In the 21st century, the struggle between Muslims and the mal’a is alive and open. We see that the mal’a of yesterday opposed the message of the Creator, and it is only natural for the mal’a of today to do the same. This struggle is the same struggle of Muhammad (saw). Quraish, opposed the Prophet (saw) because Islam demanded that they answer only to Allah (swt). The mal’a of today are worried that the return of the rule of Islam under the banner of Khilafah (or caliphate) will undermine their authority. The mal’a of today are none but the elite Capitalists including the politicians Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, and the business elites (e.g. Rockerfeller) who stand behind them. The mal’a of today oppose Islam because they know that Islam will limit their authority and restrict their control on society and that would affect their elitism status.
Last year, Tom DeLay, majority leader in the House of Representatives, was indicted by a grand jury. The charges were brought up against DeLay based on allegations that he was involved with “Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee” (TRMPAC); a front organization that illegally collected donations from corporate sponsors. “The charge against Texans for a Republican Majority alleges the committee illegally accepted a political contribution of $100,000 from the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care and $20,000 from AT&T” (Guardian). According to media reports in Texas, state law bans corporate money from being spent in connection with political campaigns.
However, the Canadians were not to be outdone. According to the CBC, the president of the Canadian Mint, David Dingwall, and his top aides racked up total government expenses of more than $740,000 last year. In addition, Dingwall has allegedly been working as a “un- registered lobbyist” (it is mandatory for lobbyists to be registered) and was to receive a contingency fee of $350,000 from Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., if the company was able to secure at least $15-million of funding under the department's Technology Partnerships Canada program”. Contingency fees under this program are illegal.
Wealth, corruption and politics
It is no wonder that people have become cynical about politics. Regardless if one is in the East or West, one can expect politicians to engage in corruption with the goal of personal enrichment. However, these individuals are not exactly poor – they are in fact wealthy to begin with. In the wake of the Enron scandal, Alan Greenspan termed the phenomenon “infectious greed” – too much is never enough. This is a result of man rejecting the creator guidance and following man-made falsehood; Capitalism. However, this is how it has always been. Allah (swt) revealed that:
“Whenever We have sent a warner to a town, its wealthy residents have said: “We surely disbelieve in what you are sent with.” They say: “We have more wealth and children, which indicates that our gods are happy with us so we shall never be punished.” [TMQ 34:34-35]
These ayat bring up an important issue. If wealthy individuals did not heed the proofs and warnings of the Prophets (as), then it is quite unlikely that they are going to care about man-made law.
Who are the “mal’a”?
When we read the stories of the Prophets (as) and the seerah of Muhammad (saw), we see that there was always a section of society that vehemently opposed the deen of Allah (swt). For example:
“We sent Nuh to his people. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. I fear for you the Punishment of a dreadful Day! The mal’a of his people said: "Surely we see that you are in evident error." [TMQ 7:59-60]
“To the people of ‘Ad, We selected their brother Hüd, who said: "O my people! Worship Allah! you have no god but Him. Will you not fear Him?" The mal’a of his nation who denied his message said: “we can see that you are crazy and we think that you are lying.” [TMQ 7:65-66]
“The mal’a who disbelieved from among his nation said: "If you follow Shu'aib, you shall indeed be losers!" [TMQ 7:90]
“The mal’a of Fir'aun's nation asked him: "Will you leave Musa and his nation free to commit mischief in the land, and to forsake you and your gods?" He said: "We will put their sons to death and spare their daughters; we have irresistible power over them.” [TMQ 7:127]
Their mal’a go about saying: "Pay no heed, stand firm in the service of your gods; this (slogan of one God) is designed (against you)! "We have not heard such a thing from anyone of the people of latter days: it is nothing but a fabrication." [TMQ 38: 6-7]
(The verses refer to the missions of Nuh (as), Hud (as), Shu’aib (as), Musa (as), and Muhammad (saw). The last set of verses refers to the exchange between Muhammad (saw) and the “mal’a” of Quraish. Abu Talib was on his death bed, and Quraish thought they could dissuade Muhammad (saw) from propagating Islam.)
From these ayat we see a clear pattern. When the Prophets (as) tried to propagate the deen of Allah (swt), they were always opposed by the mal’a. According to the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, mal’a is translated as “the general public, chiefs, commanders and great ones” In other words, the mal’a are the elite section of the society. Is it surprising that such people would oppose the deen of Allah (swt)? Not really. In fact, the elite of any disbelieving society – from Nuh (as) till today – benefit from the “law and order” that presides over society. However, to understand exactly why the mal’a (elite) opposed the Messengers (as), one needs to understand how societies function.
