We Are Patriots! That Is Who We Are!

 

We Are Patriots! That Is Who We Are!

Dr. Pasha

(Bringing Islam to the World One Concept at a Time!
Taking the Qur'an to Every Home and Heart that Needs It --
And which One Does Not?)

We Are Patriots – with a capital “P”

We are Patriots.

I am saying it with capital “P” to show that we are Patriots in a class all by ourselves.

We are not like patriots from other “countries” of the world. We are and we want to be more.

Much, much more.

We Love the Land on Which We Live

We love the soil on which we were born. And we do so unconditionally and without limit.

And we love the land on which we live – regardless of what or where it is.

And we do that regardless of how that land and that country and their people treat us, or look up on us.

That is because we love God above.

And we love God’s Creation Below.

Our Love of people, thus, is rooted in our Love of God – the Maker and Master of the World in which we all live.

Rabbul 'Aalameen!

Loving God Means Loving and Serving People

And the one is just as unshakable as the other. Because we cannot love God without loving and serving his people – the Human Family that he says in the Qur’an he designed with his own hand.

And, conversely, we cannot betray or turn our back on Human Beings without betraying and turning our back on God.

That is why we love not only people, but also places; and not only human beings but also animals; and not only animals but also plants and trees and all other types and forms of God’s creation.

Servants, not Masters: That Is Who We Are

We see ourselves as their servants, not as their masters. And we hold ourselves as their friends and not their rivals and competitors.

The enmity of our enemies is a one-sided affair. It all comes from them, and nothing goes out from us but love, respect, care and concern for their wellbeing.

The hate of our haters is also entirely a one-sided coin. It all comes from them and not from us.

We Reward Hate with Love, Resist Evil with Goodness

Hard to say, even harder to practice, but we seek to reward hate with love.

And our way of resisting evil is through goodness.

Yadra-oona Bil-Hasanatis Sayyi-ah.

And:

Idfa’ Billatee Hiya Ahsan!

We Ask for No Thanks in Return!

We ask for nothing in return.

No thanks, no reward of any kind.

Laa Nureedu Minkum Jazzaa-an wa Laa Shakooraa!

And we are ready to give our all to our neighbors, to our compatriots and to the people of the world without even being asked.

That is why we are Patriots with a capital “P” unlike all the other patriots of the world, nice and noble people as many of them are.

The Entire Planet Is Home to Us

That is because we love not only this or that land, but all of Planet Earth.

Because we love not only America, England, India, Brazil, China, Russia, Malaysia, Iran, Pakistan, Canada, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Europe, Italy, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia or some other place, but because we absolutely and positively love every country on earth – and all its people. Regardless of their race or religion.

That is because we are not only of and from just this or that part of the world, but because we are of and from all parts of the world.

And the entire Planet Earth is home to us. We are from it and we are of it.

Dust We Are and Unto Dust We Shall Return

From clay taken from it were we shaped; on it were we born; in its bosom shall we repose after death; and from its belly shall we once again be raised up to meet our Lord and Master, God Almighty, on the Day of Judgment.

Minhaa Khalaqnaakum, Wa Feehaa Nu’eedukum, Wa Minhaa Nukhrijukum Taaratan Ukhraa.

That is why we are not just patriots, like everyone else, people bonded to soil, by birth or citizenship, but Muslims and believers bonded to God – the Maker and Master of All People.

That is why I say we are Patriots with a capital “P.” And not just patriots like all the others in this world – good and wonderful people as they may be.

Loving God, Serving People

And that is because we love God, over and above all his creation.

And that is because we seek to serve and please God by serving his creation: both Muslim and non-Muslim; both human and non-human.

That is why we are Patriots unlike all the other patriots in this world.

Our Blood to Defend the Lands on Which We Live

That is why we shall defend, with our blood if necessary, the lands on which we live.

And the countries whose passports we carry.

And the soil where our heads may have first hit the ground coming out of the blessed bellies of our mothers.

