"When things go wrong – and they often do – people look for someone to blame. Often, they find it easier to blame others than to hold themselves accountable.
“Scapegoating” is an old idea. It is in the Bible – the Old Testament. Blaming someone else for what you did.
The Qur'an wants us to look in the mirror and see whose face is staring back at us.
"Who is responsible?" the Qur'an seems to teach us to ask. “Whose face is it that is staring back at us from inside that mirror?”
"Ours, of course!" the Qur'an seems to suggest.
But this does not mean others are not out to get us. A lot of times, they are. And there is a whole host of them.
All kinds of others, using all kinds of pretexts and excuses – and proceeding from all kinds of motivations and backgrounds.
And you should beware of them all.
And at all times you should take appropriate steps to protect yourself from their evil designs and machinations.
But then, at the same time, what is most important is that you take a searching look at yourself and ask: “What am I doing wrong and how can I fix it?”
"And how can I do things different and better?"
That is the Islamic Way. At least that is part of it.
And once you fix what is wrong at your end, other things, the Qur'an seems to suggest, will fall in place.
In other words, the Qur’an seems to say, the world will fix itself, if only you will go ahead and fix yourself.
That is because God Almighty is a part of this equation. And a very important part at that.
In fact, God is all of that equation. And of every other equation.
In everything, he is the beginning; the end; and everything that is in between.
And he is on your side, if you decide to be on his side.
That is, if you are serious and sincere in what you say you are doing – for him; for his people; and for his creation.
So, you go, change yourself, to the extent you can, and Allah will change his world for you.
To the extent you can – that is all he asks of you.
And God says so very clearly: Innallaha laa yughaiyyiru maa bi-qawumin hattaa yughaiyyiroo maa bi-anfusihim.
Paraphrase: Allah does not change the condition of an individual, a community, a people or a society, till they themselves set about changing themselves.
Nor does Allah place a burden on anyone more than they can carry. Hear the Qur'an say it: Laa yukallifullahu nafsan illa wus'ahaa.
That is the last word on changing the world so far as the Qur'an is concerned.
And, also, so far as the Qur'an is concerned, that is also the extent of our own responsibility in that regard." (Dr. Pasha)
