It has been narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Do not enter the [ruined] dwelling places of those who committed evil against themselves except that you are weeping, [for fear] that you be afflicted with similar to that which afflicted them.” (Sahih al-Bukhari: 3381)
This hadith (prophetic report) serves as a powerful reminder that the great civilizations of the past, such as the Pharaohs or the Persians, were destroyed for disobeying Allah.
They committed evil at their own detriment. Despite their power, wealth, and achievements, all their glory became meaningless in the face of divine punishment. As Muslims, we are not to glorify these civilizations but, rather, to weep and pray that we do not suffer the same fate as them, for their example serves as a warning to us not to repeat their terrible mistakes. Yet, today, many Muslims are being duped into reviving pre-Islamic roots, either due to ignorance or as part of an orchestrated effort by colonial powers to weaken the Islamic identity. This tactic, outlined by think tanks like RAND and exemplified by figures like Lord Cromer in Egypt, seeks to divert Muslims’ loyalty away from Islam and towards pre-Islamic ethnic pride and cultural identity, undermining the unity, strength, and faith of the Muslim ummah.
Egypt: The Pharaohs and the Pyramids
In Egypt, the focus on the supposed “grandeur” of the Pharaohs and their monuments risks overshadowing the country’s rich Islamic history. By emphasizing pre-Islamic Egypt, there is a discernible shift away from the Islamic identity that has shaped the country for over a millennium. This cultural shift promotes pride in ancient history, which is fostering divisions, as Egyptians begin to prioritize their supposed “ethnic identity” over their shared faith. During British colonial rule, Lord Cromer sought to secularize Egypt by promoting Western ideals and undermining Islamic values, while figures like Muhammad Abduh worked to reshape Islamic scholarship into a more secular entity—detaching it from its social and moral teachings—and making his version of “Islam” more appealing to the ruling British class. The Qur’an points specifically to the Pharaohs and their civilization as examples of arrogance and evil. They claimed to be “divine” and sometimes even gods, culminating in the Pharoah at the time of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) claiming to be the ultimate god. This “civilization” was humiliated and eventually destroyed by Allah at the hands of His chosen prophet, Musa (peace be upon him). Egyptians need to seriously contemplate and ask themselves if they want to be like Musa (peace be upon him), who Allah had chosen and blessed; or like the Pharaohs who Allah disgraced and humiliated. Islam calls us to weep and pray not to end up following in the footsteps of these cursed nations from the past who strayed from the path of Allah, not to glorify their ruins and memory.
Iran: Zoroastrian Roots and the Persian Identity
In Iran, the celebration of Persian history—especially figures like Cyrus the Great—often eclipses the Islamic legacy that has defined the country for over 1,300 years. This focus on its pre-Islamic roots, of Persian culture, can lead to a sense of superiority, particularly among Iranians who view themselves as being culturally distinct from Arabs and superior to them, leading to a form of ignorance (jahiliyyah) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has warned us about. This kind of pride promotes divisions within the Muslim ummah, replacing unity based on Islam with ethnic rivalries. The biggest blessing that came to Persia was the ushering of Islam through the blessed companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), as he had foretold during his lifetime. Pre-Islamic Persia was filled the most heinous and disgusting practices en masse, like fire worship, the worshipping of royalty as if they were “divine,” incestuous marriages (i.e., brothers marrying sisters, etc.) to preserve royal lineage, and much more. Islam gave the people of Persia true honor and dignity, and Persia was a bastion of Islamic scholarship for centuries on end. Iran must return to its Islamic identity, as true greatness lies in following the Qur’an and Sunnah.
