Muslim solidarity that grows even stronger in times of crisis

Throughout the course of history, at times when there have been no prophets, believers possessed of a deep and genuine faith have assumed the task of preaching the virtues of the faith. However, these worthy people have always been subjected to obstacles, slanders, and both verbal and physical attacks from those who regard religious moral values as a threat to the anti-religious and oppressive system set up by them. However, today as in the past, those who organise evil and attempt to wreck the solidarity among believers ignore one very important truth: The solidarity among Muslims, who live to obtain Allah’s approval, can never be impaired by non-believers in times of crisis. On the contrary, by the will of Allah, that solidarity grows even stronger at such times. Believers are virtuous people who fear and stand in awe of Allah, who always treat others with a friendly toleration, who inspire feelings of peace, joy and security, who are always just and who avoid all sinful actions. Since they have no worldly ambitions, they never seek to gain anything from anyone. On the contrary, they are loyal, modest and hold firm convictions. Yet despite these excellent traits, throughout their struggle to spread religious moral values they encounter fierce hostility and attacks from various individuals. The underlying cause of the enmity these people feel towards believers is their hostility towards Allah and religious moral values (Allah is beyond that). As a result of this hostility, they try to stop believers preaching the word, lay snares for and plot against believers, and try to intimidate them by mocking and slandering them. Allah describes this hostility of those who do not believe, which has never once in the course of history ever borne any fruit, as follows in a verse: “If they come upon you, they will be your enemies and stretch out their hands and tongues against you with evil intent, and they would dearly love you to become unbelievers.” (Surat al-Mumtahana, 2) However, these people who wish to prevent the spread of religious moral values and to stop others living by them, ignore one highly significant point: the source of the solidarity that permits a genuine friendship and alliance among Muslims is their sincere faith. Believers love one another with a pure intent and for the sake of Allah alone, and no worldly interests are involved. They are one another’s friends for the sake of Allah. Through that friendship, they establish the basis of a powerful alliance. That alliance grows even stronger in times of difficulty, something that puzzles unbelievers. It is impossible, by the will of Allah, for this bond, based on love and fear of Him, to be weakened in any way. Almighty Allah has described believers as acting in close uniformity with one another, like the walls of a building: “Allah loves those who fight in His Way in ranks like well-built walls.”(Surat as-Saff, 4) The Secret of the Solidarity among Believers That Grows Stronger in Times of Crisis 1. They Have a Powerful Love of Allah There are various reasons why believers enjoy such a powerful solidarity and are so loyal and resigned. One of the most important of these is their profound love of Allah. As Allah tells us in the verse: “Say: ‘Praise be to Allah. He will show you His Signs and you will recognise them. Your Lord is not unaware of what you do’.” (Surat Naml, 93) In order to strengthen the hearts of believers and to heighten their love of and devotion to Him, Allah has promised to show that everything that arises around them and in their earthly desires if “true.” In the light of that verse, believers act in the knowledge that everything that happens to them during their lives takes place as a result of this promise of Allah. Their belief in and love of Allah keep growing, and hence also their submission and loyalty to Him. They know that Allah is the constant friend and helpmate of believers and that He will answer all their prayers, and they feel a great love for Him. They are patient and resigned in the face of difficulties in order to earn Allah’s approval, and they take Him as their guardian and shelter behind Him. They do not allow they difficulties they encounter in preaching the moral virtues commanded by Allah to impede their intellectual struggle and, contrary to what those who attempt to hinder the spread of religious moral values may think, all events that might seem on the surface to be unfortunate in fact strengthen the solidarity among them even further. This is one of the proofs that believers have a genuine love of and devotion to Allah. In the Qur’an, Allah tells us that believers have a deep sense of devotion and submission: “It is for the poor of the immigrants who were driven from their homes and wealth desiring the favour and the pleasure of Allah and supporting Allah and His Messenger. Such people are the truly sincere.” (Surat al-Hashr, 8) 2. They Are Sincere in Their Fear of Allah Love of Allah, solidarity and the growth thereof, is a most important trait, but one that is insufficient by itself. Fear of Allah is also essential. Because fear of Allah ensures that the individual will be careful to observe what He has commanded and forbidden and that he will avoid any behaviour that He will find