It has been said, "The duty
of the civilized person is to bring civilization to the uncivilized." This
is a Nobel calling of men and women who have accepted this responsibility
assigned to them by God. Given the prevalent corruption in society today,
the question that must be addressed is "Who is Responsible?"
In the Qu'ran, Allah clearly defines
these "responsible" persons. In Surah Ali-Imaran, He says "Let there arise
out of you a band of people, inviting to all that is good, enjoining what
is right, and forbidding what is wrong; They are the ones to attain felicity."
Today however, we find that most
of mankind has lost all sense of responsibility. Very few people are willing
to take responsibility for anything. We may recall that our ancestors,
Adam and Hawa (Eve) were warned about this while they enjoyed the fruits
of the Garden: "O Adam" God said," Verily, this is an enemy to thee and
to thy wife: so let him not get you both out of the Garden so that thou
art landed in misery." [Surah Ta Ha: 20: 117]
Despite this warning, Adam and his
wife succumbed to the whispers of Satan.
Will this be our fate? We must establish
"Taqwa" (God consciousness) within ourselves. Allah created us to be the
Khalifa or Vicegerent on earth. He made us the most intelligent among His
Creation. Man is seen as the "crown of creation." He gave us responsibility
(to be a witness) to mankind.
Let us review and re-evaluate ourselves.
Each of us has a responsibility to Allah's creatures and creation. We share
responsibilities with each other. The husband to the wife, the wife to
the husband; parents to children and children to parents, etc. We
also have responsibility to our neighbors and to society, even to the animals
and to the plants. Everyday we see these inanimate objects carrying out
their responsibility to mankind in providing necessary life-giving resources
for all and sundry.
How can we reverse the trend of irresponsibility
among the human family? We might begin with the basic principles of faith:
Belief in One god, establishment of Salat, Charity, Fasting (for purification
of our souls) and Pilgrimage (reflecting unity of mankind). These principles
apply to all and embody such noble attributes as truthfulness, honesty,
loyalty, justice, beneficence, peace, forgiveness and repentance.
Have we lost sensitivity toward others?
We might begin by making an effort to take others "feelings," into consideration
as we dialogue with them. We need to seek reconciliation, even with ourselves.
Many of us have lost touch with the truth of our being. In this, we need
to earnestly seek the help of Allah. It is He who invites us to accept
His intervention.
We must shake off the shackles of
Satan and reclaim the One God, Allah. He has given us our very being and
yet many of us have given in to the evils of society. We must reconnect
ourselves to Allah. "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger."
Let us give our children a good life.
Let us teach them the right way. The Qur'an and ahadith is just the first
step. We must emphasize "amal" (work), the practical side of life. "Action!
Let us ask, who put the gambling dices in the hands of our children; who
put guns in their hands? Did we truly speak out? Who allowed the secular
society to take God out of the classrooms? Did we stand by while this was
happening? Were we conscious of such activity, were we alert, were we aware?
Who is responsible? How did we let
these low despicable values and immorality creep into our society and into
our lives? Did we stand by? What about the thievery, the killing, the pornography
and the homosexuality? Have we really spoken out? Have we submitted
our weakness to a false god of materialism, wealth, children, sport, play,
etc.
Who can we blame? Why have so many
facets of evil crept into society? Think, children killing children, children
killing parents, husbands and wives killing each other, and on infinitum
and we don't want to be responsible!
Allah asks in the Qur'an: "Has not
the Time arrived for the believers that their hearts in all humility should
engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed
(to them), and that they should not become like those to whom was given
Revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew
hard? For many among them are the rebellious transgressors. [57:16]
Where do we begin? We must begin
with ourselves. Then Allah tells us that He has created everything in pairs:
"He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs
from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiplies
you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears
and sees (all things)." [42:11]
He also said: "It is He Who has created
man from water: then has He established relationships of lineage and marriage:
for thy Lord has power over all thing." [35:54]
Can't we all agree that the family
is the basis of all civilization? Thus proper family structure brings the
right of the husbands, wives, children and relatives into a fine equilibrium.
This nourishes unselfish behavior,
generosity and love in the framework of an well-organized family system.
The peace and security that is offered by a stable family unit is essential
for both spiritual and societal growth. Home is where it begins!
In a lecture on this subject, Imam
W. Deen Mohammed explained: "You have health care and hospitals,
but the first health care center was in the home. The first store was in
the home. The first government was in the home. The first governmental
order was in the home. The first school was in the home. The first bank
was in the home. The first transportation was home." He concluded, saying,
"if the home is run well, society does not have to worry."
So the home is where the responsibility
begins. Strong mothers are needed in the home and the home-extended. The
Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said that "Paradise is at the foot of the mother." Thus
"responsible" wives and mothers have a mandate and so do the "responsible"
husbands and fathers. Together they have the ultimate mandate to restore
civilization to the world.