Where are the Men

Where are the Men?

ar rijaalun min almu’mineen ar rijaalun

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all that exists! May He shower His Peace & Blessings upon His Messenger & Slave, Muhammed (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) and his companions, his family and all those who follow him in his righteous path until the Day of Judgment! Ameen.

and what follows;

“Oh you who believe! What is the matter with you, that when you are asked to march forth in the Cause of Allah (i.e. Jihad) you cling heavily to the earth? Are you pleased with the life of this world rather than the Hereafter? But little is the enjoyment of the life of this world as compared with the Hereafter.” (Qur’an: 9: 38 )

Sheikh Ibn Qayyum Al-Juzee; a respected Islamic scholar, writer and historian. A student of Sheikh-ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiya (rahmatullahi alayhum) was living at a time when the kuffar, like today, were invading the Muslim lands, violating their sanctity, raping & pillaging whomsoever & whatsoever they wish, and laying waste to their peace & right to peace. He was the Imam of the Amawy Masjid, in Damascus. On one Friday, Ibn Al-Juzee delivered a very moving khutbah that had a very dramatic & necessary message. It is with a humble opinion, that many feel the need to express his scholarly views, in light of what we as his Muslim brethren are facing today.

Here are the most important excerpts from his khutbah that day:

“Oh people, how have you forgotten your religion?… abandoned your glory?…betrayed the Izzat-ul-Islam?… and stayed put instead of rushing to defend the religion of Allah? Are you content with staying behind? Did you think that honor and glory were meant to belong to the kuffar? Didn’t you know that Allah made glory and honor to belong to Allah, His messenger, and the believers? Don’t you feel any pain when you see the enemies of Allah and your enemies step with their filthy feet on your land which was made yours by the blood of your fathers? Don’t you feel ashamed that the filthy kuffar humiliate you and use you as slaves while not too long ago you were the masters of this world? Don’t your hearts shake and don’t you feel any anger seeing what the enemies of Allah are doing to your brothers and sisters? How could you see your brothers and sisters here and in neighboring towns being tortured and humiliated and continue to eat, drink and enjoy life? Where is your gheera?

Oh people, war is going on… the caller of Jihad is calling on you… and the heavens have opened their doors (to receive those who would be martyrs). If you are not capable of answering the call for Jihad, then get out of the way! Step aside, and let the women do the job for you. In the meantime, you might go to your homes and reach for your makeup kits and put some onto your faces; you might go ahead and reach for the Makahils (special tool that was used to beautify the inside of womens eyes with a black powder called Kuhl) because you are like women with turbans and beards, are you not? If not, then get out of here to the horses, and here are the bridles for them.”

At this moment, Ibn Al-Juzee threw a package on the floor of the Masjid. He then asked the worshipers sitting there, “Do you know what these are? Do you know from what material these horse bridles were made? These bridles were made by your sisters from their own hair, as they do not have anything else in their possession to offer you. I swear by Allah, these are braids of hair from women whose hair has never been seen by the eye of the sun. Your sisters cut off those braids of beauty because romance time has ended and war time has begun. The Jihad in the cause of Allah first and to defend our land and dignity second, has begun. If you cannot control the horses with these bridles, then take the bridles home and use them to beautify yourself. Haven’t you any dignity left?”

At this time, Sheikh Ibn Juzee turned his head away from the congregation and let his eyes gaze throughout the Masjid and started to shout:

“May the pillars of this Masjid sway freely, may the stones separate and scatter with force and may hearts burn with bruises and pain, as men have given up their manhood.”

With that last statement, Sheikh Ibn Al-Juzee ended his Friday sermon.

Just who are those men he was talking about? He certainly made it clear that having male reproductive organs does not make a person a man.

Allah has made that clear as well.

“Among the Believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah [i.e. they have gone out for Jihad, and not showed their backs to the disbelievers]; Of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred); and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed (i.e. they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allah) in the least.” (Qur’an: 33: 23)

This verse clearly shows that not all believers are men in the eyes of Allah. Only those who stay the course to fulfill their covenant with Allah are men in the eyes of Allah. They are ready for any and all consequences.

Allah has taken a covenant from each of the descendants of the Children of Adam (all humanity), Muslim or not, born or unborn, without any time limit:

“And (remember) when your Lord drew forth from the Children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (i.e. descendants), and made them testify concerning themselves, (saying): “Am I not your Lord (who cherishes and sustains you)?” They said: ‘Yes! We do testify! (this)’, lest you should say on the Day of Judgment: “Verily, we have been unaware of this.” (Qur’an: 7: 172)

According to the above verse, all Children of Adam have acknowledged and understood Tawheed (monotheism). Those who Allah guided to Islam understand Tawheed, as well as, what is expected of them in terms of practicing it, implementing it, and eradicating any other form of worship (taghut). Some males keep their covenant; those are true men. Many others do not keep their covenant; they are pseudo men.

