Muslims today and Muslims in the past

by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani Sahib

The time is over when we used to make advancements compelling the world powers to retreat. Those precious moments have gone far away from us on account of our carelessness, love for the wealth and the world. It was a time when the entire world advertently or inadvertently was compelled to follow us. We had challenged the Greek civilization, we had called Azans in whole of Hindustan, we had offered prayers at each and every spot of the earth, we had eliminated the centuries-old culture of Egypt, defeated the enemy at all fronts, we had changed the environment of Rome and Iran through our slogans of Allah-o-Akbar and recitation of holy words, our sword had its impact on the entire world from the Arab to non-Arab world, our horses had entered the oceans of brutality to eliminate injustices from the earth, we had taught new tactics and styles of living with dignity to the world nations, we had set examples of bravery, and we had introduced new rules of war. 

But today we are at the defensive side. We do celebrate the Defence Day, but we do not take initiative and so we do never observe any day around the year, which could be called the Day of Advancement. We had come forward as the rescuer of the humanity, but today we are waiting for others to come for our rescue. We are the one who were assigned to show right path to the humanity from east to west, but today we are loitering hapless waiting for foreign help. We are the one that our shepherds were even had ability to lead the community, but today we do not have our ‘Imams’ (leaders). Those who had crushed the ‘white paper’ under their feet, are now standing in front of the White House with begging bowls in their hands. Those who had a kind and soft heart for the oppressed are now looking for a kind-hearted person. Those who had all hopes on just one Allah, are now looking towards hundreds of thousands others for help. Those who were stronger than storms and calamities, are unable today to sustain even a small blow of the wind and close eyes seeing the danger. We have become so coward that we take the unwanted changes in the political and worldly development as our unnatural death. We are the one who eliminated slavery from the world are now becoming slaves of the super powers. 

The world knows that Muslims used to fight without food and water a hundred times bigger and stronger enemies on foot and used to defeat them in all battlefields but now despite having all resources of the world we have become spiritless. 

If we recall the Islamic History, we remember that there were only 313 Muslims during ‘Badr War’. And these fistful Muslims had only two horses, 70 camels, eight swords and six armour chains. While the battalion of the enemy in that war was bigger. Still the Muslims stood victorious. In ‘Ohd War’, the battalion of Muslims comprised only 700 warriors, while the battalion of the enemy comprised 3,000 fully armed men. But the Muslims made them run from the battlefield. In ‘Khandaq War’, there were only 3,000 Muslims while the forces of enemy comprised 24,000 warriors. But the Muslims had courage and won the battle. In ‘Khyber War’, Muslims were not more than 1600 troops, who fought 20,000 Jews and still the Muslims stood victorious and captured the Khyber. In ‘Qudsiya War’, Muslim troops were a little over 30,000, while there were more than 100,000 Iranian warriors against Muslims who ultimately had to retreat and Muslims stood victorious. 

In ‘Yarmook War’, 32,000 Muslims defeated 200,000 Romans. (Some historians have written the figure of Romans as 700,000 out of which 500,000 were killed while 40,000 were captured). In ‘Spain War’, 12,000 Muslims, led by Tariq bin Ziyad, who was a small follower of Hazrat Moosa bin Naseer (rahmatullahi), fought an army of 100,000 troops of the enemy who were armed with latest war gadgets. Christians cannot deny the fact that Muslims, thousands of miles away from their homeland, fought a war with them and defeated them at all fronts. What was the reason that every single Muslim was heavier than a hundred troops of the enemy? What was the reason that Muslims had never thought that they were going to wage a war against a hundred times bigger enemy? The governor of Egypt, during a war, had sought help from Hazrat 'Omar bin Al-Aas (radhiallahu ta'ala 'anhu) and demanded 30,000 troops. In response to the Egypt governor’s request, Hazrat 'Omar (radhiallahu ta'ala 'anhu) sent just three men and said initially accept these three thousand. Those three men were: Hazrat Kharja bin Hazafa (radhiallahu ta'ala 'anhu), Hazrat Zubair bin Awam (radhiallahu ta'ala 'anhu), and Hazrat Maqdad bin Aswad (radhiallahu ta'ala 'anhu). These three Muslim warriors really proved heavier than 30,000 troops of the enemy. 

The Muslims of yesteryears really had something beyond the courage that turned them heavier than a hundred times bigger army of the non-Muslims. But, today that courage and zeal is not found in the Muslims. We proved our mettle to the enemy at all battlefields and fronts. The enemy knew that fistful Muslims could never be defeated on account of war gadgets. Non-Muslims knew that Muslim forces never retreat, but they fight while closing all their ways of returning home. Muslims fight the enemy after burning their boats because they fight with a vow ‘win or embrace Shahadah (martyrdom)’. The enemy knew that Muslims know how to advance and make the enemy retreat. They only stop when oceans or rivers come in their ways. At this stage they used to pray to Allah Almighty, “Allah, had this ocean not come in our way, we would have continued with waging Jihad against the enemies of Islam and eliminated the non-believers from the earth.” 

Nazarenes and Jews were so ashamed of their forefathers’ defeats at the hand of Muslims. But how long such stories and narrations would continue to make them feel ashamed? And how long we would have continued to survive on reminding them such events? At last we are exposed. Our enemies have come to know that Muslims are just hollow and they have no strength, no power. The non-Muslims know that the ancestors of Muslims were practical people while Muslims today depend on lip-serving only. Their ancestors were courageous enough who used to attack enemies like dangerous eagle while Muslims today look for the shelters to hide from the enemy. Those were the Muslims who loved martyrdom and preferred death over cowardice while Muslims today love worldly things. Muslims today do not have that courage that used to make the Muslims in the past heavier over hundreds of enemies. 

The saying of Hazrat Muhammad (sallallahu 'alaihe wasallam) has come true: “The day is not far away when all non-Muslim nations would get united against Muslims and launch strike jointly.” When somebody questioned the Holy Prophet, “Will it happen because Muslims will be less in number against the enemies?” The Holy Prophet replied: “No, you will be more than the enemy but you will be like foam, which has nothing in it and has no power or strength. Allah Almighty, because of your cowardice, would remove your fear from the hearts of non-Muslim powers and would fill your hearts with cowardice.” Another Sahaba questioned, “Ya Rasoolullah: What would be that weakness?” He replied: “Your weakness would be love for the world.” 

Today all of us, our borders, our ideologies, our interests, our generations and the entire Muslim world have become the target of enemies of Islam. We are left just one remedy to this situation that we should change our today with our yesterday. Our zeal and courage can change our fate and this way we can protect better our interests, our religious beliefs, our countries and our generations. No other thing can defend us. 

source: http://www.easyislam.com/muslims_today_and_muslims_in_the_past.asp