بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

,والصلاة والسلام على سيد المرسلين

,اللهم اغفر للمسلمين والمسلمات، والمؤمنين والمؤمنات، الأحياء منهم والأموات

:اما بعد

Amongst the complex global challenges and injustices facing the Muslim Ummah, there is a growing concern that true masculinity that is defined by the Prophet’s (ﷺ) characteristics, such as, courage, integrity, adherence to and understanding of obligations and a commitment to justice has been lost at large. This decline in essential virtues has extensive implications for our ability to address issues such as the plight of the Palestinians, the accountability of the hypocritical Muslim leaders, and the need to challenge silence disguised as wisdom in the Western world.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: “A strong believer is better and is more lovable to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone, (but) cherish that which gives you benefit (in the Hereafter) and seek help from Allah and do not lose heart, and if anything (in the form of trouble) comes to you, don’t say: If I had not done that, it would not have happened so and so, but say: Allah did that what He had ordained to do”

(Sahih Muslim 2664)

Standing for Palestine: Action Over Words

One of the most saddening outcomes of this situation is the passive response to the ongoing struggle of our Palestinian brothers and sisters. While social media activism has its place, it falls short when compared to direct, tangible support. True bravery demands more than sharing posts; for Muslims residing in the West, it necessitates active involvement, whether through financial contributions, advocacy, raising awareness in our communities, calling out the people remaining silent, facilitating the removal of the hypocrites or actively calling the Muslim armies that are turning a blind eye to the obligation of Jihad’. By enabling the principles of courage and solidarity, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those facing oppression and revert back to what the Quran and Sunnah teach us.

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), said, “Whoever among you sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart, which is the weakest level of faith.”

(Sahih Muslim 49)

Today’s world is dominated by Kufr’ and the defeatist and colonised mentality has become a cancer amongst the Muslim Ummah. It seems that the Muslim Ummah across the world is occupied similarly to how the Palestinians are occupied. It goes to the extent that the Muslim Ummah negate the commands of Allah (ﷻ) and the actions of the Prophet (ﷺ), either knowingly, or from a place of ignorance and it should be noted that, as a Muslim, that submits his entire will to the will of the Creator (ﷻ), he should do so whole-heartledy, without a fear of other than Allah (ﷻ). By performing according to what Allah (ﷻ) commands, submitting whole-heartedly to His (ﷻ) will, and then putting trust in Allah (ﷻ), there would no longer remain an excuse as to why certain commands and actions are not being followed.

All of the activities taking place across the world to spread awareness of the situation of Palestine, although they have their place, do not stem from the Islamic tradition and the commands of Allah (ﷻ). If we create our own solutions, inferior to the solutions of the Lord of the Universe (ﷻ), the Muslim Ummah is inferring that Allah’s (ﷻ) solution is not good enough. How is the Muslim Ummah expecting the support of the Creator (ﷻ) when this is the premise?

Confronting Hypocrisy and Leadership Failures

Another aspect of the issues lies in the reluctance to hold the leaders accountable for their actions or inactions. Many self-proclaimed Muslim leaders exhibit hypocrisy, claiming to represent our values while perpetuating injustice or remaining silent in the face of atrocities. For instance, Saudi Arabia is now arresting civilians that actively post about Palestine and criticise Israel in readiness for their normalisation talks with the illegal occupying state of Israel and similarly, the UAE and Israel established diplomatic ties in August 2020 as a part of the US led Abrahamic Accords. Another factor to understand is, the Muslim military power as a combined unit far exceeds Israel’s military capabilities, yet none of the Muslims unite for the sake of Allah (swt) and for the sake of completing what was made obligatory upon the Muslims.

Allah (ﷻ) mentions in the Holy Quran:

“They have made their oaths a shield, and thus they have prevented (others) from the way of Allah. Surely evil is what they have been doing. That is because they declared faith (in Islam apparently), then disbelieved (secretly). Therefore a seal has been set on their hearts, and thus they do not understand.”

(Surah Al-Munafiqun, 63:2–3)

Allah (ﷻ) then says:

“O you who believe, your riches and your children must not divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And those who do that are the losers.”

(Surah Al-Munafiqun, 63:9)

And Allah (ﷻ) says:

“The hypocrites, males and females, are all alike. They enjoin the evil and forbid the good and withhold their hands (from spending in Allah’s way). They forgot Allah, so He forgot them. Indeed, the hypocrites are the sinners.”

