The Fault Comes Full Circle

Alhamdulillah we, as muslims are brimming the cup of life with our numbers. One statistic claims that one in five in the world is a Muslim. If this is the coming of the end of the world, we should be so grateful to be Muslim, take any discrimination, stereotypes and disapproval in your stride because that is a further indication that this is the truth.

We are told religion is backward and that the way to progress is secularisation. Those who believe we are living in secularised societies may be mistaken because man cannot cease to worship. Man cannot exist and not adore and supplicate. Unfortunately, the dominant religion of the day is the worship of appearances, pleasure and indeed worship oneself.

Money is a god and not money as a means of survival but as the object of desire. Not as the means but as the goal. Another worship is worship of another being, the celebrities who are only there as a glittery show, an illusion of happiness, the unreachable grapes, the supplication to them is imitation. The tangible becomes divine, and the intangible is forgotten. The spiritual self is neglected while what we see is the only existence. Science has somehow deluded man that he is great, that maybe there is none greater.

It is no surprise that Islam is under attack, it has been for centuries, but the intensity of today’s offence is symptomatic of our failures and the coming of qiyamah. If shaytan is behind any mischief and evil, it is natural for him to attack the good, the righteous and the God-fearing. The religious way of life is despised in this age of the fast life. But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasalam did not leave us without a weapon, without a sure-fire way of protecting for the Ummah he so deeply loved and prayed for. Did we listen?

It is our faults that we are where we are.

Why is it our own faults?

The Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam stated that "Verily I have left with you two things, if you hold unto them you will never go astray! The Book of Allaah and my Sunnah!" [Authentic; recorded by al-Hakim].
It would be true to say if we did listen to him, we may not be in this very vulnerable situation today.
Our Nabi salalahu alayhi wasalam prophecised about fourteen centuries ago that a day would come when the Muslims would blindly copy the ways of the Christians and Jews, in spite of the obvious absurdity and the unIslamic character of some of those ways . This is exemplified by the hadith narrated Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, the Prophet (pbuh) said, “You will follow the ways of those nations who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit (i.e., inch by inch) so much so that even if they entered a hole of a mastigure [lizard], you would follow them.” We said, “O Allah’s Apostle! (Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?” He said, “Whom else?”

It was bizzare at that time that Muslims would follow the backward Christians and Jews. Islam was at the forefront of the scientific, mathematical and other academical fields as well as social tranquility and just governance. We can see now how Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasalam 's prophesy has come so very true,

How are we in the lizard’s hole and abandoned the Quran and Sunnah?
The Economy is a global economy based on debt, based on interest, based on RIBA.
We abandoned Sunnah money which is also mentioned in the Quran. It is gold and silver. Is it progress now that we deal with paper and value it? I have to also give respect to the Catholic Church that fought to keep usury out of the economies in Europe. With the first printing of paper money, it paved the way for a system easily manipulated by debt and interest. It also gave another dimension to who controls the money. Gold and silver are creations of Allah, and can be found in quantities prescribed by Allah. But the bankers wanted to have some power and now they print paper, and smugly print it at their will. Paper money is a rip off. No value. Riba is not only lending on interest but also a transaction where one party is ripped off. This was illustrated when in the following hadith.
Abd Sa'id reported: Bilal (Allah be pleased with him) came with fine quality of dates. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to him: From where (you have brought them)? Bilal said: We had inferior quality of dates and I exchanged two sa's (of inferior quality) with one sa (of fine quality) as food for Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Woe! it is in fact usury; therefore, do not do that. But when you intend to buy dates (of superior quality), sell (the inferior quality) in a separate bargain and then buy (the superior quality). And in the hadith transmitted by Ibn Sahl there is no mention of" whereupon". (Muslim: 10.3871)
With our everyday transactions, we hand over an inferior quality (paper) for superior quality (goods or services.)

