At the time of Prophet Isa's (peace be upon him) miraculous birth, the Jews were longing for a return to their glory days, when Prophets Daud and Suleiman (David and Solomon, peace be upon them) were mighty kings of mighty kingdoms. They were hoping for the fulfillment of biblical prophecies wherein the Messiah would deliver them from Roman bondage, restore King David's monarchy and re-establish Bani Israel's rightful place as rulers of the world.
They were longing for the Messiah to usher in the Messianic age, rebuild the Third Temple, and establish an eternal kingdom with Israel as the preeminent nation in the world, all backed by a military force capable of crushing the pagan Romans.
But Allah (swt), in His Infinite Wisdom, sent Prophet Isa as the Messiah armed with teachings of submission, forgiveness, mercy, turning the cheek, and loving the neighbor. He didn't come with the sword, he instead came with the word. Rather than a political solution, he came with a spiritual solution – a solution to reform the rotten core of the community.
Prophet Isa rebuked, in particular, the Pharisees, a prominent Jewish sect of the time, calling them back to the spirit of the law, condemning their inward spiritual emptiness and their overemphasis on the text while neglecting justice, faith, and upright character.
Consequently, when Prophet Isa didn't deliver the political power they desperately sought, the Jews rejected his pacifist message and to this day obstinately wait for their Messiah.
I see so much parallel between the Jews of then and the Muslims of now. We have Muslims looking for a political solution as a way back to the glory days of the Khilafah. The establishment of a Muslim state is seen as an instant panacea to all our problems. They call for a top-down approach whereby a powerful Islamic authority would properly implement the Shariah and somehow magically address all our socio-econo-political failings.
In addition to the politically obsessed, there are those who religiously adhere to the external formulations of the Prophetic Sunnah. With beards and niqabs, they have perfected the outward while maintaining a repulsive inward. The teachings of our Prophet have failed to take hold of their hearts.
And then there are the Masjid activists who are all about dedicating their time and effort to their local community, volunteering in various manners from shura councils to dawah groups to youth clubs. Sadly you find them lacking in their own spiritual development, living a secret life at odds with their public image.
We have become the 21st century version of the Pharisees. Instead of practicing an authentic spirituality of compassion, mercy and taqwa, we have become self-righteous, arrogant legalists using the letter of the law to project an understanding that all too often misses the bigger picture.
We seem to have lost the most essential lesson encapsulated in the reaction of Bani Israel to Prophet Isa (as): The unwillingness to accept a message calling us back to the core principles of mercy, forgiveness, submission, and beauty. We want tangible results and we want them now.
We have forgotten the countless Quranic calls to Ihsan (Excellence) and Taqwa (God-consciousness). We have set the aside the Prophetic principles of Rahmah (Mercy) and Jamal (Beauty). And instead we have mired ourselves in rigid formalism and jurisprudential jargon devoid of the true essence of our Beloved Prophet's message.
For sure, part of the absolute perfection of our Prophet (saw) was that he came with a complete message – and part of that message consists of a military-political aspect. But when it comes to creating a strategy to address the failings of this Ummah, it behooves us to learn from the mistakes of our cousins and begin our struggle with the Quranic call for self-reformation.
One final note: Lest my post be misinterpreted as a call to passivity, I strongly believe that we must all be action-oriented. But with the major caveat that our inner foundations be rock solid – as opposed to our current state where our hard hearts are the only thing rock solid about us.
WAW
2 days ago
14 comments:
so if we are like bani israel then we are in big trouble..
there's a severe lack of knowledge, and everyone seems to have their guard up when advice is given..
if we, as muslims were a stronger Ummah..Allah would give us leadership..but maybe we are not worthy of that right now.
look at a very simple problem we have here..saying inshaAllah with meaning, instead of due to a cultural phrase. or even responding to a "Salaam". these are very basic things it seems that most of the Ummah neglects.
in different cultures there are different problems..here in saudi its arrogance. on our way to Quba tonight my husband stopped in at a store to buy nuts..and there were 3 or 4 people in line. i was waiting in the car with the kids and a saudi guy parked right behind us (blocking us) apparantly it was the same guy who stormed in the store and demanded many things from the store clerk. we've learned to let things go..but not all the time..and it frustrates me more here than something like this back in the US, because these people are supposed to be beleivers in Allah like me..may Allah forgive me for backbiting as I didn't intend to..but its the simple things that if we can not rectify and do as an Ummah..then how the heck are we going to rectify the bigger issues?
we are definintely in need of help..may Allah guide us..so that u can stop comparing us to bani israel!! :-)
naeem, are you sayng that we need to stop tryin to change the corrupt leaders in the muslim world? that is so absurd. the problem is with our leaders and their nonmuslim masters. remove them from the picture and let us deal with our own problems! i wish for one day where we could control our own destiny. the problem is not that we have lost our deen, there are many sincere muslimeen and mumineen, but the problem is that we have no control over our own fates.
also the message of prophet Isa was for his people, our prophet is Muhammad. you should know that.
wa-alaikum-as-salaam
Salaam
I really like this post, Naeem. I like the way you have drawn comparisons and tried to link the present with the past that is undoubtedly ours. There would have been no use of sending so many prophets and teaching them and about their times to us if Allah didn’t want us to learn anything from their lives.