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Saudi Arabia: Idol Worship and Return to Jahiliyyah
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Pakistan and Bangladesh: Celebrating Hindu Culture
Both Pakistan and Bangladesh, while founded as Muslim-majority nations, continue to celebrate pre-Islamic, specifically polytheistic Hindu, cultural elements. In Pakistan, the legacy of the Indus Valley civilization often competes with Islamic history, while in Bangladesh, the focus on Bengali heritage romanticizes its Hindu past. This has been exacerbated in the region by Bollywood movies, which are spread like wildfire in both of these Muslim countries, promoting music, dancing, and fornication/adultery. These practices create divisions, as some ethnic groups in both countries prioritize cultural identity over the Islamic faith. Many families will become upset if a religious family member does not partake in these deplorable paganistic rituals. Part of these rituals also includes spending exorbitant amounts of money to compete with other families, ending in many resorting to riba (usury) based debts. This riba eventually bleeds out onto the society at large, increasing poverty, crime rates, and corruption. Islam had come to this region at the hands of leaders like Muhammad ibn Qasim, Shah Jalal, and others, who realized the dangers of paganism and established an Islamic system to save the populace from such evil and destructive behaviors. These evils included the killing of baby daughters, burning widows alive, worshipping for aeons supposed “god” animals, consuming their urine and feces, and much more. Many of these things are still practiced in Hinduism today. Instead of glorifying these ancient traditions, which are in reality cursed and evil, both nations must reconnect with their Islamic heritage and recognize that their true identity lies in the faith that brought them into the Muslim ummah and saved them from this disgusting lifestyle.
Conclusion: The Dangers of Focusing on Pre-Islamic Glory
The growing celebration of pre-Islamic cultures in Muslim-majority countries weakens the unity of the Muslim ummah and distracts from the shared faith that unites us. Whether it is through the glorification of ancient Arab, Egyptian, Persian, or Hindu cultures, these efforts threaten to dilute our blessed Islamic identity. We must heed the lessons of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), bearing in mind that the ruin of past nations should serve as a warning for us, not as a source of pride. This life is temporary, and our ultimate goal is to gain entry into heaven and to avoid the hellfire. This can only be achieved through a deep belief and conviction in Allah, His beloved Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and following their commands, which include what the customs and culture of a society should look like. Having complete trust in Allah that, as we follow His commands, we will be successful if we are truly sincere, it will give us the strength and courage to reject any sort of anti-Islamic evil, even if it is being forced upon us by external elements. True honor, unity, and greatness lie only in following the guidance of Islam, not in the glorification and remembrance of civilizations that turned away from Allah and were humiliated and destroyed.
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Also worth mentioning that the pharaoh symbolizes the modernist system in a sense. It is baffling to me that the slaves of Allah would entertain the idea of returning to the servitude of the pharaoh’s slaves.
It’s kinda dumb for the wester governments to promote all these old pagan religions when they had many illiberal beliefs like patriarchy and $l@v£ry and little to no freedom of religion and speech and even stuff that Islam doesn’t have like incest and burning widows and eating cow waste and human sacrifice and so many other illiberal beliefs I get they want to use these religions as it’s easier to liberalize people through false religions
But you really can’t as these religions are mostly dead the only way to liberalize these false religions the west will have to allow these countries to industrialize and to not interfere in their politics and let them liberalize and over time they can try to encourage them with their rubbish ideas . If they were that committed but of course they aren’t really the western governments and corporations they aren’t that committed to their ideologies as they claim
They are only committed to it as long as it makes the government and corporations and the elites tons of money watch had they saw that Islam would make them 10 times more the money if it meant promoting Islam and Islamic values and leaving the Muslims alone they would abandon liberalism as the western elites are motivated by money not religion or ideology which itself comes from liberal capitalism.
They’re probably doing all of this just to spite the muslims.
There is no reason aside from that from the mere fact that “islam overthrows them”.
there is also an ongoing attempt to Liberalize (per se) people here aswell in south east asia by seeking ways creating narratives on how glorious the Majapahit Empire and other Pre Islamic Kingdoms/Empires here in Indonesia
it’s probably happening much in many countries in the modern era despite the great numbers of Muslims, sadly
Gaye holud is also practiced by syloti muslims.But our marriage are still different compared to syloti hindus.However I married according to Quran,and sunnah free from pre islamic kufr and bidah.Many secularists,and liberals are also reviving pre islamic jahilliya for their agenda.But this removal of verses related from people of book was done during trump rule.Trump is actually a crypto liberals.
You are correct the thing is even in Pakistan marriage has been made so difficult and expensive that you have to spend a fortune to get married………..this leads to people taking loans and also makes the simple process of nikah complex leading to zina and other immoralities……….barat and all these things put stress upon the family of women and males charge more dowry than the supposed mahr they give.