It is better explained in this hadith:

Abu Salih reported: I heard Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (Allah be pleased with him) said: Dinar (gold) for gold and dirham for dirham can be (exchanged) with equal for equal; but he who gives more or demands more in fact deals in interest. I sald to him: Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) says otherwise, whereupon he said: I met Ibn 'Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) and said: Do you see what you say; have you heard it from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him), or found it in the Book of Allah, the Glorious and Majestic? He said: I did not hear it from Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). and I did not find it in the Book of Allah (Glorious and Majestic), but Usama b. Zaid narrated it to me that Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) said: There can be an element of interest in credit. (Muslim: 10.3876)

However, after dealing with gold as a value, governments began ripping the public off when gold can be traded for paper. That is clearly unequal in value. Supposedly after the change over from gold and when governments established a paper economy, a fatwa was passed that it is halaal. Again only one scholar in Islam to my knowledge has spotted this deception risking unpopularity and disagreement. I may not have given an explanation as brilliantly as the learned Imran Hosein has but a more comprehensive one can be found in his books.

So down this lizard hole we are sleeping while Allah tells us in verse 279 in Suratul Baqarah: "If you do not, take notice of war from Allah and his Messenger but if you repent you shall have your capital sum. Deal not unjustly and you shall not be dealt with unjustly."

That is the subliminal Riba that we deal with everyday. But what about the well known Riba of lending for interest? Muslims Alhamdullilah have known this and stayed away, however this sick sick world we live in drills it into our heads that we must by whatever means own a piece of land. Yes, it would be nice to have a house, however something tells us that the world is shaky if we are renting. The world is shaky if we don’t have a house. But truly the world is shaky when you have a mortgage hanging over your shoulder and shakier when you fall into arreas!

So now, I have to also bring up this strange new idea of Islamic mortgage aimed at the pious muslims which is riba in disguise.For those who don’t know how it works is: An example: The bank buys a £200,000 house that you want and sells it to you for £400,000. It’s not just a price increase but a price for the time you need to pay it. They call it a sale, I call it riba.

"Allah will deprive usury of all blessing, and will give increase for deeds of charity, for he does not love any ungrateful sinner." (2:279) I was speaking to an Imam at a mosque I used to visit because in his khutbah, he had told muslims not to deal in the haraam mortgage but to do it the halaal way. Concerning the increased payment ‘sale’ the bank gives you because of the time you have to pay, he said that it was just business. Unfortunately, I could not remember the ayat on the spot. But I found it later:"Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the Satan by his touch has driven to madness. That is because they say, "trade is like usury", but Allah has permitted trade and has forbidden usury",(2:275)

Allahu ya'lam. Everyone be guided with what they feel in their hearts. Inshallah let us live in the state of pleasing Allah, Amin.

Why does Allah outlaw Riba in the Quran, the Injil and in the Taurat? This is because riba is reaping where you have not sown. Eating what you did not earn.

"That they took usury though they were forbidden and they devoured peoples wealth wrongfully; we have prepared for those amongst them who reject faith a grievous chastisement." (Suratul Nisa: 161.) They are devouring other people’s blood and sweat.
The Injil still outlaws this so technically, a true follower of Isa alayhi sallam would not deal in it. Funnily enough, the Taurat as it stands today stated that Jews cannot lend to a fellow Jew on Interest but can lend to a gentile on interest. The Quran reserved a great condemnation for the act of Dhulm which occurs when the Word of Allah is changed and a lie is told against Allah. “Who commits greater act of Dhulm (injustice) than he who tells a lie against Allah or rejects His Signs? But verily the wrongdoers never shall prosper.” (Suratul Al-An’am, 6:21)

Hazrat Abu Hurairah r.a. reported that the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasalam said : A time will certainly come over the people when none will remain who will not devour usury. If he does not devour it, its vapour will overtake him. [Ahmed,Abu Dawood,Nisai,Ibn Majah] Subhanallah I'm afraid this time is now.

Ok, the bottom line I’m trying to put across here is that because of dealing with riba, we are tied in this paper global economy with the rest of them. A strong Muslim country cannot exist dealing with paper money. Because of it’s nature, it is prone to manipulation by the countries with the most power. "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people."(5:51) Not only have we taken them as friends, they are our masters controlling the global finances and thus controlling us.

