ARE WE REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKES OF THE PAST NATIONS?

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE MOST MERCIFUL

We are getting older as the day goes by. As we get older, and alhamdulillah given the opportunity to still be alive in order to prepare for the Hereafter – are we getting wiser on our Deen or are we repeating the same mistakes that have been carried out by people of the past – even those who were in the time of prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam)?

We truly are grateful to Allah Who Has Guided us to Islam and that we are still being given plenty of opportunities to prepare to face Allah. With His Mercy, Allah has Revealed the Qur’an in order for us to be guided and so that we do NOT repeat the same mistakes made by people of the past nations. IN fact Allah Promised us Guidance when Adam (AS) and his wife were forced out of Paradise in Qur’an surah 2 verses 38-39:

قُلنَا اهبِطوا مِنها جَميعًا ۖ فَإِمّا يَأتِيَنَّكُم مِنّي هُدًى فَمَن تَبِعَ هُدايَ فَلا خَوفٌ عَلَيهِم وَلا هُم يَحزَنونَ

We said: “Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve.

وَالَّذينَ كَفَروا وَكَذَّبوا بِآياتِنا أُولٰئِكَ أَصحابُ النّارِ ۖ هُم فيها خالِدونَ

But those who disbelieve and belie Our Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) such are the dwellers of the Fire, they shall abide therein forever.

So this Qur’an is a fundamental source of information for all of us to seek Guidance in order for us to know how to lead our lives – whether we are in the UK, China, Australia, India, the Middle East – everyone must quickly seek Allah’s Guidance through the Qur’an. In fact, Allah Warned us:

 أَلَم يَأنِ لِلَّذينَ آمَنوا أَن تَخشَعَ قُلوبُهُم لِذِكرِ اللَّهِ وَما نَزَلَ مِنَ الحَقِّ وَلا يَكونوا كَالَّذينَ أوتُوا الكِتابَ مِن قَبلُ فَطالَ عَلَيهِمُ الأَمَدُ فَقَسَت قُلوبُهُم ۖ وَكَثيرٌ مِنهُم فاسِقونَ

“Has not the time come for the hearts of those who believe (in the Oneness of Allah – Islamic Monotheism) to be affected by Allah’s Reminder (this Qur’an), and that which has been revealed of the truth, lest they become as those who received the Scripture [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel)] before (i.e. Jews and Christians), and the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened? And many of them were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” 57: 16

In fact Allah Warned us not to be like the children of Israel who failed to carry out the obligations in the Taurat:

مَثَلُ الَّذينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوراةَ ثُمَّ لَم يَحمِلوها كَمَثَلِ الحِمارِ يَحمِلُ أَسفارًا ۚ بِئسَ مَثَلُ القَومِ الَّذينَ كَذَّبوا بِآياتِ اللَّهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ لا يَهدِي القَومَ الظّالِمينَ

The likeness of those who were entrusted with the (obligation of the) Taurat (Torah) (i.e. to obey its commandments and to practise its legal laws), but who subsequently failed in those (obligations), is as the likeness of a donkey who carries huge burdens of books (but understands nothing from them). How bad is the example (or the likeness) of people who deny the Ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah. And Allah guides not the people who are Zalimun (polytheists, wrong-doers, disbelievers, etc.). 62: 5

Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) himself will complain to Allah how we have abandoned the Qur’an, in surah 25 verse 30:

وَقالَ الرَّسولُ يا رَبِّ إِنَّ قَومِي اتَّخَذوا هٰذَا القُرآنَ مَهجورًا

“And the Messenger (Muhammad  SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) will say: “O my Lord! Verily, my people deserted this Qur’an (neither listened to it, nor acted on its laws and orders).

Who were the past nations or past people and what were their mistakes? What should we learn from their mistakes?

One third of the Qur’an has the stories of prophets and their nations in order for us to learn from their stories and not commit the same mistakes:

لَقَد كانَ في قَصَصِهِم عِبرَةٌ لِأُولِي الأَلبابِ ۗ ما كانَ حَديثًا يُفتَرىٰ وَلٰكِن تَصديقَ الَّذي بَينَ يَدَيهِ وَتَفصيلَ كُلِّ شَيءٍ وَهُدًى وَرَحمَةً لِقَومٍ يُؤمِنونَ

“Indeed in their stories, there is a lesson for men of understanding. It (the Qur’an) is not a forged statement but a confirmation of the Allah’s existing Books [the Taurat (Torah), the Injeel (Gospel) and other Scriptures of Allah] and a detailed explanation of everything and a guide and a Mercy for the people who believe.” 12: 111

1. Adam (AS) – disobedience to Allah of Adam (AS)

Surah 20 verses 117-119

فَقُلنا يا آدَمُ إِنَّ هٰذا عَدُوٌّ لَكَ وَلِزَوجِكَ فَلا يُخرِجَنَّكُما مِنَ الجَنَّةِ فَتَشقىٰ

117. Then We said: “O Adam! Verily, this is an enemy to you and to your wife. So let him not get you both out of Paradise, so that you be distressed in misery.

