God’s Succour
Al-Risala (English), June 1986, p. 22
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is named as the default author of the periodical; a piece that carries another writer’s byline is credited to that writer.
God’s Succour
1986 6 June 22-24 God’s Succour (937) In the sixteenth century the Portuguese gained control of the Indian Ocean, thus excluding Arabs from eastern commercial routes. So began the European colonial initiative against Muslim lands. With the invention of the steam engine in the seventeenth century, and the Industrial Revolution of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Europeans strengthened their position, which was fully consolidated with the completion, in 1869, of the Suez Canal. Now, with a line of direct passage from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, not a single Muslim country of Africa and central Asia remained free of direct or indirect control from Europe.
As far as material strength was concerned, European nations were not only superior to the Muslims in numbers; they were also far advanced in the quality of resources at their disposal. Muslims had only hand weapons to fall back on, while Europeans had access to long range weapons. No wonder that it seemed to a lot of people that European supremacy would never end. Then God made known His will. The powers of Europe fought among themselves in World War II, inflicting untold damage on one another. Their internal position became so precarious that there was no way they could hold on to their external dominions. European imperial powers were forced to retreat from the African and Asian lands they once bestrode in might and glory.
For the Muslims, however, the difficult part was still to come. Europe had lost its political empire but still, through industrial and technological superiority, it controlled the markets of the world. Muslim countries, with the limited resources at their disposal, sought to catch up. But just as they were beginning to move into the industrial age, the West, to borrow Alvin Toffler’s phrase, moved into the super-industrial age. It was then that springs of divine munificence burst out of Arab soil: oil, which converted into petro-wealth made up for the Muslims’ backwardness in technological know-how, and gave them an influential position in the modern world economic order.
The fact of the matter is that Muslims are bearers of a divine scripture, unique in that it is preserved in its original state. For this reason, Almighty God has taken upon Himself to protect the Muslims in the world. In this way He protects His Book – the Quran. It was this divine succour that protected the Muslims during Sassanian and Mongol invasions, through the Crusades, the colonial age, and on up to the present day.
But it should be noted that this protection is solely a worldly affair. As far as salvation in the next world is concerned, no assurance of safe conduct has been issued to any race or nation. Muslims have to earn salvation in the next world by first bringing themselves in line with Islam, and then passing on the Word they have been entrusted with to other nations of the world. The Prophet Mohammad spent his life bearing testimony to the Truth before the people of his age, leaving a shining example to those who came afterwards. Muslims of every age should follow that example, and pass on the Word which they have received, through the Prophet, from God, to the rest of mankind.
With Mohammad, prophethood has come to an end. Now Muslims, as bearers of the prophetic legacy, have to perform the role of Prophets: it is they who have to communicate the message of Islam to other nations of the world. Even Prophets had to fulfill their prophetic obligations in order to deserve the status of prophethood (Quran, 5:67), so how can ordinary Muslims be considered true to their faith if they do not fulfill their Islamic obligations? Fundamental among these obligations is bearing witness to the truth on earth. What claim do we have to be considered followers of Mohammad, if we do not act on his example? If not all, at least a substantial body, of the Muslims, must indeed rise to this task (Quran 3:104).
In ancient times, when Church was not separate from State, the basis of politics was religion. Even a harmless movement, aimed solely at spreading the Word of God, used to be considered a threat by the government of the day. Drastic and violent measures would be taken to stamp out a movement which struck at the very basis of political power. Those who spread the Word of God were subjected to dire punishments – stoning, crucifixion, death at the stake – by the powers of the day. Now, with Church separate from State, political powers no longer consider a religious message as a threat to their authority. There are far greater facilities and freedom today for communicating the message of Islam than there were in ancient times. It is imperative, however, that those who perform this task steer clear of polemics and politics, for to become involved here would be to compromise their religious message; it would be to create problems where there are none, to alienate people before efforts have been made to win them over. Freedom of thought and the scientific method of study are dominant forces in the world today, ensuring that those who project and promote true religion are able to continue their work freely in every corner of the globe.
Modern thought, it should be noted, has also made Islamic teachings easier to understand. This is just another way in which God has helped Muslims to convey His message to mankind. If Muslims still do not prove equal to the task, what excuse will they have when they come before God, who did everything to make conditions on earth conducive to the spreading of His word?