If we are still too weak to understand the meaning of this message, and its implication to all of us who call themselves believers in la illaha il allah muhammedar rasoolullah, who are sitting here today; if we are still blinded by the sweet talk of the ‘alim’s of taghut, who twist the message of Allah & His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) out of fear of other than Allah; if the love of the material world and the hatred of fighting & dieing has been embedded in our hearts; than reflect with me on the following narration from the battlefield of the Prophet of Allah himself (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam);

In preparation for the battle of ‘Uhud, the Prophet of Allah, (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) positioned sharp shooter archers on strategically located hills around the battlefield. They were instructed not to leave their positions even if they saw wild dogs and wolves eating the Believers alive! Soon after the battle started, the Mujahideen scored an initial victory and the enemy started to withdraw. When the archers saw this, some of them decided to disobey Allah, by disobeying His messenger’s order, by leaving their positions in a hurry to get their share in the war booty; to chase the fleeting materials of this life & remit the Pleasure of their Creator by obedience to Him. The retreating kuffar saw this as an opportunity to turn a disgraceful defeat into a decisive victory. While their cavalry rounded the unmanned hills where The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) had given the archers orders to stay, they turned around & surrounded the believers, and launched a counter-attack. The attack sent Muslim fighters into chaos; after all, many of them were busy counting their booty that will all turn to dust eventually. Many even fled the battlefield, and thus, the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) command position was compromised and enemy soldiers were within a stones throw from the Prophet himself (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam).

Only a few companions remained there defending the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam). One companion was fighting ferociously only a few meters in front of the prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam), making sure that no kuffar soldier would reach him. The companion did not have a shield like other Mujahideen, and ended up receiving twelve serious wounds during the fight. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) saw one of the ‘fighters’ running away from the battlefield… he then called on him to let go of his shield so that a real Mujahid could use it.

The retreating man threw his shield to the ground and continued to run away. The companion defending the prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) picked up the shield, put it on and continued fighting for the sake of Allah. This person was having a tough time with the kuffar cavalry, due to their fighting on horseback, while the companion was standing on the ground. The kuffar would charge with their horses right into this noble Mujahid. Masha Allah, the companion quickly came up with a solution to the problem; by striking at the horse’s legs, the horse would trip and the kafir would either fall off, or at least become low enough to strike with their sword.

Now, images of names of all kinds of Sahaba (radiullahu anhum) are probably popping up in your head, and who do you think was this great Mujahid, whom we should all relish to behave like. Who was that person who ferociously & faithfully fought the kuffar for the sake of Allah, while many “Mujahideen” ran away from the battlefield? Her name was Nasibah Bent Kaab (radiullahu anha), also known as Umm Umarah.

Yes, it was a she. A Mujahida for the sake of Allah. A true responder to The Call of Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam). She fought along side of the Prophet of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) along with her husband & two sons (radiullahu anhum), and had the blessing of the Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) when he asked Allah in the middle of fighting for Him to make Umm Umara & her family (radiullahu anhum) his neighbors in the Jenna. Allahu Akbar! Umm Umarah (radiullahu anha) had all the characteristics of the men that Allah described in the mentioned ayat. The running away ‘Muslim’ soldiers had all the characteristics of the males who were addressed by Sheikh Ibn Al-Juzee (rahmatullahi alayhu)

Umm Umarah (radiullahu anha) had all the characteristics of the Lions of Fallujah… the Lions of Qandahar… the Lions of Grozny, Gaza, Jenin, & Quds…the Lions of The Land of the Two Rivers… The Lions of Allah, who respond to His Call, who follow the example of His beloved Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam)…the Lions of Truth & Honor whenever & wherever Allah Calls on them… the Mujahideen whose leader is Muhammed (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) The Prophet and Mujahid of Allah! The running away soldiers had all the characteristics of thousands of Muslims today who would stand in disgraceful lines to apply for food stamps, welfare, section-eight housing and menial jobs working with the occupiers, instead of scaling the walls of the green zones by the tens of thousands if not by the millions to let the occupiers know that they will not be allowed to stay one hand span, for one day in any Muslim lands. No guns, tanks, or airplanes can break the will of people when they are united. Ibn Al-Juzee’s message fits millions of Muslims today perfectly.

Real men stand up to be counted at times when no one else would care.

Take the story of the believing man who held a high position in the administration of the pharaoh. He had been concealing his faith for sometime, but when he became aware of the Pharaohs plot to kill Allah’s Prophet, Musa (alayhi salaam), he decided that it was time to take a stand. He knew that at minimum he would lose his job and his social status, and most likely his life. But he was prepared for any consequence.