But We Shall Not Be Part of Aggression and Oppression

So also, shall we defend, with our blood if necessary, the rights, dignity and freedom of every other place, people, soil, land and country in the world as long as they are not committing the two Aggression or calling to Oppression.

For, the Qur’an has issued a clear commandment:

“Thou Shalt Not Commit Aggression!”

The Qur’an says:

Wa Laa Ta’tadoo!

And because God Almighty declares in the Qur’an:

Innallaha Laa Yuhibbuz Zaalimeen!

Paraphrase:

“God Almighty loves not those who oppress others and subject them to all kinds of grievous wrongs, injury and harm.”

We Shall Remain Loyal – No Matter What

We shall always love those lands – and be loyal to them.

And we shall always be true and loyal to all those people who inhabit those lands along with us, our compatriots as it were.

And we shall do so even when those lands and those countries and those people treat us badly – as so many of them do.

And even when they usurp our rights and our privileges – as all too many of them seem to want to do.

And even when they subject us to oppression and injustice of every conceivable kind – as so many of them seem so eager to do.

Demonizing Islam and Muslims

We shall be loyal and true to the lands of our birth and adoption – and to every nook and corner of God’s beautiful earth – even when so many people around the world are busy trying to rob us of our citizenship rights and privileges and of our very humanity.

And of our natural God-given dignity and Good Name – as practically everyone everywhere seems to want to jump on the bandwagon dedicated to doing so.

Look how effectively they have given Islam and Muslims a bad name. How successfully they have demonized Islam and Muslims.

Look how glibly and how thoroughly so many of them have made Islam an equivalent for violence and how they have made the word Muslim a synonym with terrorist.

Muslim: An Honorific Title Conferred by God Himself

“Muslim” – a name given to Muslims by God Almighty himself and an honorific conferred upon Muslims by God’s friend and messenger, Prophet Abraham, Alaihis Salam – God Bless Him!

Huwa Sammaakumul Muslimeen!

Have no fear, Muslims! Do not lose heart! Do not become despondent! Do not lose hope!

No matter how long and how difficult the day is. Have faith that out of the belly of this darkness shall crack a new dawn – a new dawn of freedom and dignity for all.

This very fact – the fact that it was God who blessed you with this name – is the guarantee of your survival and success in this world.

This Noble Aayat of the Qur’an stands guard over you. Its watchful and protective eye is on you.

Huwa Sammaakumul Muslimeen!

Paraphrase:

“It was he – God – who conferred upon you the title of “Muslimeen” – Muslims.”

God Will Not Abandon Muslims

God will not abandon you Muslims. Have no fear.

God is not going to give a great title one day, and abandon you the next day. He cannot, does not, has not and shall not abandon you.

Maa Wadda-'aka Rabbuka wa Maa Qalaa!

That is not who he is. And that is not how he does things.

God is in your corner. God is on your side. God stands by you. And he always will. The question you must ask is in whose corner are you? On whose side you are?

Loyalty in the Teeth of All Abuse and Oppression

Even then – even when they did or continue to subject us to all kinds of abuses and oppression (Zulm) – those countries, those lands and those people, did not and could not have a truer friend and more staunch an ally and more loyal a citizen or resident than us.

Even then – in the face of all that abuse and all that oppression, we shall not falter and we shall not waver.

For, it is not our nature to do so.

Loyalty Is More Than Mother’s Milk to Us: It Is Our Faith!

For, loyalty is mother’s milk to us.

For, our word is not merely our bond. It is our lifeblood that courses through our veins and pulses through our hearts.

In fact, our loyalty and our word is more to us than any and all of this. It is our very faith. It is the very core of our belief in God and his Messenger Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

It is our Iman.

Our loyalty to land and people is part of the two eternal truths we proclaim from every Minaret in every nook of land in every part of the world we inhabit:

1. There Is No God But God – Laa Ilaaha Illallah!
2. Muhammad Is the Messenger of God – Muhammad Rasoolullah!

Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam!

Bound Not Just by Human Laws, But by Laws of God

For, we consider ourselves bound not only by laws of the land, but by the most beautiful and immutable Laws of God.

