Why we Muslims are disgraced in the world?

The image of Aylan Kurdi, lifeless on a Turkish beach has stirred the world like nothing else. While it has initiated an important debate about how to help the Syrian refugees, I want to see it from another angle.

This image of Aylan Kurdi represents the depths that Muslim Ummah has fallen to. Nothing can be more disgraceful and humiliating then to see our children drown and die because we want to enter someone else’s country and they do not want us.

Why is it that the Muslim Ummah is disgraced to this level today? We as Muslims are the ones who are carrying the name of Allah’s deen. Then why is it that Allah is seeing us disgraced in this world.

Lets try and find out the answer to this question from ‪Al-Quran.

This is one of the very important and relevant Moral laws of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta’aala for this world, which is outlined in Quran in Surah Al Baqarah, Ayat 85.

Read the translations in Urdu and English here.

تو کیا تم کتاب کے ایک حصے پر ایمان لاتے ہو اور دوسرے حصے کے ساتھ کفر کرتے ہو پھر تم میں سے جو لوگ ایسا کریں، ان کی سزا اس کے سوا اور کیا ہے کہ دنیا کی زندگی میں ذلیل و خوار ہو کر رہیں اور آخرت میں شدید ترین عذاب کی طرف پھیر دیے جائیں؟ اللہ ان حرکات سے بے خبر نہیں ہے، جو تم کر رہے ہو.

“So do you believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? Then what is the recompense for those who do that among you except disgrace in worldly life; and on the Day of Resurrection they will be sent back to the severest of punishment. And Allah is not unaware of what you do.”

Today, we as a Muslim nation are perfect examples of this. We like to cherry pick from the teachings of Quran and Islam and then decide which ones to follow and which one to ignore. And then we use our great minds to carve up a nice excuse for it.

Some of us have conveniently ignore five times daily prayers, saying that this is a personal matter between us and Allah. Others have declared Interest/Sood as halal saying that this is a necessary evil of today’s business world. A vast majority think that bribery, nepotism and corruption are allowed, given that “Is ke baghair guzara nahi hota”. These are just a few examples that come to mind.

Generally, all muslims, and specifically , the Arabs have shut their eyes from one of the most important duties of a muslim called Jihad. To fight against one’s own Nafs, the Devil, the wrongs in our house, our society, our city, our country and the whole world.

So if we fairly judge ourselves as a nation and ummah against the Words of Allah mentioned above, we will find it very difficult not to declare ourselves a perfectly deserving candidate for “Disgrace in worldly life” and “Severest of Punishment on the day of resurrection”. ( Allah is Rahman and Raheem, A Muslim should never lose hope for Maghfirah and Rahmat of Allah).

Quran is telling us, in no uncertain terms, why we as a nation and ummah are disgraced in this world. And it should not take a genius to figure out the solution to this disgrace ==> Absolute obedience to Allah and Quran as individuals and as a nation and ummah.

(Wallahu Aalam)