“…Wrath seized them from directions they did not perceive.”

Awareness Brief-AB-06-17-Friday, 27 October 2017, Safar 6, 1439

Warnings in Allah’s Plan—Saving the Nation from Retribution

Commodore Tariq Majeed PN (Retd)

Quranic Warnings

            Doesn’t the Qur’anic quotation mentioned above fit the situation in which the persons charged with money-laundering and dishonest conduct at the national level find themselves? They never imagined their ill-gotten wealth, which they had hidden in structures of shell companies, would be revealed through the phenomenon of Panama Papers! It is a warning for others who have harmed our nation by their corruption.

          This warning in full is at Surah 16, Ayat 26: “Those before them did also plot but Allah took their structures from their foundations, and the roof fell down on them from above, and the Wrath seized them from directions they did not perceive.”

            A similar warning is at Surah 39, Ayat 55: “And follow the Best of (the guidance) revealed to you from your Lord, before the Penalty comes on you, of a sudden, while you perceive not.”

          The Quranic warnings which, if not heeded, result in retribution, are addressed to nations as well as people.

Corruption—A Serious Issue

          After the Supreme Court verdict in the Panama Papers Case on 28 July 2017, the ousted premier, Nawaz Sharif, speaking at a gathering of his followers stated, as reported in Nation, 11 Aug 2017: “Why he was disqualified… if there were no corruption charges against him.”

This was incorrect, intentionally misleading, statement. But, he went on repeating it, using it as a propaganda ploy. Nawaz Sharif knew criminal charges were not framed by Supreme Court. This was the job of other institutions. Corruption, in fact, was mentioned in Supreme Court’s verdict, as reported in Nation, 29 July 2017. “The verdict in Panama leaks case involving corruption allegations against Sharif family was unanimous of the five-member bench, headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa.”  

Corruption allegations were confirmed according to Nation, 9 Sept 2017, as “the National Accountability Bureau, on September 8, filed four interim corruption references against former premier Nawaz Sharif, his children and finance minister Ishaq Dar.”

Finally, his lie stood fully exposed when, as stated in Nation, 20 Oct 2017, “An accountability court indicted ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Muhammad Safdar in corruption references filed against them by NAB.”

          Corruption is a major problem in every country today. A look at how it is defined is quite revealing, and it exposes the character and the conduct of the persons belonging to the ruling classes in our own country. Transparency International defines corruption on its website, (www.transparency.org), as “The abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Grand corruption consists of acts committed at a high level of government that distort policies or the central functioning of the state, enabling leaders to benefit at the expense of the public good.”

Holy Qur’an describes material corruption in simple words, and forbids it: “And do not eat up your property among yourselves for vanities, nor use it as bait for the rulers, with the intent that you may eat up wrongfully and knowingly a little of other people’s property;” (2:188). Allama Abdullah Yusuf Ali, in his commentary on the Holy Qur’an, explains: “The words translated ‘other people’s property’ may also mean public property.”

Sadly, it has to be admitted that public property, in our country, has been squandered, embezzled or usurped at a large scale by persons of all categories who had jurisdiction over any public property. This is a serious lapse in obeying Qur’anic commands, and, notwithstanding other factors, it is quite likely that this lapse, combined with other lapses, was behind the many disasters and tragedies that have occurred in Pakistan.

Trust in Allah—Missing in Conducting National Affairs

Trusting Allah, in other words, relying on His Power means making all efforts in the work in hand and having full faith that Allah Almighty would accord it a success, removing whatever may be the obstacles.

The vast majority of Pakistanis are believers, but do they really put their trust consciously in the divine power in respect of their affairs of life? Many people may say yes, they do. That may be true. But it would be in their private life, and the credit and reward for it would accrue to them, but individually.  

At the national level, we do not see the rulers and the policymakers giving any consideration to divine power in conducting national affairs. The policies on foreign and economic affairs, which together set the direction of affairs in the other spheres of national life, are made totally excluding the element of divine power as if Allah had nothing to do with these affairs. They forget that Allah Almighty, in fact, has a Plan―and thus a decisive Role―concerning the affairs of all nations and people.

Allah’s Plan and Practice  

Everything happens within the purview of Allah’s Plan that includes His Sunnah or Practice. The Divine Plan for the worldly life operates in three spheres or modes: the mode of Man, that of Satan, and Allah’s Own Mode. Both Man and Satan are allowed great freedom of action. Man can shape his life literally as he wants. Satan has the freedom to misguide Man and ruin his life utterly.

