The Muslim Village
Response by Shaikh Imran
N. Hosein to a serious comment concerning the establishment of Muslim Villages
Written by Imran Nazar
Hosein
Dear
Brother, wa 'alaikum assalaam! Thank you for your email and for your critical
comments on the subject of living in the modern age. So long as Muslims are
free to worship Allah Most High, to preserve themselves and their families in Islam,
and to freely propagate Islam in society, they have a duty to continue to
reside in society regardless of whether it is founded on democracy or
dictatorship.
However,
when freedom to propagate Islam is restricted to only that cosmetic Islam that
is approved by those who rule the world, and when, in addition, Muslims see
their children being lost to Islam despite their best effort to preserve them
in Islam, and this because of the evil influence of an essentially godless and
decadent world, then their duty is to take whatever steps are necessary to preserve
faith in Islam.
The
blessed Messenger of Allah Most High was quite explicit when he warned of a
time to come when a man would have to flee to the mountainsides where rain
falls, with some sheep and goats, in order to preserve his faith!
There
are so many in the world today who would adamantly argue that it is wrong for
Muslims to seek refuge for themselves and their families in a remotely-located
Muslim Village even though they live in an age when their children are being
lost to Islam before their very eyes. Such people have a status equivalent to
cattle. They have 'eyes' and yet cannot 'see', 'ears' and yet cannot 'hear',
'hearts' and yet cannot 'understand'!
But
there are others who have eyes with which to see and to thus recognise the
gravity of the unique and unprecedented crisis that has overtaken all of
mankind all around the world today.
My
own response, therefore, is that each individual must be allowed the freedom to
choose and his choice must be respected.
My choice is to build the
remotely-located Muslim Village.
Yet I do not boast when I
claim that no Muslim in my native Trinidad has made a greater contribution than
I have in responding positively and critically (over the last three years that
I have been in Trinidad) to the challenges that face Muslims from the national
community.
Thus establishment of a
remotely-located Muslim Village is essentially a means of protection from hostile
forces and should not be interpreted to imply an abandonment of responsibility
for responding to the challenges of society.
With love,Imran N. Hosein
Here is the letter to which the above
response was made:
Dear Brother Imran
A'Salaamu Alaikum wa
Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu.
I look forward to your
return visit if Allah (SWT) so Wills, we will most certainly meet whenever and
wherever He so decrees.
In the mean-time,
however, let's continue to correspond if you have the available time, as it will
allow me to further clarify my position and, in turn, to receive some much
valued feedback from you. Insha'Allah.
My take on democracy may have, for instance, given you some cause for concern. Relax, and allow me to expand on it, if I may. I come from a European background and, as such, when I speak of democracy I refer to the principal of, and the potential benefits that can be derived from, democracy. Rather than the past and or existing governments that have derived power through it. Personally, I have not voted for many years for the same reasons that you haven’t. However, democracy, as I see it, is a process which allows the majority of people to decide how their country or state will be run. It stands to reason, therefore, that if - Insha'Allah - there was a sudden mass conversion of the majority of people to Islam, in all democratic countries and states, Sharia Law would then naturally be adopted as the rule of Law, and justice would, inevitably, spread throughout the world. Allah (SWT) has spread Muslims all over the world for good reason, and that should give us all cause for deep reflection. Those who find themselves amidst a majority of non-Muslims should do their utmost, and strive whole-heartedly, to spread the Word of Allah (SWT), through all available means, to all those around them, and they should be personal beacons of Islam in order to attract all people to the truth and beauty of Islam; it is, indeed, a duty bestowed on all Muslims, by Allah (SWT), to do so.
The enemies of Islam have gained their power by infiltrating everywhere and injecting their poisonous ways of thinking and acting, through their tools of mass propaganda. It is, therefore, incumbent on all Muslims to provide the antidote to all those affected societies and, thereby, cure their ills by injecting the truth into the system through the same, proven, means. Advertising & Education!
If a group of Muslims
were to cut and run and, thereby, isolate themselves by forming their own
community, they may escape the corruption. But they may also, under the current
prevailing climate where suspicion and ignorance about Islam and Muslims
abounds, be inviting a potential missile attack which would, no doubt, be
justified to the rest of the world by claiming that it was a terrorist cell
that was destroyed; but Allahu Allam.
I strongly contend that the Muslims, whom Allah (SWT) has spread throughout the democratic world, have a very important duty to perform wherever they are, and that they should strive with all their available resources to fulfil that duty, as outlined above, because success on this front will ensure, Insha'Allah, the greater success at centre stage for the final act.
