Muharram 22, 1431 A.H, January 8, 2010
There
is a ferocious wave that is hitting the Islamic ummah globally,
i.e. the wave of the jahiliyyah culture which is destroying the
akhlaq and aqeedah of mankind and which is shown through
the TV and other medias. This wave in reality is fiercer than the nuclear
weapons which are always becoming an issue internationally. Only that,
this ferocious wave, due to its targets, destroys the akhlaq and
aqeedah, whereas the one that esteems the akhlaq and
aqeedah is Islam, thus those who are most concerned and becomes the
targets are the Islamic ummah. Though the ferocious wave is
hitting the entire world, the talks about it are only up to the level of
complaints by the ulama' and the Muslims whose iman are
strong, as well as some scholars who are objective.
The ferocious wave is no other than the jahiliyyah culture that
is spread through the various of mass media, especially the TV, VCD/DVD/CD,
radio, magazines, tabloids, newspapers and books, and that destroy the
akhlaq and aqeedah. The Islamic world is as if crying
encountering this ferocious wave.
One of the negative influences of the TV is that it stimulates the
animalistic instinct in the individuals… and the impact from that is the
diminishing of the akhlaq and the very scary errors that are
bound to collide with the norms in the society. There are a number of
important examples for us from the research done by Charterz (a
researcher) about this issue. Amongst them, he said: “Indeed, the
shows of porno images, and the visualization of porno tricks, where a film
star instills the feeling of pleasure and stimulates the lusts of the
viewers in a very vulgar way for the children and teenagers, is very
dangerous.”
The researcher had produced a statistic for the group of films shown for
the children, he concluded that:
• 29.6% of children films have the theme of sex.
• 27.4% of children films are about coping with evils.
• 15% of children films revolve around romance in the sense of lusts
through sexy scenes.
There are also films which present violence that suggests the acts of
revenge, intimidation and brutality.
This argument is supported by the scholars in psychology that too much
watching TV programs and films would result as a shock to the souls and
inclination towards the emotion of revenge and feeling of satisfaction
with the deviated values. (Thibah Al-Yahya, Bashmat ‘alaa waladi/
Signs on my children, Darul Wathan, Riyadh, edition II, 1412H,
pg. 28).
Reaching To A Wider Scope
What had been brought to light by the researchers a few years ago
apparently did not work as a warning for the destroyers of akhlaq
and aqeedah. They instead accelerated their programs more
ferociously and extensively in terms of its scope, through the productions
of VCD's, DVD’s or CD’s watched by the society, from the children to the
grandparents, in every house. Images that destroy religion could be rented
by the roadside or bought in the streets for a very cheap price. Videos
and computer/CD’s had become the channeling mediums for the culture of the
jahili people in order to destroy the akhlaq and
aqeedah of the Islamic ummah. Not to mention the porno sites
on the internet.
The jahiliyyah culture is clearly dooming mankind to hell.
Whereas, Allah SWT orders us to guard ourselves and our families from the
fire of hell. Allah says:
“O ye who believe! save yourselves and your
families from a Fire whose fuel is Men and Stones, over which are
(appointed) angels stern (and) severe, who flinch not (from executing) the
Commands they receive from Allah, but do (precisely) what they are
commanded.” (Qur’an 66:6).
The Distribution of the Destruction of Akhlaq and Aqeedah
The abundance of presentation traffics that could destroy the aqeedah
and akhlaq through various channels makes the people of the world
– the Islamic ummah in this discussion – attacked by the satanic
destroyers of akhlaq and aqeedah in a variety of shapes
and forms. As images, the jahiliyyah culture is presented through
the TV’s, films, VCD/DVD’s, CD’s, cinemas, printed images in the forms of
photos, books, magazines, etc. The same goes with the contents of stroies
and reading materials.
Shows, images, sounds and reading materials that destroy the aqeedah
and akhlaq have ganged up on the Muslims, and then practiced
immediately by the destroyers of aqeedah and akhlaq in
the form of their personal selves i.e. behaviors. Next, the society would
follow suit and practice the same behaviors, until the Islamic ummah
is overwhelmed by the daily practices in their lives that have deviated
from the true akhlaq and aqeedah.
From a different aspect, the imitated practices of the personages who
support vices are then programmed to be pumped into the society by a
variety of ways. One of them is by way of force such as dressing the
female shopkeepers in the uniform of the jahiliyyah styles. To
the point that the Islamic ummah is pressurized by a myriad of
culture that are destructive to the aqeedah and akhlaq,
starting from the mere presentations to the practices that are forced upon
them (as in wearing the jahiliyyah uniform).
Prophet Muhammad SAW has reminded us so that the Islamic ummah
would not obey orders from anyone that are in conflict with the laws of
Allah SWT. Rasulullah SAW said:
"There is no obedience of the creation wherein there is disobedience
to the Creator." (Hadith Ahmad, in his Musnad #20191).
The Attitude of the Islamic Ummah
The Muslim community is also diverse in their reactions to the siege by
the ferocious wave. The first group is the concerned ones, their loud
voices could be heard in the masjids, majelis of
ta’lim and education, in the places of learning and in their own
houses. They prohibit their children from watching TV as there is almost
no benefit in it, in fact the harms are bigger. They feel the difficulties
in educating their children. The possibility is that there is only a few
madrassas left that are still relatively more secure than the
general education where the surroundings are already polluted with decayed
akhlaq.