We know from the Holy Qur’an that Allah keeps exclusive control over certain matters such as death and sustenance. It is Allah’s normal Practice to let individuals and nations have what they desire and work for, let them proceed in the direction of their choice, and let them be ruined by Satan if they forsake the path of Allah and persist on the Satanic path.

It is also His Practice to keep testing individuals and nations to see if they deserve to remain in their existing, adverse or privileged, state, and to further favour or punish them. We also know, though we may not understand it, that at times Allah intervenes directly in the affairs of individuals and nations.

When Allah grants an individual or a nation a favour, it is not meant as a permanent privilege. If the recipient fails to protect it or fails to remain deserving of it, it is taken away.

Two Dire Warnings

          There are two warnings issued by Allah Almighty that instil great fear in the believers:

“…The truth is that Allah never changes the condition of the people unless they themselves exert to change their own characteristics and their inner selves. But when Allah decides to punish a people (as a result of their own evil deeds), then there would be none to avert it or protect them from His retribution.” (13:11)

“When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them; then (it is) We destroy them utterly.” (17:16) 

            We must ensure that as a nation we do not land in the situation described in these two Ayats. While taking other measures, we must beg Allah Most Merciful to keep us away from falling in the state that leads to unavoidable destruction.

The Ideal Condition for Protection

          Allah Most Benevolent has shown the path a people should take

that will save it from any penalisation and will also please the Almighty:

“They are those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong; with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs;” (22:41).  

          The government in Pakistan should have been acting on these directions. Perhaps it can claim meeting some of these conditions, although without reference to the divine directions. But in respect of enjoining the right and forbidding wrong, its performance is marked with serious lapses. In fact, a closer look into this aspect brings out disturbing facts that the government has been curtailing what was right and promoting what was wrong. Just a look at the shameful commercial advertisements endlessly being displayed on television channels is enough to show how immoral behaviour is being spread in society.

People should pray may Allah create conditions for eliminating these vices from our society, just as He created the situation that initiated the process of ending corruption by hauling up the corrupt top leaders and punishing them.  Allah’s merciful view of the Pakistani people and their fervent prayers may keep the fate, spelt out in the two Ayats of dire warnings, averted from the Pakistani nation—for as long as Allah wishes. It may be His intention to give more time to the ruling elite to change their conduct and the state of affairs of the nation to conform to the Quranic directions.

Avoiding Disastrous Fate

However, there are certain transgressions which the State of Pakistan must not commit, and if they are being committed they must be renounced fast, in order to be saved from a disastrous fate. Among them, in our understanding, three are to be avoided at all cost:

■ Shirk—ascribing “partners” to Allah

■ Taking Jews and Christians as Friends and Protectors

■ Recognizing the Zionist State of Israel

Avoid Shirk—ascribing “partners” to Allah

          The Holy Qur’an contains scores of Ayats condemning Shirk in strongest of words, and declaring it to be an unforgivable sin. A very clear commandment, at Surah 4, Ayat 48, says:

 “Allah does not forgive for ascribing partners to Him; but He forgives anything else to whomsoever He pleases; for whoever associates any other partner with Allah, does indeed forge a big lie and is guilty of the gravest sin.”

An Ayat eloquently expresses feebleness of human character in committing Shirk:

            “How many signs there are in the heavens and on the earth which people pass by unobservably without paying any heed to them. And most of them do not believe in Allah, without associating and attributing partners to Him!” (12:105,106).  

This deplorable reality draws attention to the widespread perpetration of this sin. People may not be realizing the nature and the gravity of their errant action, but this will not absolve them of retribution.

            If the rulers of a country put their trust in a worldly, so-called, Superpower and, believing that their national policies are dependent on the will of this big power, put their country’s fate in the hands of this big power, are they not committing Shirk? The answer is: they are.

The supremacy that Pakistan’s rulers have let the United States seize over our vital national policies, and thus decisive hold over this country’s destiny, equates itself with divine power. It is a most undesirable situation as it is very close to, if not outright, committing Shirk. No one who knows the facts of both the Quranic warnings on Shirk and Pakistan’s abject acceptance of US dominance over its vital affairs can miss this conclusion. Pakistan should take its sovereignty in its own hands and conduct its policies as its national interest demands, and rely fully on Allah’s Guidance and Help.      

