WHAT WENT WRONG WITH MUSLIMS A Result of Not Changing

It was this policy that was adopted by the Japanese after the Second World War, and within less than fifty years they emerged as an economic superpower. The same option was open to Muslim countries. They should have avoided the political problem and availed the opportunities of civilisation instead. Had Muslims done this, history would have taken a different course. This creative policy is definitely an Islamic policy, and the Prophet of Islam adopted it. During the negotiations prior to the signing of the Hudaybiyah Treaty, he avoided political problems and tried to avail of whatever opportunities presented themselves at that time. Thus, he went on to have that great success that is mentioned in the Quran as a ‘clear victory’ (THE QURAN 48: 1). In this regard, consider two verses from the Quran. The first reads, Believers, turn to God, every one of you, so that you may prosper. THE QURAN 24: 31 In this verse, the Arabic word used for turning to God in repentance is tawbah (tubu ilallah). Tawbah means, in a sense, following a U-turn policy, which means to re-assess one’s actions and make amends. In the context of this verse, it means that Muslims must adopt such a policy at the level of the entire community. The other Quranic verse tells us, God does not change the condition of a people's lot, unless they change what is in their hearts THE QURAN 13: 11 This means that if Muslims want to see a new future, they must change their present. Now, in the twenty-first century, the time has come for Muslims to adopt a U-turn. They must bring to an end all violent activities, and should devote their energies to achieving a two-point formula of education and dawah, reaching out to people with God’s message. Education will bring their succeeding generations into line with modern standards, and dawah work will provide them with a global mission through which they will be able to chalk out a proper line of action for themselves. o