The Great Dream ...
Think of a world where only one islamic state exists. Muslims from all over the world - Arabia, Turkey, Africa and Asia belong to that state so that the Africans can join the Bosnian army, Turks can visit their in-laws in Afghanistan or Bangladeshis can seek their jobs in Dubai without any visa. And in worldcup soccer only one team represents the whole Muslim nation. At the end of the twentieth century all of it may sound like a daydream.
But situation had been different. Even just before the First World War. The trace of a united Muslim nation had been existing under the Ottomans. The Ottoman Khilafat was disintegrated on the 3rd of March, 1924. Why had it to happen? It is a heart-breaking story. Let us have a look back in time.
In the seventh century CE, the first islamic state, known as Khilafah, was established by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in the city of Medina which had unified the Muslims all over the world from various sociocultural backgrounds. Within the next several decades, the Khilafah rose to the supreme political power in the world and lead the civilization over the following ten centuries.
It had stayed united for over thirteen centuries with minor exceptions. Then on, it had started to fall because of the widespread corruption of the centralized authorities and the mass people. Among the other factors, the abandonment of Arabic as the language of understanding Islam correctly and performing Ijtihad (restricted and guided use of rational judgement in deriving the extensions of the islamic laws under new circumstances), the infiltration and absorption of foreign cultures detrimental to the islamic values and the relaxation of islamic beliefs, the gradual loss of central authority over some of the provincial authorities and the rise of the nationalism contributed to the gradual downfall. The rest of it Allah knows the best.
Let us focus on the issue of the rise of nationalism. In surah Al-Hujurat, Allah (SWT) says:
"O mankind, verily We have created you from a male and a female, and made you peoples and tribes, so that you may know each other. Verily, the most honored of you to Allah is (he who) safeguards himself against evil with full awareness of the Divine Laws. Verily, Allah is All-knowing, All-aware."
Allah (SWT) has created diverse ethnic groups among us. Muslims will come from different backgrounds and cultural heritages, with different mother tongues and appearances. However, this diversity is not to be mistaken as nationalism. Nationalism is a kind of unity based on race, heritage, culture and tribalistic ties. But Islam binds people together on Aqeedah, that is belief in Allah (SWT) and His Messenger, and calls for the unity based on ideological bond.
The Messenger of Allah (SWT) says:
"Undoubtedly Allah has removed from you the pride of arrogance of the age of Jahilliyah (ignorance) and the glorification of ancestors. Now people are of two kinds. Either believers who are aware or transgressors who do wrong. You are the children of Adam (aws) and Adam (aws) was made of clay. People should give up their pride in nations because that is a coal from the coals of the Hell-fire. If they do not give this up Allah (swt) will consider them lower than the lowly worm which pushes itself through the dung". (Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi).
Allah (swt) reveals in the Qur'an,
"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared
and die not except in a state of Islam with complete
submission to Allah. And hold fast, all of you together,
to the rope of Allah (i.e. Qur'an), and be not divided
among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's
favors on you; for you were enemies and He joined your
hearts in love, so that by His Grace you became brothers;
and you were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He
saved you from it. Thus Allah make His signs clear to
you that you may be guided."
Al-Qur'an 3 : 102-103
In these verses Allah (swt) reminds the Muslims about the fact that He had made them into one nation and made them friends from enemies and forbade them from dividing among themselves. Looking at the present Ummah, we see people are too busy being proud Algerian, Egyptian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian, Kashmiri, Libyan, Lebanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, Pakistani, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Yemeni, and what not. But are not we witnessing the war between Iraq and Iran, invasion of Kuwait by Iraq, suppression of Palestine, Bosnia and Kashmir in the hand of enemies of Islam? Can't we feel that we are again on the brink of the Pit of Fire from where Allah (SWT) saved us once with His blessings? We are losing His blessings by splitting the Ummah into pieces in the name of nationalism.
Nationalism did not arise in the Muslim world in response to any hardships faced by the people, nor due to the frustration they felt when European forces started to dominate the world after the industrial revolution. Rather, nationalism was likely to had been implanted in the minds of the Muslims through a well thought out scheme by the European powers, after their failure to destroy the islamic State by force. 1
But we cannot solely blame the West for our problems. We have been facing our own problems because of the abandonment of the Qur'an and Sunnah in general in proper respect. Naturally, the non-islamic forces are out there trying to enforce their ideologies. We Muslims have to work towards the Truth Al-Islam and share it with others, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. 2
What would be the solution then? The solution is fairly simple, Know Islam, Think Islam and Do Islam to please Allah (SWT), not to please the authority or own "nafs" (self-ego). Although the implementation of Islam as a complete way of life requires patience, perseverance and strong effort at the individual and the collective levels but there is guaranteed success inshaAllah.
"Allah has promised those amongst you who believe,
and do righteous good deeds, that He will certainly
grant them succession to the present rulers on the earth,
as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish
in authority their religion--the one which He has chosen
for them; and that He will change their state, after the
fear in which they lived, to one of security and peace: They
worship Me alone and not associate ought with Me. If any do
reject Faith after this, they are Rebellious and Wicked".
Al-Qur'an 24 : 55
Our grand parents observed the fall of the islamic state, our parents cherished their nationality and now we are the confused generation in the age of turmoil. But things are changing. Because of the islamic revivalism in last few decades Muslims are waking up, becoming more and more aware of the true and pure form of the great message of Islam. These days, Islam is growing at the fastest rate in the midst of unbelievers. The day is not far away when our children will make the day-dream a reality, by uniting under one flag of Islam, inshaAllah.
The Prophet (PBUH) had been made to know of the future state of the affairs:
"Prophethood will last among you as long as Allah wishes it to last, and then Allah will raise it up. Afterwards there will be the khilafah according to the ways of the prophethood as long as Allah wishes it to last, then Allah will raise it up. Afterwards there will be hereditary rule (by consent) and it will last as long as Allah wishes, then Allah will raise it up. Afterwards there will be biting oppression it will last as long as Allah wishes, then Allah will raise it up. Afterwards there will be the khilafah according to the ways of prophethood.", and then the Prophet (saw) was silent" [Ahmad ibn Hanbal]
by Syeda Sultana Razia
References:
1) Nationalism. An Erroneous Concept
Published by Nida'ul Islam, 19th Issue ( July-August 1997)
2) Nationalism and the islamic State
By Fahmy F Qazi ( Electronic Whip)
3) The Prohibition of nationalism in Islam
By Shabir Ahmed and Abid Karim
Published by islamic Cultural Workshop.
PO Box 1932 Walnut, CA 91789 USA