It has been reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Whoever says, ‘wretched are the people,’ he is the most wretched of them.”[1]

A similar report has been narrated, also by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), wherein the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) attributes this statement to Prophet Musa (peace be upon him):

Musa said: “Whoever says, ‘wretched are the people,’ he is the most wretched of them.”[2]

Under the explanation of this narration, Imām Mālik (may Allah have mercy on him) mentions:

“If he says this expressing sadness at what he sees in people, i.e., in their dīn, I see no problem with it. If he says it out of self-aggrandizement and belittling people, this is the bad characteristic forbidden [in the prophetic report].”[3]

Ibn al-Athīr (may Allah have mercy on him), however, mentions an alternative possible reading of this narration which would give a slightly different meaning:

“When a man says to the people they are ruined/irredeemable and makes them feel despondent, it will drive them away from acts of obedience and towards immersion in sins, so he has led them to destruction.”[4]

This is similar to a Muslim who says, “nothing good remains within the Muslims—they cannot accomplish anything.” This person has already given up. He himself is defeated, and now he is projecting his own insecurity and pessimism onto the rest of the Muslim ummah and infecting them with it.

By his utterance of such despondent words, he is actually causing ruin within Islamic Ummah. He is damaging their morale and, consequently, he carries the responsibility of their ruin.

This brings to mind the example a person who is on the battlefield, and he decides to flee due to cowardice. In order to desperately try and justify his own personal cowardice, he does his best to drag others away with him.

People are spreading these words whilst the ummah is embroiled in a constant battle of minds and souls. The ummah is being tested hard, and they need people who strengthen them and their resolve, pushing them forward. They do not need someone who spreads hopelessness and makes them feel disheartened.

This is why such a person can be the most ruined among the people. He is without any strength of his own and he thus assumes that everyone else is just like him; as weak as he is. But he will surely discover that the people are actually not like him. He will come to realize that the Ummah of the Final Messenger, Muḥammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), is strong and ready to fight. There is goodness in this ummah.

The Status Quo Never Lasts

Even though things may seem pretty dark and dire, we must always remember to keep things in perspective. If we only view things in terms of a short-term perspective, then yes, things may appear pretty bleak. But, keep in mind, it has been no more than 80-90 years since this ummah was under official colonization.

After that, we entered into a de-colonization period. As a result of the actions of this ummah, the official colonization policies could no longer be upheld, and the Western powers had to pull out. Of course, this was completely unacceptable to the West, so they implemented a transition from physical occupation to economic dependency.

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Fast forward to 2010, and we had the Arab Spring—a movement where, in mere days, despotic rulers were toppled by the youth of this ummah, a change that was unthinkable to many but was made possible by the will of Allah.

Just like this recent piece of history proves, we must remember that the status quo does not endure forever. Things are changing, and, sometimes, you just need a bird’s-eye view in order to be able to see it.

It Is Always Darkest Before the Dawn

If we take a look at the development over the last 100 years, we went from colonization to “semi-colonization” to the Arab Spring. This brief, recent history shows that there is greatness within this ummah. It reminds us that we need to see the bigger picture and look at things from the wider perspective. We should not become short-sighted or develop tunnel vision. There is an evident upward, positive trajectory towards greater independence, even though we may not be there quite yet.

We continue to be ruled by despotic un-Islamic rulers. However, beneath that despotism there is a spirited ummah waiting to burst forth. The reason for the oppressive measures of these rulers is that they are afraid. They are afraid of the people who want Islam, and that is why they are coercing the people to adopt liberalism. Without coercion, the people would undoubtedly choose Islam.

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The darkest hour is always just before dawn. This is the time we currently find ourselves in. The extreme clampdown that we witness on Islam in the Arabian Peninsula, in the Gulf, the Levant and North Africa is a result of the rulers being afraid. They can clearly see that the people want to implement Islam, and the only way they can prevent this from happening is through forced liberalization, killings and political imprisonments.

Europe is in uproar and panicking over the impact of Islam in the West because they can see that Islam is growing. Macron, in France, wants to ban the Niqab because they recognize the impact that Islam has on their societies. More and more “white” people are converting, so they resort to scare tactics and panicked reactions in a desperate attempt to try and stop the tidal wave of the Islamic Awakening.

Allah Will Preserve His Religion

Don’t be like the person who says things like this ummah is “ruined” or there is no goodness in this ummah. It is abundantly clear that Allah is preserving His religion; and that we are continuously growing. Instead, simply view all the attacks on Islam as a sure sign that we are winning, that they are afraid and that, ultimately, victory is near.

Rather than losing hope and becoming despondent, ask Allah that He make you part of the Islamic Revival. Ask Allah to allow you to be able to share in the unimaginable rewards that are there for the taking. Do not ever belittle the small victories because, when observing the bigger picture, we have come a long way.

Israel no longer has a monopoly on the narrative, and in Turkey—the most secular Muslim country in the world—even the opposition leader is trying to cater to Muslim sentiments by promising not to implement a hijab ban.

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Islam is spreading and, even if some Muslims do not see it, the secular liberal forces know it. So be positive. Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would make use of good omens, avoid bad omens, and he liked nice names (which portend something good).[5]

The Ummah is reviving, Islam is becoming revitalized, and Allah is making His religion supreme. The question you need to ask yourself is:

Will you be a mere bystander who sits idly by and watches on, or will you be a part of the victory and reap the immense rewards that await everyone who plays a role therein?

Notes

[1] Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 2623

[2] Sunan Abī Dāwud: 4944

[3] Sunan Abī Dāwud: 4944

[4] Al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth wa ‘l-Athar: p.1010, ed. Dar Ibn al-Jawzī

[5] Musnad Aḥmad: 2762