Let us do it, it can be done – Dr Ahmad Totonji
It is a great pleasure and a privilege to be here with many brothers and sisters in Islam. The people that we work with. In those days, there were difficult days, but we knew that we could change the world.
Malaysia today is not the same as in 1970. When I arrived at the airport then, Anwar Ibrahim and the brothers came on scooters. Then we had a simple room in one of the professor’s house. In one of the lectures organized by Anwar at University Malaya, there were around a thousand students, half male and half female. There were only about 50 women who were wearing some sort of hijab. But now masyallah!
In 1977, when Anwar was released from prison for the first time, at the South East Asian Da’wah conference, he used the term “the rising tide of Islam”, “the blessings of the water had come”. And they did.
I like to congratulate ABIM for enduring the past difficult years. The past, once you put your commitment to Allah s.w.t. and make the best ijtihad, it will indeed show your work. In the work of da’wah and the political world, it was wise not to involve ABIM in the political turmoil. Please pass down this wisdom to the generation to come. Da’wah has its own principles. The guiding spirit is Islam. Politics is the art of the possible. That is why we find some brothers being in opposing parties using the best ijtihad. May Allah bless them all.
Today the challenge is more difficult then before. After September 11, every Muslim is guilty before he is proven innocent. This is in the US and elsewhere. Before, Islam was never attacked directly as a religion, nor Muhammad s.a.w., nor the Qur’an. Now they attack everything that belongs to Islam.
Don’t look behind unless to learn lessons for the future, always look forth. Make a better world for Muslims and humanity.
The Qur’an says that non believers are supportive of one another, that unless Muslims support one another and work collectively, there will be chaos, mischief and corruption on earth. The entire wellbeing of the world entirely depends on the cooperation of Muslims with one another. This is a statement from Allah s.w.t. and not from us.
One of my criticisms was that this was an organization for the youth. The leaders should be around 30 years old maximum. I am delighted to see ABM now going back to the youth again. But when someone leaves the leadership, we should not forget him, we should not ignore him, we cannot afford to lose his experience. Past leadership is more important then before.
I suggest the graduates of ABIM to take the lead and initiate, we need an organization to lead the unity of the ummah. Form the basis and the working committees. The time of false accusations –fitnah- is over, the leaders of ABIM have been exonerated. We have seen slander even directed at the Prophet’s noble household in the past. The survival of the ummah depends on our effort to bring unity and to eradicate fitnah.
The entire message is our responsibility now. Even the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had to flee Makkah, only to return victoriously ten years later. We have to have patience. We go for this uswah – this model and not take short cuts. Some of the sahabah were in a hurry and hasty, only to be reminded by the Prophet s.a.w. Let us read the seerah in this manner. Please distinguish between the concepts of war, battles, da’wah, and other affairs in the seerah.
Unity of the ummah is a cause, it needs a vision, a mission, methodologies, strategies and it needs a lot of work. Insyallah, we can do it and we will do it.
The challenges of today are different in nature. The internet, books, media, the pictures coming out of the West can be categorised into three:
Islam is no good. The Qur’an is no good. Muhammad and Muslims are no good. These come from so called self appointed experts, scholars etc. They throw filth at Islam. The type of literature coming from America, millions of them attacking Islam. And unfortunately, at all times, the munafiqin – the hypocrites, ride the wave and join them.
The work of Zionists. They are organized, have full time staff, systems. Such people as Daniel Pipes, parasites to human resources. They say ‘Islam as it is is not acceptable to us’ – ‘therefore you must make the changes to make Islam accepted by us’.
If we refer to the Qur’an, this has already been attempted and refuted. These things that they raise are nothing new. They are not intelligent enough to attack us. We can refer to al Isra’ 73-75, al Ma’idah 49.
If we were to do some compromise, nothing can help us to face the wrath of Allah s.w.t.
Good and progressive literature about Islam.
ABIM has to face the challenge; it has to do this, to be the prototype for the ummah. In the 70’s we brought the rising tide, the whole sahwah –the renaissance- has come to the whole world. The awareness is there but it needs a collective cooperation in the form of a great force to save humanity. Participation in the renaissance should be for everyone not any particular leadership or group. Rasulullah s.a.w. emancipated every sector of society: slaves, women, children, rich, poor, orphans, the elderly, tribes and races, all of society. Everybody participated.
