The Nation Whose Sun Still Stands at Noon
They claimed that the sun never set over the British Empire. They lied. It has come to pass that days go by in which the sun does not rise at all over it. The same is true of the Mughal, Ottoman, ʿAbbāsid, Umayyad, Roman, and Persian empires — and before them, the kingdoms of the Pharaohs, Thamūd, ʿĀd, and the people of Nūḥ. These were all powers that ruled over defined lands for limited times. The sun rose and set over them, and then they vanished — erased with no trace left behind.
But I make an exception in the story of decline — one state alone, whose sun has risen since its inception and has remained at the zenith, never descending, never dimming, never setting. Its radiance remains constant, clinging to it, and will remain so until the very sun itself is wrapped up and extinguished.
What is this overpowering, unrelenting state? It is the state of hawā — the rule of desire. And what can make you understand what hawā is? Its mother is the nafs, nurturing it and feeding it, and its father is Shayṭān, teaching and guiding it. This is a regime that has enslaved both individuals and societies. It has imposed its will on kingdoms and empires. It has stretched its influence across both the rich and the poor. It has asserted its domination over the weak and the strong. It has subjugated both the enslaved and the free, both Black and White — and very few have escaped its grip.
When desire overtakes a person, their reason and sound judgement disappear. Their reins are seized by ṭāghūt, who steers them wherever he wills. To relinquish the intellect and break away from thought and reflection is not a minor misdeed — it is among the gravest of major sins and the vilest of immoralities. Its punishment is among the severest. Allah, Exalted is He, says:
> “And do not follow desire, lest it lead you astray from the path of Allah. Indeed, those who go astray from His path will face a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Reckoning.” (Ṣād: 26)
I am not as astonished at desire overtaking tyrants and Pharaohs — who follow it humiliated and humbled — as I am at its grip over scholars who were once given knowledge, then cast it off, surrendering themselves to the urges of their souls, plunging them into disasters and calamities. Allah Most High said:
> “Have you seen the one who takes his own desire as his god — and Allah leaves him astray knowingly, sealing his hearing and his heart, and placing a veil over his sight? Who, then, will guide him after Allah? Will you not then take heed?” (al-Jāthiyah: 23)
Some of these scholars in the West rise up and claim that there is no Lord, no God. They benefit from creation but deny the Creator. They enjoy blessings but disbelieve in the Bestower. They praise the marvellous design of the universe but reject the Designer. They admire the beautiful order of the world and mock its Master. They boast that the Western nations are the most advanced, and their sole proof for this claim is the order and progress found therein. What an ugly contradiction — to believe in the visible while denying the One who is more manifest than all that is visible, the One who created every apparent and hidden thing, the One who governs every movement and stillness, who decrees every good and evil.
Another rises and turns a blind eye to the vast teachings of the Qurʾān — its calls to virtue, its prohibitions against evil, its evidences that dazzle minds and astound hearts — and chooses instead to attack the noble Book. His ploy? That it enslaves man and strips him of his freedom and independence; that it mandates inheritance laws, encourages charity, prohibits interest, which — he claims — scatters wealth, hinders economic growth, permits marriage but forbids all else, thus barring people from their pleasures.
This scholar’s absurdity reaches such a depth that he finds no fault in systems that impose servitude of man over man, promote the squandering of wealth through gambling and exploitation, and glorify the disintegration of the family structure into shreds. If only he understood that such jests end in weariness and hatred, that these indulgences decay swiftly.
Yet another ignores the pure, noble, chaste life of Muḥammad (ṣallā Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam), the perfection of his servitude to Allah, the loftiness of his character, the excellence of his companionship, his summit of truthfulness and trustworthiness — and instead disparages his noble self, criticising his marriages and the execution of Banū Qurayẓah. But this critic is silent about societies where a woman lies with over thirty-five men before marriage, continues to have illicit relations with both men and women after marriage, where men gratify their desires with whomever they wish without assuming responsibility, where incest has spread widely, and women are worth less than cheap commodities displayed for sale. He forgets the nations that were built on mass murder, expulsion, and assassination — and yet he sings their praises day and night.
O mankind! What has deceived you concerning your Generous Lord? He created you and guided you. So resist your desires, and make use of the intellect He has granted you. For you shall be carried upon a hump-backed bier, leaving your helpers and supporters behind. You will be stripped of your garments of pride, O creation of clay and water. Then you will stand before the Lord of all worlds, on a day of severe might, facing an account that is harsh and not easy. None shall be saved from His punishment except the one who comes to Him with a sound heart.
Disclaimer: This article was translated by AI. Original post: https://t.me/DrAkramNadwi/6666