Societies need more than just people to maintain themselves as cohesive structures. Society exists because its members entertain “permanent relations”. These relations are based on a society-wide consensus on benefit and harm. This consensus manifests itself in practice in the form of common thoughts, common emotions and laws. Now, if a certain category of society, such as the elite, benefits more than others from this consensus, than it would be in their interest to protect and strengthen the existing consensus, i.e. the thoughts, emotions and laws. For example, the elite-funded media demonizes anyone who offers an alternative ideology or works to replace the prevailing system with a new system. Failure to do so, will result in that society heading in a new direction
Applying this understanding of society to the context of the Messengers (as) it becomes quite clear why the mal’a would oppose the deen of Allah (swt). The mal’a had to make a choice between the current way of doing things and the way of Allah (swt). If you look at it from their perspective, they had to choose either between their thrones, their prestige, their wealth, and their pride or submitting their will to Allah (swt). That is, there was no guarantee that the “order of Allah” would favour them in the same way. In fact, since these societies usually made up lies about Allah (swt) or associated partners with Him, it was the mal’a who actually controlled the reality in their own favour. Consequently, they would have to relinquish control to Allah (swt). We all have seen this dilemma confronting the mal’a of Quraish. Before the arrival of Muhammad (saw), people from all over Arabia used to come to make pilgrimage to Makkah. But this also had implications on the economics of Quraish. When the people used to make the pilgrimage, they used to bring their goods for trade, and Quraish used to tax the trade and even defraud the poor villagers. As Allah (swt) revealed:
“Those who do not wish to be guided say: “If we go along with you and accept this guidance, we shall be driven out from our land." But have We not given them a secure sanctuary to which are brought the fruits of all kinds as a provision from Us? But most of them have no knowledge.” [TMQ 28:57]
Also, Quraish used to have contests on who could feed the poor pilgrims to demonstrate one’s elite status in society, as Allah (swt) revealed:
“Have you made those who provide water to the pilgrims and maintain the Masjid-al-Harãm equal to those who believe in Allah, the Last Day and make Jihãd? They are not equal in the sight of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoers.” [TMQ 9:19]
Thus, to admit that there was no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (saw) was the Messenger, was to abolish the idolatry, was to abolish their unfair economy laws, and was to abolish their pride and prestige of the mal’a.
Similarly today, we should not be surprised when the elite of today claim to achieve goodness for humanity, when in fact they are wreaking havoc. Allah (swt) revealed:
“When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only want to make peace!" Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not.” [TMQ 2:11-12]
Mal’a and the “Successor of the Prophet (saw)”
In the 21st century, the struggle between Muslims and the mal’a is alive and open. We see that the mal’a of yesterday opposed the message of the Creator, and it is only natural for the mal’a of today to do the same. This struggle is the same struggle of Muhammad (saw). Quraish, opposed the Prophet (saw) because Islam demanded that they answer only to Allah (swt). The mal’a of today are worried that the return of the rule of Islam under the banner of Khilafah (or caliphate) will undermine their authority. The mal’a of today are none but the elite Capitalists including the politicians Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, and the business elites (e.g. Rockerfeller) who stand behind them. The mal’a of today oppose Islam because they know that Islam will limit their authority and restrict their control on society and that would affect their elitism status.
Therefore, the elite have openly expressed their hatred for Islam and the rule of Allah (swt), i.e. the Caliphate:
● When Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s former Secretary of State, was asked was the principle threat of the age, he replied: “There are three fundamental problems: the first is what we call terrorism in the US, but which is really the uprising of radical Islam against the secular world, and against the democratic world, on behalf of re-establishing a sort of Caliphate.”
● Blair in his speech after 7/7 denounced the idea of "en route to one Caliphate of all Muslim nations” and went on to suggest banning Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a non-violent Islamic political party working to re-establish the Khilafah.
● Secretary of defense Rumsfeld demonizes the notion of “re-establishing a caliphate in the world” at press conferences.
Therefore, as Muslims we should recognize that the core issue today between the Ummah and Capitalism is the level of involvement that Allah (swt) should have in society. The Capitalists usurp Allah’s right to rule and limit Allah’s Sovereignty to the home.
Are we going to accept this? No, we can never accept this. This is a matter of tawhid and a matter of aqeedah. This is part of our covenant with Allah (swt).
May Allah (swt) help us to establish His Rule on earth, so He may be worshipped as He is supposed to be worshipped.
Muslims are called to this work because it will guarantee honor in this life and happiness in the hereafter.