I love this sentence which I think is the crux: “Instead of practicing an authentic spirituality of compassion, mercy and taqwa, we have become self-righteous, arrogant legalists using the letter of the law to project an understanding that all too often misses the bigger picture.”
Salaam Naeem -
The Second Temple wasn't destroyed until about 40 years after Jesus (in 70CE).
I think that you made a very good analogy. The Qur'an gives many stories about Bani Isra'eel... and many people today seem to take them only as "stories about Bani Isra'eel" when in fact they are lessons for the Muslims.
And I agree partly with your comparison of the Muslims to the Pharisees. One particular note about the Pharisees was very strict legalism--adherance to an abundance of laws, and interpretations of laws. There is a joke of sorts that while Jews were supposed to keep the Sabbath holy and refrain from work, that by the time they had gotten out of bed they would have already broken a few dozen laws, because there were just so many absurd restrictions.
There are a handful (and I think only a handful) of Muslims who share this way of thinking--not everyone is the same. But some people will look at life in the categories of fard and haraam, very black and white. I think these are the ones who give the khutbahs saying that if all the women cover, if we stop dealing in riba, and stop the zina, that the ummah will be perfect. I see that as being rather Pharisaic.
On the other hand, I don't really think that a political obsession is a trait shared with the Pharisees. What group of people does not want to be the most powerful? And a lot of people want a khilafa I think, just to see Muslims in power, banding together against western decadence or something like that. While their efforts seem to be, like you said, mostly devoid of more spiritual pursuits. They aren't interested in the process of spreading the message of Islam--the da'wah.
In the Qur'an, the Prophet saws is told to say that this is his way, his sabeel, that he calls to Allah, he and his followers.
So rather than having to deal with the tedious and not very fun task of telling people about Islam, they want to skip to the end when Muslims are in charge.
I'm not really sure why it's so important for some of these people. It is possible to live amongst Muslims, where western traditions and holidays aren't so pervasive... Implementing an Islamic state isn't going to make a nation of perfect Muslims--not even Medina had that.
On the other hand, in the sense that our Muslim brothers and sisters are oppressed in many parts of the world, we have a responsibility to them. 4:75 And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!"
Yes, we need to spiritually reform ourselves, we need to act with justice. But shouldn't we want tangible results now? Of course we should, and so we should act immediately. Going to the masjid once in a while and talking about politics solves nothing. Being good little Muslims in our homes doesn't solve anything either.
Nice post, but ultimately... no solution.
To the person who stated the Prophet Isa's message was just for hte Jews - why then would it be in the Qur'an if we weren't to learn from his message also.
Regarding the post brilliant analogy.
I think there are a lot more similarities in today's Muslims and the Bani Israil that the Qur'an mentions. This being one of them, but rarely mentioned.
I think I heard Sh Hamza Yusuf say this - that the Khilafah (Caliphate) should be the end result of our spiritual struggle towards becoming better Muslims (personally and as a community).
Therefore - it is not a means to an end - it is the end to the means - meaning it should be seen as the reward of our spiritual struggle.
Hope that makes sense...
Take care,
WS
Saqib
AA-
@Suhaa, I really believe that it comes down to everyone working on their circle of influence (self, family, and friends). We need to make a serious conscious decision to change ourselves from the core, not simply adorn our ugliness with shallow window dressing changes.
@Anon, I don't agree that if we had control of our nations, we would be in a better position. In fact, I strongly believe that Allah (swt) has blessed us by tying our political hands. Let me explain:
Sometimes mentally deranged patients need to be restrained with a straitjacket in order to prevent them from causing physical harm to themselves. I consider that very similar to the existing plight and suffering of the Muslims who for over a century have struggled to control their own political destiny only to be thwarted by outside forces.
We are a spiritually deranged people whom Allah (swt) has fitted with a political straitjacket in order to prevent us from causing socio-economic-political harm to ourselves. Until we address our spiritual depravity, we will need the political straitjacket.
AA-,
@ Suroor, yeah, isn't it a shame that we've relegated the lessons of the Prophets to mere bedtime stories? I remember listening to a beautiful lecture series by Imam Anwar Awlaki about all the Prophets which was amazing in the way he extracted so many real-world lessons.
