ISLAMIC STUDIES

Assignment No.2

Name: Aleem Hasan

Class: BBA 2k11 (A)

Q: Why are we defeated Ummah today?

Ans: The Muslim Ummah- who were once the rulers of the world, the inventors of the modern science
and technology, who enlightened the world from the era of darkness to the social divine that formed
the very basis of today's civilized society- but this was all about the past. Today, we can only be proud of
our past since we are a defeated Ummah in every walk of life.

Today, I can’t fight my social evils, I can’t practice my religion, I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, I cant even
breathe. And yet they (Non-Muslims) dub me as a terrorist. The Muslim Ummah of this era is a fallen
and downtrodden people wallowing in disgrace and misery. This miserable condition of the Ummah is
up for public display. Self-appointed physicians are trying to diagnose the ills of this Ummah and
prescribe remedies and solutions. But these physicians, themselves corrupt and part of the disease, have
no understanding of the problem. What wrong have we done? Not followed what the West dictates?
No! Instead, we have gone strayed from what Allah taught us through His Book and through the
teachings and practices of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be upon Him).

What makes us a defeated Ummah today? There is an absence of clarity about the Islamic identity,
there’s division amongst the Muslims into sects, we have developed an attachment to the Luxurious
items and the worldly desires, we have abandoned Jihad, we admire the West, and hence failed in every
walk of life! As a result, the West has become a much more prosperous and successful society than ours
whereas it was our religion that was the key to success and it was meant for us to follow. We are
Muslims, and being blessed by the perfect religion, it’s a pity why are we in a poor state while non-
Muslims are progressing by leaps and bounds each and every day.

Those who attribute the disgrace and misery of today’s Ummah to the kuffaar are unable to understand
that the kuffaar domination over the Ummah and their oppression of Muslims are the symptoms, not
the causes of our malady.
 “And He (Allah) casts filth on those who lack intelligence” (Surah Yunus, 100)

There will be a divine affliction on the minds of those who have appointed the kuffaar as their guides,
they are unable to understand what ails the Ummah in spite of the clear directions and unambiguous
diagnosis offered by Rasulullah and the Holy Quran since these two things are intended to make our
lives complete. Muslims are neither defeated because of the superiority of the Western military power
nor because the Muslims lacked air defences, etc., but purely on account of the Ummah’s transgression
and violation of the sacred pledge of Imaan.

“Anarchy (and corruption) has appeared on the land and in the ocean because of the (evil deeds)
which the hands of people have earned, so that He (Allah) causes them to taste (the consequences) of
some of their mischief) which they had committed. Perhaps they will return (to the obedience of
Allah).” (Surah Room: 41)

Allah (SWT) mentions in the Holy Quran: “Verily, never will Allah (SWT) change the condition of the
people until they change it themselves with their own souls.” (Surah Ar-Rad)

The ayah’s suggests that Muslims must recognize their weaknesses and work on them. We must get our
act together and try to reform our own self. No one will ever change or transform our despairing
condition unless we do it ourselves. We must increase awareness to the dangers and threats we are
facing and try to eradicate them. We need to have the desire and determination to build back our
strength. We must learn humility and steadfastness in faith and action. We must realize that weakness
can turn into strength and vice versa. We have a tendency to expect the “community” to do something
for solving our problems. We have to understand that things start with individuals and we must
transform our own lives and ways. We talk a lot against ourselves but the effect of all this talk is that we
put ourselves down, create despondency, and hence make ourselves weaker. This type of talk is against
the teachings of Islam. In Islam there is only critical analysis of what went wrong and how it can be
corrected but there is no room for putting ourselves down and thus creating despondency. Hence, we
must search for and appreciate the positive aspects of our communities and lives and try to build upon
that. We must make our hearts righteous, have the faith, stay united, show discipline in every walk of
life and I am pretty sure nothing can prevent us from achieving the highest glory possible.

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid
what is wrong and believe in Allah. If only the People of the Scripture had believed, it would have
been better for them.” (3:110)

Our strength cannot be built overnight. It will require a lot of hard work to improve our faith, to build
our businesses, to produce a suitable number of scientists, engineers and experts in various fields of
learning and to build our armed forces. Many of us have to take up many specific tasks, commit to them
on a long-term basis, and work patiently over years. If only all Muslims read the Qur’an with
understanding and adhere to its teachings, we could regain our past glory besides being on the path of
righteousness, truth and success.