Our Violent World...

[~Zaria~]

:salam:


Today, our local news headlines featured the story of a 14-year old teenager who butchered to death four of his family members including his mum, grand-mother, 7 year old brother and 3 month old sister, with an axe. (http://news.sky.com/story/1096015/te...family-murders)

This country (South Africa) is said to have one of the highest murder rates - outside war zones - in the world.
Up to 16,000 people were killed between 2011 and 2012, according to official statistics.

This story, in addition to the brutal murder of an elderly muslim man in the UK (brother Mohammed Saleem), that of the soldier (Drummer Lee Rigby) ........as well as the countless lives that are lost on a daily basis (most of them unknown to us), is enough to make one cry at the state of our world.

The violence that surrounds us, is not particular to a certain religion, race, nationality or social status.

Each is unique, and there are many factors that contribute to the state of our affairs, across the globe.

For myself, it is a reminder of the following ahadith:

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.185 Narrated by Abu Musa The Prophet (saws) said,

"Near the Establishment of the Hour there will be days during which (religious) knowledge will be taken away (vanish), general ignorance will be wide-spread, and there will be 'Al-Harj' (killing) in abundance.'


The prophet (peace be upon him) once said:

"By Him in whose hand is my life, a time will come when the murderer will not know why he has committed murder, and the victim will not know why he has been killed." (Muslim 41:6949)


We are living in a period, where we are in the midst of most of the minor signs before the day of judgement.
What we are currently experiencing is only expected to get worse with time.

And so, we need to be prepared: mentally, psychologically and as a community.

And most importantly, we need to hold tightly to our deen, as this is the only key that will in shaa Allah, protect us from a world that is heading in only one direction.

May Allah (subhanawataála) protect us from the fitnahs that are lashing at us on a daily basis.
And grant victory to this ummah.
And may we never, ever lose trust and hope in His plan for us.
Ameen



:wasalam:

[glo]

These stories are truly shocking, although I am not convinced that we live in more brutal and criminal times these days.

I think murders, killings, rapes, muggings etc have ALWAYS happened. People just never used to hear about it. Unless something happened in your own village or town, you wouldn't have known.
Today we have international news, youtube, social media etc ... and an army of people with their cameras on the mobile phones to report anything untoward.

I don't think more crimes HAPPEN, but more crimes are made public to a wider audience.

[greenhill]

I tend to agree with you Glo, it is more widely reported now, sometimes sensationally. With more people around, there is more opportunity. But if the Hadiths says so, maybe there is an increase in proportion of crime to population, not just more widely reported.:hmm:

I used to reason that the diseases and deaths were no different in the past except that they did not know what it was and accredited it to 'supernatural' circumstances.... until AIDS and all the new strands of 'bird flu', H*N* etc. These are new.

But, accept it or not, we are approaching the end of times. Everyday we move further away from history and closer to the moment. Even though it took thousands of years of for the Jews to get their 'promised land', they eventually did. The end of times will arrive, whatever the signs we read or don't read.

Zaria - The world has been preparing to head in this direction for a long time. Only now the 'chips' are in place and they are steam rolling the agenda, like concentrating the wealth in a handful of people, propaganda and so on. Alhamdulillah, despite it all, there are still men of God (Allah) around and the da'wah continues, reverts finding the truth and some muslims, going astray. imsad

[White Rose]

These stories are truly shocking, although I am not convinced that we live in more brutal and criminal times these days.

I think murders, killings, rapes, muggings etc have ALWAYS happened. People just never used to hear about it. Unless something happened in your own village or town, you wouldn't have known.
Today we have international news, youtube, social media etc ... and an army of people with their cameras on the mobile phones to report anything untoward.

I don't think more crimes HAPPEN, but more crimes are made public to a wider audience.

Hi Glo,
Crimes may have happened in the entire world but if you look at the time when the best of generations of Muslim ummah lived and compare it to now, then you see a huge difference. I think when someone presents the hadith that Sister Zaria gave, its usually a comparison of the previous ummah versus this ummah, not the entire world in general. If I am wrong, someone can correct me.

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[Ahmad H]

Remember what the Holy Qur'an said about this. I hope this verse strikes at your hearts as it did mine when I started to think about human violence as well:

2:30 Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."

