At the end of this long line of Messengers, Allah revealed the Seal of Nabuyat, Mohammad (SM). Him, Allah sent for all the peoples of the world and for all time. He made it quite clear too, why He had sent the last Messenger – “He it is who had sent His Messenger with the Guidance (Hedayah) and the religion of truth (Deen–ul–Huq, system of life) that he may cause it to prevail over all Deens (Systems of life)” – (Tawba–33; Fatah–28; Sauf–9). The reason is simple – if the way of life based on Tawheed is not implemented, put to use in the collective life of mankind, injustice, persecution, unrest, war and blood–shed will continue all over the world and Eblis will come out as the victor. Allah also prescribed the manner, the modus operandi to establish this Deen – it is through Jehad and Ketal – e.g. utmost struggle and armed warfare. Based on this edict, the Messenger of Allah declared – “I have been ordered to carry on Ketal against the people of this world for as long as they do not accept Allah as their Elah and me as His Messenger, do not say their prayers and pay Zakat” – [Hadis Abdullah bin Omar (RA) – Bukhari].
Now the question arises – is it possible for the Messenger of Allah, acting all by himself, to defeat the numerous people of this world who have given in to Eblis’ whisperings and devised different ways of life for themselves? The answer is, as common sense will tell – no, for this reason, he created a nation, an Ummah that would continue to work towards that goal, go on struggling to achieve what he had been sent for – even after he was no longer in their midst. This nation, this people is Ummat–e–Mohammadi. During his holy lifetime, he himself led the first few battles and in order to prepare dynamic leadership among his army, at each new battle he selected promising commanders from among the sahabis/companions and sent out armies under their command. In a span of just 10 years, he waged 78 battles, created a warrior nation almost every member of which was a soldier – before going back to meeting his Lord. In his undefeatable nation, he instilled the Aqida, the concept that the grave task of implementing the Deen on earth, lay on their shoulders in his absence. What gravity, what importance his nation stressed on their Leader’s teaching is evident from their history soon after his departure; for no sooner had he closed his eyes, than they set forth, like gigantic crashing waves reaching out far into the world. In a matter of years, they defeated the two great super powers of the then world, armies far, far greater than them in every respect and brought almost half of the known world under the banner of Tawheed, Allah’s sovereignty. It is a historical fact that graves of more than 80 percent of his Ummah lie outside their homeland Arabia.
The Messenger of Allah entrusted his followers with the duty Allah has placed on him saying – “They who discard my Sunnah, are not of me, neither am I of them” – [Hadis – Bukhari, Muslim, Meshkat]. If these people who discard his sunnah do not belong to him, surely they are not Umamt–e–Mohammadi. Now, which Sunnah, practice does the Messenger of Allah refer to if discarded, causes expulsion from Ummat–e–Mohammadi? It is his Sunnah of engaging in Jehad to militarily defeat all other ways of life in order to establish Tawheed, Deen–ul–Haq. By ‘his Sunnah’ he most definitely did not mean his personal habits, his likes and dislikes, and so forth. Once armed struggle, Jehad was abandoned and monarchy established in Muslim lands, the actual ‘Sunnah’ of the Messenger of Allah was replaced by his personal ones, and it continues till date. The definition of Ummat–e–Mohammadi therefore is only those who continue to carry on the responsibility Allah had sent His Messenger with, even while he is no longer in their midst. Those who deter from it, from Jehad, cannot remain within the Ummat – no matter how pious they are, however learned, Peer, Mashaekh and such they might be.
On Judgment Day, they will have no right to claim ‘Shafayat’, interception from him on their behalf.
14. The two most important aspects of the faith, one is the Deen, the faith itself, comprising of the Fard–e–Ainn or compulsory/most imperative rituals that are mandatory such as Iman (Tawheed), Salah, Zakah, Hajj and Saom. The second part is the struggle, Jehad for implementing the Deen, because if this Deen is not applied, implemented on mankind, then it loses its value. It is for this that Allah was not satisfied at only revealing this Deen, He ordered His Messenger to engage in warfare to implement it on this earth. Consequently the Messenger of Allah reiterated that he had been ordered to carry on Jehad and Ketal as long as the whole mankind does not accept ‘La Elah Ellallah, Mohammad Rasul Allah’. Those who observe the first part of the Deen, do certainly earn the right to paradise, for Allah and His Messenger have time and again reiterated that those who remain steadfast in Tawheed, till death, shall have nothing to fear, for the key to Jannah is already in their possession. However, Jehad and Ketal are also mandatory, Fard since if Tawheed and the Deen are not applied to the lives of mankind, Eblis will have won the challenge over Allah. When the Messenger of Allah was asked, what the best Amal (deed) in this Deen, he answered – “Iman (belief) in Allah and His Rasul.” “What comes next”, he was asked and replied, “Jehad in the way of Allah”. When asked what the third most important Amal was, he replied, “Maqbool Hajj.”– [Hadis – Abu Huraira (RA), Muslim, Bukhari].
