Picture the following scenario: a doctor in a hospital who’s duty is to administer oxygen to patients in a poorly staffed COVID ward. On one day, however, he decides to not go into work because he can’t be bothered, has his own issues to deal with, or even because he simply forgot to go in.
If this resulted in patients dying, most would agree that the doctor is partly, if not wholly, guilty. Similarly, what do you make of a people whom, despite Allah having placed within their hands the secret to humanity’s flourishing in this world and bliss in the Hereafter, they fall short in sharing it with them? When humanity plummets in loss and misery, such people are complicit and accountable.
Shaykh Abu al-Hasan al-Nadwi
Syed Abu al-Hasan al-Nadwi was a prominent Indian Islamic scholar who died in 1999. He was the author of over 50 books, one of which he titled ماذا خسر العالم بانحطاط المسلمين or What the world lost with the fall of the Muslims.
In this particular book, he examined the role that Islam played in history, its impact on human progress, and the loss that humanity suffered by its downfall.
He emphatically refuted the prevailing attitude that Islam is a spent force, that it has outlived its usefulness, and instead persuasively argued for the eternal reality of Islam and that it is a programme of life that is always dynamic and can never grow obsolete.
Fast-forwarding to today, in light of the many ‘advances’ in modern life — where some believe that the role of religion is now redundant — I wish to explore the same question. Over the centuries, what has the world lost with the fall of the Muslims?
Proof that humanity is poorer due to downfall of Muslims
Wars
Wars are purposely orchestrated for the benefit of the arms industry, oil industry, banks, or construction (or shall we say reconstruction) companies.
And internal conflicts are intentionally ignited amidst communities; genocides are engineered in agreement with international powers — as mentioned in Noam Chomsky’s book, What Uncle Sam really wants, and Naomi Klein’s book, The Shock Doctrine, which collectively cite dozens of examples of how the American elite and others benefit from the suffering of nations.
However, in our midst is a book — the Qur’ān — that made the purpose of an unavoidable war to fight until…
حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ
“…until there is no more fitnah.” (In this context, fitnah refers to persecution/ oppression.) [1]
And a Prophet (ﷺ) who said that harb (war) is one of the two most detestable names to Allah.
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Distribution of wealth
The richest one per cent, as reported by Oxfam, now have as much wealth as the rest of the world combined. And the 26 richest people earn as much as half of the world’s population. And half of the world lives on less than $5.50 a day, whilst thousands die on a daily basis due to hunger, lack of medication, man-made famine, and wars. [2] [3] [4]
However, in our midst is a religion that obligates a yearly charity upon every able Muslim for the exclusive benefit of:
لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَـٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَـٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيل
“…the poor and the needy, for those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are attracted to faith, for freeing slaves, for those in debt, for Allah’s cause, and for needy travellers.” [5]
And for every able Muslim to take every measure to ensure that money circulates, passing from one hand to another:
كَىْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةًۢ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَغْنِيَآءِ مِنكُمْ
“…so that wealth may not circulate exclusively among your rich.” [6]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Fairness towards women
- Wife-selling in English auctions persisted up until the early 20th century [7];
- Scold’s bridle — heavy iron masks fitted around the head and face, with a painful sharp metal plate which pointed into the mouth to restrain the tongue — were used in England up until as late as 1865 to manage “nagging” wives [8];
- In America, around a third of women who visit emergency hospital units go due to domestic violence [9];
- The “overwhelming majority of women” experience some form of sexual harassment in their daily journeys, as reported by UN Women [10];
- An alarming French survey suggested that 100 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment on public transport in France [11];
- Such trends around sexual harassment extend to academic settings, work settings, medical settings, psychotherapy settings, and parliamentary settings. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
However, in our midst are texts that honour and praise women as mothers.
When the Prophet (ﷺ) was asked:
يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَنْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِحُسْنِ صَحَابَتِي؟
“Who is the worthiest of all people with my companionship?”
He (ﷺ) replied, “Your mother.” The man said, “Then who?” He (ﷺ) responded, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” He (ﷺ) responded, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” He (ﷺ) replied, “Your father.” [17]
And there are texts that praise women as daughters:
من عال جاريتين حتى تبلغا جاء يوم القيامة أنا وهو كهاتين
“Whoever supports two girls until they attain maturity, he and I will come on the Day of Resurrection like this (he [ﷺ] gestured by joining his fingers together).” [18]
And as wives:
خياركم خياركم لنسائهم
“The best of you are the best to their wives.” [19]
There are an increasing number of women, as reported by five charities in the UK, that are being forced into prostitution because of cuts in government benefits and the absence of responsible men. [20]
However, in our midst is a religion that declares that “men are the caretakers of women” and has classified the severing of family ties as of the major sins. [21]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Abortion
These days, babies are aborted and incinerated alongside other “waste” to heat UK hospitals, as exposed by Channel 4’s Dispatches programme. [22]
Unwanted newborn babies in the US are left inside bins or “Baby Boxes” in public places; such boxes feature pull-down doors that resemble drop-off bins used by libraries for returning books.