Africa is a prime example of how bad it can get. The richest continent on earth is inhabited with starving people. How is it that the poorest countries in resources are dominating the rich? The colonialists left Africa saying the countries were independent. After establishing their currencies, how could African ever be independent again? Every aid so readily given, most recently in the g20 summit, about 200 billion or so is a loan. One that the Africans will soon have to pay back with money or their resources plundered. Such is the world of Riba. The Middle East is enormously fortunate to control a substantial resource of oil that the so called developed world rely on, otherwise they may just as well be a second Africa. This is not ruling out the direct and the indirect control the West has in the Middle East.


Another thing we Muslims are at fault with is that we fight and bicker amongst ourselves. We divide ourselves uncontrollably. There is one solution. If we believe in Allah and the Messenger and call ourselves Muslim, the only thing we need is the Quran and Sunnah. If we are in a Muslim community, why can’t we live in peace, pray together and interact without calling one this sect or that movement? The Prophet Muhammad Mustafa sallalahu alayhi wasalam had said: This Ummah will split into seventy three parties, all of which will go to Hell - except for one party: the one which will follow the same path as what I and my companions are following today. [Authentic; recorded by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidthi, and others].

What a loss we had losing the greatest man of our time, understandably we can not be as strong without him but is this Ummah even trying?
I was astonished myself when I moved into my current neighbourhood where you could enter a mosque for Jumuah and even if by a miracle the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam came back to life and was in that masjid he wouldn’t have understood what they were saying. There are mosques for different ethnicities, not even with a translation for the khutbah in English or even Arabic. Nationalism, ethnicity are for our diversity and not to be barriers. Islam unites so it is an utter paradox to have a masjid excluding others.

"O Mankind, We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you" (Quran 49:13).
These are but a few ways we have left the Sunnah and Quran and are stuck in the lizard hole. Celebrating unIslamic holidays, attempting to incorporate kufr fashion into our dress, making nasheeds that have no difference with secular music and modernising this way of life. The way of life of our father Ibrahim had never needed any modernisation until this past century. Is this really progress?
We need to realise that Islam is the truth and is too dignified to be incorporated with something else. The authentic Islam is purity and sticking with the Guidance given to us.

It is no wonder that we are in trouble. We as Muslims say Allahu Akbar with every motion is prayers but nowhere in this beautiful world of Allah's is there a land where Allah is recognised as al-Akbar. The Muslim states are so friendly with the Kafirun that they are proud members of the United Nations. Did they not read the Charter?

Article 24 states that its Members confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. It consists of nations whose foundations are on Kufr and we follow so readily into the lizard hole. Again Allah had told us:O Ye who believe! Choose not for guardians such of those who received the Scripture before you, and of the disbelievers, as make a jest and sport of your religion. But keep your duty to Allah if ye are true believers.(5:57) The previous ayat that told us they are friends of one another could not be emphasised enough. The UN is supposedly trying to maintain world peace but since it's inception around the same time as the birth of the racist state Israel, all it has done is vetoe the Arab voice. No one could act against the injustices of Israel. Maybe this was it's intended purpose. If the UN or League of Nations had never existed, Palestine and the Holy Land would never be under Britain as a mandate and Israel could never have the chance of being created.

Again we did not listen.

Never in history had a country had the right to interfere in the domestic issues of another as after the inception of the concept of the League of Nations and UN.

We have been enslaved financially, politically, socially and what remains now is the empty shell of Islam. It can no longer be practiced as a pure way of life as it was intended to. This is why there are attempts to create this Muslim village. Would you leave your comfortable lives to a life without luxury but only the basics needed for an Islamic substinence farming community? To rid your lived with this modern world? Inshallah I'm looking forward to the Project!

InshAllah May Allah shower his Guidance and Noor to all of us. For those who love this life, this dunia, Islam will be the hardest task, but forget this world. What’s the point of a house when we are but travellers? We can die tomorrow, tonight or in the next hour. What will we answer to Him?