Can we do it, can we repeat it? Remember the hadith concerning the ‘ikhwani’, the ones who were not sahabi, the ones who never met the Prophet s.a.w. but worked for his Sunnah and the religion, theirs is fifty times the rewards. Don’t underestimate your worth, your effort. We can do it, insyallah, let’s do it.
The sahwah, the renaissance gave us a real awakening and we see it all around. We feel, we realise the possibilities. These are reminders for this generation. Let it be in our hands, done with hikmah, with wisdom: with plans, strategies which are sciences by itself. For instance in the year 2020, how do we want to see it. We have to sit down with our minds.
There are certain prerequisites for people to understand each other. We first discuss on better cooperation (not unity), we start of with a pack of honour – mithaq al sharfs. A draft of cooperation, although simple, we can start somewhere. Maybe the usrahs, the study circles can study this.
We also forget that we accepted the dictators that are unjust and mistreat us, the despots. We ought to learn from the history of the Pharaoh and the enslavement of his people through their own failings.
The problem of ‘love of this world and the fear of death’. Let us examine this thing that dominates our lives that we cannot take off with our mission.
We have to tolerate each other. We have to learn how to tolerate. We go out of our ways to tolerate non-Muslims but we forget ourselves. Let us not be unjust to ourselves. Let us at least forget for a few years our differences. Revive the ‘ruhama u baynahum’ – mercy and kindness among Muslims, among ourselves.
We have to bear in mind that it is the youth who takes the bigger challenges. A very young Zaid was once leading the army where the senior sahabi were just foot soldiers.
We have to live up to the Qur’an – akhlaq, ihsan. We have to modify our character to live up to the Qur’an. The success of all of the followers of the Prophets a.s. was ‘we listen and we obey.’ We have not even been tested like that of Ismail a.s.
Remember ‘al quwwah minal haq’. Strength comes from the truth; strength comes when we have justice. But some people feel that when they are strong, they have the right. The Qur’an says be just and do not waiver for that is closer to taqwa.
Do not complain especially about others. Can you make plans and do something yourselves? Form informal think tanks and act instead of complaining and not doing much work. Think of others such the Muslim Students Associations in the US campuses who are under much pressure.
There have been hundreds of conferences held on the unity of the ummah. Resolutions are filed but are never implemented. We must go beyond this stage. Let us form groups around the resolutions and take actions.
Conclusion
We are behind many of the other nations whether we like it or not. For us to be able to reach, catch up and overtake them, we have to work harder. Let us work longer hours 8½ to 9 hours at least. Nobody’s life will be shortened by working harder then before.
Whatever we do, no matter what position we are in, we aim for excellence, perfection in our work. ‘Itqan’ as the hadith calls it. No more ‘sorry its 5 minutes to lunch’ and so we stop what we are doing before finishing it. Can we do it better for our families, habits, da’wah or our organizations?
There has to be creativity and innovativeness. ‘al ibda’ - Think to do it better, faster, cheaper and more efficient. There has to be research and development work.
We should not be obsessed by despising each other. Remember the hadith when Rasulullah s.a.w. mentioned to the sahabi when one of them was leaving a gathering, he pointed to that person who was one of jannah –paradise. Ali r.a. followed him for three days to find out his qualities. He did not find anything different so he asked him. The person answered that when he got to bed, he slept without any little bit of ill-feeling towards any other Muslim.
We have to train ourselves to tell what Islam is and not what Islam is not. Our enemies wish to detract us with trivialities. It is not worth going for these trivialities. The pandemonium over Salman Rushdie and Amina Wadud’s women leading prayer are such trivialities. We have to put on the positive side. After we held dialogues on the positive aspects of Islam with the Elijah Muhammad’s son, he and 90% of his followers (Nation of Islam’s Black Muslims) embraced the true Islam.
911 caused many thousands to embrace Islam but it also led to millions more hating Islam. We need to have an ummatic way of looking at things and not turmoil.
Institutionalise our work and not be individual. Respond to the challenges. Be organized. There has to be more think tanks, institutions which study things in depth and not to give out quick fatwas.
Let’s do it and it can be done!
It is a great pleasure and a privilege to be here with many brothers and sisters in Islam. The people that we work with. In those days, there were difficult days, but we knew that we could change the world.
