The return of Salahuddin al-Ayyubi

They say that history repeats itself. Previous events and happenings reoccur and unfold in new and mysterious ways, sometimes they surprise us and sometimes even they shock us but as cognisant believers in the path to God we must learn from our past and re-enact the glory days our ancestors enjoyed.

Often, an external event outside our control and authority and in many occasions events orchestrated by our foes and adversaries awaken us and provoke us to evaluate our situation and guide our future course of action. The calamity that the people of Gaza faced and are continuing to face shouId help us evaluate our individual and collective actions. They should give us some perspective in life and the true reality of the life of the dunya, Insha’Allah. I received a contemplative email of a statement made buy the great and just ruler Salahuddin al-Ayyubi and thought that I’d share it with the readers.

After uniting the Muslims, Sultan Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi reconquered Jerusalem in 1187 CE from the Crusaders. Unlike the occupiers he granted freedom to those who wanted to leave and did not allow massacres to take place. The current mess in Palestine can be summed up by Salahuddin’s own statement, which is more relevant today than ever.

“We hope in Allah Most High, to whom be praise, who leads the hearts of Muslims to calm, what torments them and ruins their prosperity. Where is the sense of honour of the Muslims? The pride of the believers? The zeal of the faithful? We shall never cease to be amazed at how the disbelievers for their part have shown trusts, and it is the Muslims who have been lacking in zeal. Not one of them has responded to the call. Not one intervenes to straighten what is distorted; but observe how the Franks (the Crusaders) have gone. What unity they have achieved. What aims they pursue.

“What help they have given. What sums of money they have borrowed and spent. What wealth they have collected and distributed and divided amongst them.

“There is not a king left in their lands or Islands, not a lord or a rich man who has not competed with his neighbour to produce more support and rival his peer in strenuous military efforts. In defence of their religion they consider it a small thing to spend life and soul and they have kept their disbelieving brothers supplied with arms and champions of war.

“The Muslims on the other hand are weakened and demoralised; they have become negligent and lazy, victims of unproductive stupefaction and completely lacking in enthusiasm. If, Allah forbid, Islam should draw reign, obscure her splendour, blunt her sword there would be no one, east or west, far or near, who would blaze the zeal for Allah’s religion, or choose to come to the aid of truth against error. This is the moment to cast off laziness, to summon from far and near all those men who have blood in their veins.

“But we are confident (referring to himself and the small party of believers who began with him and then became a large party) – thanks to Allah – in the help that will come from him and entrust ourselves to him in sincerity of purpose and deepest devotion. Insha’Allah, the disbelievers shall perish and the faithful have a sure deliverance.” [Taken from Kitab Al-Rawdatayn]

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Nota Bene

Dear witch-hunters in chief of the Mail, Evening Standard, the Telegraph and all others,

Just to be very clear – I am not justifying, endorsing or otherwise calling for British Muslims to go to Gaza and fight! This is only an illustration of how Muslims are demoralised and weak today as they were in earlier times.

As we all know, it would be illegal for Muslims to go to Gaza and fight the Israelis. Of course, you already know that many British Jews go to Israel to volunteer for the Israeli Occupation Force, which is perfectly legal. An exposé of this anytime soon? Unlikely…