From the pens of our predecessors
Reformation and principles of guidance
Sayyid Naʿīm al-Dīn Murādābadī
For reformation, it is necessary to refrain from and remove bad habits, evil actions, and misconduct. If one fails to achieve this, he cannot be attributed with good morals and attributes, and he cannot attain excellence with his actions in this world. Allah Almighty created pure souls for the guidance of mankind, who are free from evil actions and habits. They are known as prophets whilst their purity is entitled عصمت. Their teachings centred around profound and effective principles of guidance. In fact, their teachings are the cornerstone by which guidance and wisdom are both ascertained and acquired.
To stop evil from occurring, it is necessary to prohibit it and whatever leads to it. When nations of the world wish to stop an action from occurring, they prevent access to the means of performing it. Otherwise, it is difficult to bring it to a halt. A wall only remains firm if a person builds a support to prevent it from collapsing, and he does not allow water to accumulate by correcting its flow. If these measures are not taken and water continues to seep into the foundations, the wall cannot stand without support.
Governments are threatened by insurgents, so security measures are taken in advance, causing illegal gatherings to be prohibited. People are held accountable for their speech and writing and spies are sent to investigate enemy plots. If this is not done, the resources for revolt increment and a wave of rebellion strengthens until authorities can no longer withstand it. Governing bodies who were careless in this regard were left ruined. Cleaning arrangements are made in advance to prevent illnesses and one’s body is not left on its own to combat dangerous diseases. Vaccinations are administered for protection, and anything that causes illness to spread is eliminated. This is why people affected with a plague are not allowed to enter a quarantine zone.
In summary, measures of preservation are wise, especially the prevention of necessary and valuable items being squandered. The outcome can be catastrophic if this is ignored, and those who fail to plan and implement protective measures are foolish.
Those who guide others are focused on protecting their beliefs, morals, and actions from corruption. There are matters which cause people to commit sins with pleasure, despite knowing the evil nature and consequences of them. Such people are drawn towards actions a guide wishes to eradicate, so it is imperative for him to be wise and eliminate what entices them towards it. Otherwise, he will be unsuccessful, and immorality and indecency will remain rife.
For example, adultery is regarded as an abhorrent and despicable action by everyone in the world. People of all religions, and those who follow no religion but have intelligence and modesty, consider this contemptible. Even good-natured animals are loyal to their mates. The eradication of immorality and indecency is needed for the protection of families, lineages and nations. Adultery removes the pure traits of modesty and honour and makes the soul impure and shameless. It causes a lot of bloodshed, and this single crime leads to many more wrongdoings. Children born of adultery face many difficulties, like having no father, not being attributed to any lineage, and not receiving love and valuable life lessons from a father. He is looked at with disgust and spends his life humiliated. The evils of adultery cannot be described in a short text and there is no need for more detail, as everyone perceives it to be a heinous crime.
The world has accepted it as loathsome deed and crime. The protection of generations, purity of nature, and spiritual development of man are dependent on its prevention. So, it is necessary for a guide to devote his full attention to eliminating this evil from society. He must understand what actions and habits motivate individuals to perform this abominable deed and prohibit them. He must approach this issue with wisdom. This is why spiritual doctors and the Prophets عَـلَـيْـهِمُ الـصَّلٰوةُ وَالـسَّـلَام prohibited everything which led to immorality.
Playing songs, reciting love poems, and playing musical instruments increases lust, so this is forbidden by Islam. Pictures can create an addiction for indecency and immoral behaviour. There are more harms of pictures, and the prohibition of them prevents all sorts of evil from occurring. Women not covering properly, appearing in front of men wearing revealing clothes, and inducing lust; these are causes of tribulation, corruption, and immorality. The understanding and feelings men and women have for each other are ruined, and those who succumb to their desires find many opportunities to engage in sin. This is why the guide who aims to stop immorality stresses the obligation that is veiling according to Islamic law.
There was a time in which people lived simple lives. They had shame and modesty, and women wore clothes that covered the entire body. They avoided places populated by men, they did not watch romance movies or read romance novels. If nations of the world consider it necessary to prevent adultery from occurring, they must prevent the aforementioned actions from occurring too.
Today, some women are bold, shameless, indecent, ostentatious, and use every tool available to cultivate their lust. Similarly, men are engaged in indecency by looking at lewd and immoral images. Women wear clothing that barely covers themselves, and at the rate which immodesty is rising, it would not be surprising if women wore little to no clothing publicly in the future. Men and women listen to shameless music, watch romantic movies in cinemas, and read romance novels, all of which are performed to find an opportunity to commit immoral actions.
It is the duty of those who obey Islamic law to prevent immorality from occurring. Yet, their pure efforts will be seen as a hindrance to the goals of the people who obey their desires, and they will become enemies. This is why people living in European countries have enmity for Islamic preachers and continuously complain about and insult them. Newspapers and social media platforms are full of criticism and slander against Islamic scholars, but he who is diligently fulfilling his obligation of guiding the people does not care about this. It is the duty of Muslims who value modesty and shame to protect the honour of other Muslims by eradicating the evils of society to the best of their abilities. Women must cover themselves properly; we must refrain from listening to music and watching movies. If this is not done, the nobility of humans and sanctity of Islamic law cannot be protected.
Even under the guise of education, women are being told to remove their veils and become liberal. Muslims must protect themselves from this and understand the ploys of the enemies of Islam. Focus on the end goal, eradicate evil from society, strengthen your affiliation with scholars, and follow their guidance. Think about how much harm cinemas and music have done to Muslims; how much money is wasted for something which encourages evil actions and traits.
The working class waste their time and earnings in these fruitless actions, and their families have to bear the consequences of poverty and hunger. Woe to their intelligence! The youth call destructive storms progression and hasten to make evil the norm.
May Allah Almighty grant them guidance and alert them to their mistakes.[1]
اٰمِیْنْ بِجَاہِ خاتَمِ النَّبِیّٖن صلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہ ِوَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ
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