Ramadhan teaches Muslims to confront tyrants, not to fear them

Ramadhan, the blessed month of fasting, is the time for rejuvenation of Muslim societies and firming up of their faith in God, and definitely not becoming scared of the ungodly powers which are terrorizing the world today.

In this regard, Columnist S. Nawabzadeh has written a Viewpoint for Iran’s English language daily ‘Kayhan International’, titled: “Ramadhan Teaches Muslims to Confront Tyrants, Not to Fear Them”.

The Columnist quoted a passage from a supplication for Ramadhan, which reads:

“O Allah, I begin Your praise by thanking You— the One Who lead to the right goal with Your favour— while knowing for certain that You are the Most Merciful of the merciful in the position of pardon and mercy, and the Most Severe of Retributors in dealing out punishment and vengeance, and the Mightiest of Compellers in the position of supremacy and greatness!”

“This passage about the Majesty of God and His Infinite Power is from the famous “Du’a al-Iftetah”, which the believers, especially the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), recite every night in blessed Ramadhan.

“Alas, how many of us who claim to be Muslims and observers of fasting, belief from the depth of our hearts in these phrases of communion with the Lord Most High, vis-à-vis Whose Power no power or person can stand.

“Yet, we Muslims seem to be afraid of the tyrants in our midst and are over-awed by the weapons of mass destruction and the supposed economic might of the satanic powers lording over our world.

“Ramadhan should refresh the faith of Muslims and inspire them to take stock of their lifestyle – individual, familial, social, spiritual, cultural, political, industrial, and commercial – in order to strengthen Islamic unity and knit ranks against the open enemies of Islam.

“But, except for a fractionally few, we do not put into the practice the precepts of the holy Qur’an in our daily life, especially those who wield political power in the Muslim world.”

Nawabzadeh pointed out: “For the past four decades, Iran has been the lone voice in the wilderness. It has been making earnest calls for the solidarity of the Ummah, above any trivial sectarian divisions, in order to make the Muslim World free of the domination of any outside power, particularly US, the Great Satan.

“True, popular movements in Muslim and other countries have been inspired by the ideology of that Sage of the Age, Imam Khomeini (RA), and in the real Ramadhan spirit rallied to the cause of the Ummah, including the chronic question of Palestine and occupation of Islam’s former qibla, Bayt al-Moqaddas, by the despicable Zionists.

“But, besides Iran, and except for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Palestinian liberation groups, Yemen’s Ansarallah, the real (not pseudo) mujahideen of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), segments of Iraq’s Hashd ash-Sha’bi and the pro-government popular militias of Syria, how many rulers and movements of the Muslim World have called for the eradication of the cancerous tumour called Israel?

“And how many have told the US, that archenemy of the Ummah, to withdraw its occupation forces from all the Muslim lands and stay out for good from our part of the world?

What kind of a diplomacy is it for rulers of Muslim countries to receive any arrogant American official who without notice lands in their countries, and then meekly listen to his demands to depend upon Washington, protect the worthless life of the uninvited US soldiers, and if they wish to remain ‘sovereign’ should severe all kinds of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran?”

The Kayhan International Columnist further questioned: “Is it a diplomacy that endears the Muslim rulers to God, especially those who might be reciting “Du’a al-Iftetah” in Ramadhan – but without believing a word of it?

“While the Egyptian regime betrays the Palestinian Muslims, the Libyans shed each other’s blood at the behest of the US, the Saudis and Emiratis bomb the Muslim people of Yemen to bits without caring for the spirituality of the month of Ramadhan, there are those Muslim rulers amongst us, who do not have the guts to tell American officials not to visit their countries.

“Are these rulers really awaiting the reappearance of the Promised Saviour of mankind, the Prophet’s 12^th and Last Infallible Heir, Imam Mahdi (AS), who will appear at the holy Ka’ba in Mecca to issue his call to the whole world against the tyrants and oppressors, and then come to Iraq to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice – the Yamani and the Khorasani having heralded his rule?

“We hope that it is still not too late for the Muslims, especially their rulers, to realize the folly of their deeds, rectify their wrongs, reform themselves in Ramadhan, repent to God, and recite with proper reflection on its contents the Du’a al-Iftetah, including its following two passages that give clear tidings to the believers of their success, and of the Divine Wrath reserved for Donald Trump and his ilk – of whom they should not be the least afraid:

“All praise belongs to Allah, Who gives safety to the frightened, delivers the upright, lifts up the weak, humbles the arrogant, annihilates the despots and makes others succeed them as heirs.

“All praise be to Allah, Who destroys the oppressors, catches up those who seek to flee His rage, punishes the wrongdoers, answers the calls of the distressed, meets the needs of the seekers, and is relied upon by all the faithful.”

AS/SS