O you who believe! Answer (the call of) Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life; and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered. [TMQ 8:24]
Source
Last year, Tom DeLay, majority leader in the House of Representatives, was indicted by a grand jury. The charges were brought up against DeLay based on allegations that he was involved with “Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee” (TRMPAC); a front organization that illegally collected donations from corporate sponsors. “The charge against Texans for a Republican Majority alleges the committee illegally accepted a political contribution of $100,000 from the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care and $20,000 from AT&T” (Guardian). According to media reports in Texas, state law bans corporate money from being spent in connection with political campaigns.
However, the Canadians were not to be outdone. According to the CBC, the president of the Canadian Mint, David Dingwall, and his top aides racked up total government expenses of more than $740,000 last year. In addition, Dingwall has allegedly been working as a “un- registered lobbyist” (it is mandatory for lobbyists to be registered) and was to receive a contingency fee of $350,000 from Bioniche Life Sciences Inc., if the company was able to secure at least $15-million of funding under the department's Technology Partnerships Canada program”. Contingency fees under this program are illegal.
Wealth, corruption and politics
It is no wonder that people have become cynical about politics. Regardless if one is in the East or West, one can expect politicians to engage in corruption with the goal of personal enrichment. However, these individuals are not exactly poor – they are in fact wealthy to begin with. In the wake of the Enron scandal, Alan Greenspan termed the phenomenon “infectious greed” – too much is never enough. This is a result of man rejecting the creator guidance and following man-made falsehood; Capitalism. However, this is how it has always been. Allah (swt) revealed that:
“Whenever We have sent a warner to a town, its wealthy residents have said: “We surely disbelieve in what you are sent with.” They say: “We have more wealth and children, which indicates that our gods are happy with us so we shall never be punished.” [TMQ 34:34-35]
These ayat bring up an important issue. If wealthy individuals did not heed the proofs and warnings of the Prophets (as), then it is quite unlikely that they are going to care about man-made law.
Who are the “mal’a”?
When we read the stories of the Prophets (as) and the seerah of Muhammad (saw), we see that there was always a section of society that vehemently opposed the deen of Allah (swt). For example:
“We sent Nuh to his people. He said: "O my people! Worship Allah! You have no other god but Him. I fear for you the Punishment of a dreadful Day! The mal’a of his people said: "Surely we see that you are in evident error." [TMQ 7:59-60]
“To the people of ‘Ad, We selected their brother Hüd, who said: "O my people! Worship Allah! you have no god but Him. Will you not fear Him?" The mal’a of his nation who denied his message said: “we can see that you are crazy and we think that you are lying.” [TMQ 7:65-66]
“The mal’a who disbelieved from among his nation said: "If you follow Shu'aib, you shall indeed be losers!" [TMQ 7:90]
“The mal’a of Fir'aun's nation asked him: "Will you leave Musa and his nation free to commit mischief in the land, and to forsake you and your gods?" He said: "We will put their sons to death and spare their daughters; we have irresistible power over them.” [TMQ 7:127]
Their mal’a go about saying: "Pay no heed, stand firm in the service of your gods; this (slogan of one God) is designed (against you)! "We have not heard such a thing from anyone of the people of latter days: it is nothing but a fabrication." [TMQ 38: 6-7]
(The verses refer to the missions of Nuh (as), Hud (as), Shu’aib (as), Musa (as), and Muhammad (saw). The last set of verses refers to the exchange between Muhammad (saw) and the “mal’a” of Quraish. Abu Talib was on his death bed, and Quraish thought they could dissuade Muhammad (saw) from propagating Islam.)
From these ayat we see a clear pattern. When the Prophets (as) tried to propagate the deen of Allah (swt), they were always opposed by the mal’a. According to the tafsir of Ibn Kathir, mal’a is translated as “the general public, chiefs, commanders and great ones” In other words, the mal’a are the elite section of the society. Is it surprising that such people would oppose the deen of Allah (swt)? Not really. In fact, the elite of any disbelieving society – from Nuh (as) till today – benefit from the “law and order” that presides over society. However, to understand exactly why the mal’a (elite) opposed the Messengers (as), one needs to understand how societies function.
