us that the greatest Jihād is to speak a word of justice to an oppressive ruler.

5. To blame the Palestinians for their plight as if they are paying for being corrupt Muslims is nothing short of narcissistic piety. For all we know, they could very well be the best Muslims on earth right now, especially since they are resisting the enemy while the rest of the Ummah is sleeping. In fact, Allāh warns us to fear a trial which will not strike those who have wronged among us exclusively [Noble Qur'ān 8:25] - this means that the good ones among us could very well be paying for the misdeeds of the evil ones.

6. We should also not be fooled nor get a false sense of security about so-called support from the Shī'ah. Let us not forget who was behind the demise of the Abbasid Dynasty, and who was behind the butchering of our brothers and sisters in Syria. As Sunnis, we cannot compromise our ‘Aqīdah by being so naïve. Ṣalāḥuddīn al-Ayūbī defeated the Shī'ah before defeating the crusaders.

In conclusion, notwithstanding the rulers, the Muslim armies did not move an inch, they are Muslims who are a part of this Ummah. If that is their condition, then this is reflective of our overall condition. It is never too late to repent and mend our ways. We are to do our best, no matter where we live, to be true slaves of Allāh.