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“Son, that’s what happens when you read the Qur’an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be Changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives.”
By Hadrat Mawlānā Muhammad Saleem Dhorat hafizahullāh
Indeed, We have sent down the Dhikr [the Qur‘ān], and indeed We are its guardian. (15:9)
In this verse Allāh ta‘ālā proclaims that it is He, and He alone, who has revealed the Glorious Qur’ān to mankind, which means it is His Word. This claim is followed by a proof to validate it: that Allāh ta‘ālā Himself is its guardian and protector. When Allāh ta‘ālā protects something, nothing and no one can ever interfere with it, so the continual preservation of the Qur’ān is a proof that it is the Word of Allāh ta‘ālā. There are many other proofs of the Divine origin of the Qur’ān, including its i‘jāz (inimitability) – the challenge to mankind to invent even a single verse to match the Qur’ān in its perfection. However, the preservation of the Qur’ān is a proof that even a child can understand.
Over 1,400 years have passed and it is still plain for everyone to see that not a single change has occurred in the Qur’ān. To fulfil the promise of protecting the Qur’ān, Allāh ta‘ālā has created a comprehensive system consisting of scribes who accurately copy the text; huffāzwho accurately memorise its words; qurrā who preserve its mode of recitation; and mufassirīn, muhaddithīn, fuqahā and ‘ulamā who protect its meaning and message.
Non-Muslim experts, while arguing over the authorship of the Qur’ān, nevertheless acknowledge that despite the passage of over fourteen centuries it has not undergone even the slightest alteration – not of a single letter or diacritical mark.
It is obvious that a very powerful being must be safeguarding the Qur’ān for it to have been preserved over so many centuries.
The Protected Book
‘Allāmah Al-Qurtubī rahimahullāh narrates an interesting story about the preservation of the Qur’ān. Once a stranger attended one of the debates that the ‘Abbāsid Khalīfah Ma’mūn Ar-Rashīd used to hold at his court. The man spoke eloquently during the debate, and afterwards Ma’mūn summoned him. Sensing that he was not a Muslim he asked him whether he was a Jew. The man replied that he was. Ma’mūn then invited him to embrace Islām and, as a test, offered him incentives for doing so. However, the man preferred to keep his religion, the religion of his forefathers.
A year later the same man attended the court of Ma’mūn as a Muslim and spoke learnedly on Islamic jurisprudence. Afterwards, Ma’mūn called him and asked him if he was the same man who had come the year before. He replied in the affirmative, and upon being asked how he had come to become a Muslim he told his story.
After he had left the debate the previous year he had decided to examine the different religions. Being a good calligrapher he made three copies of the Tawrāt, making some additions and omissions in the process. He took the copies to its adherents and they bought them from him. He then made three copies of the Injīl, again making some additions and omissions, and took them to its adherents, who bought them. Then he did exactly the same with the Qur’ān and took the copies to the Muslims. They checked them and when they noticed the additions and omissions they discarded the copies and refused to buy them. “I realised then that this was a Protected Book, and that was how I came to embrace Islām,” concluded the man.
Enthusiasm for Memorising the Qur’ān
The preservation of the Qur’ān is a great miracle, and the means Allāh ta‘ālā employs in its preservation are also amazing. Parents who encourage their children to memorise the entire Qur’ān are aware of the rewards they and their children will receive for doing so, but the children themselves are not. If you were to ask the students of a typical tahfīz-ul-Qur’ān class what the rewards for memorising the Qur’ān are, majority would not be able to reply. Despite this, the desire Allāh ta‘ālā places in their hearts to memorise the Qur’ān is such that very few if any would dream of giving it up.
Wherever you go you will see that there are never enough tahfīz-ul-Qur’ān classes and that they are always oversubscribed! Just think, what power is there besides Allāh ta‘ālā that is keeping our children committed to memorising the Qur’ān? There are countless other well-known good deeds that promise great rewards, yet people do not adhere to them with such commitment and dedication as to memorising the Qur’ān. Allāh ta‘ālā Himself puts the love of memorising His Word into the hearts of young people!
Nowhere in the whole world will you see classes full of children memorising a book that they do not understand. It is a miracle of the Qur’ān that people are able to learn a whole foreign alphabet and how to read in the foreign language, without learning to understand the language; furthermore, then they memorise a whole book in that language, and then keep it memorised for the rest of their lives.