displeasing, and also enables him to be stronger and more determined in the face of Shaytan and his worldly desires. That is the basis of solidarity. Each one of the believers who make up that alliance possesses a profound fear of Allah. They unconditionally submit to the words of the Qur’an. They seek no other approval than that of Allah, and fear nobody but Him. Because they maintain their purity they enjoy Allah’s support and, in the light of Allah’s title of Aziz (He who cannot be defeated, the victorious) are always successful in all they undertake. Since they are aware of the secret in the verse “…then you should not fear them but rather fear Me – and so that I can complete My blessing to you so that hopefully you will be guided” (Surat al-Baqara, 150), they possess an extraordinary power and resistance that nobody can tear apart, and nobody can cause them to doubt or turn against one another. 3. They Know That Evil Will Spread If They Lack Solidarity The importance of solidarity in religious moral values is emphasised in the verse “Those who do not believe are the friends and protectors of one another. If you do not act in this way there will be turmoil in the land and great corruption” (Surat al-Anfal, 73). In that verse our Lord tells us that if believers fail to join forces and act as one another’s friends and guardians, then corruption will grow. For that reason, believers know that if they lose their solidarity because of pressure from those who organise evil and allow their intellectual struggle to be harmed, then the climate of corruption on earth will spread. They therefore act as one in their determination to prevent the oppression and wickedness manifested by people who have lost all positive qualities, all their compassion and all their spiritual values. They make enormous efforts to ensure that goodness and beauty will prevail on Earth, rather than wickedness. Acting as one for the sake of Allah’s approval is a significant secret of faith that allows believers to succeed in the face of difficulties. When we look at the problems have faced by Muslims during the course of history we see that they have all managed to overcome troubles and difficulties in that way. Muslims, the Prophet Muhammed (saws) whom Allah has made a role model for all humanity, and his companions in particular, have always abided by these religious virtues and been a means, with their superior solidarity and devotion, whereby Islam and the Qur’an have spread to the entire world. 4. They Have a Profound Belief in the Reality of Destiny Believers are well aware that everything in life happens by the will of Allah and at His command, and within the destiny appointed by Him. As emphasised in the verse “Say: ‘nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust’,” (Surat at-Tawba, 51) they are aware that Allah creates all things, no matter what they may be. For that reason, these worthy individuals never regard any event that befalls them as “bad,” and they are never worried or distressed by anything that happens to them. They know that although some events may look bad, they will actually have auspicious consequences for them. Because if Allah has visited an event on a believer, then it will necessarily be auspicious. The history of Islam is full of concrete examples of this. The best of these are the lives of the Companions and the events befalling the prophets and those around them as described in the Qur’an. In one verse Allah, the infinitely merciful, says: “It may be that you hate something when it is good for you and it may be that you love something when it is bad for you. Allah knows and you do not know”(Surat al-Baqara, 216). 5. They Are Determined to Strive on Allah’s Path One of the reasons for the powerful solidarity among believers is their determination to seek the approval of Allah. By His leave, no difficulty can prevent believers, whose sole aim is to earn Allah’s approval, obeying His commands. For that reason, no matter what pressure they may be subjected to from those around them or those who are unwilling to see the spread of religious moral values they still persist in that determination throughout the course of their intellectual struggle against systems that propagate atheism. By Allah’s will, they will continue to perform their duties as His servants with ever increasing enthusiasm and determination throughout the course of their lives and will bind themselves ever tighter to Allah’s path and to their Muslim brethren. Since they know that Allah is the creator of all things they evaluate whatever befalls them in a spirit of joy and enthusiasm and compete with one another to do good deeds. Because, as is revealed in the Qur’an in the words “Among the believers, there are men who have been true to the contract they made with Allah. Some of them have fulfilled their pact by death and some are still waiting to do so, not having changed in any way at all,” (Surat al-Ahzab, 23) they maintain the same determination to earn Allah’s approval right up to the moment of their deaths. Why Are There No Other Examples of the Solidarity among Believers? A mindset that enjoys being together with other believers, that loves to honour and enthuse them, that delights in altruism and that seeks more for others than for itself, will of course be very