Malaysia today is not the same as in 1970. When I arrived at the airport then, Anwar Ibrahim and the brothers came on scooters. Then we had a simple room in one of the professor’s house. In one of the lectures organized by Anwar at University Malaya, there were around a thousand students, half male and half female. There were only about 50 women who were wearing some sort of hijab. But now masyallah!
In 1977, when Anwar was released from prison for the first time, at the South East Asian Da’wah conference, he used the term “the rising tide of Islam”, “the blessings of the water had come”. And they did.
I like to congratulate ABIM for enduring the past difficult years. The past, once you put your commitment to Allah s.w.t. and make the best ijtihad, it will indeed show your work. In the work of da’wah and the political world, it was wise not to involve ABIM in the political turmoil. Please pass down this wisdom to the generation to come. Da’wah has its own principles. The guiding spirit is Islam. Politics is the art of the possible. That is why we find some brothers being in opposing parties using the best ijtihad. May Allah bless them all.
Today the challenge is more difficult then before. After September 11, every Muslim is guilty before he is proven innocent. This is in the US and elsewhere. Before, Islam was never attacked directly as a religion, nor Muhammad s.a.w., nor the Qur’an. Now they attack everything that belongs to Islam.
Don’t look behind unless to learn lessons for the future, always look forth. Make a better world for Muslims and humanity.
The Qur’an says that non believers are supportive of one another, that unless Muslims support one another and work collectively, there will be chaos, mischief and corruption on earth. The entire wellbeing of the world entirely depends on the cooperation of Muslims with one another. This is a statement from Allah s.w.t. and not from us.
One of my criticisms was that this was an organization for the youth. The leaders should be around 30 years old maximum. I am delighted to see ABM now going back to the youth again. But when someone leaves the leadership, we should not forget him, we should not ignore him, we cannot afford to lose his experience. Past leadership is more important then before.
I suggest the graduates of ABIM to take the lead and initiate, we need an organization to lead the unity of the ummah. Form the basis and the working committees. The time of false accusations –fitnah- is over, the leaders of ABIM have been exonerated. We have seen slander even directed at the Prophet’s noble household in the past. The survival of the ummah depends on our effort to bring unity and to eradicate fitnah.
The entire message is our responsibility now. Even the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. had to flee Makkah, only to return victoriously ten years later. We have to have patience. We go for this uswah – this model and not take short cuts. Some of the sahabah were in a hurry and hasty, only to be reminded by the Prophet s.a.w. Let us read the seerah in this manner. Please distinguish between the concepts of war, battles, da’wah, and other affairs in the seerah.
Unity of the ummah is a cause, it needs a vision, a mission, methodologies, strategies and it needs a lot of work. Insyallah, we can do it and we will do it.
The challenges of today are different in nature. The internet, books, media, the pictures coming out of the West can be categorised into three:
Islam is no good. The Qur’an is no good. Muhammad and Muslims are no good. These come from so called self appointed experts, scholars etc. They throw filth at Islam. The type of literature coming from America, millions of them attacking Islam. And unfortunately, at all times, the munafiqin – the hypocrites, ride the wave and join them.
The work of Zionists. They are organized, have full time staff, systems. Such people as Daniel Pipes, parasites to human resources. They say ‘Islam as it is is not acceptable to us’ – ‘therefore you must make the changes to make Islam accepted by us’.
If we refer to the Qur’an, this has already been attempted and refuted. These things that they raise are nothing new. They are not intelligent enough to attack us. We can refer to al Isra’ 73-75, al Ma’idah 49.
If we were to do some compromise, nothing can help us to face the wrath of Allah s.w.t.
Good and progressive literature about Islam.
ABIM has to face the challenge; it has to do this, to be the prototype for the ummah. In the 70’s we brought the rising tide, the whole sahwah –the renaissance- has come to the whole world. The awareness is there but it needs a collective cooperation in the form of a great force to save humanity. Participation in the renaissance should be for everyone not any particular leadership or group. Rasulullah s.a.w. emancipated every sector of society: slaves, women, children, rich, poor, orphans, the elderly, tribes and races, all of society. Everybody participated.
Can we do it, can we repeat it? Remember the hadith concerning the ‘ikhwani’, the ones who were not sahabi, the ones who never met the Prophet s.a.w. but worked for his Sunnah and the religion, theirs is fifty times the rewards. Don’t underestimate your worth, your effort. We can do it, insyallah, let’s do it.
