One Ummah Network
Fri, 11 Aug 2000 00:16:11 -0700
Submission by: Tavis Adibudeen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Topic: Friday Thoughts
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Text:
With the Name of Allah, The Merciful Benefactor, The Merciful Redeemer
The Worst Form of Oppression
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All praise and thanks is due to Allah, the One who is without partners,
equals, or associates. The One Who sees all, while none see Him. He is
the Owner of everything, while others are poor and helpless. All of
creation turns to Him, willingly or unwillingly. They submit to His will
because there is no power other than His. He hears all, but not with the
aide of instruments, sees all without the need of pupils, retinas, and
optic nerves, knows all without study, contemplation, or inquiry, creates
all without preparation, meditation, or experimentation. He simply
commands "Be" and it is.
The history of this world is filled with accounts of great men and women,
leaders who rose above tyranny, poverty, and oppression to liberate their
people. Countless tales have been narrated to us of great revolutionaries
who drove oppressors from their lands or delivered their people into new
lands. The people rejoiced in their freedom, praised their new leader, and
lived prosperously for a period of time.
Soon after their liberation, however, the people of these "revolutions"
often fell back into oppression. Many times it was someone from among them
(sometimes even the leader who liberated them) who began to treat them with
the same treatment that was given by their previous oppressors.
What delivers humanity from this vicious cycle of oppression? What
prevents them from enjoying the liberation that is so often sought after in
the dreams and actions of common people? Where is there a just leader who
can rid the people of oppressors and tyrants? The answer to these
questions and more is evident in the human being's inclination or desire to
submit. It is ingrained in the human being to submit or surrender one's
will to something greater or of a worthier cause. Many choose to serve
their spouses, children, community, country, wildlife, or humanity.
Regardless of whatever worldly thing they serve, people will find in those
things a weakness. They will find that their spouses eventually die.
Their children eventually grow up and move out of the home. Their country
betrays them. All of these worldly things are temporary. Like everything
that exists, these things come and go.
There is only One that does not die, become weak, change, or betray
humanity. There is only One that is so self-sufficient that He will
continue to be whether we serve Him or not. Once we come to know of Him,
however, it would be foolish to not serve Him. Why would we continue
serving others when only Allah can help us or even the others that we used
to serve.
"How can ye reject faith in Allah? -- seeing that you were without life,
and He gave you life; then will He cause you to die, and will again bring
you to life; and again to Him will you return." (2:28)
We must understand that this life is temporary. We are temporary. Our
return is to Allah. There should be nothing else left to be said but:
"Nay, but verily man is rebellious" (96:6)
It is not enough for human beings to read the revealed signs (ayat) of
Allah and accept the truth. Humans are stubborn, and many refuse to
believe what they do not witness. Thus, Allah, in His Mercy and Wisdom,
granted humanity signs (ayat) in creation that we might know the Truth
through His creation as well.
Allah has therefore made the changing of seasons, the dying of plants,
animals, and people, the alteration of night and day, and everything in
creation a sign that all of it changes and goes its way to destruction
except Allah, Who is constant.
"He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has
full knowledge of all things." (57:3)
Any movement that calls a person to freedom, righteousness, and success but
does not call them to Allah is only inviting them to become slaves. Anyone
who invites another to worship something other than Allah and to serve
something other than the One, only invites them to failure. FALSE WORSHIP
IS THE WORST FORM OF OPPRESSION. It is only when a person or group of
people turn to the One and serve Him that they will be freed from the
bondage of their own desires.
"Seest thou such a one as taketh for his god his own passion (or impulse)?
Couldst thou be a disposer of affairs for him?" (25:43)
We are seeing in the Ummah a pattern of oppression. Muslims have suffered
from colonialism, slavery, war, and poverty. We have been oppressed in
every way imaginable. The people became restless, rebellious, and most of
the formerly occupied Muslim lands have been liberated. Millions of
oppressed people rejoiced only to have their celebrations crushed by their
own leaders. They have willingly appointed over themselves leaders whose
interests are not in the people but rather in their own desires. It is
this lack of fear in Allah that continues to oppress the people.
Instead of rising up against their oppressors and joining together, Muslims
continue to accept this backward nationalism and the handouts of western
countries. Muslim countries have the richest resources of oil, gold,
diamonds, and other precious gifts from Allah, but our disunity prevents us
from using them properly. We are afraid of losing the financial support of
the United States and other western powers. We are afraid of being
independent. The Ummah has chosen its corrupt leaders and careless
benefactors as its idols over Allah, while Allah tells us:
"Shaytan threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly. Allah
promiseth you His forgiveness and bounties. And Allah careth for all and He
knoweth all things." (2:268)
Why then are we afraid of liberating ourselves and uniting when Allah has
promised us "forgiveness and bounties"??? This makes no sense. Muslims
have more opportunities to be spiritually, financially, socially, and
ultimately politically independent than any past years in this century.
Why do we take the unbelievers and people of the book as our protectors
(wali) before the believers? It is for this reason that we continue to
suffer oppression by our own hands.
We must turn away from the worship of our nationalities, races, and
especially the worship of our own oppressors. It is false worship, which
is the worst form of oppression, and oppression is worst than slaughter.
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