Our Failure to Perform D'awah

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

When Islam came to the world, the greatest empire of the time was the Christian empire,
which was divided into two major parts, the western and the eastern.  The western wing,
Europe, was called the Roman empire, its capital being Rome in Italy, while the eastern
wing, Asia and Africa, was known as the Byzantine empire, its capital being Constantipole
(Istanbul) in Turkey.          

During the last days of the Prophet of Islam, the Muslims had military encounters with the
Romans at the border of Syria, from which the Muslims emerged victorious.  Within the
span of a century, they managed to conquer almost the whole of the eastern wing of the
Christian empire, including their religious places like Syria and Palestine.  Later the
Islamic Empire expanded all the way to Turkey and reached Vienna in Austria.  In this
way, they captured almost the whole of the eastern wing of the Christian, or Roman
empire, and even took possession of a part of the western wing.            

The crusades were in reaction to this defeat inflicted on the western Christians at the hands
of the Muslims.  The Christian world could not bear such a defeat and humiliation at the
hands of a foreign nation.  All the Christian countries of Europe, therefore, united to attack
the Muslim world.          

The crusades continued at intervals for about two hundred years (1095 - 1271).  During this
period the Christians had partial and temporary successes, but finally, under the leadership
of Sultan Salahuddin, the Muslims emerged victorious, inflicting a crushing defeat on the
Christians.  The Pears Cyclopedia meaningfully comments: "Millions of lives and an
enormous amount of treasure were sacrificed in these enterprises, and when all was done,
Jerusalem remained in the possession of the `infidels'."          

This event, which had such a devastating outcome for the Christians, took place eight
hundred years ago.  Exactly the same thing has taken place in modern times, with the only
difference that now it is the Muslims who are suffering.  In present times, once again, inspite
of 200 years of sacrifice on the part of the Muslims, Jerusalem remains in the possession of
those whom Muslims consider the least deserving of  it.          

The Christian nations might not have been able to win the crusades, but they did fully
succeed in their latter-day colonial wars.  Over the centuries, they subjected all the Muslim
empires and then, directly or indirectly, they managed to gain political and cultural
domination all over the world.          

As a reaction to this, Muslims all over the world waged war against these western nations. 
However, after a period of two hundred years of (thirteenth and fourteenth century hijrah)
war and confrontation, the domination of the Christian nations is still a reality .  "Jerusalem"
still remains in the possession of the "infidels".          

The reason for this failure, despite enormous efforts, is that the task of communicating God's
word - the real mission of the Muslims as a community (Ummah) - has been abandoned. 
Muslims should never lose sight of the fact that it is the performance of this very duty which
will entitle them to receive the succor of God.  Unless Muslims rise up to this task of
communicating the divine message, all their efforts will continue to be wasted.  As the
Quran says about them: "Vain are their works."  (16:105).  Their state will be like that of
the Israelites as recorded in the Bible:          

"Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye
are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth
wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.  Thus saith the Lord of hosts;
consider your ways."  (Haggai, 1:6-7).