The greatest barrier between Islam and non-Muslims today is ironically the creation of Muslims themselves. The late Professor Rashid Ahmad Siddiqui once remarked that ‘Islam has suffered most at the hands of Muslims’. His memorable Urdu sentence was: Islam ko sab se ziyadeh nuqsan musalmanon ne pohanchaia hai. The Quran asks Muslims to stand witness to the Divine Truth by word and deed even as the Prophet (SAW) had borne witness to it. (The Quran, 2:143). That is to say that the world should feel irresistibly drawn towards Justice, Mercy and Peace as embodied in Islam by witnessing its practical implementation in the behaviour of Muslims. Their personal and social behaviour, the way they conduct themselves as nations and as Ummah, should be a silent but ever so effective invitation to the Divine Truth. How have we discharged this onerous yet prestigious duty conferred on us as the highest possible honour? The answer lies plain before all of us. In personal life we outdo each other in corrupt and dishonest ways: non-Muslims stand no comparison. Our social life is, in general, a picture of chaos, confusion and dissension. As nations we are torn by internecine quarrels. Senseless violence and endemic bloodshed proclaim us to the world. About how we conduct ourselves as Ummah, the less said the better. In spite of being a formidable collective entity in terms of numbers and resources we are a contemptible lot – insignificant, weightless, valueless. The cumulative effect is that if ever a non-Muslim feels attracted towards Islam by its theory as embodied in the Quran and its practical illustration in the life of the Prophet (SAW), our despicable behaviour sends him away packing. In fact we are not deficient in instances of people who accepted Islam and became its devout followers and then felt sadly disillusioned by the misdeeds of the Muslims. Vis-a-vis Islam we Muslims have become like the harsh-voiced muezzin of Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi’s parable whose jarring call to prayer would scare away all listeners from prayers. In the eyes of Him Whose Truth we profess to own and implement, this is our sin of sins which can always invite His wrath. We cannot claim the honour of being the trustees of God’s guidance and then live irresponsible lives:
Jinke rutbey hain siwa unki siwa mushkil hai            

Lastupdate on : Thu, 14 Feb 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Feb 2013 00:00:00 IST