بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
I pray that you are well.
It is a recurring theme in the Muslim history that when the Muslims have sincerity towards the religion of Allah, they achieved victory. Allah opened up the land for the Muslims. When the Muslims prospered, they became corrupt and greedy and that led to the downfall.
In times when the Muslims were in hardship--when they were living in poverty and being attacked, the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, predicted to the Companions that in the future Allah will sprout forth blessings of the land, that they would gain great wealth, and this was what he feared for them the most--WEALTH. The companions used to eat the 2 black thing -- dates and water. In rare occasions when they have bread, salt and oil, this was a great feast to them and they thank Allah profusely! Look at us! Meat/fish/beans 3+ course meals everyday! And what have we become!
Narrated Abu Sa`id Al−Khudri, Allah be pleased with him: Once the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, sat on a pulpit and we sat around him. Then he said, "The things I am afraid of most for your sake (concerning what will befall you after me) is the pleasures and splendors of the world and its beauties which will be disclosed to you." Somebody said, "O Allah's Apostle! Can the good bring forth evil?" The Prophet remained silent for a while. It was said to that person, "What is wrong with you? You are talking to the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he is not talking to you." Then we noticed that he was being inspired divinely. Then the Prophet wiped off his sweat and said, "Where is the questioner?" It seemed as if the Prophet liked his question. Then he said, "Good never brings forth evil. Indeed it is like what grows on the banks of a water−stream which either kill or make the animals sick, except if an animal eats its fill the Khadira (a kind of vegetable) and then faces the sun, and then defecates and urinates and grazes again. No doubt this wealth is sweet and green. Blessed is the wealth of a Muslim from which he gives to the poor, the orphans and to needy travelers. (Or the Prophet said something similar to it) No doubt, whoever takes it illegally will be like the one who eats but is never satisfied, and his wealth will be a witness against him on the Day of Resurrection." Bukhari
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "The best of my ummah is my generation, then those who follow them, then those who follow them... Then, after them, people will come who will testify only for their own interests, be treacherous, violate their vows, and they will become fat." Bukhari.
How did the companions become the best of nation? It happened in adversity. The companions went through many trying times. Adversity makes people strong. Fearing Allah and living a life of piety and uprightness result in Allah open great bounty to the land.
The concerns of the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, came true in Andalus, Muslim Spain. The great Muslim empire began here. Muslims came in Andalus, prospered and became lazy and fat. So they lose everything. When there is no sense of self sacrifice and well wishing for others everybody fight to take their piece and self destruct. One of the sunnah of Allah is Muslims win against all odds, when the odds are with them, they lose. The sunnah of history is when people become greedy everything fell apart. This is how Muslim empire and all great empires rise and fall. Indeed, the dunya is the root of all evils.
If we learn our history correctly and learn from the lessons of our history, we will not have the energy to sit back and just go with the flow of our times. We will not sit and fatten ourselves as if we are not fat already. Instead we will find time to build and strengthen our communities--support the community masjid and its activities, take care of our youths who are drifting away from Islam because we are too busy trying to fatten them and ourselves.
May Allah give us tawfiq. Ameen.
Please do not forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
