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Allahu Akbar: (Allah is the Greatest)
 By Hassan Al-Banna
"And (Allah desireth) that ye should complete the period
(of Fasting), and that ye should magnify Allah (saying
Allahu Akbar) for having guided you, and that peradventure
ye may be thankful." (A-Baqarah: 185)
Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest, Allah is Greatest,
Allah is Greatest ! Praise be to Allah !
When Allah commands His servants to say "Allah is
Greatest" in Adhan (Call to Prayer), Prayer, and `Ed, and
urges Muslims to wholeheartedly chant these sweet and
beautiful words of praise and glory, that, despite of
being soft on the tongue, are heavy on the scales (they
command great reward on the Day of Judgment). Allah is
Greatest, Allah is Greatest ! This is neither in vain nor
in jest, but it is meant to implant in the hearts of the
believers the essence of this religion, i.e., these words
stress the fact that Allah is Omnipotent, and He is Above
anything else !
Allah is Greatest! His Might is above all psychological
crises that overwhelm people, no matter how extensive
these woes and crises are, even they become so mountainous
to extent of encompassing the whole earth and engulfing
all souls, no matter how overwhelming people’s calamities
are to the extent of making the vast universe seem as
small as a circle of ring, nothing can relive them from
these crises except deep the belief in "Allah is
Greatest"!
Allah is Greatest! He is Greater than all temporal lusts
that disseminate mischief in the earth, spread chaos in
the society, and tear apart people's amity, cooperation,
and solidarity. Nothing can curb these lusts except the
belief in "Allah is Greatest!"
Allah is Greatest! He is Greater than all tyrants who
enslave the helpless people and infringe upon their
rights, for they are weak and powerless. Nothing can set
these affairs in order except the belief in "Allah is
Greatest!" Here, we recall the Qur'anic verse that read,
"And We desired to show favor unto those who were
oppressed in the earth, and to make them examples and to
make them the inheritors, and to establish them in the
earth, and to show Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts that
which they feared from them." (Al-Qasas: 5-6)
Muslims! Oh you who declare in your Adhan, Prayer, and `Eds
your true belief in "Allah is Greatest!" Never faint, nor
grieve, nor despair, nor weaken, nor give in. Surely, the
earth is Allah's, it does not belong to America, Russia,
England, or France. He, Almighty, gives it for an
inheritance to whom He will amongst His servants, and the
sequel is for those who keep their duty (unto Him), not
for the traitors, nor for the aggressors, nor for the
tyrants, nor for the oppressors. Be confident in the
fulfillment of Allah's promise, for He never breaks His
promise.
Worship Him and don't associate other deities with Him.
Fear Allah and implore Him to forgive your sins. Unify
your word, gather your forces, know your way, and arrange
your work. Then, don't fear the alliance of tyrant nations
against you, for Allah is Predominant in His career, but
most of mankind know not.
Now, Ramadan is wrapping itself up, saying goodbye to all
fasting people. (Oh, how sad for us to bid this lovely
month goodbye!) What are you going to do after the end of
Ramadan? Would you forsake mosques, the places of worship,
and hurry to clubs, the places of indulgence, play,
weakness, and disgrace? Or, would you be steadfast in
doing good, performing Prayers, reciting the Qur'an, and
giving in charity? If you incline to the former, then what
a bitter deprivation will you have after grace, and what a
harsh wrath will you attain (from Allah) after pleasure.
The contemporary Muslims used to read the history of our
lost Paradise “Andalusia” and have bitter feelings on
looking back to those sorrowful moment in the history of
Muslim nation. They cast blame on the Muslims of that time
for failing to defend the rights of their Andalusian
brethren, and sparing efforts to save this part of the
land of believers till disbelief prevailed over faith and
aggression overwhelmed tolerance.
The people of these places were forcedly driven out of
their homes, and tasted the cup of humiliation and
disgrace. They were unable to devise a plan nor finding a
way out of this falling disaster.
More shocking, dreadful and shameful is what is happening
in the Arab Muslim land of Palestine. It is being cut off
from the heart of our land and be replaced, Allah forbid,
under our eyes and nose, with a Jewish state.
Yet, no comparison between the two places! Andalusia is a
land that we conquered and a state that we established in
the midst of disbelieving states. We were careless to
protect it, we paid no attention to defending it. Time
played its game and our kingdom came to end due to
antagonism and hatred. However, we did not lose that much
when we lost it. The sea that stands between our land and
the enemy brought things to an end quickly. Things were
settled for a while, believing that eventually the
righteous believers will inherit the land.
Palestine, on the other hand, lies here in the heart of
our land. It is our home and the corner stone of our
entity. How one can imagine it to be a home for other
people? How can one conceive the idea having another state
set up there, especially if that state is the one
described in the Qur’an as the most hateful to us?!
O Muslims, it is more serious than you imagine, more grave
than you expect. When things reach that limit, we have to
take things seriously and work earnestly to rectify the
matter.
This is a call to all Muslim nations, to all Muslim
states, to every Muslim on the surface of the globe:
Remember the Day of Reckoning when you stand in front of
Allah, Remember the resentment of the coming generation,
Remember the curse of history! Unify your efforts! Be one
man with one goal! Make that goal gaining victory in the
Last Hour’s battle! At this very moment, we can tell each
other – tasting the joy of victory and the thrill of
triumph: “Kull Am wa Antum Bekhair”- May you have a happy
and blessed `Ed!
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