Summarised by: Abdul Fatah Yunus
The situation of the Muslim Ummah today could be likened to the situation of the companions of the cave; the three who were on a journey, and wanted to rest for a while, then found a cave inside a mountain which they entered. Storm and wind started and moved a rock that rolled until it blocked the entrance of the cave completely. The efforts of the three companions to move the rock were in vain as the rock remained unmoved.
So what should they do?!
Despair?! No. Instead, they remembered that the rock and the cave had a Lord and this Lord is their Lord; the Lord of all things, and the Sovereign being. They remembered His infinite and everlasting power over them and over the whole universe, so they turned to Him, supplicating with utmost humility, distress, heartbroken, but then while they were in this state of confusion, their hearts were filled with imaan (faith) and certainty that no one could save them except Allah; and amazingly the rock just moved gradually and they were able to come out of the cave safe.
The Muslim Ummah is today living in a stage where the rock has blocked the entrance of the cave, and we are all inside it. We have indeed tried many ways to remove the rock, but all to no avail, so why don’t we do the same thing as done by the three (in the cave) and turn sincerely towards the One Who has the power to get us out, by acting according to what we have been guided to do in His book, and as stated in the saying of His Messenger (SAW), when he emphasized what could save the ummah and take it out of any challenge that it might face?!
Let’s take the right solution!
If we reflect on the prolonged phase our ummah has undergone for many decades, we will discover it is similar to the period of wandering experienced by the children of Israel when they refused to enter the holy land.
Following Allāh’s deliverance of Mūsa (AS) and his people, and the drowning of Pharaoh and his chiefs, Mūsa (AS) led the children of Israel towards the holy land. He urged them to enter it, but upon learning that there were strong people living there, fear gripped them, and they refused. They declared to Mūsa (AS):
“We shall never enter it so long as they are in it; go therefore you and your Lord, then fight you both surely we will here sit down.” (Qur’an 5:24)
Their refusal to enter the holy land incurred divine punishment – they wandered the land for 40 years.
It is noteworthy that throughout this period, the children of Israel persisted in seeking a way out of their wandering. Each time they thought of a solution, they would pursue it with dedicated efforts, but only to realize later that it was a mirage.
In like manner, for many decades, sincere members of our ummah have been diligently searching for ways to rescue it from its wandering. However, this search, despite its sincerity, could not find the very important link for the chain to complete, and for the desired outcome to manifest, and the rock hindering the ummah’s progress to be moved. This crucial element that is absent is to identify and treat the root cause of the ailment affecting our ummah; and this begins with understanding that our ummah is not like others, as it has a special status with Allah. And it is the ummah entrusted by Allah, glory be to Him, to take His final message to humanity.
‘’And thus We have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over mankind.’’ (Qur’an 2:143)
The first generations of the ummah had carried out this mission very well, and they exerted their utmost effort in conveying the message. History can bear them witness on this assertion.
“Allāh has promised those who have believed among you and done righteous deeds that He will surely grant them succession [to authority] upon the earth just as He granted it to those before them and that He will surely establish for them [the authority of] their religion which He has preferred for them and that He will surely substitute for them, after their fear, security, [for] they worship Me, not associating anything with Me….” (Qur’an 24:55)
The lifeblood of our ummah is Īmān, and the day that Īmān weakens and desires and the love of the world dominate the hearts of the children of the ummah, it is that day the ummah loses the source of its strength and its distinction among other nations.
Once the Īmān weakens, desires and love of the world become stronger, and the attraction towards earthly pursuits increases and pursuit of desires intensifies, overshadowing the desire to engage in jihād and spread the message. This, in turn, invites Allāh’s wrath upon the ummah.
‘By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, you must enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong, or else Allāh will soon send punishment upon you from Him. Then, you will call upon Him, but He will not answer you.'” (Related by At-Tirmidhī and Al-Albānī graded it as fair in Ṣaḥīḥ Al-Jami’ 7070)
Our problem is Īmān:
Hence, we assert that the greatest problem facing our ummah is Īmān. Its condition will not improve, nor will it regain soundness, except through Īmān. This involves replacing Allāh’s anger with His pleasure, paving the way for calling upon Him for victory and establishment on earth.
“And helping the believers is ever incumbent on Us.” (Qur’an 30:47)
The nuclear power, as Abu Al-Ḥasan An-Nadwī asserts, cannot be compared to the power that Īmān generates in the heart of a believer. This Īmān can perform wonders, just as it has done before, and can address not only the problems of the ummah but also those of humanity generally. The root of all human problems lies in the worship of the self and desires, it stems from selfishness, limited vision, and the love of lording oneself over others. Īmān, therefore, has the power to overcome all of these, and to evolve a new ummah.” (An-Nadwī, Nafaḥāt Al-Īmān p.23)
No doubt, there are various ways to increase Īmān, including obedience, good deeds, and various forms of closeness to Allāh. However, the most important and effective means of increasing it is through the Qur’ān. “…and when His communications are recited to them they increase them in faith…” (Qur’an 8:2)
The Qur’ān is an unequaled source of Īmān. Do you not see it, the Qur’ān, inviting everyone by saying: ‘Come to me and complete what is lacking in your Īmān, for my sources are full and ready to supply all of you with what you need of Īmān?’