The Islamic ummah is the first community that cares and wants to
protect the aqeedah and akhlaq of their children. They
are in this world today like people avoiding attacks from the enemies.
They have to look for shelters that are at least free from the various
“bullets” that are being shot. Indeed!
The second group is made up of Muslims who are mediocre in their attitude.
In silence, this ordinary Muslim people are instead enjoying the
assortments of presentations which in fact are destroying their akhlaq
and aqeedah. They believe that whatever has been presented to
them had already gone through the censor board, that there are others who
are responsible, meaning it is okay to watch to the point that they do not
feel uncomfortable anymore, much less feel guilty. They even prepare all
sorts of snacks to be enjoyed while watching the shows that are
destructive but considered as enjoyments. Until their souls are molded to
become aficionados of those shows and it makes them want to practice it in
their lives. Without them realizing, they are already shifted far from
their religion.
The third group is the made up of people who are also claiming to be
Muslim but are worse than the attitude of the ordinary people mentioned
above. They dream of how pleasant it would be if their children become
like the performers in the shows even only as dancers in the background or
whatever role it is for that matter, what’s important is that they can
appear in the show. If luck is on their side, they can become top stars
who earn lots of money. They do not think about the akhlaq
anymore, much less the aqeedah. What’s important is that life is
good, lots of money and it is all comforts and luxuries, and become famous
if they can. In order to reach this “status”, they dare to sacrifice
everything including what’s possessed by their children.
Na’udzubillaah. This is not a secret anymore for those who know about
it. Na’udzu billah tsumma na’udzu billah.
The first group, those who want to protect the akhlaq and
aqeedah, if compared to the third group i.e those who dream of their
children or themselves becoming the destroyers of akhlaq and
aqeedah, might be balanced in numbers. Then, if the third group –
those who becomes the destroyers of akhlaq and aqeedah –
combines with the second group i.e. those who feels pleasant with the
abundance of the immoral presentations, a majority number would result, to
the point that the Muslims who are protecting their akhlaq and
aqeedah become the minority.
That is the reality. The proof? Nowadays the society favors the comedians
more than the ulama’. Lauding the singers and dancers more than
the ustadzs or sheikhs. Appreciating the film stars more
than the Qur’an teacher. And imitating the actors more than the imam
of the masjid or khatib.
Reasonably, this expression seems hyperbolic, too dramatized in a clever
way but in reality it is very clear. In fact, not only the voices of the
ulama’ that are not heard these days even the Kalamullah
is also not heard to the extent that the voices of the singers, comedians,
advertisers, etc. are more memorized by the society than the
Kalamullah, the verses of Al-Qur'an. Fa nastaghfirulaahal ‘adhim.
The TV shows, etc. have caused the changes in the society drastically.
From having a noble and lofty akhlaq to become a society that has
no “filter” anymore. They do not know which is ma’ruf (good) and
which is munkar (evil and forbidden). In fact, in practice they
always prioritize 'the evil and forbidden' than 'the good and ordered by
Allah SWT'.
Meaning, mankind has altered the state of their selves. This resulted in
the blessings of Allah being revoked due to the changes in the behaviors
of mankind itself, from good to become bad.
Allah SWT says:
“Verily never will Allah change the condition of
a people until they change it themselves (with their own souls).”
(Qur’an 13:11).
Intermixing Goodness and Evil
Why is the society unable to differentiate between the good and evil?
Because “their main teacher” is the TV. Whereas, the programs on the TV
are always a mixture of mishmashes. There are all kinds of lies such as
the advertisements which in reality are deceptions, unsuitable with
reality but are still shown continuously. These lies are then continued
with programs about goodness, advices or religious studies. Then, porno
films that are harmful to the akhlaq and aqeedah, and
that suggest sadism, are shown. Next, a variety of talks or news that are
not guaranteed as educational are shown. To the point that the viewers,
especially the children, cannot tell which is good and which is evil. The
same goes with the society, it happens all the time, until in the period
of some years, the Muslim people who earlier could easily differentiate
between the haq and the bahtil, change to become a
people with the mindset that allows every way, to be permissive or
ibahiyah (the attitude of tolerating everything without knowing the
sure limits), anything goes for them.
The emergence of this permissive society is caused by the presence of a
systematic removal of the normal rules i.e. the prohibition of mixing up
the haq (truth) with the bathil (falsehood). What we are
presented with is the intermixing of the haq and the bathil
in a continuous way, shown to be watched by the general public. Whereas,
Allah SWT forbids the intermixing of the haq with the bathil:
“And do not mix the the truth with falsehood or
conceal the truth while you know [it].” (Qur’an 2:42).
By continuously intermixing the truth with falsehood, it would result in
mankind refusing to uphold the haq/truth and reject the
bathil. Next, it would result in the development of the human souls
that allow both the haq and bathil exist side by side.
It would further result in the agreement for the establishment and
widespread of bathil, and then it would result in the development
of the human souls that are permissive in their viewpoints. And lastly,
the human souls that are no longer able to differentiate between the good
and evil would develop. Therefore, if the human beings are no longer able
to tell which is good and which is bad, which is the haq and
which is the bathil, then where is the iman?
It is the diminishing of the iman that is the most critical
disaster that is hitting the Islamic ummah due to the mega-scale
and systematic, as well as non-stop projects that are thrashed upon the
Islamic ummah globally i.e. the projects that mix up the goodness
with the evils through various presentations. What efforts have we taken
in shielding our imans?
Submitted by a Mujahid