The Cause Lies Within

The Cause Lies Within

1985 3 March 5-7 The Cause Lies Within (1212) People tend to try and blame others for setbacks in life. But this only serves to exacerbate the problem. A solution can only be found if one searches within oneself – for that is where the cause of one’s problems lies.

Usually people afflicted with some misfortune seek to lay the blame for it on someone else besides themselves. Having picked their scapegoat, whether it be an individual or an entire nation, they then make it the target of their vengeance. Though every nation has, to a certain degree, become prey to this knee-jerk mentality, it seems to have affected the Muslims more than others. Whenever some calamity befalls them they lay the blame for it on some person or nation besides themselves and embark on a campaign of retaliation which only exacerbates the problem. Yet, as bearers of the true and authentic divine scripture, they should know better: they should realize, for it is a point that has been emphasised in the Quran, that whatever good befalls one on earth is from God, and whatever evil afflicts one should be attributed to faults within oneself. On no account should blame be laid at the door of other human beings.

In one place the Quran tells us that: “Whatever good befalls you, it is from God; and whatever ill, from yourself.” (3:79) In another place we are told that: “If a misfortune befalls you, it is the fruit of your own labours. He forgives much.” (42:30) These verses show that God has created this world in such a way that here no one holds sway over others. It does not lie within a human being’s power to harm other human beings. Whatever harm befalls one, then, is the outcome of one’s own actions. It is better to seek out the root-cause of difficulties within oneself than in the world outside. It is within one’s own self that one will be able to find the cause of one’s troubles, and only when one knows the cause will one be able to find a solution.

On two occasions in particular, when the Muslims were afflicted by misfortune in the time of the Prophet, they were advised to adopt a self-critical and introspective attitude. One was the Battle of Uhud (3AH) in which the Muslims were defeated, and the other was the Battle of Hunayn (8AH) in which they suffered an early setback. The blame for these reversals could have been laid at the door of the enemies of Islam, but it was not; it was the Muslims themselves whom the Quran held responsible.

The Quran cites the cause of the Muslims’ defeat in the Battle of Uhud as disunity and disobedience of the high command. Here is the full verse revealed in this regard:

“God fulfilled His pledge to you when, by His leave, you went on killing them. But afterwards your courage failed you, discord reigned among you, and you disobeyed (the Prophet) after he had brought you within view of what you wished for. Some chose the gain of this world, and others the world to come. Then he made you turn away from them in order to test you. But now He has forgiven you, for He is gracious to the faithful.” (3:152)

As for Hunayn, the reason for the calamity which overtook the Muslims there was stated to be vanity, again within the Muslims themselves:

“God has helped you on many a battlefield. In the Battle of Hunayn you set great store in your numbers, but they availed you nothing: the earth, for all its vastness, seemed to close in upon you and you turned your backs and fled.” (9:25)

What could have been done, in both these cases, was the blame to be assigned entirely to the Quraish. The Muslims could have been exonerated of all blame, but instead it was laid fairly and squarely on their own shoulders. Thus God made an example of these incidents, showing future generations of Muslims what their reaction to such setbacks should be: instead of trying to make out that others are plotting against them, they should practice some introspection. Victory against their enemies can only be accomplished if the cause of weakness within the Muslims themselves is removed.

For further clarification of this point; let us have a look at a letter sent by the Caliph Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz to a subordinate military officer, Mansur Ibn Ghalib, whom he had sent to the war front:

“Fear God under any circumstances, for fear of God is the best preparation, the best tactic and the best strength. If you want to save yourself from the enemy, then you had better save yourself from sin; for more dangerous than enemy plots are, I believe, one’s own sins. We only triumph over our enemies because of their sinfulness. If it was not for this, we would not enjoy ascendancy over them, for they are more numerous than us, and better prepared for battle. If we become equal to them in sinfulness then they will gain ascendancy over us due to their greater numbers and strength. We will not then be able to triumph over them with the resources at our disposal. You may fear the enmity of others. But you should be even more fearful of your own sins. “

Again, the point that is being emphasised here is that human failure is always caused by faults within, not outside, the individual or group concerned. The fact of the matter is that we are living in a world which belongs, not to any human being, but to God. Only He has any power in this world. No individual or nation holds any real sway over another. This means that whatever one obtains in this world comes – in reality – from God, irrespective of the apparent source from which it emanates. Likewise, when one is deprived of something, it is God who has really taken it away from one, even though it may seem to have been someone else. Wise then is the one who in both cases turns to God.

In various parts of the world today Muslims are oppressed. All are seeking one way of escape from their predicament, and that is through violent protest against their oppressors. This is an entirely unIslamic: form of reaction. It is not the attitude that the Quran has taught us to adopt. As Muslims, it is part of our faith to believe that everything that happens on earth is the work of God. The oppression to which we are being subjected is also His work. It is to Him, then, that we should turn for release from our suffering. God does not cause His servants to stumble for no reason. It must be some fault, some shortcoming within ourselves, which has made us the target of oppression and exploitation. Only if we find out what it is and set about eliminating it, will we once more be entitled to God’s favour.

The Muslims are like people being pelted with missiles from above, but they are looking at the ground to see where the missiles are coming from. They are searching in the wrong place, so how can they be expected to remove themselves from the line of fire?