The Difference Between Us and Them - Lessons From History

The Difference Between Us and Them

There are two important features which not only distinguish  the  Muslims  from  the  Jews  but  also  prove  the former’s clear superiority over the latter. The first is related to the fact that the present Muslim Ummah is collectively responsible to preach and spread the Message of Almighty Allah (SWT), and to try her utmost for establishing the domination of Islam over the entire globe. This stupendous duty is, in fact, a logical corollary of the culmination of Prophethood.

The most outstanding characteristic of the advent of Prophet Muhammad   (SAW)   is   that   the   institution   of prophethood has reached its acme of perfection with his advent. Since the ultimate echelon of prophetic evolution has been reached, it follows that there shall be no more prophets. But the world has not yet ended, and the humanity is still thirsty for the knowledge of the Real and still yearning for a just social system. This  can  only mean  one  thing:  The  Muslim Ummah is now responsible, as a whole, to continue the work of the prophets.

The  Qur’an  proclaims  that  the  purpose  behind  the advent of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the establishment of the ascendancy and domination of Islam over all aspects of life, all over the world. The following words appear thrice in the Holy Qur’an, defining the manifesto for a global Islamic Revolution:

It is He who sent His Messenger with The Guidance (Al-Qur’an) and the true way of life (Deen-al-Haq), in order to make it prevail over the entire mode of living. 
(Al-Taubah 9:33; Al-Fath 48:28; & Al-Saff 61:9)

Unlike previous messengers of God, the advent of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was not just for his own nation, the people of Arabia, but it was also directed towards all mankind in general, for all times to come. Again, unlike the Jews, who were asked  only  to  act  in  accordance  with  the  Mosaic  law,  the Muslims have a much extensive and arduous responsibility on their shoulders, that is, they are obliged to guide and lead the entire humanity. Muslims are required to obey the commands of God in their own lives, to preach God’s Message worldwide and in every generation till the end of the world, and to struggle tirelessly  with  the  objective  of  making  Islam  dominant  as  a socio-political order. The previous Muslim Ummah, in contrast, was never required to perform all these duties.

The second point of difference between the Jews and the Muslims is that, in contrast to the former who were a uniracial community (being composed of only the “Children of Israel,” i.e., the descendants of Prophet Yaqoob), the present Muslim Ummah is a multiracial and multinational community. The Jews themselves, or any other nation for that matter, can join the Muslim Ummah  anytime  they want  —  by accepting Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as the final Messenger of God; their race, color, language, or previous creed not withstanding.

The Muslim Ummah is basically a diverse group of people belonging to all kinds of different national, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. In general, however, the Muslim Ummah can be seen as being composed of two distinct components: the descendants of Prophet Isma‘el (AS), referred to in the Qur’an as ummiyean (the unlettered people), as well as all other peoples and nations, referred to in the Qur’an as aakhereen (those of later time).

In other words, the Muslim Ummah is made up of a nucleus or a core of Arabs, surrounded by non-Arab nations, whether they be Kurds or Turks, Persians or Indian, Afghans or Muhgals,  Black  of  African  origin  or  Whites  of  European descent. The common element or the binding force that brings all of them together and keeps them united — at least in theory — is obviously their faith and ideology, that is, Islam.

It is rather gratifying to learn that we Muslims enjoy a two-fold superiority over the Jews. But it doesn’t take a genius to realize that being superior also means that we have to fulfill many more responsibilities and obligations. The Jews were repeatedly punished for their collective crimes, but if we were to follow in their footsteps then this would make us liable to a chastisement much more severe than what they received.

Similarly,  the  most  prominent  part  of  the  Muslim Ummah — the Arabs — also enjoy a form of superiority vis-à- vis other Muslims; this is because Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was one of them, and because God’s final Message was revealed in their own language. But, as we have described above, the fact is that the more privileged you are, the greater is your responsibility. The Arab Muslims have, in general, failed to live up to their exceptionally privileged position as the primary custodians of Divine Message, thereby making themselves liable to Divine retribution. It follows that the main impact of any major episode of Divine punishment, that might befall the Muslims,  will  have  to  be  endured  by  the  Arabs.  This  was foretold by Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as we shall see later on.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad

Common Denominators - Lessons From History

Common Denominators

The Jews remained the sole custodians of the Divine Message and His Book for almost two millennia — from about 1350 B.C., when Prophet Musa (AS) was given Torah and the Covenant with the Israelites took place at Sinai, to 624 C.E., when   the   change   of   qibla   from   Jerusalem   to   Makkah symbolically announced the birth of a new Ummah.