Remarkable Huffāz
Throughout history there are examples of people who memorised the Qur’ān at a very young age and also in a very short time. Ibn Labbān rahimahullāh memorised the entire Qur’ān in just one year, remarkable in itself, but even more amazing is that he completed his memorisation at the age of five! Hāfiz Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalānī rahimahullāh became a hāfiz by the age of nine, and at the age of eleven led the Tarāwīh Salāh in Al-Masjid Al-Harām. Imām Ash-Shāfi‘ī rahimahullāh memorised the Qur’ān in just one month. When Imām Muhammadrahimahullāh went to study under Imām Abū Hanīfah rahimahullāh he was asked whether he had memorised the entire Qur’ān or not, for admission to his classes was conditional on being a hāfiz. He replied that he had not, but his desire to acquire knowledge was so great that he returned after just one week and told Imām Abū Hanīfah rahimahullāh that he was now a hāfiz!
Connect Yourself to the Qur’ān
After learning something of the miraculous nature of the Glorious Qur’ān, we need to take some practical steps to connect ourselves with it:
1. Reciting the Qur’ān regularly. Recite one juz daily, or if that is not possible then half a juz or a quarter, but recite daily. If the remembrance of Allāh ta‘ālā in its various forms such as tasbīh, tahmīd, salāt ‘alan-Nabī, du‘ā etc. are compared to individual ‘vitamins’ beneficial to a person’s spiritual health, the Qur’ān can be likened to a multivitamin, for it contains them all.
2. Attend tajwīd classes in your locality in order to learn how to recite the Qur’ān properly, which is one of the rights of the Qur’ān.
3. Attend the Durūs (lessons) of the Qur’ān delivered by the ‘ulamā in your locality in order to understand the message of the Qur’ān.
4. Practise upon the teachings of the Qur’ān.
5. Propagate the teachings of the Qur’ān.
6. Respect the people of the Qur’ān, i.e. the huffāz and ‘ulamā. Refrain from disrespecting them and talking ill of them at all costs. ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd-ul-‘Azīzrahimahullāh used to say, “Become an ‘ālim if you can. If you cannot then become a student of ‘ilm. And if you cannot then have love for them [the ‘ulamā and students]. And if you cannot then do not have hatred for them.”
May Allāh ta‘ālā grant us love for and affinity with the Qur’ān, the ability to memorise it, recite it in the proper manner, understand it and act according to it. Āmīn.
© Islāmic Da’wah Academy
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All praise is to Allah, the Protector of the final Message which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) through the Angel Jibreel. May Peace and Blessings be upon the final Messenger, his family, companions and all those who follow him until the last hour.![1427896278692[1]](https://mylittlebreathingspace.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/14278962786921.jpg)
Allah says, “O Mankind! There has come to you a heart-rending advice from your Sustainer and healing for what is in the breasts and guidance and mercy for the believers.” (Yunus:57)
The Qur’an is the word of the Ever-living God, it has been sent down to guide humanity for all times to come. No book can be like it, as you come to the Qur’an, God speaks to you. To read the Qur’an is to hear Him, converse with Him and to walk in His ways. It is the encounter of life with the Life-giver. “God- there is no deity except Him, the Ever-living, the Sustainer of Existence. He has sent down upon you, [O, Muhammad], the Book in Truth, confirming what was before it.” (Ale Imran 2-3)
For those who heard it for the first time from the lips of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the Qur’an was a living reality. They had absolutely no doubt that, through him, God was speaking to them. Their hearts and minds were therefore seized by it. Their eyes overflowed with tears and their bodies shivered. They found each word of it deeply relevant to their concerns and experiences and integrated it fully into their lives. They were completely transformed by it; both as individuals and as a nation – into a totally new, alive and life-giving entity. Those who grazed sheep herded camels and traded petty merchandise became the leaders of mankind.
