The Best Ummah

Allah سبحانه وتعالى says in the Holy Qur’an:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ

“You are the best ummah singled out for mankind: you enjoin what is right (ma’roof), forbid what is wrong (munkar), and believe in Allah.” 1

Allah سبحانه وتعال could have created us at any time in history and as part of any nation. Yet He سبحانه وتعال out of his infinite mercy created us as part of the best and most honoured nation ever to inhabit the earth. We are also the last and final ummah until the Day of Judgment.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said, “You are the final of seventy nations, you are the best and most honoured among them to Allah.” 2

Our ummah has been given blessings that no other ummah before us has been given.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said, “I was given what no other Prophet before me was given.” We said, “O Messenger of Allah! What is it” He said, “I was given victory by fear, I was given the keys of the earth, I was called Ahmad, the earth was made a clean place for me (to pray and perform Tayammum with it) and my Ummah was made the best Ummah.” 3

Our beloved Messenger صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم gave us the glad tidings that the Muslim ummah would be a large part of the inhabitants of Paradise.

Abdullah bin Mas’ud said, “The Messenger of Allah said to us, “Does it please you that you will be one-fourth of the people of Paradise?” We said, Allahu Akbar!' He added, “Does it please you that you will be one-third of the people of Paradise. We said, Allahu Akbar!' He said, “I hope that you will be half of the people of Paradise.” 4

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said: “The people of Paradise are one hundred and twenty rows, this Ummah takes up eighty of them.” 5

Our ummah was given salams from the Friend of the Most Merciful (Khaleel ur-Rahmaan) and Father of the Prophets, Ibraheem (alaihi salam) on the night of the ‘isra. Ibraheem (alaihi salam) gave our ummah some valuable advice on how to increase our share of trees in Paradise as blessing for us.

The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم said: “I met Ibraheem on the night that I was taken on the Night Journey, and he said: ‘O Muhammad, tell your ummah that Paradise is a land whose soil is good and its water is sweet. It is an empty plain, which will be planted with Subhaan Allah, Al-Hamdu lillah, La ilaha illa-Allah and Allahu akbar.’” 6

One of the distinctions between our ummah and previous nations is our strict obedience to Allah سبحانه وتعال and His Messenger صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم. During the Battle of Badr when the Muslims were informed that Quraysh were amassing a huge, well equipped army against them, Al-Miqdad bin ‘Amr got up and said:

“O Messenger of Allah! Proceed where Allah directs you to, for we are with you. We will not say as the Children of Israel said to Musa (as): ‘Go you and your Lord and fight and we will stay here.’ Rather we shall say: ‘Go you and your Lord and fight and we will fight along with you.’ By Allah! If you were to take us to Bark Al-Ghimad, we will still fight resolutely with you against its defenders until you gained it.” 7

The reason we were made the best ummah is stated in the ayah:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ

“You are the best ummah singled out for mankind: you enjoin what is right (ma’roof), forbid what is wrong (munkar), and believe in Allah.” 8

Qatadah said, “We were told that Umar bin Al-Khattab recited this Ayah [3:110] during a Hajj that he performed, when he saw that the people were rushing. He then said, ‘Whoever likes to be among this [praised] Ummah, let him fulfil the condition that Allah set in this Ayah.’” 9

Enjoining ma’roof and forbidding munkar

Islam consists of ma’roofat (pl. of ma’roof) which Allah سبحانه وتعال has ordered us to establish, and munkaraat which He سبحانه وتعال ordered us to abstain from and remove. The head and the highest ma’roof is the belief in Allah سبحانه وتعال and the rest of the pillars of the Islamic ‘Aqeedah.

The head of the munkaraat (pl. of munkar) and its most evil manifestation is kufr in all its forms. Allah سبحانه وتعال ordered that people must avoid the munkar, deter others from it and warn others of falling into its snare.

Today, we witness the implementation of kufr systems and laws in our countries. Munkaraat are widespread in the Muslim world with our lands occupied, the daily spilling of Muslim blood, stealing of our wealth and widespread corruption headed by the puppet regimes ruling our lands. Many of the Islamic obligations are also neglected such as ruling by Islam, jihad, implementation of the penal code (hudud) and carrying da’wah to the world.

In this reality the obligation of enjoining ma’roof and forbidding munkar is a vital issue for the ummah that requires the utmost seriousness and sacrifice. Allah سبحانه وتعال has ordered not just individuals to undertake this obligation but also groups and the Khaleefah of the Muslims. In the absence of the Khaleefah the groups must work to appoint him so that he can practically enjoin the mar’oof and forbid the munkar on society.

This Ramadan we must contemplate on the huge blessing Allah سبحانه وتعال has bestowed upon us by making us part of the best ummah ever created. As Umar bin Al-Khattab said we must fulfil the condition for being the best ummah i.e. that we enjoin the mar’oof and forbid the munkar.

However, knowledge precedes action. So before we can enjoin the mar’oof and forbid the munkar we must gain knowledge on the ma’roofat and munkaraat so we can implement them on ourselves first. We must fulfil all the Islamic obligations and abstain from all the Islamic prohibitions. Once we have this knowledge we can call others to abide by the ma’roof and abstain from the munkar. The most important part of this work today is working to establish the Khilafah that is responsible for implementing all the ma’roofat and preventing all the munkaraat on society.

For this reason we strongly advise all the Muslims to download the book The Da’wah to Islam and The Method to Re-establish the Islamic State by Sheikh Ahmad Mahmoud and study it during this blessed month of Ramadan. We advise all the Muslims to gain knowledge on this vital issue and major Islamic obligation so we can fulfil our duty to Allah سبحانه وتعال and attain His pleasure and the reward of Paradise that He سبحانه وتعال has promised to the believers. Neglecting this obligation of working to re-establish the Khilafah is a major sin for which Allah سبحانه وتعال can punish severely in Hellfire.


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References

1. Translated Meaning of the Qur’an. Surah al-Imran, ayah 110

2. Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Al-Hakim recorded that Hakim bin Mu`awiyah bin Haydah narrated that his father said that the Messenger of Allah said.

3. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Ali bin Abi Talib said.

4. Imam Ahmad recorded the same Hadith with another chain of narration, and this Hadith meets the criteria of Muslim in his Sahih. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that `Abdullah bin Mas`ud said.

5. Imam Ahmad recorded from Buraydah from the Prophet (saw)

6. Tirmidhi, hasan isnad on authority of Ibn Masood.

7. Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar), p. 97

8. Translated Meaning of the Qur’an. Surah al-Imran, ayah 110

9. Ibn Jarir recorded this. Tafseer Ibn Kathir.