[greenhill]

Salaam Ahmad H,

You know? I use the same verse to argue with people that humans did not come from apes. Neanderthals etc. If no created being knows the future, how did the angels know there will be bloodshed and mischief? (with the creation of Adam pbuh) They must have been referring to the Neanderthals etc. There again we differed from previous creation because we were given speech, as the Quran goes on to say when Adam (pbuh) gave the sermon.

[~Zaria~]

These stories are truly shocking, although I am not convinced that we live in more brutal and criminal times these days.

I think murders, killings, rapes, muggings etc have ALWAYS happened. People just never used to hear about it. Unless something happened in your own village or town, you wouldn't have known.
Today we have international news, youtube, social media etc ... and an army of people with their cameras on the mobile phones to report anything untoward.

I don't think more crimes HAPPEN, but more crimes are made public to a wider audience.

Hi Glo,

I think our realities at the moment are so different from each other, that it may be influencing the way we see the world.

When you live in a society where it is estimated that 42 people are murdered per day
(http://www.islamicboard.com/world-af...-official.html), then you may understand why, at least for us, these prophesies from our beloved messenger (salallahu alaihi wasalam) are already ringing true.

I realise that in the UK, violent crimes may not be as frequent, and life may generally be safer for its citizens.

Alhamdulillah, I have been to certain parts of Europe, and I could appreciate the difference in lifestyle during these short trips.
You may not believe this, but back home - I hardly ever walk on the streets (for safety concerns).
And when I do get the chance to go abroad, it is the most amazing feeling to just walk freely, taking in the fresh air.....watching people jog/ cycle, etc - these simple pleasures that are often taken for granted.

To give another example of the impact of crime here:
Very often, medical students/ junior doctors from the UK and elsewhere, come to our country to specifically train at our trauma facilities.
The reason being, is that we have sooo much crime here (in the form of stabbings, gun-shot injuries etc), on a daily basis, that is acceptable for our students/ interns to perform trauma-related procedures, that others would not ever get the chance to do so in other countries.

Just last week, a friend of mine was hijacked at gun-point - her car, wallet, laptop stolen. Alhamdulillah shes fortunate not to have been shot/ killed.
These stories are so frequent and the perpetrators are almost never caught - that it has just become part of life......

So, certainly from my end of the world (and in most third world countries), violent crimes have become more common (not requiring media coverage to realise it).


While I do agree that certain types of crimes have always existed through the ages, I doubt that we will be able to truly measure its past extent.

However, for myself and all muslims who believe the word of our prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) to be true, we have no doubt that what he has taught us and warned us about is an absolute certainty.


God bless

[~Zaria~]

Hi Glo,
Crimes may have happened in the entire world but if you look at the time when the best of generations of Muslim ummah lived and compare it to now, then you see a huge difference. I think when someone presents the hadith that Sister Zaria gave, its usually a comparison of the previous ummah versus this ummah, not the entire world in general. If I am wrong, someone can correct me.

:salam: sister,

The above ahadith are specifically related to the minor signs of qiyamat.

In the following link, you can in shaa Allah, read a little more about some of these signs: http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/16940

As you may notice, there are alot of minor signs that are already occuring (as foretold by our prophet sallalau alaihi wasalam) - and this pertains to the world in general (certainly there may be areas where some signs are more prevalent than others, but on a general note these types of fitnahs are on the increase).


BarakAllahu feekum

[Ahmad H]

Salaam Ahmad H,

You know? I use the same verse to argue with people that humans did not come from apes. Neanderthals etc. If no created being knows the future, how did the angels know there will be bloodshed and mischief? (with the creation of Adam pbuh) They must have been referring to the Neanderthals etc. There again we differed from previous creation because we were given speech, as the Quran goes on to say when Adam (pbuh) gave the sermon.

To be honest, no one can truly say what the meaning of that is. But it is a fact that only Allah knows the unseen. That much is certain.

So if Allah only knows the unseen, then the question is, how did the angels know? That is because humanity already existed before that time. Inevitably so. Either that or Allah told them that they would be violent. But what proof is there of that?

Adam (as) was a Khalifa, meaning successor. The word choice in the Qur'an is not without reason. If a word has some meanings in the Qur'an, then all of those meanings are true for that word.

Allah knows best what the meaning is. It may be both things, or just one of them. I am not certain as to which is the most correct one.

