In recent times not a day goes by without a new trial emerging and a new part of the Muslim Ummah facing tests. When we read the news of Muslims being oppressed in Palestine, Syria, Burma, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Yemen, Europe, CAR and so on, the situation can seem bleak with no respite in sight. However, it is at times like these when we must become closer to the Qur’an as it soothes the hearts and provides good news to the believers.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
“Only in the remembrance of Allah can the heart find peace.”
(Ar-Ra’d 13:28)
What follows are some of the tests and trials facing the Ummah today with a corresponding verse of Qur’an which can bring peace to the hearts.
- China’s clampdown on Islam in East Turkestan forcing Muslim women to remove hijab and preventing Muslims from observing Ramadan.
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ * مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ
“Do not consider Allah to be unaware of what the wrongdoers perpetrate. He is merely deferring them to a Day on which their sight will be transfixed, rushing headlong – heads back, eyes vacant, hearts hollow.”
(Ibrahim 14:42-43)
- The Jewish entity’s daily killing of Muslim men, women and children in Palestine, usurping more and more land and defiling Masjid al-Aqsa.
وَلَا يَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ خَيْرٌ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا نُمْلِي لَهُمْ لِيَزْدَادُوا إِثْمًا ۚ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ مُهِينٌ
“Those who are kafir should not imagine that the extra time We grant to them is good for them. We only allow them more time so they will increase in evildoing. They will have a humiliating punishment.”
(Ale-Imran 3:178)
- America’s half a trillion-dollar defence budget spent on attacking the Muslim world and financing regimes who clampdown on Islam.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ۚ فَسَيُنْفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ ۗ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ
“Those who disbelieve spend their wealth barring access to the Way of Allah. They will spend it; then they will regret it; then they will be overthrown. Those who are disbelievers will be gathered into Hell.”
(Al-Anfaal 8:36)
- The arrest of dawah carriers throughout the world in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia and Central Asia.
الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ
“Those to whom people said, ‘The people have gathered against you, so fear them.’ But that merely increased their iman and they said, ‘Allah is enough for us and the Best of Guardians.’”
(Ale-Imran 3:173)
- The brutal oppression of Rohingya Muslims in Burma and the onslaught against Muslims in Syria by Assad and Russia.
وَاذْكُرُوا إِذْ أَنْتُمْ قَلِيلٌ مُسْتَضْعَفُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَخَافُونَ أَنْ يَتَخَطَّفَكُمُ النَّاسُ فَآوَاكُمْ وَأَيَّدَكُمْ بِنَصْرِهِ وَرَزَقَكُمْ مِنَ الطَّيِّبَاتِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ
“When you were few and oppressed in the land, afraid that the people would snatch you away, He gave you refuge and supported you with His help and provided you with good things so that hopefully you would be thankful.”
(Al-Anfaal 8:26)
- When will the victory come?
فَسَيُنْغِضُونَ إِلَيْكَ رُءُوسَهُمْ وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هُوَ ۖ قُلْ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَرِيبًا
“They will shake their heads at you and ask, ‘When will it happen?’ Say: ‘It may well be that it is very near.’”
(Al Israa 17:51)
حَتَّى إِذَا اسْتَيْأَسَ الرُّسُلُ وَظَنُّوا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ كُذِبُوا جَاءَهُمْ نَصْرُنَا فَنُجِّيَ مَنْ نَشَاءُ وَلَا يُرَدُّ بَأْسُنَا عَنِ الْقَوْمِ الْمُجْرِمِينَ
“Then when the Messengers despaired and thought themselves denied, Our help came to them, and those We willed were saved. Our violent force cannot be averted from people who are evildoers.”
(Yusuf 12:110)
- General public in the West who take their views of Islam from anti-Islamic media and politicians.
يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولا وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلا
“They will say on the Day their faces are rolled over in the Fire, ‘If only we had obeyed Allah and obeyed the Messenger!’ And they will say, ‘Our Lord, we obeyed our masters and great men and they misguided us from the Way.”
(Al-Ahzab 33:66-67)
- The West with their material wealth can dazzle some in the Muslim world who believe emulating them and prioritising the material value at the expense of all other values is a way forward.
فَلَا تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُهُمْ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُمْ بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنْفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ
“Do not let their wealth and children impress you. Allah merely wants to punish them by them during their life in this world and for them to expire while they are Kuffar.”
(At-Tawba 9:55)
- The believers suffering humiliation in Europe simply for being Muslim.
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ أَجْرَمُوا كَانُوا مِنَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يَضْحَكُونَ * وَإِذَا مَرُّوا بِهِمْ يَتَغَامَزُونَ * وَإِذَا انْقَلَبُوا إِلَىٰ أَهْلِهِمُ انْقَلَبُوا فَكِهِينَ * وَإِذَا رَأَوْهُمْ قَالُوا إِنَّ هَٰؤُلَاءِ لَضَالُّونَ * وَمَا أُرْسِلُوا عَلَيْهِمْ حَافِظِينَ * فَالْيَوْمَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ يَضْحَكُونَ * عَلَى الْأَرَائِكِ يَنْظُرُونَ * هَلْ ثُوِّبَ الْكُفَّارُ مَا كَانُوا يَفْعَلُونَ
“Those who did evil used to laugh at those who had iman. When they passed by them, they would wink at one another. When they returned to their families, they would make a joke of them. When they saw them, they would say, ‘Those people are misguided.’ But they were not sent as guardians over them. So today those who have iman are laughing at the Kuffar, on couches, gazing in wonder. Have the Kuffar been rewarded for what they did?”
(Al-Mutaffifin 83:29-36)
- Assad and Russia have begun to regain territory in Syria and seem on the verge of wiping out the sincere Muslim rebels in Aleppo and elsewhere.
قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُلَاقُو اللَّهِ كَمْ مِنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
“But those who were sure that they were going to meet Allah said, ‘How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater one by Allah’s permission! Allah is with the steadfast.”
(Al-Baqara 2:249)
- Being an Islamic activist or even just practising Islam can lead to job losses and blacklisting in Europe and the Muslim world but Allah will always provide for that person if he has taqwa.
وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
“Whoever has taqwa of Allah – He will give him a way out and provide for him from where he does not expect.”
(Talaq, 65:2-3)
- Working for Khilafah, involvement in Islamic activism or fighting oppression will not reduce someone’s lifespan.
أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِككُّمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُّشَيَّدَةٍ
“Wherever you are, death will catch up with you, even if you are in impregnable fortresses.”
(Al‐Nisa, 4:78)
Abdul Kareem