2016 figures gathered by the EU statistics agency, Eurostat, found that 43 per cent of children across the 27 EU countries were born to unmarried mothers. [23]
And reputable journals host articles with such titles as After-birth abortion: why should the baby live? as published in the Journal of Medical Ethics in 2013 — which argued in favour of infanticide, or neonatal euthanasia. [24]
However, in our midst is a book — the Qur’ān — that abolished the Arab pre-Islamic practice of infanticide, saying:
وَإِذَا ٱلْمَوْءُۥدَةُ سُئِلَتْ * بِأَىِّ ذَنۢبٍۢ قُتِلَتْ
“…and when baby girls, buried alive, are asked. For what crime they were put to death.” [25]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Climate
We are in a time when more greenhouse gases are being pumped into the atmosphere than ever before, causing our planet to become warmer today than at any other point in human history.
Dramatically altered natural cycles and weather patterns, extreme heat, protracted drought, increased flooding, more intense storms, and rising sea levels: such shifts in the state of the environment have come to be known as climate change.
As the Environmental Defense Fund warns,
“Tens of thousands of scientists in more than a hundred nations have amassed an overwhelming amount of evidence pointing to a clear conclusion: humans are the main cause of climate change.” [26]
Such environmental consequences have arguably been fuelled by the prevalent ideology of liberalism’s view of man as dominator of nature. [27]
However, in our midst is a religion, Islam, that defines man’s role on Earth as khalīfa, steward of Allah, and trustee of His creation!
As the Prophet (ﷺ) of Allah profoundly said,
إنَّ الدُّنْيَا حُلْوَةٌ خَضِرَةٌ، وإنَّ اللَّهَ مُسْتَخْلِفُكُمْ فِيهَا، فَيَنْظُرُ كيفَ تَعْمَلُونَ
“The Earth is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you as his stewards over it.” [28]
He (ﷺ) also taught us invaluable lessons including not wasting water “even if one was at a running stream”. [29]
In addition,
“…if any Muslim plants a tree or sows a field and a human, bird, or animal eats from it, it will be considered as an act of charity on his part.” [30]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Race
The world still suffers from the most savage and odious forms of racial prejudices, where our grandparents will remember a time when African people were expected to give up their seats on the bus for White passengers, where Whites-only shops, churches, schools, libraries, beaches, hotels, and even prisons plagued America, where interracial marriages were illegal in some US states, as was the case in Virginia where a Black and White couple were given the choice of either spending 25 years in prison or leaving the state.
Far beyond the examples above, our living relatives will still be able to recount other times when minorities needed to wage a long struggle against discrimination.
In fact, to the current day:
- It could take nearly 230 years for Black families to accumulate the same amount of wealth as their White counterparts [31];
- In the view of the United Nations and the U.S. Human Rights Network, “…discrimination in the United States permeates all aspects of life and extends to all communities of colour” [32];
- Closer to home, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, describes the Metropolitan Police Service as being “institutionally racist”. [33]
All this happened and still happens, whilst in our midst is a religion, the Prophet (ﷺ) of whom announced over 1,400 years ago during his farewell pilgrimage:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ أَلَا إِنَّ رَبَّكُمْ وَاحِدٌ وَإِنَّ أَبَاكُمْ وَاحِدٌ ، أَلَا لَا فَضْلَ لِعَرَبِيٍّ عَلَى أَعْجَمِيٍّ وَلَا لِعَجَمِيٍّ عَلَى عَرَبِيٍّ وَلَا لِأَحْمَرَ عَلَى أَسْوَدَ وَلَا أَسْوَدَ عَلَى أَحْمَرَ إِلَّا بِالتَّقْوَى
“O people, your Lord is One and your father is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, or of a red [white] man over a black man, or of a black man over a red [white] man, except in piety and good deeds.” [34]
And when hearing of a man who mocked another for his mother’s race, he (ﷺ) said to him,
إِنَّكَ امْرُؤٌ فِيكَ جَاهِلِيَّةٌ
“You are a man still suffering with remnants of ignorance.” [35]
Malcolm X (raḥimahu Allah) once wrote in a letter (that was only recently discovered),
“…and with racism now plaguing in America like an incurable cancer, all thinking Americans should be more respectful to Islam as an already proven solution to the race problem.” [36]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Transgenderism
Parents are being arrested for merely talking against court-ordered testosterone injections for their children.