Do Not Take Jews and Christians as Friends and Protectors    

Holy Qur’an’s several warnings in this regard include this specific commandment:

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors; they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah does not guide the wrongdoers;” (5: 51).  

Disobeying this commandment has very serious consequences. It means the Muslims who take the Jews and Christians for friends and protectors are wrongdoers and become in the eyes of Allah a part of these communities, and are deprived of His Guidance. 

It should be mentioned that among these communities there are some righteous people but they are a very small minority; the vast majority are transgressors, and they represent the community. Holy Qur’an says:

“If only the People of the Book had faith, it was best for them; among them are some who have faith, but most of them are perverted transgressors;” (3:110).

As to why the Jews and the Christians have to suffer this disgraceful status. Actually, they brought it on themselves by their own misdeeds. Holy Qur’an explains it in numerous Ayats.

“Shame is pitched over them…. because they rejected the Signs of Allah, and slew the Prophets in defiance of right;” (3: 112).

“You see many of them racing towards sinful and wicked deeds and devouring illicit gain. Evil indeed are the things that they do;” (5: 62).        

Are Pakistan’s rulers violating the divine orders that believers are not to take Jews and Christians as friends and protectors? At times it seemed they did commit this infringement. At other times their policies of Pakistan’s relations with the western Christian powers, which are in fact governed by local Zionist Jews, although friendly yet did not appear to be dependent on their protection.

However, the point to note here is that in devising the national policies, Pakistan’s rulers and top policymakers are not conscious at all of the existence of this or any other relevant Qur’anic orders concerning foreign relations. And this being the case, the danger of infringing upon the divine orders, and suffering consequential retribution, looms large on Pakistan.

Do not Recognize the Zionist State of Israel

Israel is an illegitimate state, created by means of deceit and force by western powers, mainly America and Britain, under the dominant Zionist influence. It was their pressure that various other countries recognized it. Otherwise, strong, irrefutable reasons of political and legal nature exist rendering this state ineligible for recognition. These reasons are widely cited in the extensive literature on Israel’s illegitimacy.

          There is, however, a powerful reason of religious nature that forbids Muslims in particular from recognizing this illicit state. Israel is founded on Zionism that is both an ideology and a movement, which denies the concept of God and divine religion and negates every kind of religious teachings.

Israel’s “Zionist Foundations” were publicly asserted at the time of its creation. Announcing its birth, the New York Times on May 15, 1948, published the lead story with the banner headline: “Zionists Proclaim New State of Israel.” Zionism’s system of life and cultural practices are diametrically opposed to the Islamic code of life and culture.

All kinds of immoral ideas and abominable practices, obscenity, adultery, perverted vices of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, ie, man to man, and woman to woman, are not only permitted but also are encouraged in Zionism’s ideology and system of life. What is more shocking is these satanic practices are backed by legal protection! Israel is the cradle, the originator, propagator and defender of these evils.

These evils are of satanic creed. Satan is intent upon spreading them in the world—a task that Israel is performing. Holy Qur’an warns:

“O ye who believe! Follow not Satan’s footsteps; if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong;”(24:21).

To recognize Israel means to accord acceptance and legitimacy to these evils. It means deliberately violating Allah’s commandment and thus inviting His Wrath. 

Actions for Gaining Divine Favour—Effort, Gratitude, Prayer

          Holy Qur’an specifies many ways to please Allah Most Beneficent and gain His favour. Three of these, in our view, especially fit the Pakistani Nation in the present circumstances, and must be acted upon.

Effort:  

“The truth is that Allah never changes the condition of the people unless they themselves exert to change their own characteristics and their inner selves…” (13:11).

Gratitude:  

“Why would Allah cause you to suffer (for your past sins) if you are grateful and attain to belief, seeing that Allah is always responsive to gratitude, all-knowing;” (4:147).“Remember, your Lord proclaimed that He will grant more favours if you are grateful…” (14:7).

Prayer:

“And your Lord has said: ‘Pray to me, and I shall answer your prayers…’” (40:60).

These actions should be taken both collectively and individually, begging Allah to bestow on Pakistan a new destiny and a sincere, capable and resolute leadership to lead the country to its new destiny.

Tariq Majeed

Lahore,Pakistan

Email: dilbedar@yahoo.com