different to one based on worldly expectations. The most important element that distinguishes this Muslim solidarity from all other forms of solidarity is that believers enjoy a great strength stemming from the fact they love one another for Allah’s sake. As we are told in another verse, “… 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” (Surat al-Baqara, 249), by virtue of the faith in their hearts believers possess the will and enthusiasm necessary to overcome great troubles and difficulties. Because of the excellent moral values they exhibit, they earn the help and support of Allah. As He reveals in another verse “Do not give up and do not be downhearted. You shall be uppermost if you are believers” (Surah al-Imran, 139) they possess a spiritual strength that nobody can overcome, and nobody can turn them against one another. Non-believers will continue to slander believers, and to inflict pressure and even cruelty on them, in the future just as they have always done in the past. But, again in the future as in the past, their slanderous and false words will never distress or harm the faithful. CONCLUSION: By Allah’s Will, the Solidarity among Muslims Will Lead to the Moral Values of the Qur’an Ruling the World We are living in a time when the world has the perhaps the greatest need for peace, friendship and brotherhood. The conflicts that left their mark on the 20th century are continuing at full speed in the new century, and innocent people all over the world are suffering material and spiritual losses because of this climate of conflict and chaos. It is therefore of the greatest importance that believers should today act as one, continue with the intellectual struggle they are waging on Allah’s path despite all the obstacles placed in their way, and increase their determination by seeking refuge in Allah in the face of all the difficulties they encounter. This is the moral virtue commanded by the Qur’an and the Prophet (pbuh). As a result of this great ideological struggle all the troubles afflicting mankind will, by Allah’s leave, come to an end and everyone, not just Muslims, will attain peace and happiness. Under the leadership of the holy personages of the End Times, the blessed Mahdi and the Prophet ‘Isa (as), Muslims will constitute a role model for the whole world with their brotherhood and solidarity, like the walls of a building, and there will thus be nowhere in the world where people do not live according to the moral beauty of the Qur’an. This is Allah’s promise and, by His leave, the time when it will be made a reality is fast approaching: “It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of Truth to exalt it over every other religion, though the associators hate it.” (Surat as-Saff, 9) From an interview with Adnan Oktar for Haber5.com in May, 2008… “ They seek to achieve results by conspiring, slandering and plotting. But Muslims are even more positively affected by these. The more they are attacked and oppressed, the greater their enthusiasm and strength. Because a kind of numbness emerges in the absence of pressure. One feels sleepy, for instance, when it is warm. Especially if one has no aim or purpose. But an unexpected movement, sudden rain, the opening of a window or the arrival of important news immediately wakes the individual up. That is the kind of awakening Muslims need. It has the effect of an adrenaline rush. All the pressure, cruelty or troubles inflicted on them merely make them stronger. The alternative is lethargy and apathy.” The Alliance of the Unbelievers Is Doomed to Fall Apart The importance attached to worldly interests and expectations of worldly gain lie at the heart of the solidarity among those who do not believe in Allah and the hereafter and who seek to damage believers’ intellectual struggle. These people have come together in an agreement based on mutual interests. However, as Allah reveals in a verse, “… Their hostility towards each other is intense. They are full of bravado in each other’s company. You consider them united but their hearts are scattered wide. That is because they are people who do not use their intellect” (Surat al-Hashr, 14), no matter how much unbelievers may seem to enjoy union and solidarity, they in fact possess no such thing. In the same way, therefore, that their solidarity falls apart at the first sign of difficulty, so the traps they set for those who preach religious moral values are also condemned to failure, by Allah’s will, right from the outset. Advice to the Faithful from Bediüzzaman Said Nursi "...Ally yourselves to your fellow workers and co-religionists of the people of this world in the brotherhood, dialogue and solidarity commanded by hundreds of verses and hadith of our Prophet (pbuh)..do not fall into dispute. Tell yourselves, “Let me not waste my valuable time on trivial matters, but let me spend my precious time on the names of Allah and on ideas,” and do not weaken the solidarity among you. Because a small problem may be greater than you think in this spiritual struggle.” “Do those who plot evil actions feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up or that a punishment will not come upon them from where they least expect? Or that He will not seize them on their travels, something they are powerless to prevent?” (Surat an-Nahl, 45-46).