Then and Now – No Difference to the Strong Mu-min

Some say that warfare was conducted differently in the former times; face-to-face combat with swords, barrage of spears, barrage of lances and barrage of arrows rained down, therefore forget about those times. Muslims! The enemy says, “Forget about those times”. Even Muslims tell fellow Muslims to discard talk about the circumstances of former times; that should not be brought up in conversation in the scenario facing us in these times. Leave alone fighting with swords, warfare is not even conducted with rifles now. Now war is waged with bombs, and that too, aerial bombardment and missiles launched from hundreds of miles away.

One atomic bomb is sufficient, leave alone several tons! A mushroom cloud forms scattering atoms of dust all over. “Are you drawing an analogy with ancient warfare?” Your analogy is flawed!

So, now wars are not waged with swords in the hands of both armies. Rifles are also obsolete. Now it is airborne warfare.

If you say that our adversary is more formidable in airborne warfare, therefore of what use is our aerial power, we venture to say that the Almighty – Allah Ta’ala – is with the Strong Mu-min. Just as there was Divine Intervention before, there will be Divine Intervention now. Regardless of the firepower and weaponry of this Mu’min Qawi being inferior, he has the help from the Unseen. The superior and greater means of the enemy will fail. All the enemy’s firepower and airpower will be suppressed and extinguished. The Help of Allah will be forthcoming. No weapon can counter the Malaaikah. They will be instructed to stop the airstrike in its tracks. The airstrike will fail. By Allah it is a matter of “Kun fayakoon”. [A mere direction of His will and the object comes into existence.]

This is the world of material causes and hence the Malaaikah will be instructed to thwart the airstrike. Thus, collectively the Mu-mineen with Power of Imaan, as put forward in detail, can never be defeated; can never feel threatened. When these Mu-mineen can never be threatened then they will not become frightened. Their external limbs and internal faculties will remain intact and protected. They will contrive ways which never crossed the minds of others, for the help of the Almighty is with them.

Variety in Power of Wealth

I explained just now, whilst elaborating on the Strong Mu-min, what are the types of power; self-respect, wealth, etc. The details were given.

Wealth again consists of a variety of means. The need is to acquire the material power relevant to the time. When the need is for rock-hard fists and feet then fists and feet should be used. When the need is for sticks and staffs then these should be at hand. If you are in the time of swords, carry swords. If rifles are being used then the need is to arm oneself with a rifle. The age of canons requires canons. The age of airborne warfare requires air power.

All these are wealth; what else? Is wealth only money? Is wealth only paper notes? These are also wealth. So, whatever the strength of wealth may be in any given time, the need is to acquire that wealth.

No Change in the System of Allah

Although a Strong Mu-min will have little of such power, regardless, he will be victorious over those who have plenty of it, because the help of Allah Ta’ala is with such a Strong Mu-min. “Today no one will defeat you.” You will be victorious.

Have you understood this, or have you still not yet understood?

All this is the responsibility of the Mu-min. Allah Ta’ala has stated that you should stay like this and this and this. “Then My help, just as it was forthcoming a thousand years earlier, will be forthcoming now. You are not the same; therefore, My help has shifted from you, for My Way is: “There is no change in the System of Allah.”

There is no diversion from the Way of Allah Ta’ala.

“My Way with the Mu-mineen of yesteryear will be with such Mu-mineen of today as well. Since you are not as you were before, My Way has changed. The Way that ought to have been in place has been substituted. If you change your way to the Strong Mu-min’s Way, as explained in detail, then My Way will be the same as before.

However, let your gaze not be upon yourself and upon your means and possessions. You are under command to gather the means appropriate for every age, but, in spite of that you are also a Mu-min Qawi and the demand of this is that your gaze should neither be upon yourself and nor upon your material possessions. Your gaze should be only towards Me. Then you will become My favourites, and when you are My favourites then why would you cast sinful gazes at others?

The Facts

You have before you the facts of fourteen centuries earlier when, in the Battle of Hunain, the gaze of the Sahaabah momentarily, not positively, fell on themselves. In a moment of human weakness their gazes went to themselves with the thought crossing their minds that, ‘When we were less in number we used to come out triumphant. Now we are huge in number. Why won’t we be triumphant?’

They were My favourites. Now that they looked at ‘their strength’, My help was withheld. [This was pure mercy on the part of Allah Ta’ala for the Sahaabah to rectify their wrong and focus their attention and direction towards Allah alone. Had this reprimand not been forthcoming they would have fallen into aberration. The setback served to alert them to the wrong notion that crept into their minds. It was, therefore, purely the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala that saved them.]

When they saw their error and then looked towards Me, My Help came again. The victory which was reversed was transformed once again into victory. So you have these facts before you; the Strong Mu-min’s gaze is on Me, the Mighty. The Strong Mu-min knows that a Mu-min Qawi fixes his gaze on Allah, the Almighty because he knows that the strength in him is divinely bestowed; it is not his inherent strength.

Considering the strength to be inherent was a mistake. They made taubah [repented] for the mistake, although it was not a resolute gaze; it was not a gaze by design. So My help returned. From being on the losing end, they won. After being on the run, they won.”

(To be continued, Insha-Allah)