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Time for Self-Examination
Shaykh Abdur Rahman As-Sudays [(Muharram 8, 1423
(March 22, 2002)]
All
praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the Worlds. May peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon the Messenger, his household and companions.
Fear Allaah,
dear Muslims. Let whoever wishes for bountiful blessings and sustenance
fear Allaah, for whoever does that attains glory in this world and
everlasting Paradise in the hereafter.
Fellow Muslims!
While this Ummah is entering into a new year and is looking into a bright
future, important periodical issues vividly emerge; issues that may likely
activate the Ummah and spur her to have self-examination, review her
stands and stay on the right course in order to reclaim her past glory,
her unique universality and rich civilization.
Brethren in
Faith! It is time for self-examination. Entering into a new year is in
itself an important issue that should not be neglected even if it seems
insignificant in the eyes of some unfortunate people who have been carried
away by a deep and long desire for the pleasure of this life and
negligence in good deeds. There are indeed lessons and admonitions in
stages of life and vicissitudes of time which make the wise man review
himself and his deed so that he may not live in emotional exuberance or be
caught unawares. Although, another year has passed, yet it is still
possible to recover what has been missed. We move towards our death each
moment and our days on this planet are being reduced day in day out.
Though we have taken many steps and spent many years, yet our feeling for
the passage of those years is little and we hardly derived any lesson from
the passage of the time.
Brethren in
Islaam! Life moves very fast and does not wait for heedless. We have bid
farewell to many relatives and have lost many brothers and loved ones.
Those loved ones have been good companions but they have preceded us to
the graves. O Allaah! Have mercy on them, be pleased with them, do not put
us to trial after them and forgive us and them!
Brethren in
Faith! When are we going to be heedful? What is it that has covered our
hearts and sights? The successful is the one who strives to reform his
condition in order to be happy in his hereafter and the wise is the one
who examines himself, rebukes himself, works towards his hereafter and
avoids ideological and moral impurities in order to live a happy life and
dwell in the abode of the martyrs.
Fellow Muslims!
How dire is the need of Muslims – while entering into a new year that is
full of optimism – to overcome their crises and many problems and take
challenges! Read history, for there are lessons there. Some people went
astray for they know not history. Read the history in order to know its
great events and in order to know major points of change, not that of
Islaam alone but of the history of mankind in general. Read the Islaamic
history in order to know how its great events were a great turning point
for the history of mankind. Read your glorious history in order to know
how the Islaamic Law and teachings have established principles of truth,
justice, security and peace and how its events deeply establish principles
of cultural dialogue since 1400 years ago and which the world is just
calling for recently.
O you confused
humanity! If you want to be liberated from the unjust rules, read the
history of our Islaamic civilization in order to see how Islaam guarantees
human rights and cancelled caste system and racial discrimination through
this word,
“Verily, the
most honourable of you with Allaah is that (believer) who is most pious.”
(Al-Hujuraat
49:13)
Islaam makes
people into a single community where racialism and all other bases of
human discrimination find no place.
Brethren in
Faith! Human history and civilization have confirmed that no other
religion besides Islaam has brought people together, irrespective of their
differences and that there is no other way to salvation except through
Islaam, the Qur’aan and the path of Muhammad, peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him.
Has it not
occurred to the Muslim nation that abandonment of Islaamic belief and
carelessness in matters of Islaamic laws and values cause societal misery,
decline of civilization, destruction of people and lead to eternal
condemnation? Have the wise men of the Ummah realised that past and
present challenges and cultural and intellectual war waged against the
Muslims can never be overcome except by strict adherence to their
deep-rooted civilization that gives blessings, peace, security and
happiness to mankind and provides humanity with what can keep it far from
violence and international terrorism that it suffers from? It is therefore
incumbent on wise and just people of the world to proclaim the moral and
cultural values of Islaam and affirm its principle of cultural dialogue
unequivocally and without defeatism.
Read history, O
defeatists among our own people, in order to realise that dialogue with
other people should be based first of all, on reform from within where
minds should be full of mutual love and compassion and where the movement
for intellectual, cultural, educational and media openness is regulated by
Islaamic law. Self-confidence should be brought back and defeatism from
which many educators, journalists and intellectuals suffer should be
thoroughly treated. Hence, due respect should be given to the aspect of
promoting virtue and preventing evils so that the ship of society may not
drown. Also, those who work in this area should be defended and not be
attacked. Their mistakes should not be magnified and they should not be
wrongfully accused.
Brethren in
Faith! Now that the ship of this Ummah is weathering the storms of crises,
the only lifebuoy is to give total allegiance to Islaam and its teachings.
When one observes the situation of some of those who call themselves
Muslims and sees their dependence on others and their defeatism in the
face of invading trends and fake civilization, and compare between them
and that unique generation of the history of Islaam, he will realise how
far our bright history have gone in bequeathing glory to this Ummah and
how far that generation have gone in making sacrifice. Also, it is the
negligence with which some people treat the fundamentals of their religion
and their running after artificial and deceptive slogans that pave way for
the onslaught of the enemy and give the Zionists audacity to attack
Muslims holy places and perpetrate atrocities of all kinds against them
while the rest of the world is there looking.
