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Allah and the Mosque
By Mohammad Asghar
Two nights ago, CNN aired a program on the havocs the Tsunamis of December 26 heaved on the people of Bandar Aceh. The program’s focus was on a mosque that many Muslims, particularly, of Indonesian origin believe Allah saved from His own wrath.
Before presenting the Muslims’ views to the viewers, the CNN anchor opined that it was, perhaps, the design and the quality of the construction that had helped the mosque save itself from the onslaught of the tsunami. To the believers, these were not important factors; to them, the mosque’s escape from destruction was a miracle that Allah wanted all of them not only to take notice of but also to disseminate among other believers for strengthening their faith in Him and His abilities.
In reality, causing miracles is not only Allah’s prerogative; humans can also make it happen, and they have been doing it for quite some time. But unfortunately we humans refuse to grant credit to our own kind for their abilities, as we are not only niggardly; we are also possessed by a belief that often falls to recognize our own strength and mental prowess.
Take, for an example, the life-restoring ability of a Surgeon. He or she open’s up a patient’s heart, and inserts into it an artificial valve so that it can pump enough blood to keep his body functioning efficiently. When the surgeon succeeds, we do not say that he or she has brought about the miracle; instead, we thank Allah or God for causing it before our own eyes.
Muslims also do not like to attribute successes to mankind. According to them, everything good we do come from Allah Himself. It is more so in case of the Muslims: They are not capable of doing any thing good with their own initiative or actions. What they are capable of doing are largely evil things.
Hence, when a Muslims offers a sumptuous meal to his guest, he or she does not thank him or her for providing the ingredients of the meal, or the cook for turning them into a delicious food; instead, he or she thanks Allah for enabling him or her to have a highly satisfying lunch or dinner.
I, therefore, call Muslims a bunch of ungrateful and hypocritical people. What else I should call them, when they refuse to acknowledge the help or cooperation I give them voluntarily and at my own expense?
A mosque is not as important to Allah as His House in Mecca is. Known as the Ka’aba, it is the place which, He made sure, all Muslims must face at least five times a day, while saying their prayers. It is a Sanctuary of His where all able-bodied Muslims must travel to, at least, once in their life to pay Him homage. It is the place which He made not only the source for His beloved people to depend on for their sustenance; it is also the place where all pilgrims have His guarantee to remain unharmed during their sojourn.
But are the precincts of Ka’aba really safe for Allah’s Guests?
No. They are not. Here they die under the feet of their fellow visitors. Here, they die while going around His House. Here, they die of heart attacks.
Of course, for the deaths mentioned above, Allah is never responsible. It is the Satan who causes people to step on others; it is he who makes them exhausted. It is he who causes the heart attacks to set on His Most Privileged Guests.
How about the safety features Allah has employed to protect His own House from destruction, especially when Satan is able to break through its protective shield?
He saved it from the attack of Abraha by deploying a large number of invisible birds, when he was about to raze it to the ground with the help of a large force. The birds dropped pebbles from the sky on his forces. Even the elephants failed to withstand their attack and they died.
But when Yazid’s Christian forces set it on fire in 683 A.D., and made it disappear in the sand, Allah failed to save it from the destructive power of fire. He again failed to protect it from the wrath of Abdul Malek, one of the Caliphs of Islam, who found it easy enough to destroy without any defense of it being offered by Him.
While faced with such calamities, as are earthquakes, tornados and cyclones, Muslims cry the words of Adhaan with the hope that Allah would spare them from death and destruction. Why do they do it, when He Himself has said that when He unleashes a calamity, He cannot call it back (see The Quran; 11:76).
In view of the above facts, we need Muslims to tell us:
1. Is Allah as powerful as Muslims believe He is?
2. How could He have saved the mosque in Aceh, when He could not save His own prime Sanctuary in Mecca?
3. Is He as truthful as Muslims believe He is?
4. If the answers to the above questions are in negative, then should Muslims waste their valuable time and energy on the worship of a powerless Allah?
January 18, 2005