By Reyaz Alam
It is no longer a secret that the current conditions in the country are unfavorable for the people, particularly Muslims. The practical efforts to distort the situation and make it hostile for Muslims, which started after independence, have intensified with impudence and brazenness since 2014. This reality is evident to everyone. But the question remains: what should be done now? Every sensitive person in the nation is trying to find the answer to this question, and those who have been given the opportunity by Allah are also striving to lift the nation out of these difficulties. Merely complaining would be ungrateful. We should acknowledge the efforts made in education, economic empowerment, and political awareness by the selfless soldiers of the nation, even if these efforts are on a small scale. We should also pray for the success of these sincere individuals, that Allah Almighty will make them successful in their goals. May their hard work be rewarded in both worlds, and may we all be granted the opportunity to cooperate with them.
If we look at the history of the Nation of Islam, it becomes clear that it has faced similar situations many times before. Despite the comforts and consolations of history, our current condition is such that while some people engage in awareness, curiosity, and planning of negative activities and harmful conspiracies, we are not mutually cooperative and honest within the nation. We constantly avoid accountability.
This lack of unity is both unnatural and detrimental. Therefore, we must think carefully and determine our plan of action and strategy in the current situation. By doing so, we can not only overcome the current crisis but also pave the way for smoother political and social paths for future generations. Of course, if the nation must make possible and impossible changes in its way of interaction to achieve this great goal, then there is nothing wrong with that.
To address this, we need to set plans for three periods: the next ten years, the next twenty years, and the next hundred years. Additionally, we must develop an agreed-upon process that allows these three projects to proceed concurrently. To achieve this, the ulama and the modern educated intellectual class of the nation must develop strong mutual communication and trust. This way, the wisdom, insight, experience, and passion of both classes can work together for the welfare of the nation. The network of mosques can be systematically used for this purpose. Mosques are a platform from which the message of Islah Ummah and the welfare of the nation can reach far.
We should prepare a directory of the names, home addresses, emails, and mobile/WhatsApp numbers of all the imams, muezzins, and members of the management committees of mosques in each province, district, city, town, village, and neighborhood. This directory should be distributed so that the people within this circle can maintain mutual assistance and cooperation in various ways. All the mosques in the country should be made centers for meeting the religious and worldly needs of the nation, helping the disabled, the weak, the sick, the needy, supporting orphans, and providing social monitoring.
Each mosque should act as the guardian of its area. If there are non-Muslims living in this circle, they should also be blessed, and their full cooperation should be given on a humanitarian basis, as this is also the teaching of Islam. This approach will prove useful and admirable. During the life of the Holy Prophet, the Prophet’s Mosque served not only as a place of prayer but also as a parliament, a center of the high command of the Muslim Ummah, and a community center at the local level.
The Friday Sermon (Bayan) is an effective means of edifying the nation, with about ninety percent of Muslims benefiting from it every week. Therefore, with the help of preachers, scholars, and other intellectuals, guidelines should be established for the sermon to make it more useful and effective. These sermons should emphasize cooperation, human rights, mutual affairs, and especially modern education and career building. This will create the necessary awareness within the nation in a short period of time.
The selection of Friday sermon topics and the delivery of information on contemporary requirements can be done through modern communication tools such as social media, websites, email, and WhatsApp. Especially, the verse recited at the end of the Friday Arabic sermon, “Allah enjoins justice and kindness and peace and mercy and forbids evil and indecency and oppression and excess. He advises you so that you may learn” (Surat al-Nahl 90), and the meaning of other important points of the Arabic sermon should be written in simple local language and displayed on the wall inside the mosque. Predetermined verses to be recited after Surah Fatiha in the Friday prayer should be explained in terms of their introduction, translation, and meaning to the congregation.
This approach will enhance the humility of prayer, the enjoyment of listening to the Qur’an, and the sense of its awe, allowing the message of Allah to reach the congregation more effectively. In view of the current situation, the part of the last sermon of the Holy Prophet on racial equality between Muslims and non-Muslims should be widely publicized. Large copies of it should be made in Urdu, Hindi, or local languages and displayed prominently in Muslim institutions and mosques.
It is also important to consider the delimitation of constituencies and wards, as these have a significant impact on the outcome of elections. This demarcation is done by government officials, and due to inattention and lack of information, the nation has to bear various losses in its political importance for the next five years. Neglecting this issue prolongs the chain of disasters and undermines the political weight of the nation. Apart from the elections of the Parliamentary and Provincial Assemblies, the elections of Panchayats, Nagar Parishads, Nagar Nigams, and Zilla Parishads also require new delimitation every five years. Additionally, the process of re-delimitation in Parliament and Provincial Assemblies often continues in one form or another. It is crucial to keep a constant watch on these limitations through the websites of the Central and Provincial Election Commission and to inform the general public about them. This way, the votes of Muslims will not be subjected to unfair limitations against the laws, ensuring that they remain effective in making candidates of their choice successful.
This work requires a large number of people who are trained in all the rules and principles of delimitation issues, allowing them to monitor the country effectively. It should also be remembered that our individual goal in life is not solely to provide for ourselves or our families but also to support others in need. This aid can be in the form of money, time, personal resources, land, property, and love. The Qur’an mentions this instruction: “They ask you what they should spend. Say: Whatever you spend of good is to be for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler. And whatever you do of good – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it” (Surah Al-Baqarah 219). For the implementation of this divine decree, we must be active in our constituencies, downloading official and non-official welfare schemes with the help of modern media and social media. We must identify those in our vicinity eligible to benefit from these schemes, assist them with form filling, and track their progress.
By doing this, we will not only fulfill the will of God but also improve our society internally through mutual love and cooperation. At the same time, we will strengthen national stability and the political position of the nation by keeping votes united during elections.
The intellectual and spiritual development of the generations of the nation should also be fostered to guide them in the light of divine commands on the highways of life. The Quran should be understood and read. The study of the Prophet’s biography should be encouraged. Children and adults should memorize and understand good poems and faith-inspiring works. They should be encouraged to read the writings of famous scholars and writers, such as Shibli, Hali, Sir Syed, and Syed Sulaiman Nadvi.
These efforts can be seen as a declaration of social awareness. The situation will not change immediately, and a plant planted today will not become a vigorous and fruitful tree overnight. However, knowing the situation and having the courage to face it will lead to new strength and, God willing, a new and bright morning. Instead of despair and hopelessness, we will have the wealth of faith and belief in our hands. The biggest asset of a believer is that he never gets disappointed even when faced with difficult situations.
In our difficult situation, we should remember the comfort given by Allah Almighty after the defeat of the Battle of Uhud: “So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior if you are [true] believers. If a wound should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the people so that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers” (Surah Al-Imran 139-140).
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The author is social activist and state head of Association of Muslim Professional-(AMP-Bihar).