FAITH:
foundation of every group is laid down on a few such rational, mental, emotional and spiritual considerations and beliefs in which every individual of the group has unstinted faith and reliance. As such as much as faith is perfect and superb the group will be stronger and powerful in the same proportion, that is, it will act upon more vigorously and steadfastly upon other four principles. The exalted companions of the Holy Prophet who have been mentioned above had the basic belief that the creator and sustainer of this universe is Allah alone; Muhammad is his subject and messenger who has been born to guide and lead the human race.
This guidance comes to us through revelation whose collection is known as the Quran. This belief apparently has three parts, Allah, Prophet and the Quran. But the real one is only Allah because he has created Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and He has revealed the Quran. Therefore the foundation of this belief is Allah and Allah alone who is all powerful and unique in every way. For this reason this belief is called belief in the Unity of Allah.
UNITY OF ALLAH:
History proves that the nations which believed in the Unity of Allah progresses so fast that people are bewildered. For example, take the case of Protestants. Christians paved their way towards progress and prosperity after coming into existence of this sect. similarly is the case with Arya Samaj which came into existence in the last century. This sect claims to believe in one God. Their belief in one God is so significant in comparison of Islamic belief on one Allah as gold is to copper because these people though taking Allah as all powerful and everlasting accept soul and matter as permanent and everlasting with Allah. Despite this spurious Unity of Allah, they raised the Hindus from the slumber of thousands of years and have infused in them new and have infused in them new spirit of unity and organization which is not hidden to the thinking mind and to those who have reflected upon the present day awakening among the Hindus. Now the question arises after all what is hidden in this belief which is so much effective and workable in the development and prosperity of the group and the nation. There are many reasons.
Firstly the thing which is always visible to the naked eye loses its prestige and respect. As Allah is not visible and seen, there is no decrease in his prestige and respect. Secondly the thing which remains before our eyes, man knows its qualities, habits and nature slowly and gradually. As Allah is not visible, man can never know his real nature. Therefore, he lives between fear and hope so that he is neither careless not hopeless.
Thirdly the believer in Allah knows that the idols of non believers and heretics have been created by Allah. Hence he neither fears their god nor the non believers. Fourthly as the Momin does not bend his head to any body except Allah and expects no help from anybody hence he is free from servile mentality. Fifthly, believers in Allah never lose their power of action as they knows that Allah never does any work by Himself but helps those who help themselves. Therefore, they go on working and struggling in the hope of help of Allah and believe in their success. Contrary to this those who believe in powers other than Allah, for example, pirs, and saints, as they see them present before their eyes, do not act and struggle for themselves and become careless hoping in the fulfillment of their desire through the blessings and amulets of Pir Sahib and why should they labour at all. In this way they lose their power of efforts and struggle.
The sixth reason in spiritual those who have perfect faith in Allah possess in their heart such warmth and magnetic power which carries them through hard struggle and privation cheerfully. And they never get tired. Seventhly, these Momins believe that if they continue acting upon Allah’s orders and injunction they will be successful in this world and will get better paradise and unlimited blessings in the next world. Hence they never hesitate in making any sacrifice. They never even think while spending the last farthing of their wealth what will they eat next day. What to speak of wealth and treasure, even if they have to sacrifice their life, they do it as if they re going to their own home and hearth for distant lands. Contrary to this those who believe in powers whose defects and faults can be proved judiciously or whose dilapidation and destruction can be seen with naked eyes; when the defect of their duties come to light or are known to them or when they themselves see them withering away, how can they sustain their faith in them? Hence whenever such an occasion arises, they lose their faith and their collective strength evaporates. Whenever the Muslims came face to face with idolaters and infidels the result was expected.
How could handful soldiers of Muslim armies defeat the huge mass of Hindu soldiers? The reason were that after seeing their destines in Muthra, Kangra and Somnath being destroyed, they lost their faith and their combined strength was shattered. As long as the Muslims maintained their belief in Allah, they were never over powered but gradually as they deviated from it they also became weak. And when the worship of on Allah was replaced by worship of individuals: pir, grave, tazia, wealth, rulers and other types of worships, Allah withdrew His help and grace from them and left them in the abyss of degradation and dishonor where they are lying today and looking to others for help and succor. However, it was a psychological approach and enunciation but in reality those who have unstinted belief in Allah, feel in reality His love and affection in their heart and see His help and succor dawning upon them. This is the reason that they are never fault full whatever may be their trail and tribulation. They know that Allah does not give them troubles in order to make them suffer but to make their character more perfect so that they may be ready to receive His blessings.
Because of this faith and belief they are saturated with such as urge of peace and pleasure before them all the misfortunes and troubles of the world have no value at all. What to speak of the past days and time even in modern time to degradation whenever there is any challenge between an idolater and Muslim, the world has been astonished to see his (Muslim) performance. I related to you a true incident of a Momin which will convince you what is called belief in Allah, and is its power. This was relate to me by a Sikh and is described in his own word. He says, “ in September 1947 when we and Hindus decided to mass murder of Muslims in Delhi, we make it a point to make a group of ten to twenty persons and went to villages in the outskirts of the city and wherever we saw Muslims we killed them.
