Salam Alaikum
As the title suggests, i have a few things to say on the issue of Mullah-Bashing and how it has become somewhat of a fashion. These are my personal views, and i expect nothing significant to change as a result of this. I just hope we can share our views in regards to what i have to say, and please feel free to correct me if i am wrong.
I have seen that we have often joined the bandwagon and gone much out of our way to bash Mullahs withour actually realizing that we are harming no one but ourselves. Islam teaches us to be modest in speech, as well as in our actions. We are advised not to harm fellow muslims and other innocent human beings with our tongue first, then hand, then actions.
So often we have come across the “enlightened moderates” who waste no time in ridiculing people who come from a religious background or resemble someone who is religious. We call them names, we curse them, we openly reject what they have to say without first at least listening of what is being said.
It is okay for each of us to have varying views on a matter, it is further encouraged in Islam to have questions and ask questions of fellow mankind and do so for the desire to learn, and not in the manner of some non-muslims who ask questions simply for the sake of asking questions and do not desire to gain from it.
We have to stop criticizing others before we first criticize and measure our own actions. The “Mullahs” that we often term fundamentalists, or extremists, or even terrorist sympathizers are still muslims and represent muslims (whether we like it or not). Atleast they make an effort to pray five times a day, keep fasts, give charity, and whenever they speak, atleast they base their daleel on Quran and Sunnah, no matter how wrong it may sound, no matter how harsh it may sound, and no matter how illogical their stance. Yes they can be wrong, yes they can be misguided, yes they can be way off in their understanding of the religion as a whole, but do we atleast make an effort to maintain the 5 basic pillars of Islam ourselves? Are we really any better than them in terms of how much of the religion we follow, and live according to the guidelines of the faith?
Can we say the same about ourselves? Do we try to become better momins by our actions, or just pay lip service? Do we live according to the ruling of Quran and in the light of Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (s.a.w.) or just take pride in our names which resemble being muslim, even if our actions are symbolic of the period of jahaliya, when the opponents of Islam knew nothing about Islam? Do we really do Islam service when we ridicule fellow muslims, or add to the fire and allow others to laugh at us collectively? For we lack unity. We lack discipline. We lack integrity.
It is true that each of us has flaws, some more than others, but we should not be so quick to ridicule others. Each of us is up to our eyes with negative deeds that we need repentance for, badmouthing others will only add to that negative account. We need to work together as a people, as a nation of Islam, to correct each other. To explain the right from wrong to each other,
and learn to be kind to each other.
Much of what is seen today is a perfect reflection of the early days of Islam, when the ones that tried to follow Islam were ridiculed on how they dressed, how they spoke, how they behaved, and the message the carried. Today too Islam in its true form is a strange phenomenon, just as it was when Islam first started to be revived by Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), and we have been warned for these times in ahadith that a time will indeed come when we will mimic Bani Israeel, and Islam will once again become Strange.
So often we are found defining and redefining Islam in order that it can better fit our lifestyles, rather than trying to change ourselves to fit IT. The religion is perfect as it is, humans are not perfect. Many of us are in error when we hope/wish/and enforce a change in the religion to make it compatible with current times. It needs no redefining, it needs to revision, it needs to tweaking to adjust to us. We need to change.
I preach nothing, i ask nothing of you, i just plead that let each of us critique ourselves before we leap to critique others. **I defend no one but myself, and indeed only my own actions will determine where i end up after this life. **
Let each of us work hard on ourselves, and become true muslims before defining for others what they are doing wrong.
Lets not just pay lip service in the name of Islam, but instead work to implement what Islam says in our lives individually, so that we can be in a position to correct our brothers and sisters and guide each other. A better you and me will result in a better society, which will surely reflect back and become a deed which serves to better the humanity as a whole.
Mullah or not, religious or not, none of us has the right or the elevated status to pass judgments on to others because none of us are free of sin.
A better muslim is the one who does not harm other muslims with his tongue. May Allah make us of the righteous, and make us of those whose actions serve Islam and humanity.