New World
As we come to the Qur’an, we come to a new world. Each verse (ayah) is a sign of God – informing us of His infinite mercy, power and knowledge. No other venture in our lives can be so momentous and crucial, so blissful and rewarding, as our journey to and through the Qur’an. It is a journey that will take us through the endless joys and riches of the worlds that our Creator and Lord has sent to us and all mankind. Here we will find a world of untold treasures of knowledge and wisdom to guide us on the pathways of life, to mould our thoughts and actions. In it, we will find deep insights to enrich us and steer us along the right course. From it, you will receive a radiant light to illuminate the deeper reaches of your soul. Here we will encounter profound emotions, warmth to melt our hearts and bring tears running down our cheeks.
It is beyond man’s power to fully comprehend or to describe the greatness and importance of what the Qur’an holds for him. It is God’s greatest blessing for him. It is the fulfilment of His promise to Adam (peace and blessings be upon him) and his descendants: “…when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows My guidance – there will be no fear upon them, nor will they grieve“ (2:38). It is only the only weapon to help our frail existence as we struggle against the forces of evil and temptation in this world. It is the only means to overpower our fears and anxieties. It is the only light (nur), as we wander in the darkness, with which to find our way to success and salvation. It is the only healing (Shifa) for our inner sicknesses, as well as the social ills that may surround us. It is the constant reminder (dhikr) of our true nature and destiny, of our station, our duties, our rewards and our perils.
God – the Greatest
The Qur’an was brought down by the one who is powerful and trustworthy in the heavens – the angel Gabriel. Its first abode was the pure and sublime heart, the like of which no man has ever had – the heart of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). More than anything, it is the only way to come nearer and closer to our creator. It tells us of Him, of His attributes, of how He rules over the cosmos and history, of how He relates Himself to us, and how we should relate to Him and to ourselves. (1)
Virtues of reading the Qur’an
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The best amongst you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it.” (2)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A person well-versed in reading the Qur’an is equal in rank to the Noble, pious, Scribes (angels who record all deeds). He who finds difficulty in reciting the Qur’an will obtain two rewards.” (3)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A person whose bosom is devoid of the Qur’an (he who has not learnt anything of the Qur’an Majeed) is like a desolate house.” (4)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A person who recites one letter of the Qur’an, obtains one virtue; each virtue multiplies to ten virtues. I do not say that “Alif-Lam-Meem” is one letter. But, Alif is one letter, Lam is one letter and Meem is one letter.” (5)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Continue reciting the Qur’an because on the Day of Qiyamah it will appear as an intercessor for the reciter.” (6)
Abu Sa`id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Allah Most High says, ‘Whoever is busied by the recitation of the Qur’an from asking Me, I grant him the best of what what granted to those who asked.” (7)
Facts about the Qur’an
The Qur’an is in Arabic language.
The Glorious Qur’an is the Word of Allah as revealed to His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
On reading and understanding the message of the Qur’an one is at once convinced that it is the word of Allah, for no man can write such perfect guidance on so many diverse subjects.
The Holy Qur’an says that no man will be able to forge even a part of it and that no corruption shall touch it from any side. It is a miracle that the Holy Qur’an has remained unchanged and unaltered during all these 1400 years and it shall remain so till the Day of Resurrection, for Allah has taken it on himself to protect it.
The Book of Allah is like an ocean. The less learned, like children, collect pebbles and shells from its shores. The scholars and thinkers, like pearl divers, bring out from it the highest philosophy, wisdom and rules of a perfect way of living.
For easily daily recitation, the Qur’an is divided into thirty equal parts. On average one part takes twenty-four reading minutes, thus the whole Book requires twelve reading hours. There are 114 chapters, and 6,226 verses, containing 99,464 words made up of 330, 113 letters. Allah knows best.
The Qur’an is the most read book on earth and is memorised by hundreds of thousands of people from all parts of the world. It has been translated into over 100 languages.
No person can afford to be ignorant of the Qur’an, for it is the constitution revealed by God to regulate and govern human life. It speaks with the perfect knowledge of the Creator about His creation. It exposes the Truth and invites man to the way of truth. It contains important information about human destiny and that of the individual. It educates and raises man to the highest moral, intellectual and social level when they strive to comprehend it and apply its teachings to life. It is an eternal miracle, a proof of Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) prophethood, and a challenge to all succeeding generations. It is of unique and inimitable quality. Revealed fourteen centuries ago, it remains today completely intact and unaltered in its original Arabic form.
