The Muslims remained, more or less, a great power of the world for a thousand years. In knowledge and wisdom, in strategy and politics, and in wealth and splendor, no nation could compete with them. They were ruling the whole world. This kingship God granted to them, and God Himself has taken it away from them. God’s law regarding the rise and fall of nations is that, for elevation, He selects whomsoever He wills in accordance with His law of trial; but once He has selected [a people], He changes that condition only when, in terms of knowledge and morals, it casts itself down completely into abasement. A second matter has also occurred with the Muslims. Their origin has always been Arab. They are, for the most part, from the Ishmaelites, and it is known about the Ishmaelites that they are the progeny of Abraham (PBUH). Accordingly, that divine practice also applies to them which has been stated in the Qur’an concerning the progeny of Abraham (PBUH). That practice is that if these people remain steadfast upon the truth, they will be granted leadership of the nations; and if they deviate from it, they will be removed from this office and afflicted with the punishment of humiliation and subjugation. Thus, if the Muslims are afflicted with this punishment, it is neither some random matter, nor has it occurred as the result of others’ conspiracies, as our religious and political leaders generally say. It has determined causes; it has occurred only under those. Behind it, God’s law of dismissal and appointment is at work. If one attempts to understand it in its light, the causes of decline become entirely clear and come plainly into view. These are, fundamentally, three: First, the Muslims were made the bearers of the Divine Book. This is not merely a book; it is God’s Balance (mīzān), revealed so that, in matters of religion, every judgment of truth and falsehood may be made by weighing it against this standard. The Muslims should present all their disagreements before it, and whatever decision is issued from its court, they should accept it without hesitation. It should be the center of their knowledge and practice. In all matters of faith and creed, and religion and sharīʿah, it should be the sole point of reference; every inquiry, every opinion, and every viewpoint should always be kept subordinate to it—so much so that even any statement of God’s prophets should not be regarded as a judge over it; rather, it alone should be regarded as judge over everything. For many past centuries, the Muslims, unfortunately, have not been able to maintain this status of the Divine Book in their knowledge and practice. Thus, in Iqbāl’s words, they have remained the very embodiment of: “khwār az mahjūrī-yi Qur’ān shudī” (“You became abased through estrangement from the Qur’an”). Second, the world operates as a realm of causes. These causes are, for the most part, discovered and harnessed through human mastery of the scientific disciplines. The treasures that God has placed within the earth and the heavens can only be uncovered through such mastery. Human history testifies that, apart from the fluctuations of rise and decline, even human survival and destruction have largely depended upon proficiency in these sciences. From the discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel to the remarkable advancements of the modern age, this reality is evident on every page of history. Although Muslims did, at times, take an interest in these sciences, the intellectual energies of their learned classes remained largely absorbed in philosophy and mysticism (taṣawwuf), despite there being no real need for such preoccupation. The questions debated within philosophy and mysticism had already been conclusively addressed in God’s Book, which was revealed as the final proof. Engagement in these disciplines consequently distanced Muslims both from the Divine Book and from the empirical sciences. Even today, in traditional seminaries, those same discussions of philosophy and mysticism continue to be repeated—discussions that exemplify what has been described as “knowledge that does not benefit.” Thus, while the world has advanced to where it has, they remain in a state of bewilderment. Third, Muslims have exhibited grave negligence in their moral training. It is as a consequence of this very neglect that lying, dishonesty, embezzlement, breach of trust, theft, usurpation, adulteration, usury, giving short measure and weight, slander, breaking promises, preoccupation with base occult practices, declaring one another unbelievers and sinners, grave worship, polytheistic customs, obscene forms of entertainment, and similar offenses have become so widespread in their societies as to be astonishing. These were precisely the crimes of the Israelites on account of which the prophets of God pronounced judgment against them, and they were consequently deprived of God’s mercy. Muslims, too, have reached a similar state. If one wishes to see a portrayal of their condition, it may be found in the pages of the Gospel, where Jesus (PBUH), presents his indictment of the Israelites—their scholars, rabbis, intellectuals, and those vested with authority and judgment. Their homes and doorways, their streets and marketplaces—all seem to proclaim: these are Muslims, at whose condition even the Jews would feel ashamed. The decline of the Muslims has occurred due to these causes. If they wish to emerge from this condition of degeneration and decline, nothing can be achieved by jihād and fighting, nor by movements of resistance. The history of the last two hundred years, from Seringapatam to Afghanistan, bears witness to this. To emerge from it, they must remove those causes that became the reason for their decline; otherwise, this very humiliation, misery, and subjugation will always remain their destiny. God’s law is impartial. They have come within its reach. When they wish to escape from it by fighting others, in reality they are fighting God, who has imposed upon them His servants of “possessors of severe might” (ulī baʾsin shadīd). This is God’s punishment. The paths to be saved from it are not those which their religious and political leaders and the self-styled mujāhidīn are telling them. By walking these paths, they can neither end the influence of the great powers in their countries, nor expel the Jews and the Hindus from Palestine and Kashmir. Let them study the call of the prophets in both the Qur’an and the Bible. Whether God’s messengers came in the time of the Babylonian captivity or in the era of Roman rulers, they never told their nation these paths. They would tell their nation its crimes; these people consider it their craft to search out others’ crimes and to revile them. The Noble Qur’an is in our hands. Look at it from beginning to end: you will not see in it a single word of condemnation against the rulers of Babylon and Rome; rather, everywhere you will see the indictment of the Israelites. This same indictment needs, at this time, to be recited to the Muslims as well—because the promise that God had with the Israelites is the very same with the Muslims: Fulfill My covenant, and I shall fulfill My covenant with you. My mercy is waiting; but if you continue to walk upon these very paths, then I too shall walk upon the path upon which I am walking, and the lash of My punishment shall keep raining upon your backs. “So take heed, O people of insight!” [2010]
