Read and Weep !!!
By
Maulana Khalid Dhorat
We are living in such times that there are many reasons to cry - for free, but to laugh, we have to pay Riaad Moosa and Trevor Noah. In fact, if some people don’t pay others to make them laugh and momentarily forget all the atrocities taking place in the world, they will never know if their teeth needs a whitening treatment or not!
So, after a weekend of attending comedy shows and shameless musicals, let us cry a bit. I’m sure many are already crying at the pitiable conditions of the people of some countries like Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but we need to really start sobbing and weeping when we look globally at how close the entire ummah is so as to be affected by the same horrendous conditions. The Muslim world is in crises, but how do you judge how deep this crisis is? The mass killings in the Middle-East, the overthrow of democratically elected governments, is not an indication of our crises, it is merely the outcome of a deeper crises that promises to worsen by the day. The real crises and root of our rot started a long time ago.
The Best of Creation (Peace be upon him) predicted a time would come when the Muslims will be more despised than a rotting carcass and more bitter than aloes. Our enemies don’t need to kill us anymore. They just need to pay one group to kill the next group, then arm the next group to defend themselves, and then let the corrupt Shaikhs and spiritual leaders in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and everywhere around the globe on the payroll to start spreading the hate by calling each other “Kaafir” and “Khaariji.” The more Muslims kill each other, the more they profit from arms-dealing.
When the ummah cannot see such blatant manipulation by the superpowers and who put up their principles for sale, it’s an indication that they have become spiritually blind and intellectually paralysed. At such time, they will be involved in all the wrongs for which many of the previous nations were destroyed. The punishment for their indulging in these evils will be their own mass-killing, but the Muslims will be so brainwashed and indoctrinated, that they will not even understand why they are killing or being killed. They will wrongly diagnose the problem, find wrong solutions and more will die. This process will continue until they realise how to stop the bleeding and bandage their wounds.
There are dozens of prophetic sayings on the evils of the last day. Many shirk from reading them as they are painful in their reality: “Give us hope,” they say: “Don’t tell us what not to do and don’t be negative. Just give us a few wazeefahs and everything will come right.” This is like giving voltaren to a cancer patient. As soon as the tablet wears off, the pain returns. I have chosen only one lengthy hadith and have left it up to the readers to decide if there is even a single sign from the 72 mentioned that does not apply to us. My comments appear in brackets.
Sayyadina Hudhaifah narrates the Best of Creation (peace be upon him) said: “The last day is near when 72 things occur:
When people start discarding their salaat (if it were not for the immigrants who will, in any case, take over all our Masjids and Islamic Institutions in the next 40 years, our Masjids would be empty);
And they will abuse their trusts (who can keep a secret or return a loan on time today?)
And start consuming usury (who isn’t involved with the bank, even with a savings account?)
And start building tall buildings;
And sell their religion for worldly profit (the “halaal” industry, “Islamic” usury etc);
And break family relations;
And the courts will be weak;
And liars will be regarded as truthful;
And silk will be adorned by men;
And oppression will be rampant;
And divorce will be common;
And people will die tragically and suddenly;
And fraudsters will be trusted and given positions;
And the honest and trustworthy will be demeaned;
And liars will be believed;
And the truthful will be discredited;
And doubting the chastity of others will become common (gossip columns in every magazine and newspaper);
And there will be intense heat, notwithstanding rain (climate change);
And children will be full of anger;
And the rulers and advisors will be liars;
And those entrusted with posts will embezzle;
And the respectable will commit oppression;
And when the Qurra (religious leaders) openly transgress;
And when people start wearing skins of sheep, their hearts will smell worse than a carcass and more bitter than aloes. The Almighty will involve them in such trials that overtook the Jewish nations and engulfed them in darkness;
And gold will make its appearance;
And there will be a demand for silver (emphasis on glitz, glamour, fashion and appearance);
And people will openly sin;
And there will be little safety and much police;
And when the Qur’ans will be decorated;
And the Masjids will be beautified;
And the turrets (minbars) will be built high (Masjids with impressive minarets are NOT beautiful) ;
And hearts will become empty (of compassion, piety);
And wine will be drunk freely;
And the Islamic punishments will be nullified;
And when a slave girl will give birth to her master (prisoners become presidents and vice versa);
And people who were previously naked and bare-footed, will become kings (money will become easily available);
And women will participate in the work-place with her husband (women now dominate the workplace, and husbands have been reduced to nannies) ;
And men will resemble women;
And women will resemble men (unisex fashion and role-reversal);
And oaths will be taken on other than the name of the Almighty;
And believers will give false testimony without being asked to give;
And only those who are known to you will be greeted;
And people will attain the knowledge of Islam for purposes other than serving Islam;
And people will seek the world with the actions of the hereafter (false piety. Masjids will compete as to which is more beautiful, Aalims will be compete as to who is more learned, Madrasahs will compete who has the most graduates, Muslim Schools will worry only of how many A’s their matriculants obtain and Charity organisations will boast of how much they collected);
And booty will be regarded as personal wealth;
And trusts will be regarded as booty;
And zakaat will be regarded as a fine;
And the leader of the community will be the most despised;
And people will disobey their fathers;
And will ill-treat their mothers;
And betray their friends;
And people will obey their wives (because they will be earning more than them);
And the voices of sinners will be raised in the Masjids;
And singers will be entertained;
And musical instruments will be used;
And wine will be drunk publicly;
And committing oppression will be a sign of achievement;
And justice will be bought (victims are actually afraid of seeking justice);
And police and surveillance will be increased;
And the Qur’an will be sung like music (be careful, nasheed artists);
And the hides of wild animals will be used as shoes;
And the people of the last generation will curse those of the earlier generations (like those who curse the Sahabah and vilify the great Imams of fiqh).
When all of this take place, then await red winds (volcanoes), and earthquakes, and disfigurement of forms, a hail of stones and other such punishments.” (Durr-e-Manthur, vol. 6, page 52)
The prevalence of ALL these signs today signify that the Almighty is angered with us to such an extent that daily natural calamities and the blood of millions of innocent victims can not slake it. Yet, for Muslims, even the dying of the innocent in a natural disaster or when standing up for justice is a form of mercy for them – for such people have reached their end which would’ve been better than bearing the oppression of this world or restarting their lives all over again. Admittedly, the world is in the grip of evil, and it seems to be overpowering us, but let us all become like that little sparrow who went back and forth with water in its beak, throwing it in the raging fire in which Prophet Abraham was thrown. When he was asked if so little water would make a difference, he replied: “I know I cannot extinguish this fire, but at least I have done my bit. I will not be held responsible on the day of Judgement for doing nothing on witnessing oppression and evil.”
Finally, we need to ask ourselves: “Am I a walking billboard of the sign of the times, or a walking billboard of paradise?” Let us all do our bit and start addressing all the above evils in our society.