Unfortunately, today we as Muslims have deserted the Qur’an. I am writing this article the night before Ramadhan as I know tomorrow Muslims will take down their Qur’ans from their shelves, wipe the dust and read it for the next thirty days. How sad, when the Qur’an was made your ’self’, to rectify yourself (spiritually), not for your shelf! Other than Ramadhan, we may pick it up on the odd occasion of a funeral. Let me ask you brothers and sisters, was the Qur’an revealed for the living or for the dead? And finally, we use it for Ta’weez (amulets). But again, was the Qur’an only made for this purpose? I swear by Allah! If you read the Qur’an and act upon it, the black magic will disappear and those who create magic/witchcraft will also vanish!!
When Khalid bin Waleed (Allah be pleased with him) would return from Jihad, he would lift the Qur’an to his forehead and says, “O Qur’an! Forgive us! We were busy in Jihad and left you.”
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DEAR MUSLIMS! What is keeping us busy from the Qur’an?! Facebook? Twitter? Just ‘liking’ a page on Islam or Qur’an and ‘retweeting’ quotes about the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and daily hadith is NOT enough as Muslims. We need to act upon Islam and act upon the Qur’an, become ambassadors of Allah, of Islam and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Reading Islamic books and magazines is great, but I remember Shaykh Saleh alMaghamsi once said “No matter what you read; an Islamic book or magazine, whether it is written by a great shaykh or scholar – it cannot equate to one verse of the Qur’an!“
As well as reading the Qur’an, understanding the Qur’an is also important. In previous times, many people would object saying, ‘don’t study the Qur’an alone’ as this will lead you astray. I say, the Qur’an has guided hundreds and thousands to Islam – Alhumdu Lillah! How can you say by reading the Qur’an one will become a deviant? Learn Arabic and join a class, listen to what Allah is telling us. Read the Qur’an with love and devotion, just like a lover reads a letter (email/text nowadays) from his beloved with such concentration and undivided attention. Which brings me to a quote of Mawlana Yusuf Ludhyanwi (Allah have mercy upon him), “The first level of reading Qur’an is to read as though Allah (Glorified be He) is listening to you. But the higher level is to read the Qur’an as though Allah (Glorified be He) is talking to you himself.” Allah enable us to do so.
Unfortunately, most of us are guilty of not reading the Qur’an daily or even weekly. There was a time not so long ago when voices of men and women could be heard early in the morning reciting Qur’an. Today, we will hear the sound of the television; cartoons and news. Or it will be music and the radio. Sometimes all we hear is our children bickering over breakfast, as our children have become so spoilt they complain about almost everything. Khayr, that is a different topic for a different day! We seldom hear Qur’an from any house at any time of the day, except Ramadhan. Is it fair to say that we only remember Allah in Ramadhan? We only read His message in Ramadhan? We check our social media account several times a day, we read newspapers every other day, we watch the news a couple of times during the week – all of this is not helpful to us in the Hereafter at all. But the Word of Allah, the Book of Allah, the Message of Allah is picked up once a year! Subhan’Allah – the Muslim Ummah is a sad state of affairs, Allah have mercy on us. Ameen.
Can we not even recite Surah Yaseen daily in the morning? Sayyiduna ibn Abbaas (Radhiallahu Anhu) says, ‘Whoever recites Yaseen in the morning, his work for that entire day will be made easy and whoever recites in at the end of the day, his tasks till the next morning will be made easy.’ (Sunan Daarimi vol.2 pg.549)
Three Quls daily and Ayatul Kursiyy (the greatest verse in the Qur’an). Abdullah bin Khubaib (Radhiallaho anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) said to me, ”Recite Surat Al-Ikhlas and Al-Mu`awwidhatain (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas) three times at dawn and dusk. It will suffice you in all respects.” (8)
It was narrated that Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever recites Ayat Al-
Kursi immediately after each prescribed Prayer, there will be nothing standing between him and his entering Paradise except death.” (9)
“When you lie down in your bed, recite ayat al-Kursi, Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Ever-Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists? [al-Baraqah 2:255] until the end of the ayah, then you will have a protector from Allah and no shaytan (devil) will come near you until morning comes.” (10)
For those of you who are thinking, ‘I would love to read Qur’an daily, but I’m too busy’, let this be an eye-opener for you:
Imam Sha’fiee (Allah have mercy upon him) was passing away, his daughter began to cry.