إِنَّ لَكَ أَلّا تَجوعَ فيها وَلا تَعرىٰ

118. Verily, you have (a promise from Us) that you will never be hungry therein nor naked.

وَأَنَّكَ لا تَظمَأُ فيها وَلا تَضحىٰ

119. And you (will) suffer not from thirst therein nor from the sun’s heat.

Allah Mentioned in the Qur’an on how Adam (AS) and his wife were given all the Blessings in Paradise – Not naked, food, drinks and cool temperature – if they submitted to Allah and prevent themselves from being tricked by their enemy – iblis/shaytan. This was after iblis disobeyed Allah and Promised to mislead mankind:

لَأَقعُدَنَّ لَهُم صِراطَكَ المُستَقيمَ

ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُم مِن بَينِ أَيديهِم وَمِن خَلفِهِم وَعَن أَيمانِهِم وَعَن شَمائِلِهِم ۖ وَلا تَجِدُ أَكثَرَهُم شاكِرينَ

“…surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path.

Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones (i.e. they will not be dutiful to You).” 7: 16-17

However, they forgot about Allah’s warning and were tempted by shaytan in 7: 20-21:

20. Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered suggestions to them both in order to uncover that which was hidden from them of their private parts (before); he said: “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals.”

21. And he [Shaitan (Satan)] swore by Allah to them both (saying): “Verily, I am one of the sincere well-wishers for you both.”

And they disobeyed Allah by eating the fruits from the very tree that Allah has Forbidden them. As a result, they lost all the blessings that they were given by Allah:

• Became naked and had to take the leave of paradise to cover their nakedness
• Were forced to leave Paradise and were deprived on coolness, food and drinks because on the earth they had to search for food and water – and it was hot in many places.

What must we learn from this? Our acts of disobedience may have led to Allah Removing some of His Blessings on the nations. Look at what is happening in many countries today – a lot Muslim countries have lost their dignity and Allah Removed His Blessings – Yemen, Syria, Iraq, etc. We must come back to the truth by obeying Allah completely through the Qur’an and authentic hadith?

Questions upon questions – why did Allah not continue to caliphate, why were the Muslims driven away from Spain, why did Allah Allow Ataturk to dominate Turkey, etc. Surely Allah Reminded us in Qur’an surah 14 verse 7:

 لَئِن شَكَرتُم لَأَزيدَنَّكُم ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرتُم إِنَّ عَذابي لَشَديدٌ

“… “If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Allah), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe.” 14: 7

ما يَفعَلُ اللَّهُ بِعَذابِكُم إِن شَكَرتُم وَآمَنتُم ۚ وَكانَ اللَّهُ شاكِرًا عَليمًا

“Why should Allah punish you if you have thanked (Him) and have believed in Him. And Allah is Ever All-Appreciative (of good), All-Knowing.” 4: 147

• Habil and Qabil – Qur’an surah 5 verses 27-31

2 things we must learn from this story:

1. Submission must be complete – in this story Qabil refused to obey Allah by enforcing himself to marry his own twin – when she was supposed to be married by Habil. Allah did not Accept Qabil’s sacrifice.
2. Hasad – be careful of this . Evil eye is real – so seek protection in Allah from this evil eye – by reciting the “3 Quls”, saying “Allahumma baarik, or Allahumma baariklahu/laha” if we see Allah’s Blessings on others – new car, new house, etc. As a recipient of these Blessings we can also recite in surah 18 verse 39:

ما شاءَ اللَّهُ لا قُوَّةَ إِلّا بِاللَّهِ

“… ‘That which Allah wills (will come to pass)! There is no power but with Allah ‘…”

So you may want to avoid to post things in social media which may lead to hasad. It happened to so many people to such an extent that some people sometimes did sihr on others, subhanAllah, even to your own family members. So recite adhkar to protect yourself from evil eyes.

