CAUSES
First
We generally believe that the act of Tabligh is the sole and special responsibility of the Ulama, even when the related orders of the Quran are clear and fully apply to each and every living Muslim. The actions and the hard work of the Sahabah of the Nabi (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) and all those distinguished Muslims who immediately followed them, bear definite testimony to the view that each and every Muslim is responsible for the propagation of Islam (Tabligh).
To assign the responsibility of Tabligh and
amr bil ma'roof wa nahi 'anil munkir (enjoining the good and forbidding the evil) solely to the ranks of Ulama and not to ourselves is a sign of grave ignorance on our part. The duty of the Ulama is to state the truth and to point out the right path. To enforce righteousness among the people and to keep the people moving on the right path is the responsibility of all other Muslims. The following Hadith is a clear exhortation to this:
ألا كلكم راع وكلكم مسئول عن رعيته فالأمير الذي على الناس راع ومسئول عن رعيته والرجل راع على أهل بيته وهو مسئول عنهم والمرأة راعية على بيت بعلها وهي مسئولة عنه والعبد راع على مال سيده وهو مسئول عنه ألا فكلكم راع وكلكم مسئول عن رعيته (بخارى - مسلم)ـ
"Lo! All of you are trustees and shall be questioned on the day of Qiyamah in respect of your trust. So the king is a head unto his subjects and shall be questioned in respect of them; the husband is a head unto his wife and household and shall be questioned in respect of them; the wife is a head unto her husband's house and the children and shall be questioned in respect of them all; the slave is a watchman unto his master's effects and shall be questioned in respect of those. So you are all trustees and you shall be questioned in respect of those entrusted to you." (Bukhari/Muslim)
And similarly, in another place, a yet clearer account is given:
الدين النصيحة قلنا لمن؟ قال لله ولكتابه ولرسوله ولأئمة المسلمين وعامتهم (مسلم)ـ
Rasulullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam) said:
"Religion is the act of counselling." (The Sahabah) enquired: "On whose part (to counsel)?" He said: "On the part of Allah, the Apostle, the leaders of the Muslims and the lay Muslims." (Muslim)
Even if we suppose, as an extreme case, that this task has to be carried out by the Ulama only, the present emergency and the critical situation demand that every one of us should put his shoulder to the wheel and strive hard for establishing Allah's supremacy on the earth and for protecting the Muslim way of life.
Second
It is commonly believed that if a person is firm and steadfast in his own Iman, the wrong belief of others will bring him no harm because of the meaning attached to the following Ayah of the Quran:
يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا عَلَيكُم أَنفُسَكُم ۖ لا يَضُرُّكُم مَن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهتَدَيتُم ۚ (المائدة: 105)ـ
"O ye who believe! Guard your own souls: If ye follow (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray" (Al-Maaidah 105)
In fact, the real meaning and sense of the above Ayah is not what is being apparently attached to it, because, in that case, the meaning would appear to be against the Divine wisdom and spirit and against the teachings of the Shariah. It considers the collective life and progress and salvation of the Muslim society as a whole to be fundamental. The Muslim people must be considered like a single body having several limbs. When any limb receives an injury, the whole body suffers from the pain.
Mankind may progress to any limit and it may reach the highest pinnacle of glory in every sphere of life, yet there will be some who will go astray and become involved in impiety. In that event, the above Ayah re-assures the righteous people that as long as they remain steadfast and keep moving on the right path, no harm can be brought to them by those who decide to give up the right way of life.
Yet another point is that full enlightment will be received only when all the rules of law of the Shariah are accepted and practiced, including all the Divine commands, which naturally cover enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. This interpretation is supported by the following words of Abu Bakr (Radiallaho Anhu):
عن أبي بكر رضي الله عنه أنه قام فحمد الله وأثنى عليه ثم قال: " أيها الناس إنكم تقرؤن هذه الآية { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُم مَّن ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ } وإني سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: « إن الناس إذا رأوا المنكر فلم يغيروه أوشك أن يعمهم الله بعقابه »ـ
"O people! you quote this ayah: "O ye who believe! Guard your own souls: If ye follow (right) guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray," but I have heard Rasulullah (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) say that when people see something evil and do not seek to change it, Allah will send down punishment for all of them."
The Ayah in question has been similarly explained by all the truly learned personages, such as Imam Nawawi (Rahmatullah Alaihi) who explains in his book Sharh Muslim:
"The consensus of opinion of the learned personages regarding the meaning of this Ayah is that, when you have performed the duty enjoined on you, the remissness of those who refuse to profit by your counsel will not harm you, as Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) says:
ولا تزر وازرة وزر اخرى (فاطر 18)ـ
"No one shall carry another man's burden" (Al-An'am 164, Al-Israa 15, Faatir 18, Zumar 7), and of the several injunctions addressed to all, one is that regarding enforcement of good and prevention of evil. Therefore when an individual has performed this duty and the addressee proves refractory, the former shall not be penalized for it. He has performed his duty of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and acceptance or rejection of it by the other party is not within his ability. Allah knows best."
