Dr. Firoz Mahboob Kamal

 The lost immunity

 AN invincible immunity is crucial for survival in an environment embedded with millions of lethal bugs and viruses. Hence, the Almighty Allah –the Most Merciful, has blessed every man and woman with an inbuilt system of immunity. An effective defence barrier with high potential cellular and biochemical weapons exist in every part of the body against any invading toxic agents. Similar defensive immunity is also crucial for healthy conceptual or ideological survival of a believer. Otherwise, his mind gets quickly occupied by corrosive beliefs and ideas. Such ideas quickly kill Iman. That is why colonization of the Muslim mind always receives the highest priority in enemies’ ideological warfare against Islam and the Muslims. Hence the enemy bombing campaign or occupation is always accompanied by great propaganda war. The European colonialists always launch such invasive project from day one of their occupation of the Muslim lands. Islam now stands defeated in every Muslim country, not for any sustained military or political occupation; but deep colonization of the Muslim minds. Because of such intellectual occupation by evil ideas, Islam doesn’t stand victorious even in Muslims’ conceptual premise, let alone overwhelm in other areas.

 Proper nutrition and vaccination help immensely to enhance the body’s immunity. A man with improved resistance can walk safely even amidst the infected people with killer bugs and viruses. The HIV (Human Immune Deficiency Virus) does the opposite. It causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) and brings death by dismantling the body’s protective immune barrier. As a result, millions of opportunistic bugs that live usually and silently on the body surface quickly get access deep inside the body and speed up the dying process. Similar immunity lapse has developed in the ideological cum conceptual premise of the Muslims.

As a consequence, there exists little or no barrier in most of the Muslim minds against the evil ideologies like racism, tribalism, nationalism, secularism, capitalism, socialism, fascism and many other toxic ideas. Hence, instead of Islam, these illicit ideologies get practised in most of the Muslim countries. So, the Muslim countries make little or no difference from a non-Muslim state in practicing kufr, shirk, hypocrisy and betrayal against the commands of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la.

 Against Islam, the imperialists now give enormous importance to ideological warfare. They call it the Cold War, and they already have seen its efficacy against the Soviet socialist bloc. Now, Islam is the next target. The western imperialists deployed only its ideological weaponry to dismantle the United Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and needed not to fire a single bullet to dissolve this nuclear World Power. But against the Muslims, the imperialists’ war is two-pronged; they are fighting both militarily and ideologically. It is indeed the intensification of the same old battle that started about a thousand years ago in the name of Crusade. The European colonialists never stopped by mere military occupation of the Muslim lands; instead continued with the colonization of the Muslim mind, too. Now, such a project has received further re-enforcement through aggressive western media all over the world. The ongoing socio-political engineering is also an essential part of it. The secularist governments of the Muslim countries also work as the close partners of such a project.

 AIDS dismantles the natural immunity; therefore brings physical death. But, the ideological invasion of the enemies destroys the intellectual cum conceptual immunity; hence cause spiritual death. Since Qur’anic knowledge is the lifeline of Iman (the faith); the imperialists and their native mercenaries could inflict a lethal blow to iman by restricting the Qur’anic education and destroying the Islamic institutions in the occupied Muslim lands. It has always been the key strategy of all anti-Islamic forces in the Muslim lands. Moreover, it has never been a hidden strategy of the enemy. Mr. William Gladstone -the nineteenth century British Prime Minister and a prominent promoter of colonialism and imperialism told in the Parliament that unless the Muslims are taken away from the Qur’an, they can’t be brought under the British rule. He didn’t make any mistake to realise that the Holy Qur’an makes the Muslims incompatible with the kuffars’  ideologies and rule. Therefore, the colonialists’ war of occupation was not aimed at cleansing the Muslim lands of the Muslims; but to cleanse their minds of the Qur’anic teachings. And, the project continues.

