Let us save our Nation from moral decline!

What is Patriotism?

The kissing of the land in public, the recitation of songs by some poets, and the saluting of the national flag are all portrayed in the media as mark of patriotism these days. We all are aware that most of these acts lack sincerity in them and are done for the sake of show. 

True patriotism is about loving the people of the country more than loving the map or the geographical nature of the country. The real patriotism is to live in harmony with them and to work for the welfare of the inmates of the country and to do their best to serve them. The true patriotism of the country is to work for the development of health, education and employment of the people and to extend selfless efforts in upbringing them as civilized citizens.

To struggle steadfastly without fleeing from the country to save the people when the country is endangered with poverty, famine and threats from enemies, can be considered as the height of patriotism. True love towards fellow human being, faith in God and the life hereafter are the basic elements that are needed to inspire such high level of patriotic feeling in the heart of human beings. This is what Islam teaches us. Holy Quran says:

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.  (Quran 49: 13)

The basic lesson that the our Creator teaches us is to treat all of humanity as equals and brethren, ignoring all racial, language, color and religious differences .

Loving the people is also an act of worship 
Whatever acts done that pleases God is considered as an act of worship in Islam.
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.” (Source: Tirmidhi).
He also said, “Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people.” (Source: Bukhara, Muslim).

The belief in the life hereafter in Islam paves a strong foundation for the character of a Muslim. It ensures him that whatever acts done on earth to please God will never be wasted and it will be definitely rewarded in the hereafter. The firm belief in the life after death and the hope that we are rewarded in the Paradise for our sacrifices gives immense courage and bravery to those who follow Islam. This belief had served as a great driving force for them to sacrifice even lives and dear belongings to protect the nation from colonial forces and their attacks. Tipu Sultan and Kunjali Marikkayar, the martyrs who survived the struggle against the Britishers, are some examples.

Necessity to protect the country from evil

Protection of the country from the injustice, corruption, rape, corruption, violence, oppression, discrimination, exploitation and social evils affecting the country is as important as to protect the homeland from the dangers of the outside attackers. Only then will the country be a peaceful, fit for dwelling. But data from the National Criminal bureau (NCRB) warn that the country is today becoming a despicable place for people to live.

Today, 371 suicides, 106 rapes and 8136 common crimes are reported in our country's police stations every day. Crimes not brought to police stations are five times more likely, according to another survey. We all know and experience that crime rates are shooting upwards day by day.

It is our duty to protect the country

Islam is not just a name for prayers, meditation, charity, fasting, and so forth. Rather, we need to enjoin good and forbid evil around ourselves. 

The Messenger of God (PBUH) said:

“Whosoever of you sees an evil, let him change it with his hand; and if he is not able to do so, then [let him change it] with his tongue; and if he is not able to do so, then with his heart — and that is the weakest of faith.” (Muslim: 78)

As a believer, therefore, he is obliged to do whatever he can to oppose evil. So whatever evil we can stop with our hands today, we should directly stop those evils. Ours is a democratic country and we must act against evil around us in a way permissible under our constitution. But we must not involve in damaging the public properties or the public in the name of agitation as done by some people today to vent their anger. We must be aware that God almighty dislikes such acts and they are recorded as sins by Him. 

Sowing discipline is the first step to eradicate evil

The Almighty Lord teaches us how to eradicate evil from society and how to control them when they exceed their limits.

Moral corruption and crime are rampant in the country as people feel that there is no one to question or stop if they commit excesses.  Bribery, corruption, robbery, sexual violence, infanticide, mercy killing of elderly citizens, betrayal and such evils can be stopped only if the committers get reformed. If that has to happen we must sow true faith in God in their minds of individuals in a rational way that is acceptable to logic.

That is, we have to educate the people certain basic facts about our Creator and the world we live in, right from their childhood.  We must make people aware that Almighty Lord who created and sustains this world is One and the only One. He alone is worthy of worship as the rest of them are His creations.  He has made the present temporary life as a test and has made the world an exam hall to perform this test. Our deeds are recorded here and depending upon the volume of good deeds or bad deeds, we will be rewarded with Paradise or Hell in the hereafter, which is going to be our eternal abode. The awareness that God is watching us and we are answerable for our deeds to Him, plays a big role in reforming the people.

Knowledge about Creator is necessary to create God - consciousness   

 Except the Creator all other things are His creations. They do not deserve worship.  If we show some of the creations and teach the people to be God, the magnificence of the Almighty God and sense of respect for Him goes away from human minds. This leads to removal of accountability of one’s deeds in human minds and growth of sin and evil in the society.  Thus, generations fearless to commit sins flourish in the country. To correct this disastrous situation in the country we must educate the people about true attributes of our Creator and make them worship Him directly. 

 ‘Say: Allah is one and the only. He is absolute. He neither begets nor was He begotten. There is none comparable to Him.’ (The Qur’an 112:1-4)

(The word 'Allah' means 'One and the only one God worthy of worship')

Islam teaches us the attributes of the Lord and tells us to worship Him directly, without giving room to intermediaries, superstitions, or vain rituals. If the feeling that the Creator is constantly watching over us is planted in man, he will refrain from obvious and hidden sins. At least hesitate to do them. For example, if this conscious comes to our young people, they will not watch pornography in the dark of night.

Let us implement the recommendations of the Lord!

The next reason for the growth of evil is due to following of defective laws of life formulated by human beings instead of ideal laws given by our Creator. Only the Creator ideally knows the nature of man. Implementing the laws of life and criminal laws that He has laid down for us will greatly reduce crime in the country. Let us study the effect of such laws as example. Let us just consider the laws dealing with bribery and prostitution.

Our country's criminal laws have become very supportive of bribery, fraud, murder, robbery and sexual offenses. Thieves repeatedly commit theft because the laws are supportive to thieves, fraudsters and rapists. They are not only becoming fearless, but also learn new techniques in their 'field' when they come out of prisons. But Islamic Criminal Law suggests cutting off the forearm of thief, if proven guilty. Similarly it suggests flogging and death penalty to rapists and adulterers in front of public. You can imagine how the crime-rate will start declining if such execution of such punishments is broadcasted on TVs. 

Not only will thieves, rapists, murderers be truly punished, but that will also form a lesson for the public. If this law comes into force, you will not see the criminals left free and wander around publicly threatening the lives of innocent people as seen today.  

Therefore, Islam is an ideology presented to us by God for peaceful living on this earth as well as for achieving salvation. It is based on self - reformation of the individuals through discipline ordained by our Creator. The Quran and the life example of God's final Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) contain wonderful guidelines for establishing Peace and dharma on earth.  

On the eve of freedom from the oppressive colonial forces, let us vow to protect our nation from the moral decline and build a truly strong nation!