(Surah At-Tawbah, 9:67)

True masculinity entails speaking truth to power, demanding transparency, and promoting leaders who genuinely embody Islamic principles. By challenging hypocrisy within our ranks, we pave the way for a just and principled society, based on what Allah (ﷻ) has prescribed for us in the Holy Quran and through the best of all examples, Rasulullah (ﷺ).

The root cause of illegitimate leadership for the Muslims came after the collapse of the Islamic Khilafah system with the end of the Ottoman State in 1924, where the Muslim’s shield and honour was removed and instead replaced with secularism through the appearances of so called ‘Muslim’ leaders who were in fact agents of the Western powers. This trend of Western agents, hypocrites and illegitimate leaders has continued on to modern times, which isn’t helped with the Munafiq’ sympathisers who deceive the Ummah by misquoting Hadiths and Quranic verses to legitimise the leaderships present amongst the Muslims. Bravery and courage needs to be established again in order to battle these innovations.

The solution is evidently clear, the Ummah is required, by Shariah’ to remove these hypocrites in power, that did not acquire power through the Islamic method, and resume the Islamic way of life. This will be done through unity, establishment of a state and the appointment of the Amir ul-mumineen’.

“And let there be a group of people from among you who invite towards the good, and enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong. And it is these who are successful.”

(Surah Ali ‘Imran, 3:104).

Upon looking at the commentaries of the Quran, such as Tafisr Ibn Kathir, it can be understood that there should always be a group from he Ummah fulfilling the task of inviting to the good and enjoying what is right (Islam) and forbidding the evil (Kufr’) although it is still an obligation upon every Muslim according to their own ability.

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet (ﷺ), said, “Verily, the leader is only a shield behind whom they fight, and he protects them. If he commands the fear of Allah Almighty and justice, he will have a reward. If he commands something else, it will be held against him.”

(Muslim 1841)

“O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. Then, if you quarrel about something, revert it back to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is good, and the best at the end.”

(Surah An-Nisa, 4:59)

When breaking down this verse, we see that Allah (ﷻ) mentions to Obey Allah (ﷻ) and obey his messenger and does not use the word obey for the authority, implying that the Ummah should only remain obedient to the leader is he is obeying Allah (ﷻ) and the Messenger (ﷺ). It is also worth noting that there are agents, Munafiq’ and Munafiq’ sympathisers that will try to apply this verse to the current leadership of the Muslims, however, this is coming from a place of deception. The verse is referring to the leadership that was acquired by legitimate means and in accordance with Shariah’.

Breaking the Silence: Wisdom or Fear?

In Western societies, a different kind of silence prevails among Muslims. Some individuals choose not to speak out, citing the need for “wisdom” or fear of backlash. However, remaining silent in the face of injustice is not wisdom, it is complacency and cowardice. True wisdom involves speaking out against oppression, advocating for the implementation of the Shariah’, and challenging misconceptions about Islam. We must empower each other to overcome fear and use our voices to bring positive change, both within and beyond our communities. Anyone inciting the word Hikmah’ and remaining silent due to a fear of the consequences that may entail, should remember that the basis of Hikmah’ is the fear of Allah (ﷻ).

The Muslim Ummah is required to bind themselves to Allah’s (ﷻ) commands and address weaknesses in itself in order to fulfil what has been made obligatory, to the best of ability. The Ummah, as a united front, should be advocating for the resumption of the Islamic way of life, removing illegitimate leaderships, and calling to account the hypocrites and those that remain silent. In the West, the Muslims should be facilitating the actions in the Muslim world, whether it’s spreading awareness on the actions mentioned, or being active within the community on the solutions required to resolve the condition of the Ummah. The people of knowledge should not be inciting the false definition of Hikmah’ and remaining silent, and should be addressing the Muslims in each Jummah’ Khutbah’ (Friday sermon) with the solutions from the Quran and Sunnah. To conceal the teachings from the Quran and Sunnah is no different to what the leaders of Bani Israil did as mentioned several times in the quran.

Allah (ﷻ) says:

“The example of those who were ordered to bear (the responsibility of acting upon) the Torah, then they did not bear it, is like a donkey that carries a load of books. Evil is the example of those who have rejected Allah’s verses. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”

(Surah Al-Jumu’ah, 62:5)

“Verily, those who conceal the Book Allah has revealed, and earn thereby a small price, they eat nothing into their bellies but fire, and Allah will not speak to them on the Day of Judgment, nor will He purify them, and for them there is painful punishment.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:174)

And for the Muslims that witness their influentials amongst them remaining silent and concealing the commands of Allah (ﷻ), especially in times of atrocity, should approach them with the reminder of fearing Allah (ﷻ) and remind them of the covenant they have made with Allah (ﷻ) to propagate the knowledge they have acquired.