[~Zaria~]

:salam:

Just wanted to respond to a question that I received via rep message:

But who is to say that just as amny crimes (or more) were not committed centuries ago ... and were just not reported?

We may not be able to accurately define the extent of crimes in the past centuries.
Allah alone knows best with regards to this.

However, one of the great benefits of having faith - is that we believe with absolute certainty that whatever has been revealed in Quraan, and that which has been narrated by the prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) in authenticated ahadith are true - for muslims, there are no doubts.

Another point to note, is that from the signs of the approach of qiyamat, they all indicate towards a general increase towards these evils.

As examples, other minor signs before the day of judgement:

The following are minor signs of Qiyamat that are already apparent;

• Lost of trust (from the hearts of people). (Bukhari)
• Lost of ilm and rampant ignorance. (Bukhari)
• Widespread adultery (Zina). (Bukhari)
• Interest (Riba) being widespread. (Tabrani)
• Appearance of musical instruments. (Ibn Majah)
• Extensive use of alcohol. (Muslim)
• Competing with each other in decorating Masjids. (Ahmad)
• Competing with each other in building (houses, building etc.) (Bukhari)
• Abundance of killing. (Muslim)
• Contrition in/of time. (Bukhari)
• Extensive immorality, break of family relations and evil character among neighbors. (Ahmad)
• The use of black dye by men. (Ahmad)
• Widespread miserliness. (Tabrani)
• Abundance of earthquakes. (Bukhari)
• Extensive trade/business until a woman would accompany/join her husband in trade and business (Ahmad).
• Removal of the pious (by Allah Ta’ala). (Ahmad)
• Salam (to say Assalamu Alaykum) will be made by a person only to those whom he knows. (Ahmad)
• Ilm (Knowledge) will be sought from young (Asagir). (Jami As-Sagir)
• Women would be clothed yet naked (due to their style of clothing). (Ahmad)
• Presence of lairs. (Muslim)
• False oaths will be taken. (Ahmad)
• The presence of more women than men. (Bukhari)
• Unexpected and sudden deaths. (Tabrani)

http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/16940

^ these types of occurences may have been present for centuries - but what is to be noted, is that they will become far more prevalent than ever before.

And we are clearly witnessing this for ourselves.

SubhanAllah.

[Insaanah]

But who is to say that just as amny crimes (or more) were not committed centuries ago ... and were just not reported?

There was one major factor not in existence then, that makes violence a normal part of life and even glorifies it now. That is the TV and film industry. The impact of this is accepted.

The typical American child will view more than 200,000 acts of violence, including more than 16,000 murders before age 18.

Some researchers have demonstrated that very young children will imitate aggressive acts on TV in their play with peers. Before age 4, children are unable to distinguish between fact and fantasy and may view violence as an ordinary occurrence. In general, violence on television and in movies often conveys a model of conflict resolution. It is efficient, frequent, and inconsequential. Heroes are violent, and, as such, are rewarded for their behavior. They become role models for youth. It is "cool" to carry an automatic weapon and use it to knock off the "bad guys." The typical scenario of using violence for a righteous cause may translate in daily life into a justification for using violence to retaliate against perceived victimizers. Hence, vulnerable youth who have been victimized may be tempted to use violent means to solve problems. Unfortunately, there are few, if any, models of nonviolent conflict resolution in the media. Additionally, children who watch televised violence are desensitized to it. They may come to see violence as a fact of life and, over time, lose their ability to empathize with both the victim and the victimizer.

There are other, new forms of violence to which children and adolescents are exposed. In one recent study, it was demonstrated that 15% of music videos contain interpersonal violence. Still another new source of violent exposure is access to the Internet and video games.

http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/develop..._interventions

The Media Violence Commission's research-based report concludes that the research clearly shows that media violence consumption increases the relative risk of aggression, defined as intentional harm to another person that could be verbal, relational, or physical. The report is published in the September/October issue of the journal Aggressive Behavior.

In their report, the commission wrote that aside from being sources of imitation, violent images -- such as scenes in movies, games or pictures in comic books -- act as triggers for activating aggressive thoughts and feelings already stored in memory. If these aggressive thoughts and feelings are activated over and over again because of repeated exposure to media violence, they become chronically accessible, and thus more likely to influence behavior.