“A Believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had concealed his faith, said: “Will you slay a man because he says, ‘my Lord is Allah? When he had indeed come to you with clear (signs) from your Lord? And if he is a liar, on him is (the sin of ) his lie; but if he is telling the truth, then will fall on you something of the (calamity) of which he warns you: truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies!” (Qur’an: 40: 28 )

Real men do not look the other way, while handing out baseless excuses, when they see injustice being done. The story of the believing man, Habib An-Najjar, illustrates that. He gathered that his community had rejected the message of Allah and decided to kill all of the messengers. An-Najjar decided to take a stand against the wrong doing and defend the messengers of Allah. He knew that he would be killed for it but he did not mind that, for he understood the bargain with Allah. By doing so, he passed the manhood test in the eyes of Allah and deserved to be called, “man”.

“Then there came running, from the farthest part of the city, a man, saying, ‘Oh my people! Obey the messengers: Obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who are themselves guided. Why should not I serve Him who created me, and to whom you shall (all) be brought back. Shall I take (other) gods besides Him? If the Most gracious should intend some adversity for me, of no use whatsoever will be their intercession for me, nor can they deliver me. I would indeed, then be in manifest error. For me, I have faith in the Lord of you (all): Listen then to me!” (Qur’an: 36: 20-25)

As expected, this believing man paid his life for his stand. They killed him and Allah was pleased with him, accepted him as a martyr, and raised him directly to Jenna. Because he was angered for Allah, Allah was angered for him, and decided to punish his people for what they had done.

“It was said (to him when the disbelievers killed him):”Enter Paradise.” He said, “Would that my people knew! That my Lord has granted me forgiveness and has enrolled me among those held in honor!” And We sent not down against his people, after him, any hosts from heaven, nor was it needful for Us so to do. It was no more than one Saihah (a single mighty blast), and behold! They all were silent (dead & destroyed).” (Qur’an: 36: 26-29)
Narrated Anas bin Malik (radiullahu anhu): ‘Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa salaam) said, “Nobody who enters the Jenna would like to go back to the world even if he got everything on the earth, except the Mujahid who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the honor and dignity he received (from Allah).” (Sahih al Bukhari, Volume 4, Hadith 72)

Real men stand firm on the righteous path, keep on worshiping Allah, and resist any and all temptations of life in this world. They do not let things that distract normal people distract them from remembering Allah.

“Men whom neither trade nor sale diverts them from the Remembrance of Allah, nor from performing as-Salat, nor from paying Zakat. Their (only) fear is for the Day when Hearts and eyes will be turned about. (from the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection).” (Qur’an: 24: 37)

Real men rouse people for Jihad to defend and establish the religion of Allah and to fight falsehood and corruption. They promote unity and discourage divisions among the Believers. The story of Musa (alayhi salaam) with his people in the Sinai Peninsula tells us about two persons who deserved to be called men.

Musa (alayhi salaam) had sent twelve people to spy out the land of Philistine, and they penetrated as far as Khalil. They saw rich country but the people there were very strong. The Bani Israel who were with Prophet Musa (alayhi salaam) had no courage and were weak in faith. Among those who returned after spying the land were two who had strong faith and courage. They were Yusha (alayhi salaam) and Caleb. They only informed Musa (alayhi salaam) about the strength of the people they saw, so as to not stir fear amongst the others. The remaining ten people spread a story throughout the tribes about how strong and powerful the people up north were. Yusha (alayhi sallam) and Caleb pleaded for an immediate entry after taking all due precautions. But of course, they said, they must put their trust in Allah for victory.

“(But) among (their) God-fearing men were two on whom Allah had bestowed His grace: They said: “Assault them at the (proper) gate: When once you are in, victory will be yours; But on Allah put your trust if you have faith.”

History is full of real men who all shared a common fabric of Jihad fi sabil illah, sown together by a common thread; their faith and trust in Allah & His Promise: “Think not of those who are killed in the Way of Allah as dead. Nay, they are alive, with their Lord, and they have provisions. They rejoice in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His Bounty, rejoicing for the sake of those who have not yet joined them, but are left behind (not yet martyred) that on them no fear shall come, nor shall they grieve. They rejoice in a Grace and a Bounty from Allah, and that Allah will not waste the reward of the believers.” (Qur’an: 3: 169-171) May Allah make us of those whom the shaheeds are rejoicing for, and make our end in Shuhada. Ameen.

Now is the time for those Muslims who think of themselves as real men to stand up and be counted. To fear only Allah Who has asked, “Is not Allah Sufficient for His slave? Yet they try to frighten you with those (whom they worship) besides Him! And whom Allah sends astray, for him there will be no guide.” (Qur’an: 39: 36)

Where are the men?

Where are the men,

hand in hand,

by Allah’s Command,

who will defend,

Islam and it’s brethren?

Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar wa lilahil Hamd!

Your Brother Fillah

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This entry was posted on July 19, 2008 at 10:41 am and is filed under Jihad.

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