Thanks for the comment.
@Saqib, Good points and thanks for referencing the Hamza Yusuf point about the political being the result of the spiritual.
AA- Amy,
Thanks for your insightful comment!
"There are a handful (and I think only a handful) of Muslims who share this way of thinking--not everyone is the same. But some people will look at life in the categories of fard and haraam, very black and white. I think these are the ones who give the khutbahs saying that if all the women cover, if we stop dealing in riba, and stop the zina, that the ummah will be perfect."
You really think they are only a handful? I actually see them as being closer to the majority. So many of us have been duped into this binary view of the world - the halal and haram - an oversimplified view of the world.
"So rather than having to deal with the tedious and not very fun task of telling people about Islam, they want to skip to the end when Muslims are in charge."
And don't forget the even more tedious task of changing their own selves...too many wish to overlook this most critical process.
"On the other hand, in the sense that our Muslim brothers and sisters are oppressed in many parts of the world, we have a responsibility to them."
And what do you see as being our role/responsibility towards the oppressed?
"Yes, we need to spiritually reform ourselves, we need to act with justice. But shouldn't we want tangible results now? Of course we should, and so we should act immediately."
Here is where I strongly disagree with you sis. I'm convinced that we need to remove this mindset of needing to see results. I don't need to remind you that the results are from Allah - our job is simply to struggle in His path. However, our actions are carried out with results in mind. We are trying to rationalize solutions to our problems, but in reality the Mercy and Help from Allah is beyond our rationalization.
We are applying physical laws (such as cause-and-effect and every action has an equal and opposite reaction) to socio-spiritual problems. If we are to ever achieve tangible results, it will NOT be due to our actions. It will be due to the Divine Mercy of Allah which is beyond cause-and-effect and beyond man's limited comprehension.
Our job is not to carry out complex 100-year visionary plans - that will not bring about success. Let us all look at the Quran to learn the secrets of success.
Not sure if I'm making any sense in my ramblings...
Masha Allah this parable of the pharisees and prophet Isa(Ala nabiyinaa wa alayhi assalatu wa Salaam) is an eye opening example. You, Br. Naeem has made a major contribution to the on going Muslim dialogue about our current situation. The solution as you have indicated an beautifully expressed by Al-Habib Ali Zainul abidin al Jifri's war-cry "Hayyun fi Qulubinaa" refering to the prohet(saw). Jazak Allah khair.
AA- Abukar,
Welcome back! Long time no hear...thank you for your kind words.
Assalam alaikum BrNaeem
Sorry for joining this discussion late.
yesterday after reading, I thought about how I can contribute to this discussion because I agree with your points and have written about the importance of Ihsan. However, my problem is that deep down I am not entirely convinced. The reason being, our relationship with Allah (swt) is something personal and on-going. It was normal for great companions from the Asharan Mubasharah to express how they feel like hypocrites in the absence of prophet (saw), ie they would behave in one way in his presence and another in his absence. So, we should be under no illusion that we can perfect such a relationship but only to a certain degree, which would no doubt fluctuate in minutes. And since there is no such thing as an ihsan-o-meter, how would we measure the level of Ihsan required to change the situation of the world? We Can't ignore the impact of society on our thoughts and emotions, likes of materialism, and consumerism we can't escape from them. Would that mean that those with hard hearts no longer perform actions and become neglectful of their responsibilities because they do not possess the required level of Ihsan?
AA- Tia,
Thank you for your well-balanced thoughts.
"Would that mean that those with hard hearts no longer perform actions and become neglectful of their responsibilities because they do not possess the required level of Ihsan?"
As you state, there is no ihsan-o-meter, but there is a minimal level of Ihsan that we all must strive for. And can we all agree that as a collective Ummah, we lack that minimum, right?
I'm not calling for a freeze on all activism. I'm simply trying to call for a prioritization of our actions.
And even if you (generally speaking) don't agree with my prioritizing of Ihsan over actions, let us at least acknowledge the importance of striving for inner beauty. Something I see sorely lacking in our Ummah - after a century of getting beaten up.
I don't believe that I'm saying anything new or revolutionary. I'm just trying to highlight the spiritual aspect of our jihad, which needs to lay the groundwork for any worldly call for jihad.
Ws. Brother I absolutely agree with your priorotisation as there is nothing more important than our realisation of our Rabb and no action can be complete without it. Jzk for your reply.
oh man, this is first post that brought me to your site and now i relieaze i never comment you..
this post..is just so absolutley brilliant...just amazing.
this is the type of writing that shows me what an intellectual person you are and that we need more thinkers like you.
i agree with u a hundred percent withe very point in this post.
-The Muslim Kid-
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