In the previous ages, we could do the work of dawah or convey God’s message on a minimal scale at a local level. However, today, dawah can be performed globally due to print and electronic communications developments. Similarly, while travelling, one was hindered in one’s journey due to unavoidable obstacles, such as mountains, jungles, and oceans. However, in today’s age, aeroplanes have the potential to rise above all obstacles and have made travel swift and convenient. Violence is not an option for Muslims, nor should struggle to achieve political gain be their goal. Muslims have only one choice: to engage in peaceful dawah work. ‘God will surely help him who helps His cause—God is indeed powerful and mighty.’ (22:40) God is waiting to extend His help to those who devote themselves to the right task, peaceful dawah work.
This title came to me after an experience, which I had yesterday. A program was organised at the YMCA, New Delhi by the Interfaith Coalition for Peace in which I was invited to be one of the speakers.
I realized that in the life cycle of every movement, there comes a new phase. However, this new phase does not announce itself and come; we have to discover it on our own and then avail the opportunities, which it brings. If we are able to discover the opportunities then we will get the reward and if we are unable to discover them then we’ll not get the reward. The case of Prophet Yunus is an example of this.
God sets examples through great people so that it becomes an eye opener for people. Prophet Yunus came in Nainva in Iraq; at that time, the population of that city was about 100,000. He spread the message of Creation Plan of God among the people there, but after some time he thought that the people had refused to accept his message and therefore, he planned to leave the place. However, after leaving the place, he got swallowed by a whale and got trapped inside its stomach, as mentioned in the Bible and the Quran. It was then that he realised that he had committed a mistake and asked for forgiveness from God and returned to Nainva. This time round, however as he continued spreading the message of God, the whole population including the King of Nainva accepted the message brought by him. This acceptance of the message was not a miracle and did not happen suddenly. People do not accept the message all of a sudden, as were it to happen suddenly then it could have happened before. It was a long-drawn process. When Prophet Yunus had come to them the first time, then they had accepted 50% of the message, that is, it had got into their hearts but not on their lips, the people had developed a soft corner for it. They had not accepted it by letter and spirit. But when the Prophet went there next time, these people accepted the message completely; the remaining 50% also was addressed. Hence, earlier, the people of Nainva had accepted the message by way of potential but when Prophet Yunus returned and addressed them again, this potential; was converted into actual.
In this world opportunity comes in the form of potential and the requirement of availing this opportunity is to give away everything once you discover it. We have to give the test at any cost and if we fail to analyse the new phase then angels will not come to help us. We have to use our minds and have to think. Satan is always on the lookout of ways to distract us, so the moment we become aware about the opportunity we should surrender completely before it.
The following verse of the Quran alludes to what is said above:
God has bought the money and lives of those who strive on the path of God [and upon whom Truth has been made manifest]. This is because God has ordained Paradise for such people. Therefore, it is their responsibility to devote their life and material things in the way of God.
Our mission has entered a new phase. Forty years back, an English weekly newspaper had published an article on me and my mission. The caption of the article was “lonely voice”, that is, the voice of just one man. It meant that this is only a one-man show and till that man is alive, things are there and when he will be gone everything will be finished. This idea was propagated to the extent that once an Arab Sheikh, in discussion with a person asked about me saying: “Is he still alive?” People think I would be no more by now because so much negativity is written about me; I am projected as a loner and somebody who has nobody with him. Therefore, people think that such a man must have died by now because of tension and distress. However, by God’s grace, today this one man has an army of men and also angels with him. This fact was well experienced yesterday when the CPS members had gone to a program hosted by a different organisation; there they had taken control by interacting with different people, spreading literature; there they had become the masters of the situation.
Our mission therefore, has reached the phase of becoming the master of situation. This phrase “Master of situation” for the CPS mission is used in the ideological sense and not in the political sense.
What is the meaning of being the master of situation?