And because we hold ourselves accountable not only to legislation enacted by human beings like us, but to the Divine Law God Almighty laid down in the Qur’an.

The Divine Law which God’s Last and Final Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, practiced so completely, and modeled so beautifully, and implemented and established so firmly and indelibly, in this world.

We, thus, answer not merely to human beings like ourselves, in our own land and country and elsewhere on earth, but to God Almighty in Heaven, the maker and master of all human beings and everything else everywhere.

We Have No Enemies but the Devil

We have no enemies but the Devil, who is the common and sworn enemy of all of Humanity.

Clearly and openly designated and declared to be so by none other than God Almighty himself.

Says the Qur’an:

Innash-Shaitaana Lil-Insaani 'Aduwwun Mubeen!

And we hate nothing except Evil, which is a direct violation of God’s Law and time-honored human moral norms.

Love, Liberty, Justice – for All

Our goal is liberty and justice for all.

For, Justice divided is justice denied.

And because Liberty limited to some as opposed to some others is liberty lost to all.

And our method is Love and Service – unbounded love and unqualified service.

Our Master is God; our Guide in life is the Qur’an; and our Role Model the Prophet – Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

Our family is the entire human race.

And that means every human being of every race, color, place, region and religion, and of every background and social status, and of every other description – male as well as female.

Our Weapon Is Truth

In the fight against the Devil and against Evil, our weapon is Truth.

We shall demonize no one, even when we are demonized ourselves.

We shall lie about no one, even when others concoct and spread all kinds of lies about us.

For, our goal is to invite people to Truth – to God Almighty.

And our method of doing so is to use nothing but truth – and facts, and honesty and integrity.

And the only course of action open before us is Truth – to tell the Truth and to let Truth take its course.

God Is Truth

For, God is Truth. He is Al-Haqq.

And the only way to reach him, and to earn his pleasure, both in this as well as in the next world, is also Truth – Haqq.

And our Guide and our Role Model in this world is Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam – the man the world so proudly used to call As-Saadiq, Al-Ameen: The most truthful in his speech and the most upright, honest and trustworthy in his conduct and character.

God’s enemies – the inveterate and most implacable enemies of Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam – at Makkah, even as they were busily hatching plots to kill him, or to exile him, had no more loyal friend whom they could trust more implicitly, and no more trustworthy individual in whose care and custody they could leave their possessions and valuables, than Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

That is the indelible page of history on which the script of our loyalty – and our Patriotism – is written.

Our Focus Is Also the Next World – Aakhirah

Our focus, and our concern, is not only This World – the Dunya – but also the Next World – the Aakhirah.

That is why we seek happiness and success, not only in and of This World, but also in and of the Next World.

That is why we are who we are.

And that is why we choose to do what we do.

And that is why we are the kind of Patriots we are – Patriots with a capital “P.”

Tell Them We Are Patriots! And Tell Them We Are Muslims

Should anyone want to know who we are, and what we do, tell them that is who we are.

Tell them we are Patriots – with the capital letter “P.”

And tell them we are Muslims.

And tell them our way is Love – unconditional, unqualified and unbounded Love.

And tell them our Goal and our Destination of Choice as well as of Necessity is God.

From God We Come and To Him We Return

When people ask about our whereabouts, and when they ask about our goals and purposes, and about our aims and intentions, tell them from God we come and tell them to him we shall return.

And we have not a doubt about that.

And, in fact, we cannot wait to do that, because the thought, the belief, the prospect, the expectation – and the absolute certainty (Yaqeen) – of meeting him fuel our actions in this world and drive and power our lives.

And illumine our path to the future!

Bi-Liqaa-I Rabbikum Tu’qinoon.

Our Family Is the Entire Human Family

And tell those who ask about us that we are not without roots and without an address in this world.

Tell them that our home is Humanity and our family is the entire Human Family.

And we are its most devoted, trustworthy, loyal and filial sons, daughters, siblings and Servants.

And tell them all people are our people, no matter how they look upon us.

And no matter how they treat us.

END