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The Mischief-Makers
Shaykh Saud Ash Shuraym [(Muharram 21, 1425 (March 12, 2004)]
All peace is due to
Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be upon Allaah's Messenger,
his household and companions.
Fellow Muslims! I
implore you to fear Allaah. This is His admonition for the former and later
generations. Allaah says,
"And verily, We have recommended to the
people of the ure before you, and to you (O Muslims) that you (all) fear Allaah,
and keep your duty to Him."
(An-Nisaa 4:131)
Dear Muslims! The life of this world is full of difficulties and tribulations.
One who lives there will inevitably be afflicted with
a calamity. Man in this life struggles to achieve happiness and faces the
hardships will all his ability so that he can live a befitting life. People in
this world are two categories: those who sell their souls into destruction and
those who liberate their souls from perdition. Allaah says,
"O
man! Verily, you are returning towards your Lord with your deeds and actions
(good or bad), a sure returning, so you will meet (the results of your deeds
which you did)."
(Al-Inshiqaaq 84:6)
The Prophet had excellently described this
world when he said, "This world is accursed, and all that is in it is also
accursed except remembrance of Allaah and all that is in its sense, and a
knowledgeable person, and a person who searches for knowledge."
If struggling for the life of this world is
regarded part of man's nature, many people become weak when they face worldly
challenges and the vicissitudes of life. You see them behaving as if they are
climbing up and not paying attention to anyone while their sincere brethren call
them back to the right path. These people prefer to be captives to illusions,
weakness and seeking support from foreigners. Meanings of hope or optimism have
no place in their lives and efforts to change for better have no place in their
planning. They are cowed at the least tribulations and they are weakened and
frightened at any calamity. Allaah says,
"Verily, man (disbeliever) was created very
impatient; Irritable (discontented) when evil touches him; And niggardly when
good touches him; except those who are devoted to prayers."
(Al-Ma'aarij 70:19-22)
These are people whom despair and weakness
have deprived of being proud with their humanity and the qualities of power,
patience and perseverance that are inherent in the nature of mankind. They as a
result, hesitate in their actions, are shy to show their affinities and are
undecided to show their achievements. This is weak-mindedness.
Fellow Muslims!
Constance tribulations that visit the Muslims and acts of hostilities that are
perpetrated against them by their enemies are not new development. This is
because; affliction with calamities is an ancient thing. Man is not put to trial
with bad things alone; he is also put to trial with good things as well. Allaah
says,
"We shall make a trial of you with evil and
with good. And to Us you will be returned."
(Al-Anbiyaa 21:35)
Being subjected to
trial is not an affliction in it self, the affliction lies in negative handling
of the trial. The fact is that the Muslim should clearly believe that this trial
is from Allaah and that, though the trial may be apparently bad, it may carry a
lot of hidden blessings. The greatest example of this is the famous false
accusation that is levelled against the honour of Allaah's Messenger, blessings
and peace be upon him. Allaah says about this incidence,
"Verily! Those who brought forth the slander
(against 'Aaishah (may Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the Prophet (peace
be upon him)) are a group among you. Consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay,
it is good for you."
(An-Noor 24:11)
The prosperous among mankind is the one who draws hope from difficulties and the
wise is the one who derives blessings from calamities. The overwhelming attack
on the Muslim lands teaches us a lot of lessons. Among
most important lessons learnt from these hostilities are: that however high the
degree of honour and stability the Muslims might have attained, they are not
immune from different forms of trials. They should therefore not rest on their
oars neither be overwhelmed by the trials. Also, inclination towards affluence
is undoubtedly one of the major reasons for weakness and anguish whenever a
calamity befalls the Muslims. Then, many Muslims deviate and lose hope in Allaah.
Allaah says,
"And among mankind is he who worships Allaah
as it were, upon the edge (i.e. in doubt): if good befalls him, he is content
therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts
back to disbelief after embracing Islaam). He loses both this world and the
Hereafter. That is the evident loss."