"One may also become more vigilant for hostility and aggression in the world, and therefore, begin to feel some ambiguous actions by others (such as being bumped in a crowded room) are deliberate acts of provocation," the commission wrote in the report.

http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2012/08/23/violence

Add into this other factors such as poverty other perceived social injustices, and it is a recipe for disaster.

I would reiterate the following:

for myself and all muslims who believe the word of our prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasalam) to be true, we have no doubt that what he has taught us and warned us about is an absolute certainty.

[Independent]

We may not be able to accurately define the extent of crimes in the past centuries..

There has been research on this and it points overwhelmingly to the idea that Europe is a far, far safer place than it was 500 years ago. There has been a massive fall in homicide rates:

"Taken together, these data confirm the Europe-wide massive drop—roughly by a factor of 10:1 to 50:1 over the period from the fifteenth to the twentieth century—in lethal interpersonal violence first observed by Gurr on the basis of English data (1981)"
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/h...lent-crime.pdf

[Insaanah]

:salam:

I use the same verse to argue with people that humans did not come from apes. Neanderthals etc. If no created being knows the future, how did the angels know there will be bloodshed and mischief? (with the creation of Adam pbuh) They must have been referring to the Neanderthals etc. There again we differed from previous creation because we were given speech, as the Quran goes on to say when Adam (pbuh) gave the sermon.

To be honest, no one can truly say what the meaning of that is. But it is a fact that only Allah knows the unseen. That much is certain.

So if Allah only knows the unseen, then the question is, how did the angels know? That is because humanity already existed before that time. Inevitably so. Either that or Allah told them that they would be violent. But what proof is there of that?

Adam (as) was a Khalifa, meaning successor. The word choice in the Qur'an is not without reason. If a word has some meanings in the Qur'an, then all of those meanings are true for that word.

Allah knows best what the meaning is. It may be both things, or just one of them. I am not certain as to which is the most correct one.

We cannot say the angels were referring to neandertals, nor that humanity existed before that time, or that khalifah used here means successor, implying that humans succeeded a previous creation. Ibn Kathir says it means people reproducing generation after generation, century after century. Many have said it means vicegerent, and there are other meanings too.

As to how did the angels know, Mufti Shafi Usmani says this in his commentary Ma'ariful Qur'an:

Another question which may arise out of this episode is: How did the angels come to know that man would shed blood? Did they possess the knowledge of hidden things and of divine secrets? Or, was it a mere conjecture on their part? Most of the authoritative scholars believe, on the basis of certain آثار aathaar or reports available about the blessed Companions, that it was Allah Himself who had informed the angels on this occasion as to how man would behave on the earth. (See Ruh al Ma'aani). It is only then that they became curious about the raison d'etre of man being chosen as the viceregent in spite of his propensity to evil.

http://www.maarifulquran.net/data/ma...mani%20Rah.pdf

Book page 159-165, adobe pages 175-181

Ultimately, Allah knows best, and we should leave it at that.

[White Rose]

:salam: sister,

The above ahadith are specifically related to the minor signs of qiyamat.

In the following link, you can in shaa Allah, read a little more about some of these signs: http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/16940

As you may notice, there are alot of minor signs that are already occuring (as foretold by our prophet sallalau alaihi wasalam) - and this pertains to the world in general (certainly there may be areas where some signs are more prevalent than others, but on a general note these types of fitnahs are on the increase).


BarakAllahu feekum

:wasalam:

Yes sister. :jz: for the link

I wanted to say that I used to think that the signs were for the entire world in general but then as I read more about them, I came to understand that the ahadith are also talking about the Muslim ummah in specific. I could be wrong but this is what I understand.

[~Zaria~]

There has been research on this and it points overwhelmingly to the idea that Europe is a far, far safer place than it was 500 years ago. There has been a massive fall in homicide rates:

"Taken together, these data confirm the Europe-wide massive drop—roughly by a factor of 10:1 to 50:1 over the period from the fifteenth to the twentieth century—in lethal interpersonal violence first observed by Gurr on the basis of English data (1981)"
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/arts/h...lent-crime.pdf

Greetings Independant,

Most certainly, there is an uneven distribution of violence/ murders across globe - as there is an uneven distribution of many other things.
Even the weather is not the same throughout the world.

