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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 the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest,
Allah is the Greatest! Praise be to Allah!
When Allah commands His servants to say “Allah is the Greatest” in
Adhan (Call to Prayer), Prayer, and `Eid, 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 the
Greatest; Allah is the 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 the 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 the 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 the Greatest”!
Allah is the 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 the Greatest!”
Allah is the 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 the 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 the 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:
“Kul `Am wa Antum Bikhair”- Many happy returns of the day (`Eid)!
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