WHO IS IN CHARGE ?

Who is in charge and of what? Allah (swt) has mentioned in the Quran that we are His vicegerent on earth and we are to work live and let live others, all according to the rule of Allah (swt) and the ways Prophet Muhammad(sm) has shown us by his Sunnah.

Islam as a religion is also a way of life and the ritual forms of worship are a part of religion; they are important part but still only a part. If our worship is not linked to our lives and to people’s suffering, then it is of no use. We have separated our worship from our daily, social, cultural, political and economic life.

In our country we have seen many indigenous people have suffered lose of property, life in hands of some blind (uneducated, ill-motivated) people. The drug problems among young generations, the increasing number acid burned victims (recently a mother was thrown acid just because she demanded justice for the rape of her 11 year old mentally challanged daughter), increasing suicide rate for dowry, sexual harassment in education institution& etc.

Now recently we are seeing Hindu-Christian clash in India with lose of life and property in minority side. But we as a Muslim have a major role to play in all this (though we have suffered the same fate in many countries as minorities). We are not spectators and we are not neutrals. We have to stop this. But we Muslims don’t bother at all.

In Quran Allah (swt) has strictly warned us for this kind of attitude:

Have you seen the one who denies the Day of Judgment?
He it is who drives away the orphan with harshness
and does not encourage the feeding of the poor.
So woe to those who offer Salah (prayers),
but are neglectful of their Salah (offer Prayers but disregard the very purpose of establishing Salah - to have the fear of Allah and be mindful to the needs of other people);
those who make a show of piety
and refuse to share the necessities of life.(107:1-7)

This Surah gives an interesting perception of Islam. From this it is evident that Islam has much to do other than worshipping One God. It is about making the connection between our worship and the suffering of others.

Prophet Muhammad (sm) said, "Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one." People asked, "O Allah's Apostle! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?" The Prophet said, "By preventing him from oppressing others." (Sahi Al Bhukhari)

It is a Jihad for Muslims to help the oppressed as Quran states:

O ye who believe! what is the matter with you then when ye are asked to go forth in the Cause of Allah ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life as compared with the hereafter (9:38)

And Prophet Muhammad (sm) said: "The one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a Mujahid (warrior) who fights for Allah's Cause, or like him who performs prayers all the night and fasts all the day." (Sahi Al Bhukhari)

The Imams in the mosques, only condemns the youth who have taken drugs, or thrown the acid or demanded dowry but does not see the root cause of this problem. The Imams thinks that giving sermons in Friday prayer that these people will end up in hell would help. But how much and how many sermons will it take to change the course?

Many Muslims will say ‘what can we do other than pray’ or ‘let them fight it out among themselves’ or ‘why should we get involve in kafir matters’. Washing our hands of a social problem or simply ignoring it means that we are also a part of it.

Only praying to Allah (swt) will not work. We forget that Allah (swt) does not intervene in the affairs of people. Though He is All Powerful and capable to do anything by saying "Be"; and it is. (2:117). But Allah links His intervention to the intervention of people.

Verily never will Allah change the condition of a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls). (13:11)