In the case of Canadian Robert Hoogland, he had spoken out against the injections that the court had stipulated for his 14-year-old-daughter who decided to “transition” to male, and for referring to her with female pronouns. [37]
Hoogland had also said,
“She is a girl. Her DNA will not change through all these experiments that they do.” [37]
He languishes in prison conditions that have been described as “akin to solitary confinement”, and parents such as those in Scotland continue to be threatened with having their children removed if they do not support confused children in their conversion. [37] [38]
However, in our midst is a book — the Qur’ān — that reads:
وَلَيْسَ الذَّكَرُ كَالْأُنْثَى
“And the male is not like the female.” [39]
And also reads:
وَلَا تَتَمَنَّوْا۟ مَا فَضَّلَ ٱللَّهُ بِهِۦ بَعْضَكُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۚ لِّلرِّجَالِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا ٱكْتَسَبُوا۟ ۖ وَلِلنِّسَآءِ نَصِيبٌ مِّمَّا ٱكْتَسَبْنَ ۚ وَسْـَٔلُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مِن فَضْلِهِ
“And do not wish for that which Allah has made some of you exceed than others. For men is a share of what they have earned, and for women is a share of what they have earned. And ask Allah of His bounty.” [40]
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Depression
Prozac (also known as Fluoxetine), which is an antidepressant, is one of the most sought-after drugs in Europe and America.
In 2016, 31 million prescriptions of antidepressants were made in England alone, and school-age suicides in Japan hit a record in 2020. [41]
The prevalence of family breakdowns and individualism, in part, caused the UK to create cabinet positions such as the “Minister of Loneliness” in 2017. [42]
However, in our midst is a religion, Islam, that offers meaning to life, gives transcendental goals to progress towards, provides convincing answers to the difficult questions of life, harmonises between man’s desire for both worldly and religious gains, and endows him with coping mechanisms to bear patiently with the challenges of life.
At that juncture, will people not realise just how much humanity lost when the Muslims fell?
Therefore, how true were the words of Allah, who says:
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُبَيِّنَ لَكُمْ وَيَهْدِيَكُمْ سُنَنَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ وَيَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
“Allah wants to make things clear to you, and to guide you to the noble ways of those before you, and to accept your repentance. For Allah is Knowing, Wise.” [43]
And Who also says:
يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يُخَفِّفَ عَنكُمْ ۚ وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًۭا
“Allah wishes to lighten your burden, for man was created weak.” [44]
Greed
At a time of global greed, what other nation on Earth fasts for 30 consecutive days every year, setting an example of self-restraint and practical empathy towards the poor? These are meanings that the modern man has largely forgotten.
At a time of rampant individualism, what other community is more unapologetic in its championing of communal interests, family ties, and traditional marriages than Muslims?
At a time of mass confusion, where nothing from religion, gender, or identity are defined any more, what way of life remains clear in who God is and what He is not, who enters Paradise and who does not? What way of life remains clear on its stance regarding gender, gender roles, relationships, and definitions of male and female, other than Islam?
The modern man staggers in darkness from side to side, whimpering in pain, aimlessness and miserable, searching for meaning and a saviour, not knowing that the saviour is so near; the only sobering remedy for humanity’s drunkenness is Islam.
Where are the leaders of Islam?
Islam is here, but where are its champions and flag bearers? Have mercy on yourself and others by putting your religion on full display.
Try some of these examples:
- Be politically active;
- Set up exhibitions on Islam;
- Ask for a prayer room at work;
- Be committed to your flawless hijab;
- Be active in your local masjid and community;
- Invite colleagues to your home and exhibit generosity;
- Offer copies of the Qur’ān to colleagues and neighbours.
Falling short towards being a flag bearer of Islam is akin to that doctor who falls short in administering oxygen to COVID patients at their hour of need, and their deaths are on his shoulders.
We, the Muslims, have been entrusted by Allah to administer the oxygen of life to humanity!
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِٱلْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ ٱلْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ
“You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah…” [45]
“Why hasn’t anyone told us about this?”
The above were the words of a crying old American lady who embraced Islam after her daughter shared with her verses from the Qur’ān. [46]
The words in the Qur’ān are those which millions of other people will inevitably utter, if and when you and I pick up the responsibility entrusted to us by Allah.