For this reason, there is not much point in trying to rival statistics between different parts of the world - the 'massive fall in homicide rates' in Europe means very little to the massive increase in homicide rates (esp in the last few decades) in parts of Africa and other third world countries.

Alhamdulillah, there are some things in life that we do not need conventional 'evidence' to convince us of the truth.

When Allah and His messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken, then this takes precedence over and above anything that can later be brought forward by man.

And indeed, even if you do not recognize the truth in what has been revealed, we are not weakened in our convictions.

For we know with surety - as sure as we know that death is approaching us - that the word of Allah and His prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) will prevail.

Sooner or later, you too shall know, in shaa Allah.

[Independent]

Most certainly, there is an uneven distribution of violence/ murders across globe - as there is an uneven distribution of many other things.

It certainly is uneven - but I have seen it suggested sometimes that there is an increase in violent crime in Europe because of lack of religious zeal, whereas in fact the opposite is the case.

You live in South Africa if i remember? I visited there some years ago and i was stunned at the level of violent crime and the effect on society. I remember reading one of the main national newspapers and practically every story on the front page was an account of a murder. I remember too being warned not to stop on the motorway from Cape Town airport, because it was a ruse to mug people. And I could see the extraordinary security features that many people surrounded their homes with. It's tragic in a place of such stunning natural beauty and a serious threat to the health of the country as a whole.

[Independent]

Sooner or later, you too shall know, in shaa Allah.

By the way, I appreciate this sentiment, even if I may be destined for another course.

[nila11]

And indeed, even if you do not recognize the truth in what has been revealed, we are not weakened in our convictions.

[nila11]

if you do not recognize the truth in what has been revealed, we are not weakened in our convictions.
When Allah and His messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) have spoken, then this takes precedence over and above anything that can later be brought forward by man.

[~Zaria~]

It certainly is uneven - but I have seen it suggested sometimes that there is an increase in violent crime in Europe because of lack of religious zeal, whereas in fact the opposite is the case.

You live in South Africa if i remember? I visited there some years ago and i was stunned at the level of violent crime and the effect on society. I remember reading one of the main national newspapers and practically every story on the front page was an account of a murder. I remember too being warned not to stop on the motorway from Cape Town airport, because it was a ruse to mug people. And I could see the extraordinary security features that many people surrounded their homes with. It's tragic in a place of such stunning natural beauty and a serious threat to the health of the country as a whole.

^That is unfortunately, a pretty accurate description of our country at the moment.

I was just at our jamiat's offices ('jamiat' is the council/ union of islamic scholars) - after a previous robbery/ hostage situation, they have tightened up security......situated on the first floor, they now have a burglar guard at each landing - 5 in total, before one can even enter the office!

I was thinking that if this is what the jamiat requires for security, then I think the rest of us may be in trouble, lol!

As you have mentioned, the beauty of this country (it is a splendid blend of nature/ wild-life, city life, beautiful coast-lines and great weather) is marred by such high crime levels.

Living in such a society affects one psychologically as well - theres a heightened sense of awareness at most times, it breeds over-suspicion (e.g. you do not ever give lifts to strangers - no matter how desperate their situation may appear, for fear of being hijacked), kids dont go to the parks anymore, middle-upper class folk will never be seen walking/ cycling alone on the streets (cyclists even get hijacked of their bicycles if they are not in groups!), you learn never to leave your hand-bags/ valuables on the passenger seat in your car (as a result of 'smash and grab' incidents).
A typical home in a complex has barbed wire, an alarm, burglar guards, 24-hour security, armed response, access-controlled entrance.......and many times, still will get broken in to!

(if you have been following the Oscar Pistorius murder case - his version of events is actually plausible to many in this country, for these reasons)

Personally if I had the chance to emigrate (e.g. to Saudi), I would do so in a heart-beat.

Its most amazing to see shop-keepers simply cover their goods with a cloth and head for prayers - with no concern at all for theft.

I think that the only way to get crime levels down (in countries such as mine), is to implement Shariah law.
We do not need any more prisons that are over-flowing, housing prisoners under in-humane conditions and costing the country millions each year.
We need a few 'examples' to be made of - a few hands lost for theft, for example, will be enough of a deterrent for the rest of society.

SubhanAllah, again we see the amazing wisdom in the laws of Allah.
It is when we leave these commands behind, that society suffers in so many ways.