 The ideological corruption & the misguidance

 A man’s vision, mission, objective, deeds, attitude, behaviour, culture, politics and warfare are indeed the exact expression of his conceptual model. It is equally valid for a Muslim, too. His or her right guidance or misguidance entirely depends on it. The immense importance of such a conceptual model is revealed in the following Qur’anic verse: “Tell (O Muhammad), everyone acts according to his (conceptual) model (shakela) and your Lord best knows who is rightly guided.”–(Sura Isra, verse 84). For a Muslim, his conceptual model is fully based on the teaching of the holy Qur’an. If such an internal model of his belief pattern gets dismantled, no more one can survive as a true Muslim; instead becomes a kafir (non-believer) or munafiq (hypocrite). The importance of occupying the conceptual premise is not unknown to the enemies. Hence, they occupy not only the Muslim lands; but also the Muslim minds. And, cleansing the Muslim mind of the Qur’anic teaching is indeed their first agenda. Therefore, the Muslims’ fate for survival as a true Muslim is not decided on the prayer mats, instead their ability to defend the Islamic power/state and their conceptual territory. But the Muslims have failed on both. So, in Islam, jihad (utmost struggle to establish Deen of Allah) is so crucial; spending a few minutes in jihad is more valuable than whatever exists on earth.

 What the colonialists did in the past, now the US-led imperialist coalition is doing the same all over the Muslim World. Not only bombs, drones and missiles are added to their arsenal; billions of dollar are also invested in enhancing Muslims’ deviation from the Qur’anic road map. The teaching curriculum of the Muslim countries is strictly under their rudder. They have enforced a tight restriction on teaching and learning of the Holy Qur’an not only in schools, madrasahs and mosques but also in all media, public discourses and seminars.

 The absence of sharia, hudud, shura, jihad, khilafa and other Islamic basics in the Muslims’ life in Muslim states demonstrates how badly they have lost the ideological war. It shows total ideological collapse. In fact, the imperialists’ coercive cum manipulative strategy has been very successful in causing a deep ideological cleansing of the Muslim mind. During the long colonial era, the enemies used and abused the whole education system as a massive tool to take the Muslims away from the Holy Qur’an. They even established religious madrasahs to corrupt the Muslims intellectually. They could also raise even a vast army of their favourite ulama, mullah, and Muslim intellectuals to serve their cause. According to Hanafi school of thought, on day one of the enemy occupation, jihad becomes obligatory on the Muslims of the occupied land. But, because of ideological cleansing, the Muslims show little commitment or motivation for such jihad.

 The ideological cleansing has other sinister consequences. It brings not the only deviation from the right path –siratul mustaqeem; but also generates profound distaste to know the right path –as shown in the holy Qur’an. Instead of seeking knowledge on the Holy Qur’an, mere recitation gets the priority. They even think that understanding of the Holy Qur’an is the exclusive domain of the ulama. To make it worse, the subservient governments of the Muslim countries work as partners of such a project.

 Al-Qur’an is the only book of true Divine guidance. Therefore, without understanding it, how one can get Divine guidance? It is the ugliest criminal neglect of the greatest gift of Allah. Such disregard of the Holy Qur’an can only leave a man with no choice but to seek guidance from kufr -like the western ideas, laws, politics, and economics. The enemies make Even the political maps of the Muslim countries. Such a deviated state of the Muslims can only please Shaitan.

 Seeking Qur’anic knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim man and woman; not only on the imams, ulama, and sheikhs. Ignorance makes it impossible for any human to stay in the true path; hence it is a major sin. It is revealed: “Among all His servants, only those who are filled with the knowledge (of Qur’an) are the ones who truly fear Allah.” – (Sura Fatir, verse 28). Hence, for becoming an Allah-fearing Muslim, one must be a man of Qur’anic knowledge. That is why, every companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a great a’lim.  Moreover, how a seeker of the true path can ignore or stay ignorant of the only treasure of true guidance on earth? Such guidance can’t be obtained by mere rote recitation or memorization; it needs proper understanding. That is why, in the Holy Qur’an, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la has repeatedly asked for tafah’hum (understanding), tawaq’qul (contemplation), tadab’bur (pondering) on the Qur’anic revelation.

 Disastrous than AIDS

 Any distaste against the understanding of the Holy Qur’an can only increase the deviation from the straight path and can take people directly to the hellfire. Those who ignore the understanding of the holy Qur’an, Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la is very explicit on them. They are labelled as deaf, dumb, and blind; even called inferior to the cattle. The early Muslims could excel as the followers of the straight path only because of their deep Qur’anic knowledge. In those days, the thirst for seeking guidance from Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la’s revelation was so intense that those who were from the non-Arab countries like Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mali and many others left their mother tongue and embraced Arabic as their language. Whereas, in those days, there was no school, college or government institute to do the job.