Societies need more than just people to maintain themselves as cohesive structures. Society exists because its members entertain “permanent relations”. These relations are based on a society-wide consensus on benefit and harm. This consensus manifests itself in practice in the form of common thoughts, common emotions and laws. Now, if a certain category of society, such as the elite, benefits more than others from this consensus, than it would be in their interest to protect and strengthen the existing consensus, i.e. the thoughts, emotions and laws. For example, the elite-funded media demonizes anyone who offers an alternative ideology or works to replace the prevailing system with a new system. Failure to do so, will result in that society heading in a new direction
Applying this understanding of society to the context of the Messengers (as) it becomes quite clear why the mal’a would oppose the deen of Allah (swt). The mal’a had to make a choice between the current way of doing things and the way of Allah (swt). If you look at it from their perspective, they had to choose either between their thrones, their prestige, their wealth, and their pride or submitting their will to Allah (swt). That is, there was no guarantee that the “order of Allah” would favour them in the same way. In fact, since these societies usually made up lies about Allah (swt) or associated partners with Him, it was the mal’a who actually controlled the reality in their own favour. Consequently, they would have to relinquish control to Allah (swt). We all have seen this dilemma confronting the mal’a of Quraish. Before the arrival of Muhammad (saw), people from all over Arabia used to come to make pilgrimage to Makkah. But this also had implications on the economics of Quraish. When the people used to make the pilgrimage, they used to bring their goods for trade, and Quraish used to tax the trade and even defraud the poor villagers. As Allah (swt) revealed:
“Those who do not wish to be guided say: “If we go along with you and accept this guidance, we shall be driven out from our land." But have We not given them a secure sanctuary to which are brought the fruits of all kinds as a provision from Us? But most of them have no knowledge.” [TMQ 28:57]
Also, Quraish used to have contests on who could feed the poor pilgrims to demonstrate one’s elite status in society, as Allah (swt) revealed:
“Have you made those who provide water to the pilgrims and maintain the Masjid-al-Harãm equal to those who believe in Allah, the Last Day and make Jihãd? They are not equal in the sight of Allah, and Allah does not guide the wrongdoers.” [TMQ 9:19]
Thus, to admit that there was no god but Allah, and that Muhammad (saw) was the Messenger, was to abolish the idolatry, was to abolish their unfair economy laws, and was to abolish their pride and prestige of the mal’a.
Similarly today, we should not be surprised when the elite of today claim to achieve goodness for humanity, when in fact they are wreaking havoc. Allah (swt) revealed:
“When it is said to them: "Make not mischief on the earth," they say: "Why, we only want to make peace!" Of a surety, they are the ones who make mischief, but they realise (it) not.” [TMQ 2:11-12]
Mal’a and the “Successor of the Prophet (saw)”
In the 21st century, the struggle between Muslims and the mal’a is alive and open. We see that the mal’a of yesterday opposed the message of the Creator, and it is only natural for the mal’a of today to do the same. This struggle is the same struggle of Muhammad (saw). Quraish, opposed the Prophet (saw) because Islam demanded that they answer only to Allah (swt). The mal’a of today are worried that the return of the rule of Islam under the banner of Khilafah (or caliphate) will undermine their authority. The mal’a of today are none but the elite Capitalists including the politicians Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, and the business elites (e.g. Rockerfeller) who stand behind them. The mal’a of today oppose Islam because they know that Islam will limit their authority and restrict their control on society and that would affect their elitism status.
Therefore, the elite have openly expressed their hatred for Islam and the rule of Allah (swt), i.e. the Caliphate:
● When Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s former Secretary of State, was asked was the principle threat of the age, he replied: “There are three fundamental problems: the first is what we call terrorism in the US, but which is really the uprising of radical Islam against the secular world, and against the democratic world, on behalf of re-establishing a sort of Caliphate.”
● Blair in his speech after 7/7 denounced the idea of "en route to one Caliphate of all Muslim nations” and went on to suggest banning Hizb-ut-Tahrir, a non-violent Islamic political party working to re-establish the Khilafah.
● Secretary of defense Rumsfeld demonizes the notion of “re-establishing a caliphate in the world” at press conferences.
Therefore, as Muslims we should recognize that the core issue today between the Ummah and Capitalism is the level of involvement that Allah (swt) should have in society. The Capitalists usurp Allah’s right to rule and limit Allah’s Sovereignty to the home.
Are we going to accept this? No, we can never accept this. This is a matter of tawhid and a matter of aqeedah. This is part of our covenant with Allah (swt).
May Allah (swt) help us to establish His Rule on earth, so He may be worshipped as He is supposed to be worshipped.
Muslims are called to this work because it will guarantee honor in this life and happiness in the hereafter.
O you who believe! Answer (the call of) Allah and His Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life; and know that Allah intervenes between man and his heart, and that to Him you shall be gathered. [TMQ 8:24]
Source
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