The following are some political examples from history where various empires became master of situation:
The Roman Empire, which spanned from Asia to Africa was in its heydays from 1st Century AD to 15th Century AD. At that time, the following phrase was famous about the Roman Empire: “every road leads to Rome.” All the control was in Rome. But eventually there came a time when the Roman Empire got disintegrated. [The Roman Empire from 1 AD to 15 Century AD did not remain the same all-along; rather it weakened and strengthened during this time. The last stronghold was Constantinople, which is in present-day Turkey and was last ruled by Hercules. The Turkish ruler Mohammad al-Fateh defeated him. A detailed account of it can be found in the book The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, by Edward Gibbon. All roads lead to Rome” was a saying valid when the Roman Empire was at its zenith.]
Then the time to become the Master of Situation arose for the Muslims. For example, the Abbasid Empire with its centre was in Baghdad, was an empire that was spread far and wide. As per an anecdote, the King of the empire, Harun Rashid was once sitting with his queen at his palace when they saw a cloud passed by; on seeing it he said “O! Cloud wherever you go and cause the rains, your tax will come to me.” This meant that the empire of the King was so extensively stretched that wherever the cloud caused rain, that place would be within the expanse of the Abbasid Empire. The King had become arrogant, just like the Romans and when actually his head should have bowed down before God in humbleness and gratitude. Then the empire of the Muslims broke; today there are 57 Muslim countries but there is no Muslim Empire.
After the disintegration of Muslim empire, came the British Empire with an expanse so huge that it was said about them: “the sun never sets on the British Empire.” But the sun did set.
In more recent times, America rose to the status of world super power. The Pax Americana was formed which was to establish peace in the world through America’s power. The Gulf War was based on this policy but it led to shattering of the American economy. In the Gulf War, $ 5 trillion were spent and the American economy went into recession, to the extent that a $700 billion bailout plan had to be passed by the US Congress in order to prevent the economy from crashing.
So, all these powers that thought themselves to be the political Masters of Situation, got displaced one after the other and today none of them can be referred to as a master of situation.
Similarly, there were individuals who sought to make themselves as the Masters of situation. Darwin’s theory of evolution had once held sway worldwide. But today, this evolutionary theory is not considered valid, recent research and study has proved it wrong. In the book The Revolt against Reason by Loon, Darwinism has been rejected.
Rousseau’s theory was based on “government by the people, for the people, of the people.” However, a true democracy based on the above principle is not present anywhere in the world. Even President George Bush of America represents only 50% Americans, the rest of the people are against his policies.
Karl Marx propagated “state control,” which was very famous at one point in time; however the communist ideology has now become defunct. The countries, where it is believed that communism still reigns, are states controlled only because of the military; if free elections are held in these countered, then the existing communist government will be overthrown.
Sigmund Freud developed an evil ideology of which believed in fulfilling the desire, which arise in human beings as it leads to growth and development of an individual.
All these theories are now considered redundant.
Among the Muslims, Maulana Maududi, of the Indian subcontinent and Syed Qutub of Saudi Arabia are very famous. They both gave political interpretation of Islam; according to them complete Islam should be established in the world by the Muslims. This ideology of theirs received immense popularity. These people are active from half a century, in trying to establish Islamic Caliphate [Mukkamal Islam] in the world but have failed. Now out of frustration they have resorted to suicide bombing.
A verse in the Bible says: When God created Adam, he told the angles: I am going to make a caliph on earth. The literal meaning of the word caliph is successor. Man is the successor of jinn. God first created the angles, then jinn and then man. As in the hadith, the jinn created a lot of bloodshed therefore, the charge of the earth was taken from them and it was given to man. So, just as in the colonial period, the phrase “white man’s burden” was prevalent, [i.e. the white men had to go to the developing world], this verse of the Quran [main banana wala hun zameen mein ek caliph] was severely misinterpreted; but the Muslim alim never agreed to this interpretation. Imam Taimiyya, one of the topmost scholars in the Muslim world has referred to it as “kufr” - to consider man as successor of God. Some Muslims were fascinated by the political interpretation of Islam. Because they were unable to achieve anything, they started to kill themselves. The hopelessness turned into frustration and consequently led to a negative outburst. A couplet aptly captures this situation-
‘Dekha ki who milta nahi, apne ko hi kho aaye.’