Third
People of distinction as well as the common man, the learned and the ignorant, all alike, have become indifferent or even lost hope of the reformation of the society. They all seem to have accepted the fate, that is is difficult, rather impossible these days for Muslims to make any progress to regain their lost glory. Whenever any scheme for improvement and reformation is presented to anyone, the usual reaction is: how can the Muslims progress in the circumstances when they have neither a state of their own nor any power to rule, neither wealth nor any financial standing, nor army and equipment of war nor any influence? They lack even in physical stamina, mutual agreement and unity of purpose. Even the religious people seem to have decided by themselves that, it being the fourteenth century Hijri and the people having drifted so farther away from the prophetic teachings, the downfall of Islam and the Muslims is inevitable. The maintain that, in these circumstances, it will be useless to make any effort towards the reformation of Muslims.
It is true that the effects of the light of Nubuwwah become less and less as we are removed farther and farther away from it, but this does not mean that no effort is to be made to revive that light by enforcing Shariah and upholding and defending with all our energies and power, the way of life taught by Mohammed (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam).
For, had the Muslims before us thought so, there would have been no trace of Islam left anywhere by now, because there would have been no means through which the lessons and the teachings of the Shariah could have reached us. Therefore, it will be fatal for us not to check the present negative attitude towards Islam. We should adopt a vigorously positive line for our own sake and also for the sake of future generations. The time is moving fast and so is the pace of deterioration in the religion of Islam. The situation demands a strong, quick and determined effort by one and all for arresting the rot and stopping further degeneration of Muslim society.
As a rule, existence of true Islam depends entirely upon the perseverance and collective effort of its followers. Unfortunately, they seem to be deficient in these very requirements. We must appreciate that the Quran and Hadith are full of the lessons in calling Muslims to be active and to stand firm in the path of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). There is a Hadith about a very pious person who may pray night and day all his life, but he cannot come to the level of one who strives and sacrifices his pleasure and comfort for the sake of guiding and helping people to move on the right path of Islam.
On this very point, many commands and injunctions in the Quran exist. It is clearly brought out that the one who strives hard in the path of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) remains superior and noble compared to all others; for example:
لا يَستَوِي القاعِدونَ مِنَ المُؤمِنينَ غَيرُ أُولِي الضَّرَرِ وَالمُجاهِدونَ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَموالِهِم وَأَنفُسِهِم ۚ فَضَّلَ اللَّهُ المُجاهِدينَ بِأَموالِهِم وَأَنفُسِهِم عَلَى القاعِدينَ دَرَجَةً ۚ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الحُسنىٰ ۚ وَفَضَّلَ اللَّهُ المُجاهِدينَ عَلَى القاعِدينَ أَجرًا عَظيمًا ﴿٩٥﴾ دَرَجاتٍ مِنهُ وَمَغفِرَةً وَرَحمَةً ۚ وَكانَ اللَّهُ غَفورًا رَحيمًا ﴿٩٦﴾ـ
"The believers who, without a reasonable excuse, sit at home cannot equal those who perform Jihad in the path of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) with their lives and wealth. Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) has raised the status of those who perform Jihad with their lives and wealth as compared to those who stay at home. To the former, He has promised a blessed abode. Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) has exalted the Mujaahideen over those who stay at home, with glorious rewards, eminent positions, His mercy and forgiveness; and Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) is forgiving and Merciful (Al-Nisaa' 95, 96).
Although the above Ayah refers directly to Jihad against the infidels and unbelievers in order to uphold the teachings of Islam and subdue and subjugate faithlessness and Shirk and, although we are unfortunate in not having the opportunity of fulfilling that great task, we ought not to throw away any chance of doing something, however small, in the direction of propagating the truth. Only then can we expect that one day our humble efforts and insignificant perseverance may gather momentum and impetus for bigger and higher performances.
وَالَّذينَ جاهَدوا فينا لَنَهدِيَنَّهُم سُبُلَنا ۚ ﴿العنكبوت ٦٩﴾ـ
And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths (Al-Ankaboot 69)
Undoubtedly Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) has promised to provide protection for the way of life propagated by Mohammed (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam). But, human effort and perseverance have been defined as the only media for its promotion and advancement. The Sahabah of the Nabi (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) strove untiringly for that purpose and, assuredly, they succeeded and were recipients of high rewards. They has the honour of receiving Divine help and assistance. We, being their admirers and believers, ought to try and follow them and prepare ourselves for working to establish Allah's supremacy on the earth and for propagating the message of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). Thus, we will also be favored with Divine help and assistance.
إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُركُم وَيُثَبِّت أَقدامَكُم ﴿محمد ٧﴾ـ
"If you (come forward to) help the religion of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), He shall help you and make you steadfast" (Muhammad 7)
Fourth
Most of us think that, as we ourselves do not possess the essential virtues and qualities of Islam, we are not competent to perform the duty of propagation of those qualities among others. This is a clear misunderstanding. Since an obligation has to be fulfilled, particularly when we have been commanded by Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) for that task, there can be no question of denying obedience to it. We must set ourselves to work in obedience to the Divine command. Our efforts then shall, InshaAllah (if Allah wills) gather greater strength and make us more determined and resolute. In this way, our continued endeavor on proper lines will one day bring us the great honor of being dear to Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). It is against the law of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) that, if one preservers and strives for His sake (religion), He would not grant favours and kindness because the person was not competent or fit for the task! This point is fully brought out in the following Hadith:
عن أنس رضي الله عنه قال: قلنا يا رسول الله لا نأمر بالمعروف حتى نعمل به كله ولا ننهى عن المنكر حتى نجتنبه كله. فقال صلى الله عليه وسلم "بل مروا بالمعروف وإن لم تعملوا به كله وانهوا عن المنكر وإن لم تجتنبوه كله" (رواه الطبراني في الأوسط)ـ
Anas (Radiallaho Anho) relates: We said, O Rasulullah, should we not enjoin good until we practice it all and should we not forbid evil until we avoid it all? He (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) said: No, enjoin good even if you do not practice it all yourself and forbid evil even if you yourself are not able to avoid all of it.
Fifth
Most of us take it for granted that the religious schools, the Ulama, the saints who have their seats at various religious places, and the religious books and magazines are sufficient activities for the fulfillment of the mission of enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. These efforts, they think, are enough to meet the requirements of Tabligh. Undoubtedly, the presence of all these is absolutely essential and one must look upon them with reverence and pay attention to their problems, as the traces of Islam that exist today owe their existence to these very institutions, but they are not enough to meet the situation even partially. The task is stupenduous, considering our present weaknesses and the extend of the problem. To be content with the existence of these few methods will be a grave folly on our part.
Even to derive full benefit from these institutions, we have to create within ourselves, a true and a deep respect for the faith of Islam and a burning desire to adopt it in our practical life. Up to fifty years back, people did possess real love, urge and passion for Islam and there were visible signs and products of the Islamic way of life. In those days these institutions could perhaps meet the demand satisfactorily. But today all our sentiments and feelings for Islam are practically dead, because of the continuos onslaught on our faith and social structure by various foreign elements and forces. Alas! they have succeeded in their object, as, instead of love, we seem to possess a hidden inferiority complex towards our religion and faith! Obviously, therefore, we must act quickly and take the initiative from the hands of opposing forces and launch a strong counter effort whereby we are able to revive the dead spirit of each and every Muslim and rekindle in him the love and attachment for Islam. Only then we get full benefit from existing religious institutions which in turn, can serve the community in a befitting manner. Unless such steps are taken vigorously, the present state of complacency will spread deep and wide and these institutions which are doing good in this limited way, may meet the fate of total destruction.
Sixth
There is great danger that whenever one takes up the work of commanding good and forbidding evil, he is not received well by the people. The people always treat him badly, using harsh and insulting language. Also, sometimes people adopt a mean and contemptuous attitude towards religious workers. This is true, but we are likely to forget the fact that the performance of the act of propagation means simply to follow in the footsteps of the Prophets of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala), who were always the victims of the worst type of treatment. That is the usual and certain fate of those who take to this mission! Indeed, all Ambiya had to suffer untold miseries on account of this, as is clear from the following Ayah:
وَلَقَد أَرسَلنا مِن قَبلِكَ في شِيَعِ الأَوَّلينَ ﴿١٠﴾ وَما يَأتيهِم مِن رَسولٍ إِلّا كانوا بِهِ يَستَهزِئونَ ﴿١١﴾ـ
"And we sent down Prophets before you amongst people gone by, and no Prophet came to them but that they ridiculed him" (Al-Hijr 10)
The Nabi (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) once remarked:
"No Prophet has suffered more than me in the propagation of truth."
It is obvious, therefore, that there is no excuse for such doubts. As we profess to be the followers of Mohammed (Sallallaho Alaihi wa Sallam) who himself had suffered in the performance of this very mission, but took everything cheerfully and with forbearance, we must also follow his noble example and show patience and calmness while performing the essential duty of Tabligh.
To be continued inshaAllah...