Imam Saheb (Allah have mercy upon him) asked her, “Why are you crying?”
She replied, “My father is passing away.”
Imam Sha’fiee (Allah have mercy upon him) said, “Worry not my daughter, your father has finished 4,000 Qur’an in this house.”
It is said about Imam Abu Hanifah (Allah have mercy upon him), he completed 7,000 Qur’an in his lifetime.
Imam Shu’bah (Allah have mercy upon him) completed 24,000 Qur’an.
Saleh bin Kaysan (Allah have mercy upon him) used to travel at night in the cold on his camel. He would complete two Qur’an at night.
Shaykh Saleem Dhorat Saheb (Allah lengthen his shadow) says, “The Qur’an was revealed in the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr). We can deduce from this the virtue of the month of Ramadhan, that this was the month that Allah chose for his revelation.” Shaykh further says, “Qur’an is the king of books and Ramadhan is the king of months.”
To conclude dear friends, we must endeavour in reading the Qur’an and understanding it. And read with Tajweed and the correct pronunciation. Many of us British kids laugh when a man comes from India/Pakistan and has a different accent, or he cannot pronounce ‘sh’ and says ‘sopping’ instead of shopping etc. We really don’t have much room to laugh if we cannot even read Allah’s kalaam correctly. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Many people read Qur’an and the Qur’an curses them.” So we think we are gaining reward, and the Qur’an curses us! How? Because we do not read it correctly with Tajweed. Just a thought: for those who are not Hafidh, but want to recite more Qur’an in Ramadhan they should repeat the same Para every day. E.g. First day 1st para, 2 or 3 times, I believe this will speed your pace. By repeating the same para every day will help you In Sha Allah and you can do more Qur’an in Ramadhan.
Let us reflect upon this:Abandoning the Qur’an has 5 degrees:1. To stop reading it 2.Not reflecting on the verses of the Qur’an 3. Not understanding it 4.Not acting upon it 5. Giving da’wah with Qur’an without portraying it in your own lifeThe rights of the Qur’an:1. To believe in it 2. To recite it 3. To understand it 4. To act upon it 5. To relay the message of the Qur’an
Allah grant us love for His message and His beautiful words. Ameen.
Ismail Ibn Nazir Satia (One who is in dire need of Allah’s mercy, pleasure and forgiveness).
1 Ramadhan 1436
References:
1 – Qur’an Project
2 – Bukhari
3 – Bukhari, Muslim
4 – Tirmidhi
5 – Tirmidhi
6 – Muslim
7 – Tirmidhi
8 – Abu Dawood
9 – Nisai
10 – Bukhari
By Khalid Baig – (From the book ‘First Things First’)
The article below is adapted from two talks of Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah have mercy on him) given in 1963 and published in the booklet Wahdat e Ummat.
“I gave a lot of thought to the causes of the sorry state of the Ummah, during the years of captivity in Malta,” said Shaykh-ul-Hind Mawlana Mahmoodul Hassan (Allah have mercy upon him). It was 1920, and at 69 not only was he one of the most distinguished scholars of his time, he had also spent a lifetime in political struggle. His audience was a gathering of Ulama, eager to hear the lessons of a lifetime of study, struggle and reflection. His conclusion: “Our problems are caused by two factors; abandoning the Qur’an and our infighting.” He spent the few remaining days of his life addressing these causes.
The reasons Shaykhul Hind (Allah have mercy upon him) stated are as valid today as they were then. They are also related; the second being caused by the first. The Qur’an had declared us as one Ummah and had warned us against infighting. We have ignored those teachings and the billion-strong Ummah has turned into an Ummah fragmented into a billion segments.
A very large number of our internal battles are the result of narrowly defined self-interest. Islam could have been the force that helped us overcome that. Unfortunately, instead of letting it fulfil that role, today we have made even religion provide us with additional and irresolvable points of conflict. We fight over petty issues of fiqh. We fight over fine points of religious interpretation. We turn minor points of religious law into big battlegrounds while most important and fundamental teachings of religion are violated.
