Islam, December 1984

The Most Honorable Degree

Halil Necatioglu

If you ponder about the daily news, you will realize that we live in a time full of physical, spiritual, personal, social, political and military dangers, in a region very critical. There are so many international plots and intriques around us. Devoid of faith and knowledge, love and mercy, the ruling powers have created caos, shed blood and set fire in the world for their low ideals and temporary interests. Men has forgotten the Creator, the Day of Judgement and the torments of hell, abondened the justice and virtues, and attacking one another as hungry wolves.

In such a situations, what must we do as believers?

We Muslims have been praised in the Qur'an as the "best ummah brought to this world by Allah." We must pull ourselves together and remember our basic responsibility: we are given the duty of showing the mankind the truth and the good. We must remind the man that we all come from Prophet Adam (pbuh) and teach love, respect, self sacrifice, servitude, mercy. We must instill peace in hearts, ordain the good and forbid the evil (amr-i bil ma'ruf nahy-i anil munkar). We must stop the oppressor and the exploiter.

Ma'ruf is the sum of all deeds and works which are considered to be good and true by the intelligence and the religion. Munkar is the opposite of ma'ruf. As Muslims we love and want the intelligence, logic, conscience, justice, goodness and beauty; we oppose the meaningless, bullying, violence, oppression, exploiting, vulgarizm, rudeness, and shamelessness. we ordanin the good and forbid the evil just for the sake of Allah (SWT).

Daylami quoted from Sabwan (may Allah be pleased with him) Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to have said,

"Man amara bil-ma'rufi wa nahaya 'anil-munkari fahuwa khalifatul-lahi fil ardhi wa khalifatu kitabihi wa khalifatu rasulihi--whoever ordains the good and forbid the evil, he is the vicegerent of Allah, His Book and His Prophet on earth." What a high rank, what an honorable title!

Again, the prohet Muhammad (pbuh) said,

"la tazalu ta'ifatun min ummatî, qaimatun bi amrullahi la yadhurruhum man khadhelahum hatta ya'tiya amrullahi wa hum zahirûna 'alannas--A group of people among my ummah will continue to perform the orders of Allah until the end of this life. Those who refuse to help them and those who oppose them will not be able to harm them. They will be rulers and winners over mankind."

Our Lord, put us in this group. Make us serve in Your cause and follow Your Prophet closely. Protect us from the ignorant, the unaware, uninformed opponents, oppressors and their proponents. Keep Your Guidance with us, bless us success and help us in your remembrance, thankfullness, and worship.