Part 9
By Basham Shaheed
8. Forgetting the Islamic Mission, Losing Sight of Our Purpose, and Becoming Attached to This World
The first and greatest cause of the harm that has befallen the Muslim Ummah is that it has forgotten the mission for which it was brought into existence. This has weakened the Ummah, broken its unity, and stripped it of the strength that once held it together. It was for this mission that Allah Almighty chose this Ummah and honored it as the best nation raised for mankind.
The Holy Quran makes clear that the fundamental purpose behind the creation of mankind is the worship of Allah Almighty:
﴿وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ﴾ [الذاریات: 56]
“And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.”
(Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:56)
Allah Almighty also explains that the superiority of the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lies in serving humanity and guiding people toward what is good. The honor and dignity of Muslims lie in worshipping Allah and calling mankind to the life-giving message of Islam. As long as Muslims remained true to that mission, they stood at the forefront of the world in faith, knowledge, and political leadership. But as time passed, many became absorbed in worldly pursuits and material gain, forgetting the great responsibility entrusted to them, worshipping Allah Almighty and inviting humanity to Islam.
Once that mission was forgotten, the gradual decline of the Muslim Ummah began. Muslims found themselves trapped in a state of weakness and decline. It is a simple truth that nations live through their mission. When they lose it, they begin to die and eventually become nothing more than a chapter in history.
In reality, forgetting this mission and becoming attached to worldly life are two deadly diseases that have afflicted much of the Muslim world. For many Muslims today, the greatest concern has become accumulating wealth and enjoying the comforts of this life. It is precisely this danger that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) warned his Ummah about when he said:
«إِنَّ لِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ فِتْنَةً، وَإِنَّ فِتْنَةَ أُمَّتِي الْمَالُ»
“Verily, there is a Fitnah (trial) for every nation and the trial for my Ummah is wealth.”
Excessive love of this world has reached the point where many Muslims give little thought to the Hereafter or the Day of Judgment.
Forgetting the Islamic mission is the first cause of the Ummah’s decline because Allah Almighty has placed the honor and success of Muslims in following the Sharia brought by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Whenever Muslims abandon that path and turn instead toward worldly pursuits, they fall into humiliation.
Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) said:
«نحن قومٌ أعزَّنا اللهُ بالإسلام، فإن ابتغينا العزةَ بغيره أذلَّنا اللهُ.»
“We are a people who Allah has honoured with Islam, so whenever we seek to be honoured through other than it, Allah will bring us humiliation”
These words deserve to be written in letters of gold. From the day Muslims forgot their purpose and mission, turned toward worldly gain, and sought honor in something other than Islam, they became overwhelmed by humiliation and decline. The reality is simple. The Muslim Ummah will never regain its former honor and dignity until it revives its original mission and lives by the divine purpose for which Allah Almighty created it.