The above examples show that people became masters in the political field, but all their ideologies have come to an end. Now there is only one field, which is left to become the master of the situation and that is the CPS mission. Becoming the master of the situation is not a matter of pride, but of responsibility. We have to spend all our energy in the mission.
Yesterday in that Dialogue, I referred about ‘loving thy neighbour.’ But after the session, a man came up to me and said that love is possible only among people of blood relationship. So, with the rest of the humanity our relationship should be right based and not love based. I told him that we need to differentiate between real love and relative love. Love is a very strong sentiment in man and this love, in reality is meant to be towards God Almighty. Real love is eternal, permanent, unending and such a love can only be towards God. Love towards every other person is temporary or convenient. However, people end up directing their love towards money or children. And when these same children make their girl/boy friends the objects of their affection, the love of their parents for them fades away. This means that it was not real love as real love is eternal, not temporary.
Quran says: Your money and children is a test for you. Your material things in life are test, they are not meant for your getting lost in them.
What is love for God?
Love for God is not Ashiqui or Ishq-e-illahi; there is no word as Ishq in the Quran or Hadith. Even attributing such a word is a bidat [wrongful innovation in religion].
The word for love in Quran or Hadith is “Muhabbat.” Muhabbat is a very positive quality unlike Ashiqui, which is a ‘sentimental’ expression. Muhabbat-e-illahi means to devote yourself fully in the mission of God; that is to discover the Creation Plan of God ourselves and to tell people about it. To make people aware that when they will die, the veil will be removed from in front of their eyes; and the realisation of the Creation Plan of God will dawn on them. And those who were unaware, will say: “thi baat kya aur hamne samjha tha kya.” That is, people will be dumbstruck to know that reality was something other than what they believed. These will be those people who think that the world is to enjoy and be merry.
There are many things in which people are lost. When day of judgement will arrive, people would realise that they were lost in doing that which was irrelevant. So people who devote themselves in God’s work have to spread the true message about life and death so that when man reaches God on the Day of Judgement, he is not unaware of reality.
Dawah work is a work of very serious nature; we have to prepare ourselves for it. This world is Paradise before Paradise, that is a replica of the Paradise; but what we have to realise is that here we are not to enjoy but are on test. A Dai has to develop his personality and intellect to qualify for Paradise. To realise this at the level of discovery we have to study extensively.
What is a Dai or Momin (believer)?
A man from Syria once came to meet Caliph Omar. Caliph Omar lived a very simple life. When the Syrian came to meet him, Omar had gone outside searching for a lost camel. Another person directed the Syrian to where Caliph Omar was searching for the camel. When the man found Omar, he asked him what he was doing there. The Caliph replied that he was looking for a camel. Then the man from Syria asked why he did not ask a servant to do this task? Caliph Omar replied saying “Who is a greater servant than me?”
Discovery of God had taken him to the level where he thought that he was nothing. Those who discover God in all His glory would consider themselves nothing in comparison. This comparison led Caliph Omar to utter the above words. For example, when I look at the solar system, I get extremely awed by imagining how this huge ball of fire is being encircled by the planets and that too with such accurate precision, which even the man-made planes etc. lack.
When you discover the difference between God and yourself then you become extremely modest. Then man develops the love and the spirit, which make him do dawah work. I have realised at the level of conviction that it is the CPS mission is in the candidature of becoming the Master of situation because of its Ideology. The ideology of this mission has now become the master of situation - a matter not of pride but responsibility. A Prime Minister of Pakistan went to the United Nations as a representative of the Muslims; there he said, “Muslims have rediscovered their pride in Islam.” But in reality, those who discover pride in Islam could not discovered anything. Discovery of God makes people sincere, egoless and modest, i.e. those people who think that they have no right, only responsibility. Thus, we need to prepare ourselves to learn to capture the opportunities that lie ahead of us.
May God guide us to the straight path.