The sahwah, the renaissance gave us a real awakening and we see it all around. We feel, we realise the possibilities. These are reminders for this generation. Let it be in our hands, done with hikmah, with wisdom: with plans, strategies which are sciences by itself. For instance in the year 2020, how do we want to see it. We have to sit down with our minds.
There are certain prerequisites for people to understand each other. We first discuss on better cooperation (not unity), we start of with a pack of honour – mithaq al sharfs. A draft of cooperation, although simple, we can start somewhere. Maybe the usrahs, the study circles can study this.
We also forget that we accepted the dictators that are unjust and mistreat us, the despots. We ought to learn from the history of the Pharaoh and the enslavement of his people through their own failings.
The problem of ‘love of this world and the fear of death’. Let us examine this thing that dominates our lives that we cannot take off with our mission.
We have to tolerate each other. We have to learn how to tolerate. We go out of our ways to tolerate non-Muslims but we forget ourselves. Let us not be unjust to ourselves. Let us at least forget for a few years our differences. Revive the ‘ruhama u baynahum’ – mercy and kindness among Muslims, among ourselves.
We have to bear in mind that it is the youth who takes the bigger challenges. A very young Zaid was once leading the army where the senior sahabi were just foot soldiers.
We have to live up to the Qur’an – akhlaq, ihsan. We have to modify our character to live up to the Qur’an. The success of all of the followers of the Prophets a.s. was ‘we listen and we obey.’ We have not even been tested like that of Ismail a.s.
Remember ‘al quwwah minal haq’. Strength comes from the truth; strength comes when we have justice. But some people feel that when they are strong, they have the right. The Qur’an says be just and do not waiver for that is closer to taqwa.
Do not complain especially about others. Can you make plans and do something yourselves? Form informal think tanks and act instead of complaining and not doing much work. Think of others such the Muslim Students Associations in the US campuses who are under much pressure.
There have been hundreds of conferences held on the unity of the ummah. Resolutions are filed but are never implemented. We must go beyond this stage. Let us form groups around the resolutions and take actions.
Conclusion
We are behind many of the other nations whether we like it or not. For us to be able to reach, catch up and overtake them, we have to work harder. Let us work longer hours 8½ to 9 hours at least. Nobody’s life will be shortened by working harder then before.
Whatever we do, no matter what position we are in, we aim for excellence, perfection in our work. ‘Itqan’ as the hadith calls it. No more ‘sorry its 5 minutes to lunch’ and so we stop what we are doing before finishing it. Can we do it better for our families, habits, da’wah or our organizations?
There has to be creativity and innovativeness. ‘al ibda’ - Think to do it better, faster, cheaper and more efficient. There has to be research and development work.
We should not be obsessed by despising each other. Remember the hadith when Rasulullah s.a.w. mentioned to the sahabi when one of them was leaving a gathering, he pointed to that person who was one of jannah –paradise. Ali r.a. followed him for three days to find out his qualities. He did not find anything different so he asked him. The person answered that when he got to bed, he slept without any little bit of ill-feeling towards any other Muslim.
We have to train ourselves to tell what Islam is and not what Islam is not. Our enemies wish to detract us with trivialities. It is not worth going for these trivialities. The pandemonium over Salman Rushdie and Amina Wadud’s women leading prayer are such trivialities. We have to put on the positive side. After we held dialogues on the positive aspects of Islam with the Elijah Muhammad’s son, he and 90% of his followers (Nation of Islam’s Black Muslims) embraced the true Islam.
911 caused many thousands to embrace Islam but it also led to millions more hating Islam. We need to have an ummatic way of looking at things and not turmoil.
Institutionalise our work and not be individual. Respond to the challenges. Be organized. There has to be more think tanks, institutions which study things in depth and not to give out quick fatwas.
Let’s do it and it can be done!
Sketch notes of the keynote address by Dr Ahmad Totonji entitled Civilizational Challenges for the Muslim Ummah at ABIM’s 34th Muktamar Sanawi 20/8/2005.
Dr Ahmad Totonji is the Vice President of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT). He was the first Secretary General of the International Islamic Federation of Student Organization (IIFSO). He is also a founding member of WAMY, MSA and Islam Online
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