Eid: Time to Reflect

The following was issued is by Islamic activists in Canada:

The month of Ramadhan has unfortunately passed us by very quickly. May Allah (swt) accept our fasting, deeds, and our supplications to Him.

Pretty soon, the celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr will be upon us. The time should be a festive one, where the Ummah can celebrate with happiness and joy. One can argue that we have no worries as we can eat, take the day off work, and meet our neighbours, family and friends. However, is this true for our entire ummah? And although Eid may be a time of celebration, it does not mean that we should cast aside the lessons we have learned in Ramadhan. Allah (swt) has revealed:

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) taqwa” [TMQ 2:183]

Remembering the Ummah during Eid

Ramadhan, as outlined in the verse above, is a training ground that should help elevate us and bring us closer to Allah (swt) in every aspect. This includes caring for our brothers and sisters. Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:

“You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it." [Sahih Bukhari]

In Canada – more than any other place in the world – Muslims have many benefits that the rest of the Ummah does not. Unlike Palestine, we do not have to face the daily oppression of the Israeli occupation. According to the World Bank, the poverty rate is 44% and according to another organization - 2.4 million people live under the poverty line in Palestine. The average earning per household is only $343 US a month!

Unlike Iraq, we are not being subject to the invasion, murder, and oppression of the “coalition of the willing”. According to a recently published article by the Lancet, the death toll in Iraq exceeds 655,000 people. The US rejected the report out right. However, we must recall the response of Colin Powell when asked about the number of deaths in the first invasion of Iraq – “It’s really not a number I am terribly interested in.” Bearing in mind that nearly 1.2 million people died due to sanctions, this puts the total death toll in Iraq at almost 2 million people. This does not even include the continuing state of misery due to lack of electricity, security, and other basic amenities. The Americans are using chemical and radioactive munitions, such as white phosphorous and depleted uranium. The former burns the flesh right through one’s clothes while the latter causes cancer in people and genetic defects in newborns. The rate of birth defects, after increasing ten-fold from 11 per 100,000 births in 1989 to 116 per 100,000 in 2001, is soaring even further. Dr Nawar Ali, a medical researcher in birth deformities at Baghdad University, told the UN’s Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN): “There have been 650 cases [of birth deformities] in total since August 2003 reported in government hospitals. That is a 20 percent increase from the previous regime. Private hospitals were not included in the study, so the number could be higher.”

The Ummah in Afghanistan is also in a state of agony similar to those in Iraq. According to the Senlis Council (a British based think-tank), 70% of the Afghan population is chronically malnourished, while less than a quarter has access to safe drinking water.

The recent assassination of the Russian journalist, Anna Politkovskaya (who exposed the crimes of the Russian authorities in Chechnya) demonstrates the true state of danger that the Ummah is in – even non-Muslims who dare to speak a word of truth to a tyrant ruler are killed without any concern of consequences.

Consider the state of the humiliation of the Ummah is in. In Bosnia, the pleas for justice from the Muslim women – who were humiliated by UN forces – remain unanswered. The Canadian General, Lewis MacKenzie, who was in charge at the time, (and about whom the women say that he not only witnessed the crimes, but participated in them) has simply ignored the request for answers to these allegations by Bosnian authorities.

Beyond the cases that were mentioned above, the plight of Muslims in other countries is also poor. Anyone that dares speak out against the tyranny of our rulers is arrested, tortured, and even killed.

Furthermore, Western leaders and media continue their diatribe against the Ummah; whether it be by publishing cartoons against our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) or more recently, with the Pope’s insulting remarks against Islam and the Prophet (saw). However, it does not stop there. The Europeans are emboldened as they continue to curse the Ummah. Just recently, the Danish media aired amateur video footage showing members of the youth wing of the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party (DPP) taking part in a competition to draw images mocking the Prophet at a summer camp in August.

After Ramadhan: A time to hibernate?

Are we going to let this luxury lull us into a state of laziness and lethargy, or are we going to invest our immense wealth in the hereafter? Prophet Muhammad (saw) said:

“By Allah, I am not afraid of your poverty but I am afraid that you will lead a life of luxury as past nations did, whereupon you will compete with each other for it, as they competed for it, and it will destroy you as it destroyed them.” [Sahih Bukhari]

As Muslims living in Canada, we need to take heed of this very important hadith. Are we going to allow the delights of the dunya distract us from the realities of what is happening to the Ummah? Are we going to sell out our Ummah for the temporary enjoyment of this world?