(Al-Hajj 22:11)
Dear brethren! Trial shows truthfulness or otherwise of man's faith. Allaah
says,
"Of mankind are some who say: "We believe in
Allaah," but if they are made to suffer for the sake of Allaah, they consider
the trial of mankind as Allaah's punishment."
(Al-'Ankaboot 29:10)
There is also a clear lesson in these vicious campaigns against the Muslims: It
is the exposure of some elements that have hypocritically hidden in the ranks of
the Muslims. These elements are of the same ethnicity as the Muslims and they
speak their language. They are known by their signs and their statements and
what they do in secret is known to Allaah. They are in real sense, allies to the
enemies, and their secret evil machinations are only exposed during crises and
wars.
The Muslims must therefore be aware that wars against their lands and religion
are not necessarily planned and started from outside. Rather, they should look
inward for the enemies within, for the supposed source of security may be the
very source of danger. No wonder, those who falsely accused the honour of
Allaah's Messenger were from among the ranks of the Muslims and not from
outside.
It is in the light of this that the ranks of the Muslims must be seriously
screened during crises. Allaah says addressing the Muslims during the battle of
Uhud,
"And what you suffered (of the disaster) on
the day (of the battle of Uhud when) the two armies met, was by the leave of
Allaah, in order that He might test the believers. And that He might test the
hypocrites, it was said to them: "Come, fight in the Way of Allaah or (at least)
defend yourselves." They said: "Had we known that fighting will take place, we
would certainly have followed you." They were that day, nearer to disbelief than
to Faith, saying with their mouths what was not in their hearts. And Allaah has
full knowledge of what they conceal."
(Aal 'Imraan 3:166-167)
It is therefore, not an exaggeration if one suggests that internal mischief is
more dangerous than external one and that an act of aggression from a relative
leaves more painful effect on the mind than the impact of a sword on body.
If the Qur'aan
is read with reflection and proper understanding of its meaning, it will be
clear to one that the hypocrites are mentioned in more than thirty-five places.
These are the example of the people that the Prophet warned that they would
appear at the end of the time. Hudhayfah bin Al-Yamaan asked the Prophet,
"O Allaah's Messenger! We were living in ignorance and in an
(extremely) worst atmosphere, then Allah brought to us this good (i.e., Islam);
will there be any evil after this good?" He said, "Yes." I said, 'Will there be
any good after that evil?" He replied, "Yes, but it will be tainted (not
pure.)'' I asked, "What will be its taint?" He replied, "(There will be) some
people who will guide others not according to my tradition? You will approve of
some of their deeds and disapprove of some others." I asked, "Will there be any
evil after that good?" He replied, "Yes, (there will be) some people calling at
the gates of the (Hell) Fire, and whoever will respond to their call, will be
thrown by them into the (Hell) Fire." I said, "O Allaah's Apostle! Will you
describe them to us?" He said, "They will be from our own people and will speak
our language." (Al-Bukhaaree)
In another narration, the Prophet said, "There will be men among them who will
bear devils' hearts and humans' bodies."
The above are the deions of these elements. Allaah says the truth when He
mentions them in His Book:
"And We made them leaders inviting to the
Fire: and on the Day of Resurrection, they will not be helped. And We made a
curse to follow them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection, they will be
among the despised (or destroyed)."
(Al-Qasas 28:41-42)
Brethren in faith! There is also a lesson learnt from these crises. The
surrender of some Muslims to the consequences of these events is greater than
the events themselves. For these people made a mistake by readily succumbing to
the evil that crept into the lands of the Muslims with a wrong belief that since
the majority of the people have surrender to the trends, there is no point in
resisting them. They also believe that guiding people to the right course means
in the face of these sweeping trends is a futile effort. Nothing can be farer
from truth.
The true and free Muslim is the one who disagrees with the people's way if it
contradicts the truth even if that wrong way is followed by the vast majority.
