Between Past Glory and Present Reality

BETWEEN PAST GLORY AND PRESENT REALITY In Riyadh’s Arabic monthly Al-Faisal (Dhul-Qa‘dah 1413 AH/May 1993), an article titled Al-Atfal Qalbi was published. In it, a remark by Israel’s former Minister of War, Moshe Dayan (1915–1981), about his Arab opponents is quoted. The remark appears in Arabic as follows: “The Arabs tend to deceive themselves and others, and they do so without deliberate intent. They are always inclined to speak of the glories of their forefathers—of Salah al-Din, of the battles of Hattin and Yarmouk. While they do this, we smile, for they see themselves in the mirror of past glory, while we see them in the mirror of the present. If only they would ask themselves why they always speak of the great ones of their past, yet find no great ones in their present to speak of.” (p.3) This condition is not limited to the Arabs; it is the same with Muslims everywhere. Today, Muslims in every land live by recalling the greatness of their predecessors. Yet to live on the memory of bygone heroes is an opiate for oneself and a cause of ridicule for others. The sound and useful course is self-accountability: to recognize one’s own weaknesses and shortcomings and to strive to remove them. To take pride in the fame of past greats only traps a person in false pride. It wastes time rather than making use of it.