Tackling the Ummah’s issue with seriousness

We have witnessed the condition of the Ummah deteriorate year after year. We have also seen that the measures we have taken so far have not advanced the condition of the Ummah to a significant degree. Charitable donations have temporarily bettered the conditions of certain people, but they have failed to change the landscape of the Ummah’s condition. No Muslim can dispute the fact that sadaqah brings one closer to Allah (swt) – so we should continue to give – but on its own it can not be “the solution.” Consider if a person was sick and their condition persisted – despite the medication they were taking. Would we not look for another cure? Would we not consider the possibility that we are treating the symptoms without addressing the cause?

We need to approach the condition of the Ummah in a similar manner. That is, we need to solve the problem in a practical way, just as we work to solve the daily problems we face. We need to:
- Identify the symptoms (as we have above; oppression, poverty, death, and the like.)
- Identify the reasons for the problem
- Identify the root cause of the problem
- Identify the solution (based on Quran and Sunnah)

Without a clear and deep understanding of the problems, and effective planning, we cannot rise above the misery. Consider that the Prophet (saw) spent more than half of his time as a messenger working towards the establishment of the first Islamic State; it did not happen over night.

Analyzing our situation, we realize that the reason for the situation in Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan, is the lack of an effective army that works to ensure the security of the Ummah. The reason for the torture in our countries is the lack of an effective legal system that provides oversight over the ruling establishment. The reason for the poverty is the lack of effective economic policies.

The root cause of all these issues is that we do not refer to the revelation of Allah (swt) when organizing these matters within the Ummah. Instead, our armies are loyal to other than Allah (swt), the legal system is infested with corruption at the behest of the elites, and the economic system is subservient to the whims of G8 Nations.

The solution therefore is to work to establish the rule of Allah (swt) on earth. This will practically occur through the re-establishment of the Khilafah – an institution that will work to implement Islam in society. The Khilafah system is more than just one man, but represents a body of institutions that work to ensure that Allah’s (swt) system is observed in a comprehensive way.

In order to establish the Khilafah we must organize political parties that seek to achieve this aim by working on the methodology of the Prophet (saw). This entails, firstly, culturing their members to have an Islamic personality that broadcasts the correct Islamic thoughts to the rest of the Ummah (i.e. as Prophet Muhammad (saw) did with Sahabah in Dar-Al Arqam). Secondly, it requires confronting the erroneous practices, thoughts, and emotions of society (i.e. as Prophet Muhammad (saw) did by reciting the ayat on burying female babies, interest, idol-worship, etc). Lastly it involves working with the people of power in the Muslim lands to give allegiance to Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) (i.e. as Prophet Muhammad (saw) did when he went from tribe to tribe seeking the nusra) – instead of giving it to the West. This needs to be accomplished solely through political work, and does not involve the use of violence, as Prophet Muhammad (saw) did not use violent means to establish the Islamic State.

Benefiting from Ramadhan

O Muslims! Since the last Eid, the hostile stance led by the US against the Islamic Ummah has not ceased. This can be clearly seen in conduct and word, with respect to Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and many other countries.

In times like this, as the West continues its crusade against Islam, it is necessary for the Ummah to remain focused on the true crime - that of the corrupt Muslim rulers - and the only true solution - the changes of these corrupt rulers and their immediate replacement with the Islamic Khilafah Rashidah.

Our Beloved Muslims! Let us benefit from this blessed month of Ramadhan that is passing us by. Ramadhan is a great month where good deeds are multiplied more than any other time. It is one of the best times to attain Taqwa and indeed one of the best times to work practically for the return of the Islamic Khilafah. However, now that Ramadhan has almost passed us by, it does not mean that we should hibernate until the next Ramadhan. We must rather continue to do our night prayers, extra acts of charity, and working to re-establish the Khilafah.

We must work, and encourage the Ummah to work, to rid ourselves of the corrupt Muslim rulers with whom we have been tried, who do not fear Allah (swt), do not fulfill their duty to their brothers that are suffering, and who do not have respect for believers, or their honour. They have no other concern but to submit and capitulate to the will of Western governments, and to safeguard their positions and wealth, even if it requires the loss of land and the slaughter of innocents. RasoolAllah (saw) said,

"Let not the fear from people prevent one of you speaking the truth or advising a nobility when he sees or witnesses it. Verily speaking the truth neither brings death closer nor distances sustenance away (rizq)". [Ahmad and Abu Dawud]

October 20th, 2006
28th of Ramadhan, 1427