The Jews were relegated from their rank because of their transgressions and haughtiness. The Qur’an severely criticizes and upbraids them for their long record of ingratitude and repeated violations of Divine injunctions, and declares them a condemned people. These reprimands were issued by Almighty Allah (SWT) because of the continued failure, on the part of the Jews,  to  carry  out  their  responsibilities  as  custodians  of  the Divine Revelation. 

From the Second year of Hijrah onwards, the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) were appointed as guardians of the Message of God, as well as His representatives among  all  nations.  Thus,  this  supreme  blessing  of  Almighty Allah (SWT), i.e., His revealed guidance in the form of a Book, is  something  common  to  both  the  Jews  and  the  Muslims, although the Hebrew scriptures are no longer in their pure and unadulterated state. In this context the following verse appears twice in the Qur’an:

Remember,  O   Children  of   Israel,   the   favors   I bestowed on you and made you most exalted among the nations of the world. (Al-Baqarah 2:47 & 122)

Another point of convergence between the Jews and the Muslims is the prominent personality of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), the patriarch who is equally revered by the followers of both faiths. The Jews, of course, are the descendants of Prophet Ishaq (AS),  younger  son  of  Prophet  Ibrahim  (AS).  Similarly,  the earliest Muslims were Arabs — the descendants of Prophet Ibrahim’s elder son Prophet Isma‘el (AS) — and they constitute today the nucleus of the Muslim Ummah. But irrespective of this genealogical relationship, the whole of the Muslim Ummah has an attitude of veneration and high regard for Prophet Ibrahim (AS), as they consider him to be their spiritual father.

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad

The Present and Former Muslim Ummah - Lessons From History

The Present and Former Muslim Ummah

The word “Islam” stands for submission before the Sovereignty of Almighty Allah (SWT), as proclaimed by His prophets throughout human history. The number of these holy men, as mentioned earlier, is reported to be 124 thousand. However,  irrespective  of  the  exact  figure,  it  is  generally accepted by scholars of the Qur’an that five of them are the most prominent and most notable. These include Prophet Nuh (AS), Prophet Ibrahim (AS), Prophet Musa (AS), Prophet Isa (AS), and Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Out of these, Prophet Nuh (AS) was probably not endowed with any Divine Scripture. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) did receive some sort of scriptures, but there was no formal law or Shari‘ah in them. Similarly, the Zabur or Psalms of Prophet Dawood (AS) and the Injeel or Gospel of Prophet Isa (AS) contained nothing that can be described as law; instead, they were composed of hymns and exhortations, respectively. It follows that, among the known Divine Revelations, only two can be  described  as  “Books,”  in  the  sense  that  they  contained Shari‘ah, — the Torah (or Tauraat) and the Holy Qur’an. The former is the name given to the “Five Books of Moses,” also called the Pentateuch, which are included in the beginning of the Old Testament. The latter, i.e., the Holy Qur’an, is the final and ultimate Book as revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

It is significant to note that the Torah was revealed to Prophet Musa (AS) as a guidance only for the Israelites, whereas the Qur’an — being the last of Revelations — describes itself as “The Guidance” for the whole humanity, for all times to come.

The main conclusion of the above discussion, however, is that there had been only two Muslim “Ummahs” during the entire  period  of  known  human  history.  This  is  because  the genesis of such a community is always preceded by — and is the direct result of — a Shari‘ah being given to a messenger and through him to his followers. Since there had been only two versions of the Divine Law that we can be sure about, i.e., the Mosaic Law and the Shari‘ah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), it follows that there had been only two Muslim Ummahs — the Israelites or the Jews who were the previous Ummah, and the community of the followers of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which constitutes the current and final Ummah.

Next, we shall discuss the common features and distinguishing characteristics of these two communities, along with a brief review of their history and the present state of their affairs. The relevance of this topic is based upon the fact that, according to the predictions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the Muslims and the Jews of the world — as custodians of Divine Revelations — are going to act as two key players with regard to the ultimate destiny of mankind.

Certain pointers of the Qur’an and detailed prophecies in the Hadith literature predict the events that would happen before the end of the world, that is, they foretell the final acts of the global drama. It is vital to comprehend these predictions with reference to their proper background, not only to clear our minds of any distrust or doubt, but also to prevent any feeling of bewilderment when that which has been promised does take place.

Another reason for discussing the history of the previous Ummah,   as   will   be   elucidated   shortly,   is   the   stunning resemblance between the history of Jews and that of Muslims, a fact that was also foretold by Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Source:Lesson from History (Book) by Dr. Israr Ahmad