“Don’t curse the darkness”

Every day, we watch how our Ummah is suffering. We sit in front of our TVs and curse Bush, Blair and Sharon for destroying our Ummah. Ask any Muslim why the people of Palestine, Kashmir, or any place in the world for that matter, are suffering the way they are and you are bound to get the answer “it’s because of the West”. But is it really? Is it possible that a handful of politicians are causing all the problems in our world? I personally do not think so. Evil leaders have existed throughout history, from Stalin to Saddam. If they were the problem then the solution would be a simple one: remove them from power and everything would be sorted. This is exactly what Bush and Blair thought when they went into Iraq. Yet, despite the fact that Saddam is no longer in place, peace has not been established. In fact, the opposite is quite true. Thus, as removal of Saddam did not help the Iraqi people, politicians cannot be the sole problem. I, rather, think it is the people themselves.

Have you, for instance, thought about your contribution to humanity? It is easy to blame others for everything that is wrong but when it comes to self-criticism, we fall silent. Why? Are you not part of the human race? Or are you just scared to admit that you might be the problem? You might say to me that you are only one person and cannot do much to solve the world’s problems. In that case, I would like to remind you of something the Prophet (SAW) said. He (SAW) compared his nation to a body and said every part of that body is so interlinked that when one part aches, the whole body feels the pain. Now why did the Prophet (SAW) take the body as an example? Let’s consider what the body is made up of. Anyone, whether they have studied science or not, would tell you the body consists of limbs and organs, which in return are made up of many, many cells. Each of these cells have a function and if they do not fulfil their functions properly, the body would not be able to function to its maximum capacity. Equally, you are one cell of the body of the Ummah. If you do not do your job, how, then, can you expect the body of the Ummah to function?

Now, I ask you, what is your role? You might tell me your role is to worship Allah (swt). But that would be the purpose of your life, not your specifically designated role in this life. The purpose of every limb and organ in our body is to make sure we function properly and get along with our lives. However, their roles in achieving this purpose differ. The hands have one role, while the eyes and ears have others. So what is your role? If you do not know your role, how can you expect the body of the Ummah to function properly? Some, mainly sisters, blame the Muslim men for the problems of this Ummah. They believe that since Islamically speaking, the men hold positions of authority (i.e. the head of the body), the Ummah is in such a bad state because they are not fulfilling their roles as leaders. In other words, the Ummah is brain-dead. I ask these sisters, if the Muslim men occupy the head of the body, where are the sisters situated? I believe the Muslim women are the heart of this Ummah (and I’m not saying this because I am a sister!). The biological role of the heart is to basically pump blood around the body. It is also a scientific fact that the heart can survive for a very short period, even though the brain might be dead. This is because the heart does not need stimuli from the brain, unlike the other organs in our body. Some sisters claim the Ummah is dead because the head (i.e. the brothers) is not upright. But I honestly believe that even if every brother was upright and followed his religion to the best of his ability, this Ummah would still be in a bad state as long as the sisters are not decent. If the heart is pumping poisonous blood around the body, what good will it do if the brain is in a healthy state?

The Arabs have this proverb that says a good woman is stronger than a thousand men, but if her heart is far from the religion, it is easier to move mountains than to move her heart. Let me give you three examples to illustrate this. In the last couple of ayahs in Surah Tahrim, Allah gives us the parables of two wicked (namely the wives of the Prophets Nuh and Lut) and two righteous women (namely, wife of Pharaoh and Maryam, mother of Prophet Isa). Who were these women and why did Allah put them forward as examples for us to reflect upon? Consider firstly the first examples. Despite having one of the Prophets of Allah as their husbands, they disbelieved in the message brought to them. What kind of kids did these households produce, then? In the Quran, we find a dialogue between Prophet Nuh and his son, in which he is advising his son to join him and the other believers on the ship before the world gets flooded. However, his son arrogantly responds he will go to such and such mountain and the water will not reach him. We all know what his end was. This example shows a case where the husband was righteous while the wife was not. What happens if we reverse it? By putting forward the example of the wife of Pharaoh, this is exactly what Allah does. Asiyah, despite being married to the most arrogant man ever walked on the face of this earth, managed to raise one of the greatest Prophets of Allah, namely Musa (AS). What if we remove the father or husband from the picture, how would the result be? Through the example of Maryam, Allah once again shows us the powers of a righteous woman. She did not have a husband nor a father for her child. Yet, despite this fact, along with the hostilities against her by her own people, she raised the very Prophet who will once again bring the rule of Allah to this planet of ours, namely Isa. Do not get me wrong here. I’m not advocating feminism, saying women can do without men completely. All I’m trying to do is to make my sisters realise their status. If we occupy the heart of this Ummah, we have to ensure its survival. Regarding the heart, the Prophet (SAW) said if it is upright, the rest of the body will be upright. As such our Ummah is more likely to upright and dignified if the sisters are. Let us also remember the fact that the word “Ummah” in Arabic shares the same root as the word “Umm”, which means “mother”.

Do you now realise how important you are for the Ummah and humanity in general? Do you also realise the importance of women? Ask yourself, what am I doing with my life? Am I leading it or is it leading me? Ask yourself all of these questions and then ask why the Ummah is in such a bad state. You will soon realise that blaming Bush, Blair, Mubarak or Musharaf for that matter will not be of any use. My fellow Muslim, stop blaming others for what is going bad in our world. My fellow Muslim, stop cursing the darkness and realise you are the light from which life can be restored. My fellow Muslim, find your goal in this life and let this light shine...wherever you might go.

Wa Salamu Aleykum Wa Rahmaullah Wa Barakatuhu

/Your sister Zaki