 As a result of long colonial occupation, the Muslims went far away from the Qur’anic guidance. Hence, they fail very badly to grow up as a true Muslim. The fallout of such a failure is catastrophic; more disastrous than AIDS or any killer disease. AIDS and other killer diseases do not take people to the hellfire, but the conceptual perversion cum moral death definitely takes them there for infinity. The European colonialists allowed the Muslims only to live with rituals like five-time prayers, month-long fasting, haj and charity; but not with Islam’s project of educational, cultural and socio-political engineering –as was the critical tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Instead, they started their state-run project of de-Islamisation. They raised educational, cultural and political institutions as tools to vaccinate the Muslims with various evil ideologies. They also heavily embedded the Muslim countries with the wicked institutions of evil like pubs, clubs, prostitution, gambling, dancing, sports, and riba-based banks and other civil and military institutions. Those who are raised and trained in such institutions developed a strong immunity against the core concept of Islam. Due to such deep de-Islamisation, the evil ideologies like secularism, liberalism, tribalism, racism, nationalism, socialism, capitalism, fascism and hedonism got a strong base and huge clientele even in the Muslim majority countries.

 The direct enemy occupation of Muslim lands has ended. But the same evil occupation still survives by the hands of the native mercenaries. Therefore, the enemy project of corrupting and colonizing the Muslim minds continues. These native mercenaries work as the significant ideological cum political bulwark against the resurgence of Islam in any part of the Muslim World. Because of them, those who violently oppose the implementation of Islamic basics in Muslim countries are not the infidels; they are the de-Islamised local Muslims. Wherever these local mercenaries face defeat, their imperialist masters are very quick to dispatch the large re-enforcement. It goes to the credit of the local mercenaries that they could successfully foil any effort of implementation of Islam in the Muslim lands. This way, they could raise their servile usefulness in the eyes of the enemies.

The Sunnah of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la

 Humans’ journey towards hellfire doesn’t start for disease in any of the body parts; rather it owes entirely to a disease in the conceptual premise. The only treatment is through enlightenment with the Divine Truth. Only this way, one can fortify his defensive immune barrier against evil. So, it has been the strategy of Allah Sub’hana wa Ta’la to accomplish the first thing first. He sent thousands of prophet and revealed Divine Books to address this critical issue. The Holy Qur’an is the final Divine prescription to work against the disease. Hence, learning the Holy Qur’an was made the first and the most important obligation on every believer since its revelation; rituals like five times prayer, fasting in Ramadan and haj became obligatory more than a decade later. The Holy Qur’an is the source of Divine Light; it shows the right path even in the deep darkness of ignorance. Because of the Quranic enlightenment, the early Muslims could strengthen their souls; and could raise enough resistance and fighting spirit against the falsehood. As a result, even in the kuffar environment of Makkah, diseases like idolatry, adultery, vulgarity, obscenity, racism, tribalism, and other evil dogmas couldn’t touch their souls. Thus, the conceptual premise of the early Muslim remained heavily protected from enemy occupation. That worked as the moral foundation of all great successes of the early Muslims.

 The Divine Truth has always shown its massive strength in raising people’s immunity against falsehood. Because of that, a true believer in Allah Sub’hana was Ta’la never gets a meltdown in a kuffar (non-believers) society. That  is why Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) could stand alone and declare war against Nimrod and his whole tribe. And Prophet Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) could stand in front of a brutal tyrant like Pharaoh. Because of similar immunity, the early Muslims in Makkah could roam amidst the vulgar idolaters and their obscenity without an iota of influence. In the absence of such resistance, melting down into the dominant political and ideological milieu becomes the rule. Now, such a melting down phenomenon is indeed working not only among the Muslims living in non-Muslim countries but also among those who live in the Muslim majority countries. That is why, tribalism, nationalism, secularism, liberalism, fascism, monarchism, despotism and other evil ideologies could get massive followers even among the Muslims. Because of such moral collapse, hubs like pubs, clubs, riba (interest-usury) based banks, prostitution enclaves and secular political parties could attract a huge number of clients even in Muslim societies. In prophet’s (peace be upon him) time, could anyone ever imagine such inclination of the Muslims to evils?