It is a proven psychological truth that in the state of decadence an individual, a community or a people always look for the causes of their decline outside of them. Instead of turning the searchlight inwards and identifying one’s weaknesses which serve as the causes of decay, one is tempted to project one’s weaknesses on to others and thus lead oneself to a fatal kind of delusion. This is not to rule out the existence of external factors of decay; this is only to emphasize the need of introspection and self-examination. It is a pity that we Muslims as a community and also as individuals have given up this self-searching exercise and feel smugly at ease by imputing our own failures to others. Let us consider from this point of view two of our most outstanding failures. First we suffer from a debilitating, almost destructive disunity and anarchy. This in spite of the fact that we have been expressly and solemnly commanded to remain united like a ‘solid cemented structure.’ Allah has been kind to us and supplied us with the best possible means of forging flawless unity amongst us. As the Quran says:
And hold fast to the rope of Allah and be not divided. (3:103)
This habl-ul-lah (the rope of Allah) that has been granted to us is the book of Allah, the Quran which the Prophet (SAW) described as habl-ul-lah-il mateen (the strong rope of Allah). Not only do we have the Book – the theory – but also its practical illustration, the moving Quran, in the form of the beloved Prophet. Imagine a hapless community with one book, one Prophet (the last of the Prophets) and one qibla and yet torn by disunity. When Iqbal complained to Allah of the misery and plight of this community in his poem Shikwah, Allah’s reply came through Jawab-i Shikwah:
Manfa‘at eik hai is qoum ki nuqsan bhi eik
Eik hai sab ka nabi, deen bhi iman bhi eik
Haram-e pak bhi, Allah bhi, Quran bhi eik
Kuch badi baat thi hote jo musalman bhi eik
Firqah bandi hai kahin aur kahin zatein hain
Kia zamane main panapne ki yahi batein hain

This community’s benefit is one as well as its harm;
Their Prophet is one, their religion one and their faith one;
Their sacred sanctuary is one, Allah one and Quran one:
Would it mean much if Muslims too were one!
Communal discord spells ruin here and division into castes there –
Is this the way to flourish in the arena of time?

The other failure is best described in the words of the Prophet (SAW). Abu Daud and Baihaqui report through Thawban (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (SAW) said “ A time will come, and it is not far off, when the nations of the world will batter you as starving people fall to the table laden with food and invite others to do so. Someone asked, will it happen because we will be numerically very weak then. The Prophet  replied, ‘no, you will be numerically very strong but you will be lighter in weight than the scum and froth floating on the surface of flood waters and Allah will cast off all your fear and awe from the hearts and minds of your adversaries. As against this He will fill your hearts with wahn.’ Someone then asked what wahn is. In reply the Prophet (SAW) said, ‘it is excessive love of this world and fear of death.’”
Two other sayings of the Prophet explain this hadith further: i) “For every community there is a test and trial and in worldly wealth lies the trial of my ummah.” (Tirmidhi)
ii) “I do not fear poverty for you but fear that you may be overwhelmed by the avarice of this world” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Jan 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 21 Jan 2011 00:00:00 IST