Allaah says,
"And most of mankind will not believe even if
you desire it eagerly."
(Yoosuf 12:103)
Allaah also says,
"And if you obey most of those on the earth,
they will mislead you far away from Allaah's Path."
(Al-An'aam 6:116)
It is because of this that Allaah explains the effect of wading into crises and
that doing so does not in any way excuse anyone from their responsibilities.
Allaah says commenting on the aftermaths of the crisis, in which 'Aaishah was
falsely accused of immorality,
"Unto every man among them will be paid that
which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater
share therein, his will be a great torment."
(An-Noor 24:11)
Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah and face these current crises bravely. Be proud of
your religion. Face the crises resolutely and decisively. Let us look at the
illuminating sides of our way and let us interpret things in the best possible
form that can make us hope in Allaah. Let us be sure that Allaah's Hand is over
the hands of the truthful believers whenever tribulations become unbearable.
Allaah says,
"Then whosoever breaks his pledge, breaks it
only to his own harm; and whosoever fulfills what he has covenanted with Allaah,
He will bestow on him a great reward."
(Al-Fat'h 48:10)
Brethren in Islaam! Some might be tempted to ask following questions:
Is it really reasonable that there are in the ranks of the Muslims those who
would obstruct their progress or undermine their structure?
Is it logical to believe there is among the Muslim someone who would want to
sacrifice his soul for a subversive activity that is not lesser in evil than
that of the enemies of Islaam?
Is it really possible that we, the Muslims, have reached a situation where our
sufferings at the hands of our own people are greater than our sufferings at the
hands of our enemies?
The answer to all these questions is: Yes! This should not be a surprise to us,
for the Prophet had informed us about this in the hadeeth narrated by Hudhayfah.
Had the matter not been so, Allaah would not have threatened those who strive to
cause mischief among the Muslims with a punishment when He says in His Book,
"Verily, those who like that (the crime of)
illegal sexual intercourse should be propagated among those who believe, they
will have a painful torment in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah knows
and you know not."
(An-Noor 24:19)
There is no wonder then to find elements among the ranks of the Muslims who work
for the enemies to undermine the everlasting progress of Islaam by attacking the
fundamentals of this religions and casting doubt on its values. The main
preoccupation of these elements is ridiculing the law of Islaam regarding the
woman, scorning the Muslim woman's mode of dressing, questioning man's
guardianship over his wife and attributing the cause of Muslims' backwardness
and weakness to their educational curriculum. They also claim that the reform
cannot take place if the Muslims do not abandon their Islaamic teachings.
Further, there are satellite channels that broadcast immoral programs and
nakedly spread sins without any sense of shame or responsibility. These channels
attempt to bring young men and women together in a way free of Islaamic
restrictions. They forget the orphans of Palestine, Iraq and Chechnya and other
Muslim lands and they abandon the bereaved Muslim women and widows to
calamities. They find no way to give solace to these unfortunate members of the
Ummah except through spreading sins and immoralities.
It is more surprising to note that these vicious programs are well-received by
some deluded Muslims while none of our scholars, reformers, educators and human
rights organizations attempt to expose the evil consequences of the activities
of these channels. No doubt, it is in situation like this that souls become
weak, the defect is spread in the midst of the Muslims, sense of inferiority
becomes widespread and inclination towards whimsical desires and diseases become
the order of the day.
Fellow Muslims! Let us fear Allaah. Let us beware lest we unknowingly cause
destruction to ourselves or spread afflictions within our ranks with our own
material and intellectual wealth while we know not. The lawful is clear and the
unlawful is also clear and in-between the two are unclear things.
The truth is clear but falsehood is ambiguous. The law of Allaah is so bright
that its night is as clear as its day. None deviates from it but the doomed.
Allaah says,
"Then whoever changes the bequest after
hearing it, the sin shall be on those who make the change. Truly, Allaah is
All-Hearer, All-Knower."
(Al-Baqarah 2:181)
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