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Lesson 3: Neglect Tawheed and Humiliation Follows
We finished previously with discussing the causes of the humiliation of the Muslims at the hands of their enemies. So, when we look at the Islamic world, we see that most of those who ascribe themselves to Islam, they do not practice it. They are not steadfast, they have no firm hand-hold, except those whom Allah has guided by his mercy.
Many Muslims are just Muslims by name ―they have Muslim names like Ahmed, Muhammad, Abdullah, Abdul-Rahman and so on ―and when we look at their beliefs (‘Aqeedah), they are upon an ‘Aqeedah that is contrary to the Qur’an and Sunnah. Many Muslims direct worship to other than Allah (the Most High) ―they attach themselves in worship to the dead in their graves, to shrines and tombs of peers and saints ―those whom they refer to as the awliyā (the allies) of Allah or sālihīn (the righteous). So they venerate the graves and they build tombs and shrines over them and then supplicate to those within them, seeking help and intercession―this is the epitome of polytheism (shirk).
Furthermore, when we look at the Islamic Ummah, we see that many Muslims do not even pray, or pay the Zakāt or fast —they do not establish that which Allah (the Most High) has made obligatory upon them. It is for this reason, they are not aided by Allah and they are not able to repel the attack from their enemies ―because they do not fulfil that which Allah (the Most High) has made obligatory upon them ―so they are left without Allah’s support. This is the state of many Muslims ―their religion is lost to them and Allah (the Most High) has caused them to be lost.
So, from the most important of affairs and reasons that have led to the Muslims being tormented is their neglect of the worship of Allah (the Most High) and their neglect of Tawheed. Many Muslims do not understand Tawheed, and what it means or how to establish it so they fall into shirk (polytheism).
Then, there are those who may not commit shirk but they will not condemn it because they do not see that forbidding shirk (polytheism) is important in these times. You will find many so-called callers to Islam who do not consider people who sit at the graves and call upon the dead and make tawāf (circumambulation) of them to have committed polytheism. I will mention this in a later chapter, inshā’-Allāh.
So these are the most important reasons behind the suffering of the Ummah, and why the Muslims are being punished, and why this humiliation is being unleashed upon them. There occurs in a narration from Imām Mālik ibn Anas (rahimahullāh, died 179H) in which he said, “The latter part of this Ummah will not be rectified except with that which rectified its early part.” There is no doubt that the Ummah is suffering and Muslims are in a state of torment and humiliation, but that torment and humiliation will not be removed up until the Muslims return back to the religion as it was in the early part of Islam, in the time of the Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) and his Companions (radiyallāhu ‘anhum).
The Messenger of Allah (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “When you partake in interest transactions (usury), hold on to the tails of cattle, become satisfied with the cultivation of the earth and you abandon striving in the path of Allah, then Allah will send down his humiliation upon you.” When will this happen? When the Muslims indulge in these acts of disobedience and sin. The Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) continued, “Allah will not remove the humiliation until you return back to your Religion.” And the religion begins with Tawheed, with the worship of Allah alone and the pillars of Imān, the Prayer and the rest of the pillars of Islam. The Prophet (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam) did not say “until you revolt, carry out terrorist attacks, or until you demonstrate and march in the streets and lobby parliament, etc.” He began with the essential affair of Religion.
If they were only to hold on to their religion, establish the Tawheed of Allah, establish the ‘aqeedah that is found in the Book and the Sunnah, and they were to hold on to the Rope of Allah, all of them united and not divide ―then that which has befallen them would be alleviated, just as Allah (the Most High) has mentioned, “Allah will surely aid those who aid his religion, and indeed Allah is the All-Powerful and He is All-Mighty.”
Allah (the Most High) stated,
الَّذِينَ إِن مَّكَّنَّاهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ أَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَوُا الزَّكَاةَ وَأَمَرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَاقِبَةُ الْأُمُورِ – 22:41
“Those whom, when we establish them in the earth, they will perform the prayer, pay the Zakāt and they will enjoin that which is good and forbid that which is evil, and with Allah is the end result.” (Surah al-Hajj: 41).
So, Allah has made clear that the believers, the Muslims, will not attain the help and support of Allah except with these core elements that Allah has made mention of in this verse. If they are not present, then the aid of Allah will not come. And those affairs are: That they will establish the prayer, pay the zakat, enjoin the good and forbid the evil.
These are the core elements ―and which of these affairs are present amongst the Muslims today? Where is the prayer in many of the Muslims homes―there are so many Muslims who do not even pray! Where is the correct ‘aqeedah of many of those who ascribe themselves to Islam? They want the victory of Allah and they want the humiliation to be removed, but they don’t pray, they don’t pay the zakat, many of them don’t fast Ramadan, and the furthest thing from their mind is the Hajj. Worse than all of that is they don’t even possess the sound ‘aqeedah (i.e. the correct belief). They don’t know it, they don’t study it, they don’t learn it, yet they attach themselves to Islam, and then they want the victory from Allah.
Allah (the Most High) has said,
وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ – 24:55
“Allah has promised those among you who believe, and do righteous deeds, that He will certainly grant them succession in the earth, as He granted it to those before them―and that He will grant them the authority to practise their religion, that which He has chosen for them (Islam). And He will surely give them in exchange safe security after their fear, provided they worship Me and do not associate anything in worship with Me. But whoever disbelieved after this, they are the rebellious, disobedient to Allah.” (Surah Al-Noor 24:55)
So what are these conditions that bring about the fulfilment of this promise of Allah? Allah states that you are to believe as you have been commanded (with the correct ‘aqeedah) ―and you work righteous deeds, then Allah will give the Muslims establishment and security. And Allah mentions towards the end of the verse, two further conditions, “So long as they worship Me alone and they do not associate partners with Me.” This verse explains the basis of the means for the revival of the Ummah of Muhammed (salallāhu ‘alaihi wasallam).
So Allah made clear that this victory and this succession will not come about unless the conditions which He has stated are met ―that they have imān, work righteous deeds that are established upon Tawheed: “that they worship Me alone”, and they do not commit shirk, “they do not associate any partners with Me.”
This is Tawheed―this is the Tawheed that the Prophets and the Messengers were sent with. So these great promises will not be attained except by those who actualize Tawheed through the worship of Allah alone, without associating partners with him. And the worship of Allah includes the Salāh (the Prayer), the Sawm (the fasting), the Zakāh, the Hajj, Du’ā, seeking refuge, sacrifice, vows and so on, all of which are performed sincerely for Allah.
So, people need to understand the Qur’an and Sunnah as the Sahābah understood ―and when they study and understand the Qur’an and Sunnah, they will find the truth. Thereafter it is upon the Muslims to act upon the truth and then call to it ―and abandon all polytheistic and superstitious practices and innovations that are alien and foreign to Islam ―and not stir-up discord in societies through demonstrations, revolutions, rebellions, uprisings and insurgencies that have no basis in the Shari’ah and only harm the Muslim Ummah.
© Copyright abukhadeejah.com 2020―Complete articles are not allowed to be copied and distributed from this website, but short excerpts with their URL links can be shared freely.
This series of articles are generally based on Al-Imām Ibn Al-Uthaimeen’s (rahimahullāh) works, “Duroos min al-Qur’ān Al-Kareem” of Al-‘Allāmah Sālih bin Fawzān bin ‘Abdillāh al-Fawzān (hafidhahullāh) and a handful of other scholarly writings.
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May Allah reward you for this reminder. Amin
May Allah (s.w.t.) continues to bless all of you at spubs and make you steadfast upon the right path. Amen