We all do this even as this religion has been under attack from all directions. Thousands of people become apostates every year in Pakistan. Qadianis (who declare Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian to be a prophet), and munkireen e hadith have been busy attracting our new generation to their falsehoods. Haram is being declared as Halal. Our masses are ignorant of their religion and easily indulge in customs borrowed from polytheists. On top of all that is the western culture of hedonism, of shamelessness, of moral anarchy, that is invading our societies through film, television, radio and obscene literature.[And we might add now the internet.] Corruption of all sorts has permeated all layers of our society. Should not we be reflecting on this and asking ourselves what would the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) expect of us, the heirs of the Prophets? In the hereafter shall we be able to give a sufficient answer by mentioning that we wrote a book on rafa-yadain (the issue of raising hands during certain movements in obligatory prayer)?
Once I saw Mawlana Anwar Shah Kashmiri (Allah have mercy upon him) in a very sad mood. What is the matter? I asked. “I have wasted my whole life,” he said. “You have spent your entire life in spreading Islamic teachings. Thousands of your disciples are themselves Ulama who are serving the religion. If that is a waste, what hope can anyone else have?” I insisted. “Look, what has been the main thrust of all our efforts,” he replied. “It has been to show why Hanafi school is better than others. Imam Abu Hanifa (Allah have mercy upon him) did not need this. His grandeur did not need our approval. Imam Shafi’ee (Allah have mercy upon him), Imam Malik (Allah have mercy upon him) and Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (Allah have mercy upon him) could not care less about it. All that one can ever prove in these matters is that a certain position is right but has the probability of being wrong and the other position is wrong but has the probability of being right. Moreover, these issues will not be resolved even in the hereafter. For Allah (be He glorified) will not humiliate Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi’ee, Imam Malik or Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal by showing that they were in error.” Then he added: “Today when the roots of Islam are under attack, we have been busy taking care of the leaves.”
It is not that debates or disagreements in religious interpretation are themselves evil. Today, many western educated Muslims, with scant understanding of their religion do think that way. Some even suggest that we should bury all fiqhi schools and create a new one. This is neither possible nor desirable. Difference of opinion are inevitable wherever people have both intellect and honesty. Complete consensus on every issue is only possible when everyone is dumb, so they cannot think of a different idea, or they are dishonest so they willingly agree with a position they consider wrong. After all religious interpretations are not so personal rights that can be sacrificed away.
The problem rather occurs when we overstate these differences. There were difference of opinions in Fiqh amongst the companions, the Successors and great Mujtahideen. They disagreed but did they not turn these into fights. They disagreed but they maintained respect and love for each other.
The brotherhood remained intact.
They had tolerance for the other view.
How can we have tolerance for something we know is wrong? Of course we cannot have any tolerance for anything clearly established as wrong by the Qur’an or Hadith. We can never show accommodation for apostasy. We can never agree on changing the Shariah’s established definitions of halal and haram. But beyond this there are issues about which the Qur’an and Sunnah are silent or are subject to more than one interpretation.
Here the Mujtahideen deduce the intent of the Qur’an and Sunnah based on their based ability. Here disagreements are possible. As long as those involved are qualified Mujtahideen (like the four respected Imams), their differing views have to be respected. We can follow only one opinion, and we should try and determine the one closest to the intent of the Shariah, but we cannot declare opposing views as evil. We exaggerate when we deal with people holding valid opposing views as if they were outside the bounds of Islam.
Overstatement (ghuloo) is the main cause of most fights involving our religious groups. It also happens with Islamic organizations. Most are doing useful work in the areas they have chosen based on their abilities and inclinations. Had they developed a spirit of cooperation and considered their differences as just a natural division of labour, together they could have become a formidable force. Unfortunately, each one of them considers their work and methodology as the only methodology for Islamic work. If a person leaves one of these organizations to join another, he is treated as if he recanted his faith. This is ghuloo. It produces the tribalism of Jahiliya (the pre-Islamic period of ignorance) among religious workers.
Pious people are not extinct today. What we sorely need are the reformers who can rise above their narrow perspectives and heed the universal and unifying call of Islam
The ship and the lifeboats (This section contains Khalid Baig’s reflections on the above).
