In the wake of the Woolwich killing, attacks on Muslims in the UK have soared and the media has gone in to overdrive in generating hatred against Islam. The British government which worked tirelessly to destroy the last Caliphate in the 19th and 20th centuries, will no doubt bring out more measures to label Islamic thoughts as extreme.

Some Muslims may feel disheartened at these attacks but we must always remember that Allah سبحانه وتعالى knows full well what the oppressors are doing. He سبحانه وتعالى says:

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ * مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لَا يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ ۖ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ

“Do not consider Allah to be unaware of what the wrongdoers perpetrate. He is merely deferring them to a Day on which their sight will be transfixed, rushing headlong – heads back, eyes vacant, hearts hollow.”

(Ibrahim, 14:42-43)

We must also remember that Allah سبحانه وتعالى tests the believers out of mercy not hatred. These tests and trials (fitna) are preparation for fulfilling Islamic duties, wiping out sins and raising our rank in jannah. Ultimately these experiences strengthen us.

Al-Azhari said: “The Arabic word fitnah includes meanings of testing and trial. The root is taken from the phrase fatantu al-fiddah wa’l-dhahab (I tested the quality of gold and silver), meaning I melted the metals to separate the bad from the good…” (Tahdheeb al-Lughah, 14/196)

Allah سبحانه وتعالى has declared war on those who attack the believers.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

 إنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ: “مَنْ عَادَى لِي وَلِيًّا فَقْد آذَنْتهُ بِالْحَرْبِ 

“Verily Allah ta’ala says: ‘Whosoever shows enmity to a wali (friend) of Mine, then I have declared war against him.'” (al-Bukhari)

This was seen in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when the enemies of Islam were destroyed.

Ibn Ishaq said: Yazid bin Ruman told me that `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr or one of the other scholars said that Jibril came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when he was performing Tawaf around the House (Ka`bah). He (Jibril) stood and the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood next to him. Al-Aswad Ibn Al-Mutalib passed by, and he (Jibril) threw a green leaf in his face, and he became blind. 

Al-Aswad bin `Abd Yaghuth passed by, and he (Jibril) pointed to his stomach, which swelled up and he died (of dropsy). 

Al-Walid bin Al-Mughirah passed by, and he (Jibril) pointed at a wound on lower of his ankle, which he got two years earlier when he once was trailing his garment and he passed by a man who was feathering his arrows. One of the arrows got caught in his garment and scratched his foot. It was an insignificant wound, but now it opened again and he died of it. 

Al-`As bin Wa’il passed by, and he (Jibril) pointed to the instep of his foot. He (Al-`As) set off on his donkey, heading for At-Ta’if. He rested by a thorny tree, a thorn pierced his foot and he died from it. 

Al-Harith bin At-Talatilah passed by and he (Jibril) pointed at his head. It filled with pus and killed him.’

Insha’Allah we pray that the rightly guided Caliphate is established soon which will be a safe haven for Muslims in the west and elsewhere to live and practice their deen in peace and security.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:

 وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنْكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْنًا ۚ يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئًا ۚ وَمَنْ كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ 

“Allah has promised those of you who have iman and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their deen with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. ‘They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.’ Any who are kafir after that, such people are deviators.”

 (An-Nur, 24:55)