“How can we be saviours when we ourselves need saving?”
Some Muslims with defeated minds will push back against the above, asking how Muslims can be the rescuers when they themselves require a saviour.
Look at their backward state; it’s hardly a convincing one!
The true measure of success
Whilst advancing in the worldly sciences is highly encouraged by Islam, and whilst Islam’s contribution to human progress cannot be denied except by the ignorant, by no means is this the marker of truth and success.
In fact, this was the twisted logic of the Pharaoh of Egypt, who rejected the call of Prophet Musa (ʿalayhi al-Salām) on the grounds of material things.
The Pharaoh foolishly claimed,
أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَـٰذِهِ ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِىٓ
“Am I not sovereign over Egypt, and are these rivers not flowing beneath me?” [47]
Similarly, the civilisations of ‘Ād and Thamūd were advanced ones. But were they truly successful?
The former boasted,
“Who is more powerful than us?” [48]
Whilst the latter carved palaces from mountains:
“And you carve out of the mountains, homes, with skill.” [49]
Nevertheless, after sharing with us the news of their technological prowess, Allah says:
أَفَرَءَيْتَ إِن مَّتَّعْنَـٰهُمْ سِنِينَ * ثُمَّ جَآءَهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُوعَدُونَ * مَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يُمَتَّعُونَ
“Imagine, if We allowed them enjoyment for years, then there came to them what they had been threatened with: would that enjoyment be of any benefit to them at all?” [50]
Genuine emancipation
Ignorant is he who measures the success of a civilisation, purely on the basis of its technological progress, for what use is there in splitting the atom and landing on the Moon if morals have plummeted to an abyss?
What use is there in high-rise buildings today, if homes in the Hereafter have been demolished? It is unfair to judge Islam on the basis of its current circumstances whilst ignoring 1,400 years’ worth of circumstances, just as it is also unfair to judge Muslim nations by their leaders who’ve been appointed by the powers that be, leaders who — for the most part — do not represent the will of their nations.
Therefore, our dire condition must not detract from our certainty that Islam is the solution, it should only propel us forward to fulfil the role that Allah has intended for us.
Islam is the last remaining fortress of humanity and the only way of life capable of emancipating man from the endless slaveries of life.
Also read
Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] al-Qur’ān, 2:193
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-35339475
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p06ypz1l
[5] al-Qur’ān, 9:60
[6] al-Qur’ān, 59:7
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wife_selling_(English_custom)
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scold’s_bridle
[9] https://www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/ncvrw/1996/g-domstc.htm
[13] https://safeline.org.uk/sexual-harassment-in-the-workplace-is-found-to-affect-over-half-of-uk-women/
[14] https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-08-11/sexual-misconduct-allegations-california-doctors
[15] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1443284/
[16] https://edition.cnn.com/2018/10/16/health/women-abuse-europe-parliament-intl/index.html
[17] https://sunnah.com/muslim:2548b
[18] https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:267
[19] https://sunnah.com/riyadussalihin:278
[20] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-46235842
[21] al-Qur’ān, 4:34
[22] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/03/15/aborted-babies-incinerated-to-heat-uk-hospitals/
[24] https://jme.bmj.com/content/39/5/261
[25] al-Qur’ān, 81:8-9
[26] https://www.edf.org/climate/9-ways-we-know-humans-triggered-climate-change
[27] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00187/full
[28] https://sunnah.com/muslim:2742
[30] https://sunnah.com/bukhari:2320
[31] Chuck Collins and others, “The Ever-Growing Gap” (Washington: Institute for Policy Studies, Racial Wealth Divide Initiative, and Corporation for Enterprise Development, 2016), available at https://ips-dc.org/report-ever-growing-gap/.
[32] U.S. Human Rights Network (August 2010). “The United States of America: Summary Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review”. Universal Periodic Review Joint Reports: United States of America. p. 8.
[34] https://islamqa.info/en/answers/182686/is-the-arab-muslim-better-than-the-non-arab-muslim
[35] al-Bukhāri and Muslim, on the authority of Abu Dharr
[40] al-Qur’ān, 4:32
[42] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/loneliness-minister-its-more-important-than-ever-to-take-action
[43] al-Qur’ān, 4:26
[44] al-Qur’ān, 4:28
[45] al-Qur’ān, 3:110
[46] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjuvBwoUPEE
[47] al-Qur’ān, 43:51
[48] al-Qur’ān, 41:15
[49] al-Qur’ān, 26:149
[50] al-Qur’ān, 26:205-207
Jazakallah khair for the reminder.