Setting our Own House in Order
Al-Risala (English), January 1990, p. 11
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.
Setting our Own House in Order
1990 1 January 11-14 Setting our Own House in Order (1126) “Those of the Children of Israel who disbelieved were cursed by David and Jesus the son of Mary. This as because they disobeyed and persisted in excesses and never restrained one another from wrongdoing. Evil is that which they did. “(Quran, 5:78-79)
This verse of the Quran shows that for a religious community to retain the true spirit of faith, they should direct their attention towards setting their own house in order. The Muslims of today, however, far from paying attention to setting their own house in order, have taken it upon themselves to set other people’s houses in order. It is in this way that they seek to keep their faith alive. Their faith does require them to discourage others from wrongdoing, and even to take an uncompromising attitude towards wicked deeds, but within their own society. Once the faithful abandon efforts to keep their own house in order, then the curse of God descends upon them. That is what happened to the Jews, and the same thing happens to the Muslims when they sink to such depths. No amount of effort on their part to set others’ houses in order will atone for their failure to restrain members of their own society from evil.
There are countless instances of the Prophet having warned his followers from acting in the manner of the Jews in this regard. Time and time again he emphasised that if they abandoned efforts to keep their society up to the standard demanded by their faith, they would be cursed in the sight of God. This was what happened to the Jews, and the same fate would await them if they acted in like fashion. Here are a few statements of the Prophet on this subject:
“The state of the Children of Israel was such that when one of them saw his brother doing some wrong, he would at first discourage him from acting so, but the next day the wrongdoing which he had seen his brother perpetrate would not prevent him from eating with that person and keeping company with him. When God saw them acting in this manner, He intermingled their hearts with one another and made His prophets, David and Jesus the son of Mary, utter a curse upon them. This was because they disobeyed and persisted in their excesses.” The Prophet then went on to say: “By the One who has control over my soul, it is absolutely incumbent upon you to encourage one another to do good and to restrain your own people from wrongdoing. You must catch hold of the arm of evil and turn it towards righteousness. If you do not do this, God will intermingle your hearts with one another and He will cause a curse to descend upon you, as it descended upon the Jews.”
On another occasion, the Prophet said: “By the One who has control over my soul, it is incumbent upon you to urge one another on to good, and to restrain one another from wrongdoing. If you do not do this, then quite soon the wrath of God will descend upon you. Then you will call out to Him, but He will not hear your cry.”
And the Prophet is also reported as saying: “Certainly, God does not punish everybody because of the wrongdoing of a few people. Until, that is, they have reached a stage when they see evil in their own midst and are in a position to take a stand against it, yet they do not do so. When things reach this stage, then God punishes everyone, the elite and the masses alike.”
The point made in this verse of the Quran and these statements of the Prophet is an extremely important one. It is that the law of God, which applies to the Muslims, is exactly the same as that which applied to the Jews. In this regard, there is no difference between the two communities.
When one considers matters in this light, the state of communal relations in India would appear to represent a fulfillment of the prophecies mentioned above. Could this be a manifestation of God’s curse upon the Muslims? The word “curse” is a translation of the Arabic word la‘nah, which literally means ‘being removed from good.’ The Muslims of this country certainly seem to have been removed from God’s mercy. Day in and day out, they pray for God’s wrath to descend upon their supposed enemies, but their prayers are not answered. A handful of troublemakers in their communities perpetrate riots and the whole community suffers as a result. These are all signs that the Muslims of today have themselves been subjected to God’s punishment. The fears, which the Prophet expressed with regard to his community, appear to have been borne out.
Indiscipline and waywardness have become the order of the day amongst Muslims. They are always ready to start a fight, even over the pettiest of issues. Invariably, it is they who start communal riots, due to provocative acts on the part of certain elements among them. When these riots escalate, the whole community suffers as a result. The same situation crops up again and again. The entire Muslim community has become aware of this state of affairs. But not a single group among the Muslims condemns these offenders. There is no one to catch hold of these people’s hands, as if to say: “Enough!”
There are plenty of Muslim leaders who are only too ready to lay the blame on the Government or at the door of the non-Muslims. There are even some who have set themselves up as judges for all mankind and some who lay wild claims to being able to alter the course of Time. But not one of them is ready to take the Muslims to task for what they are doing. Why is it that they do not point the finger of accusation at members of their own community who, by their provocative actions, incite their fellow-countrymen to take retaliatory action, with the result that the streets of our country become soaked in blood?
The statements of the Prophet quoted above show quite clearly that communal tension in this country can be eased only if the Muslims take it upon themselves to set their own house in order. They should keep a watch on those individuals in their community who are responsible for provoking riots. At present, Muslim leaders have directed their agitation entirely towards the Government and the non-Muslim community. It is they themselves, however, who are responsible for their own community, and it is the troublesome elements within it that they should try to contain. By abandoning this task and blaming others, they are only adding to their own monumental guilt.