Reclaiming True Masculinity: A Call to Action

The restoration of true masculinity within the Muslim community is a requirement. The meaning of true masculinity is not defined as it is in the modern day with the rise of feminism and that of the Red Pill movement. True masculinity is from the example of Rasulullah (ﷺ). Rasulullah (ﷺ) was the embodiment of true masculinity, he (ﷺ) was physically strong and abled, as well as mentally strong. The Prophet (ﷺ) was not only a courageous leader, but nobody could fault the righteousness and integrity of the Prophet (ﷺ).

Sayyiduna Anas (RA) narrates that the Prophet (ﷺ) was the best among the people (both in looks and character) and was the most generous of them, and was the bravest of them. (Then Sayyiduna Anas mentions an incident regarding his bravery.) Once, during the night, the people of Madinah got afraid (of a sound). So the people went towards that sound. But the Prophet (ﷺ) already had gone to that sound before them (alone, riding a saddleless horse and carrying a sword slung in his neck). He (ﷺ) met them while he was saying (to them while returning), “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid.”

(Bukhari 6033)

Sayyiduna Ali (May Allah be pleased with him!) says: “When the flames of war flared up and one nation fought against another nation, we used to save ourselves through the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). None of us was closer to the enemy than the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).”

(Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal 1347, Sunanul Kubara Lil-Nasai 8585)

We must define bravery, in accordance to the Prophet (ﷺ), as more than physical strength; it is the courage to stand up for what is right and just, even when it is difficult or unpopular or if nobody else in on the straight path. By embracing these attributes, the straight path towards Allah (ﷻ) becomes clear and the blessings of Allah (ﷻ) will be achieved, from which the solutions for all worldly affairs will also be achieved.

The truest form of masculinity is defined by the Prophet (ﷺ) and the loyal Sahabah’ (RA), and not the western qualities of what masculinity should be. This pure form of masculinity has been lost from the Ummah at large, where cowardice has taken the place of bravery and protective care for Islam and the Ummah has been replaced by individuality and selfishness.

On the authority of Abu Hamzah Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) — the servant of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) — that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself.”

(Bukhari 13, Muslim 168)

The Ummah should immediately adhere to the principles of bravery, integrity, and justice that define true masculinity. By doing so, we honour the legacy of past leaders and inspire future generations to embrace these virtues in pursuit of a world where the name and word of Allah (ﷻ) is the highest. Collectively, we can reclaim what it means to be strong, principled Muslims in the face of adversity.

Conclusion

The crisis of masculinity among Muslims is not just a theoretical concern, it is a call to action. We must overcome the rhetoric that has creeped into the minds of Muslims and work beyond protesting, social media activism and boycotting, and instead engage in meaningful, impactful ways that our commitment and adherement to justice and Islamic principles are concrete. We must address the Munafiq’ leaders, the ones that remain silent and the people that try to suppress Islam to another mere religion. By restoring true masculinity, defined by the example of the Prophet (ﷺ), within the Ummah, we can contribute to a just, equitable world, where the safety and security is no concern to the believing men and the believing women, and where the purpose or worshipping none but Allah (swt) is fulfilled as it is supposed to be fulfilled.

May Allah (ﷻ) grant us all the ability to remain steadfast on the truth, to practise the Deen of Islam as it is meant to be practiced, to be able to do justice to the cause of Rasulullah (ﷺ) and to restore the Islamic way of life. May Allah (ﷻ) help with brothers, sisters, children and needy in Palestine and in all parts of the world. May Allah (ﷻ) help us overcome the issues amongst the Ummah, and help us expose and remove the Munafiqeen’ and may He (ﷻ) help us defeat the enemies of Islam.

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ (٢٨٦)

“Allah does not burden anyone beyond his capacity. For him is what he has earned, and on him what he has incurred.“Our Lord, do not hold us accountable, if we forget or make a mistake, and, Our Lord, do not place on us such a burden as You have placed on those before us, and, Our Lord, do not make us bear a burden for which we have no strength. And pardon us, and grant us forgiveness, and have mercy on us. You are our Lord. So then help us against the disbelieving people.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah, 286)

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