We continued to do so far twenty to thirty days. As the days passed we got lesser and lesser Muslims to kill and many groups came without hunting and Muslim. One day we were coming back home, we met a Muslim near the Company Bagh. He was very lean and think and weak. He was tall, black and has a small beard. He was wearing a dirty lungi and the dirty khaddar shirt. We made him halt and told him to come with us, He said, “where?” I told him, “ I will kill you.” What is my fault “? He replied”. In reply somebody said, Are you not Muslim?” “By God I am”, he replied. I told him that I would kill you for this very reason. He said: “Well, if it is so do it, there can be no better death than this”. Hence we tool him to the Company Bagh. Somebody told him there, Mian Sahib, if you want to save yourself you can do it, He said, “How?” I replied: “Become a Sikh and I shall let you go”. It appeared that he did not understand the alternative. He said, what does it means? I told him that it means this, “Leave your faith and become a Sikh”. Hearing this, there was change in him. His face became red and he saw me intently. His eyes were red hot and giving out sparks of fire and there came forth foam from his mouth. He cried out and said. I… your faith… you so of an infidel, I am a Musalman, “I tell you” He said “You become Musalman otherwise I shall kill you to a man: Hearing this we started cutting jokes with him and one Sardar ji had hardly gone two steps that like a lightening he humped and snatched away the kirpan from Sardar ji and went ten yards away and said. “ Come; let me see who make me a Sikh. Quick, come forward your cowards”. Hearing this we all made combined attack on hi. We were still at a distance from him that he said Al-laa-hu Ak-bar and jumped. We saw that two Sikhs were lying on the ground. We were not still ready that he again humped and killed another sikh. Now I got angry. I cried Sat Sri Akal and attacked him and tried that he should be surrounded from all sides.
But he was like a lightening. He never allowed any body to get nearer to him. Every time he cried Al-lla-hu Ak-bar he killed one or two persons. Hearing the loud cries of slogans and counters slogans many Sikhs came out and their homes and joined in the fight. But he was still not under control. The fight lasted nearly half and hour and many Sikhs were killed, in the end many Sikhs came with long spears and began to pierce him from distance. In this way he was badly injured and got tired but continued fighting. Al last one spear broke his hip bone and penetrated his heart and losing his breath eh fell down on the ground. One Sardar ji while abusing him said: did you see the result? He replied, “O son of an infidel, yes I have seen it. I have given my life to taste it, had you felt what I am feeling, you would have become Musalman and fought the Sikhs and become a martyr. After this he uttered nothing. He recited the Kalima and after a few minutes died. When I counted, eighteen people were killed and eleven were seriously injured. I said, “We came across only one Muslim, if like him collect together two to four thousand what can they do God only knows.”
Did you see what a Momin can be? What will happen if they are a few thousand? In reality Momins are like this. Though in ordinary conditions he is sweeter than honey and softer then silk but when need arises he is more sour than poison and harder then steel. He laughs and death and dies in the wish of martyrdom. If the chance permits he fights alone; he does not need a sword or gun!
Infidels relay upon swords;
But if he is Momin, he fights without it
This was an ordinary miracle of faith in Allah. Now listen to the story of a man with weaker faith. In those same days, that is, September 1947, when Muslim blood was flowing like water, their houses were burning and their property looted ands women were molested and reaped, Mahatama Gandhi visited a Muslim area and stayed at the house of a famous Congressite Musalman for several hours so that he could pacify them after listening to their grievance. When Muslims came t o know about the presence of Mahatama Gandhi many of them collected around him and narrated their difficulties and troubles. Mahatama Gandhi consoled them and promised to look into their difficulties. In the mean while a very famous Congressite Moulvi came to him. Gandhi je respected him very much. Seeing him he stood up and making him sti besides himself asked: “How have you come Moulana? Hearing this MOulana burst into tears and cried out. “ Mahatama ji … I want… only this much.. That you same… my life and lives of my children” while uttering this he was sobbing and sobbing. Seeing this Gandi je told him with utmost consolation, “ Moulana , Moulana, I say like this to my Lord. Hearing this the Moulana cried more and more and Gandhi je said the same thing again and again. But the Moulana kept on crying. Gandhi ji turned his face away and told the house owner: “Please make him understand”. What a difference between this and that. The story which was related earlier was perhaps of an illiterate Musalman and here was the leader of Muslims claiming vice-gerency of the Holy Prophet.
In fine, this was the perfection of faith of the earlier Muslims which was the cause of their prosperity and even today if such a spirit regenerates even among ten to fifteen percent of Muslims not to speak of in the majority, they can achieve the same glory. How can this type of faith be created? It will be narrated at the proper place. Now to the second principle of the collective life.