The above comments of Mufti Muhammad Shafi (Allah have mercy upon him) regarding ghuloo (overstatement) and tribalism in Islamic workers need to be understood in light of Muslim experience with colonialism and its aftermath. Colonialism had hit them hard. It subjugated them physically, politically, economically, culturally and mentally. It was like a big crash in which their ship was destroyed. In the immediate aftermath, survival was the main goal, and people came with whatever lifeboats they could. After the formal ending of direct colonial rule after decades of struggle, there was the time to pick up the pieces and build the ship again. The problem is they had been living in the lifeboats for so long, they confused them with the ships. They still do.
The schools for secular education were one such lifeboat. They imparted some skills necessary for survival in a changed world, although they impoverished Muslim education and society tremendously in so many ways. But today so many well-meaning people who get excited about spreading education in the Muslim world think of nothing more than establishing more of these same schools. Campaigns for “democracy,” whatever it means, were another such lifeboat, aimed at returning control of Muslim affairs to them thereby seeking liberation. Today, democracy or no democracy, nowhere do Muslims have any control over their affairs, but this lifeboat has become a ship and Khilafah, the Islamic system of governance, remains a strange entity.
Most important, Islamic organizations were such a lifeboat, aimed at gathering likeminded people so they could focus their resources and energies on some of the important things. Islamic teachings encompass our entire life and no private organisation can handle all of them to the exclusion of others. Charity is a big part of Islam and it needs organized efforts. So does Islamic education. And calling to Islam. And amr-bil-maroof-wa-nahee-anil-munkar. And the struggle on the battlefield. And so on. Those engaged in media, political, charitable, or other struggles are all part of the jihad. In the absence of the Khilafah, these are all lifeboats. Yet each of them is considered to be the ship by its occupants and captains, thereby creating new lines of cleavage within the Ummah.
The claim that what an organization is doing is the task that needs to be done and the way it is doing it, is the only Islamically legitimate way of doing it, is as damaging as it is common. It helps recruitment for a particular organization but hurts the overall cause. It may make the riders of the lifeboat feel good, but it pushes further the day when we can build the ship again. Little do we realize that one cannot live forever in the lifeboats.
The attitude also betrays lack of appreciation of the current situation of the Ummah. Since the formal end of colonialism we have been living with its legacies. One of them is an education system that we embraced as a ticket out of our miseries during that period of oppression; it compounded our problems by producing self-doubt and self-hate. It produced generations of perfect strangers within the house of Islam, who were then – for this “acheivement” – given leadership roles in all areas of Muslim societies. They hated their languages, their culture, and their religion. It is such people who rule the Muslim world today.
Simultaneously, a whole gamut of institutions, from sophisticated research centers to slick media, is dedicated to the campaign to sow doubts, to spread confusion, and to denigrate Islam. In hot spot after hot spot around the world, the sword is busy prosecuting a war on Islam. The pen is busy in both conducting a war on Islam and in trying to foment a war within Islam.
With that armada arrayed against it, not only the ship is missing here, but the lifeboats cannot even make a fleet because of their illusion that each of them is not a lifeboat but the ship.
This is not to suggest that the situation is entirely hopeless. For these are also the times when people all over the world are coming to Islam in unprecedented numbers. At a time when Muslims have lost control of the sword and the pen, Islam is finding new followers everywhere everyday. (It is quite revealing that even as Islam continues to spread despite the sword, some people continue to insist that it spread by the sword).
Within the Muslim world there are signs of awakening. Muslims are coming back to Islam after having toyed with one false ideology after another. More women are choosing Hijab and are becoming more assertive about it as a symbol of their Islamic identity. There is a greater interest in Islamic knowledge. Qur’an lectures are attracting crowds that were not seen in the past. The nature of the questions people ask about Islam is also changing. There are more “how to” and “what to” questions than “why” questions coming from the secular educated groups. As a small indicator of the new trend, the Biswa Ijtimas (annual gatherings of Tablighi Jamat in Bangladesh) lately have attracted around two million attendees. What is more, they come from widely varying segments of society. A parallel growth can be seen in Islamic activism. Politics, media, relief and charity, education, and community service are all attracting new workers and new organizations. There is new enthusiasm, new energy, and new awareness.
Can we imagine how much speedier our recovery could be if we rose above our petty perspectives, pooled our resources, and recognised the difference between the lifeboats and the ship?
Allah purify our hearts and unify our souls. Ameen.
mylittlebreathingspace - Ismail Satia 