Those who are always envying other people’s wealth, always remember:

وَاللَّهُ فَضَّلَ بَعضَكُم عَلىٰ بَعضٍ فِي الرِّزقِ

“And Allah has preferred some of you above others in wealth and properties…” 16: 71

نَحنُ قَسَمنا بَينَهُم مَعيشَتَهُم فِي الحَياةِ الدُّنيا ۚ وَرَفَعنا بَعضَهُم فَوقَ بَعضٍ دَرَجاتٍ لِيَتَّخِذَ بَعضُهُم بَعضًا سُخرِيًّا ۗ وَرَحمَتُ رَبِّكَ خَيرٌ مِمّا يَجمَعونَ

“…It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the Mercy (Paradise) of your Lord (O Muhammad SallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is better than the (wealth of this world) which they amass.” 43: 32

• Various nations – nations of Nuh (AS), ‘Ad, Thamud, Madyan, nations of Lut (AS), the people of the pharaoh, etc.

The common sin to all – shirk, and some nations specialised further in a particular sin

• Disbelief even after seeing another miracle from Allah – the she-camel in people of Thamud
• Cheatings and lyings among people of prophet Shu’aib (AS)
• LGBT activities carried out by people of prophet Lut(AS)

Punishments from Allah – flood and drowning, earthquakes, tornadoes, deathly sounds, earth turned upside down, etc

Are there many calamities today? Why did these calamities strike in these places? We have to ask ourselves, as Allah Warned us in many verses of the Qur’an:

Today, as we speak, an epic winter storm is hitting America with temperatures dipping to -45 degrees Celsius, others parts of the world is experiencing flooding, another part experiencing drought, another part experiencing earthquakes and tsunamis.

Some of these communities have completely forgotten the Creator, some were  indulging in prostitution, temporary marriages (mut’ah), etc.

ظَهَرَ الفَسادُ فِي البَرِّ وَالبَحرِ بِما كَسَبَت أَيدِي النّاسِ لِيُذيقَهُم بَعضَ الَّذي عَمِلوا لَعَلَّهُم يَرجِعونَ

“Evil (sins and disobedience of Allah, etc.) has appeared on land and sea because of what the hands of men have earned (by oppression and evil deeds, etc.), that Allah may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return (by repenting to Allah, and begging His Pardon)”. 30: 41

وَما أَصابَكُم مِن مُصيبَةٍ فَبِما كَسَبَت أَيديكُم وَيَعفو عَن كَثيرٍ

“And whatever of misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much.” 42: 30

• What happened if your own family was horrible to you?

Prophet Yusuf (AS) faced this issue. His 10 brothers plotted to murder him. Did he retaliate or he remained patient. He was patient and on that basis Allah Elevated his status in this world – to be a Minister of Finance. Did he blame his brothers?

“And he raised his parents to the throne and they fell down before him prostrate. And he said: “O my father! This is the interpretation of my dream aforetime! My Lord has made it come true! He was indeed good to me, when He took me out of the prison, and brought you (all here) out of the bedouin-life, after Shaitan (Satan) had sown enmity between me and my brothers. Certainly, my Lord is the Most Courteous and Kind unto whom He will. Truly He! Only He is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” 12: 100

A few things to learn from this:

1. Always be patient
2. Maintain ties of kinship at all times even if it is hard
3. Blame shaytan
4. Forgive others
5. Always have good opinion of Allah

• What if you are troubled by your own family members that it affects your Deen? Any examples in the Qur’an?

Look at:

• People of the cave
• Prophet Ibrahim (AS)

They had to abandon their families and circumstances which may lead them astray.

Allah Warned us:

قُل إِن كانَ آباؤُكُم وَأَبناؤُكُم وَإِخوانُكُم وَأَزواجُكُم وَعَشيرَتُكُم وَأَموالٌ اقتَرَفتُموها وَتِجارَةٌ تَخشَونَ كَسادَها وَمَساكِنُ تَرضَونَها أَحَبَّ إِلَيكُم مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسولِهِ وَجِهادٍ في سَبيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصوا حَتّىٰ يَأتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمرِهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لا يَهدِي القَومَ الفاسِقينَ

“Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight … are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not the people who are Al-Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah).” 9: 24

IN CONCLUSION

أَفَحَسِبتُم أَنَّما خَلَقناكُم عَبَثًا وَأَنَّكُم إِلَينا لا تُرجَعونَ

“Did you think that We had created you in play (without any purpose), and that you would not be brought back to Us?” 23: 115

We are given only ONE CHANCE in this life and never can we return to this life after our death. Let us all make full use of the very short life that we are given by Allah in order for us to learn from the past nations and stories in the Qur’an so that we will get the Mercy of Allah through our effort to gain His Mercy in the Hereafter.