“Our Lord! Surely we have heard a caller inviting to the Īmān, saying: Believe in your Lord, so we did believe…” (Qur’an 3:193)
You are a new spirit: If we reflect on the calls of the reformers, we will find that they emanate from this concept. In the modern era, Ḥasan Al-Bannā, the leader of Islāmic callers, addressed those around him while introducing them to their mission, saying: ‘You are a new spirit flowing in the hearts of this ummah, reviving it with the Qur’ān.”
This is Abu A‘la Al-Maudūdī saying: “O Muslims, embrace the Qur’ān, rise, and soar above the world. It is not our concern to pursue the world, but rather we must shape it with our fundamentals and principles. My life and my death hinge on this noble goal, and I will advance even if no one joins me. I will walk alone if no one accompanies me, even if the world unites against me. I will not be afraid to fight the battle alone.”
This profound concept, agreed upon by these reformers and others, did not emerge out of a thin air. The example of the first generation attests to this… When the children of this generation had a strong connection with the Qur’ān, and their hearts embraced it in the right manner, the outcome was swift and astonishing—governance and leadership over the earth within a few years.
Ustādh Sayyid Qutb (rahimahuLah) mentioned in the concluding part of his book ‘Muqawwimāt Tasawwur Al-Islāmī’:
‘While reviewing the history of the first Muslim community, I confronted the feeling of this community being in the existence of Allāh—Glory be to Him—and His presence in their hearts and lives. I hardly could comprehend how this happened! I was aware of the nature of the existence of this truth and its presence in their hearts and lives, but I didn’t understand how it happened until I returned to the Qur’ān and read it in the light of its original subject matter: the manifestation of the essence of the Lordship of Allāh and making people become servitude to Him alone after they have known Him… Only then did I understand how all of this happened! I realized—I did not say I comprehend all — the secret of their making! I knew where that unique generation in human history was shaped and how it was shaped! They were shaped right here! They were shaped by this Qur’ān! With this syllabus emanating from it, and with this truth manifesting in this syllabus! This truth envelops everything, encompasses everything, and everything emanates from it, and everything is connected to it! So, everything aligns with it…”
The Qur’ān is our way out:
From here, we can assert that if the Qur’ān was able to shape the first generation, then, by the will of Allāh, it can mould new divine generations and bring the ummah out of its crisis, restoring its glory and rightful position. These words are not mere wishes and dreams rather a fact that is confirmed by history. The Messenger of Allāh (SAW) informed us about it.
In the ḥadīth of Hudhaifah bin Al-Yaman, the Messenger of Allāh (SAW) predicted the differences and divisions that would occur after him. Hudhaifah said, ‘I asked, “O Messenger of Allāh, what do you command me to do if I witness that time?” He replied: ‘Learn the Book of Allāh—Glory be to Him, the Most High—and act upon it, for it is the way out of that.'” Hudhaifah said, ‘So I repeated it three times, and he (SAW) responded in the same way three times: ‘Learn the Book of Allāh and act upon it, for it is salvation.’ (Abū Dāwūd and An-Nasā’ī)
The Prophet (SAW) delivered a speech during his return from the farewell pilgrimage, and part of what he said was: ‘There is guidance and light in the Book of Allāh. Whoever adheres to it and embraces it is on guidance, and whoever neglects it has gone astray.”
The Prophet (SAW) told his companions one day: “Rejoice! Do you not bear witness that there is no god but Allāh alone, and that there is no partner with Him, and do you not bear witness that I am the messenger of Allāh, and do you not bear witness that this Qur’ān is from Allāh?” They replied, “Yes, we bear witness to this.”
He then said: “Rejoice, for this Qur’ān is a rope from Allāh; one end of it is in Allāh’s hand, and the other end is in your hands. So, hold fast to it, and you will not go astray and you will never perish after it.”
Watch out for the concluding part…
– Abdul Fatah Yunus is one of the translators of the book, ‘What Will Move the Rock?’ originally written in Arabic as ‘Ayna Al-makhraj, fasakharat aglaqat Al-ghaar”, by Dr. Majdi Al-Hilaky, an Egyptian author and a renowned Islamic scholar. The book is being read by millions of Muslims across the world for Ramadan.