The primary objective in all martial arts is to neutralise your opponents' ability to attack you, and then to deal with them justly; this principal applies at all levels of conflict.
We ordained therein for them: "Life for life, eye for eye, nose or nose, ear for ear, tooth for tooth, and wounds equal for equal." But if any one remits the retaliation by way of charity, it is an act of atonement for himself. And if any fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (No better than) wrong-doers.
S:5, A:45
In light of the above Ayat which is, in effect, the martial law of conduct, we can see that Allah (SWT) has clearly given us the recipe for success. If our enemy is using propaganda tools to make people think and act in a way that is conducive to their efforts, then we should respond, in kind, with those same tools in order to neutralise and reverse their evil effects, by propagating the truth.
Behold! Allah promised you one of the two (enemy) parties, that it should be yours: Ye wished that the one unarmed should be yours, but Allah willed to justify the Truth according to His words and to cut off the roots of the Unbelievers that He might justify Truth and prove Falsehood false, distasteful though it be to those in guilt.
S:
8, A: 7&8
Clearly, those of us who live in democratic countries have, on this occasion been dealt, and must contend with, the unarmed tentacle of the enemy's power base, and our objective should be to publicly proclaim as Allah (SWT) directs us:
And say: "Truth has
(now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound
to perish."
S: 17, A: 81
Nay, We hurl the Truth against falsehood, and it knocks out its brain, and behold, falsehood doth perish! Ah! woe be to you for the (false) things ye ascribe (to Us).
S: 21, A:
18
Wherever we are, we must all play our part according to our capabilities, in order to assist the Islamic Resistance in the best, and most effective, way possible.
I firmly believe that only by our united struggle throughout the world will we succeed.
I look forward to receiving any comments that you may wish to make.
With Kind Regards and Brotherly Love,
Wasalaam.
And now here is his response to my
response
Dear
Brother Imran A'Salaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu.I agree
entirely with what you are saying. The situation is different for Muslims
around the world; everyone should act according to their own circumstances and
be respected for their decision. In . .
. . . at present, for instance, there are a number of Islamic Schools which
cater for the entire schooling experience i.e. from kindergarten to the end of
high school. As long as parents can protect their children from the negative
effects of television, and provide a healthy Islamic environment within their household,
their family and friends it shouldn’t be a problem. That way they can maintain
their Islam and are also able to spread it to the wider community, in part, by
way of their personal example, Insha’Allah.
My
idea of propagating Islam is to simply draw people’s attention to the Qur’an,
via the mass media, and to encourage everyone to read it. The Qur’an speaks for
itself; it presents Islam in its true and pristine nature and it repels all the
cosmetics that have been applied to it. We must always remember that Allah
(SWT) guides whom he pleases to His religion and that, sadly, there will
inevitably be unbelievers and apostates etc., among our children, although we
may take every conceivable precaution...look at Noah’s (AS) son for instance;
surely his Father, a Messenger from Allah (SWT), did everything possible to
protect his son from disbelief. And although it may be argued that Noah (AS)
and his family lived among corrupt people, we cannot deny that the best among
all humans were also brought up in corrupt environments...look at Ibrahim (AS),
our Prophet (SAW) and the Sahaba (RA) for instance. Admittedly, they all
eventually sought refuge and, Allahu Allam, but circumstances are constantly
changing and a time may very well come when it may be best for us to also seek refuge.
These matters, and the timing of them, are entirely in the hands of Allah (SWT)
and He has definitely warned us about the great tribulation. I meant no
disrespect with my comments about Muslims isolating themselves, and I do apologize if they were perceived as a condemnation rather than a concern; it
is, as you say, appropriate and indeed necessary in certain circumstances for a
Community to seek refuge. If the Community has enough land and water to sustain
it and be self sufficient, and everyone is prepared to work together and cooperate
for the common good then, Masha’Allah, it would be like Paradise on
Earth…beautiful!
However,
let us not delude ourselves, such a Community would definitely be viewed with extreme
prejudice & suspicion, at the very least, and I seriously doubt the enemies
of Islam would allow such a Community to exist in peace, especially considering
the success of the kibbutzim in establishing the state of Israel; but Allahu
Allam and in some circumstances, even the most extreme threat shouldn’t be
deterrent. And if Allah (SWT) chooses to protect a Community from the designs
of its enemies, then no harm can come to it, as Allah (SWT) is truly the best
planner and the best to protect.
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