Further, among
the lessons learnt from Islaamic history entering into truces and accords
with others for the interests of the Ummah and not surrender and
sycophancy.
Fellow Muslims!
In view of the present world events, the readers of history may be
wondering: Where are the lessons of Hijrah in the light of the false human
rights slogans and the so-called democracy that are being proclaimed in
our contemporary time and which are used to the advantage of their
propagators and to the disadvantage of others? Where are the effects of
the lessons derived from the Hijrah and from the story of the brotherhood
of the immigrants and the Ansaar on those who have been torn apart
by dissention and have replaced friendship with enmity? Read the history
to know how the Religion is in need of a state and power that will protect
it and those who defend it as is the case in the Land of Two Sacred
Mosques.
Let those who
call for reform among the Muslims realise that the religion cannot stand
nor can power be attained except through congregation, that no
congregation can be achieved except by allegiance and that no allegiance
can be meaningful except through obedience in order to drive evil and
calamities away.
In the field of
education, let the so-called reformers read the history to know how a
Muslim can pass through all steps of education by helping the cause of his
religion and giving allegiance to the constitutional authority. Let our
youths read the history to know that they have been deceived by so-called
modernization that aims at keeping them away from Divine Guidance and
making them victims of lust, dissention and ambiguity. One can obviously
see the effect of this vicious goal in many youths who copy their enemies
in everything they do, though the Prophet has said, “Whoever copies a
people has become one of them.”
Let the Muslim
woman read the history to realise that woman’s dignity and glory lie in
her strict adherence to her religion, her proper dressing, her chastity
and modesty; and that her educational, family and social responsibilities
in this Ummah are great, and she should not listen to her enemies who tell
their allies that Hijaab and chastity deprive them of their personality
and freedom and thereby turning them to mere dolls that look for phantom
happiness and freedom. This situation resulted into the disappearance of
dignity, chastity and morality.
Fellow Muslims!
These are just some lessons of history and Hijrah, that may assist in
reforming the Muslims’ present conditions, pave way for their happiness
and serve as a shield against the media attack launched against Islaam and
Muslims.
We are in dire
need – while entering into a new Hijrah year – of stances of reflection
and self-examination and all that can help us to open new horizons in our
unique responsibility of giving mankind the happiness and enabling her to
play her natural role as the leader of this planet which its inhabitants
are searching for truth, justice, peace, security and harmony, and which
they cannot find except in Islaam and its teachings. Our cultural,
historical and ideological heritage as well as our indefatigable values
and modern technology should be utilized to achieve this goal. May Allaah
make this year a year of blessing and strength for the Muslims and of
security, justice and peace for the whole of mankind. Allaah says,
“As for
those who strive hard in Our Cause, We will surely guide them to Our
Paths. And verily, Allaah is with the good-doers.”
(Al-‘Ankaboot
29:69)
Brethren in
Islaam! You are now in the first month of the year which is Muharram. It
is one of the greatest month in the estimation of Allaah and one of the
sacred months. It was in this month that Prophet Moosa and his fellow
believers were given victory over Faraoh and his folk. Your Prophet has
recommended the fasting of this month especially that of the tenth day
when he said, “The best fasting after that of Ramadaan is the fasting of
the month of Allaah, Muharram.”
(Muslim)
Ibn Abbaas
said, “The Messenger of Allaah came to Al-Madeenah and found the Jews
fasting on the day of Aashoorah (the 10th day of the month) and
he asked them: What is this day in which you fast? They said: This is a
great day in which Allaah saved Moosa and his people and drowned Faraoh
and his people, and Moosa fasted on that day to thank Allaah and we are
also fasting it. The Messenger of Allaah then said: We (Muslims) deserve
Moosa more than you. So he fasted it and recommended its fasting.”
(Al-Bukhaaree
and Muslim)
He was also
asked about fasting on the day of Aashoorah and he said, “I seek it
from Allaah that He makes it erase the sins of the year that preceded it.”
(Muslim)
The Prophet
also decided to fast the day that preceded it in order to disagree with
the people of the Book and said, “If my life is spared to the coming year,
I shall fast on the ninth day.” Ibn Al-Qayyim said: “Its fasting is of
three categories: a day before and a day after, then to fast on the ninth
and tenth – and this is what most narrations indicate – and then to fast
on the tenth day only.” Muslims should therefore fast on that day to
emulate the Prophets and to seek for the reward. They should also
endeavour to fast a day before and a day after in order to disagree with
the Jews and to work according to the Sunnah.
Fasting on that
day is a sign of showing gratitude to Allaah for his favours and opening a
new year with good deed. So, congratulations to those who fast on that
day.
Brethren in
Islaam! Fear Allaah and start your new year with repentance and continuous
good deeds. Learn lessons from the passage of days and night and not be
forgetful of Allaah and the abode of the Hereafter.
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