As Salaam o Alaikum,
لَهُ مُعَقِّباتٌ مِن بَينِ يَدَيهِ وَمِن خَلفِهِ يَحفَظونَهُ مِن أَمرِ اللَّهِ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ ما بِقَومٍ حَتّىٰ يُغَيِّروا ما بِأَنفُسِهِم ۗ وَإِذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِقَومٍ سوءًا فَلا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَما لَهُم مِن دونِهِ مِن والٍ
For each, there are angels in succession, before and behind him: they guard him by the command of Allah ; Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition; But when Allah willeth a people’s punishment, there is no turning it back, nor will they find besides him any protector
Surah Raad : 11
A few days ago, during my quran recitation, I stumbled upon the above ayah. I looked for the meaning and it made me ponder and reflect upon for quite some time. In my humble effort to understand and absorb the ayah, I tried to analyze it in view of the current bohra situation that I would like to share with you …
I must admit that I am no Islamic scholar and if there are any mistakes - Astagfirullah.
I study the ayat into three components.
Let me start with the central part of the ayah – the punch line as I would say :
إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يُغَيِّرُ ما بِقَومٍ حَتّىٰ يُغَيِّروا ما بِأَنفُسِهِم ۗ
“… Surely Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own condition…”
Majority of the bohras are, it seems, waiting for a miracle from Allah to rescue them …
Take it into the perspective of the situation after the death of Sayedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (RA) :
[*]When his Mazoon for fifty years declared that he was the true successor of SMB (RA), the usurpers of the power immediately responded with profanity, pronouncing laanats on Sayedna Qutbuddin (RA) from every masjids (so called), markaz and gatherings. I would like to think that a majority of the bohras did not approve this behavior but sat through the proceedings.
[*]Came a period of time when the two daughters of SKQ (RA) were facing struggles of their lifetime to maintain the custody of their children in the United States. On their difficulties, again the same people started distributing “khushi na chooba” and celebrating with fireworks. Think: which human being (forget the Dai position that MS claims to be), makes stand his grandkids in majlis with thousands of people around them cursing their own mothers that bore them and their maternal grandfather. Again, a majority of good bohras did not approve this behavior but sat through the proceedings. May be the self proclaimed "Dai" has never read or understood the quranic ayah : The below command is for the entire humanity - if the so-called dai would have some ...
[*]Then came a time when SKQ (RA) transitioned to the hereafter. The same usurpers of power responded by burning effigies and celebrating with the fireworks the death of the very same person who they would stand in queue for hours to take his doua. Again, majority sat through the proceedings.وَوَصَّينَا الإِنسانَ بِوالِدَيهِ إِحسانًا ۖ حَمَلَتهُ أُمُّهُ كُرهًا وَوَضَعَتهُ كُرهًا ۖ وَحَملُهُ وَفِصالُهُ ثَلاثونَ شَهرًا ۚ حَتّىٰ إِذا بَلَغَ أَشُدَّهُ وَبَلَغَ أَربَعينَ سَنَةً قالَ رَبِّ أَوزِعني أَن أَشكُرَ نِعمَتَكَ الَّتي أَنعَمتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلىٰ والِدَيَّ وَأَن أَعمَلَ صالِحًا تَرضاهُ وَأَصلِح لي في ذُرِّيَّتي ۖ إِنّي تُبتُ إِلَيكَ وَإِنّي مِنَ المُسلِمينَ
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We have enjoined man to be kind to his parents. His mother has carried him in travail,and bore him in travail,and his gestation and weaning take thirty months.When he comes of age and reaches forty years,he says, ‘My Lord!Inspire me to give thanks for Your blessing with which You have blessed me and my parents,and that I may do righteous deeds which may please You,and invest my descendants with righteousness.Indeed I have turned to you in penitence,and I am one of the muslims.’
Al Ahqaf : 15
It seems that bohras are suffering from the boiling frog syndrome. Until when will bohras sit adjusting their body temperature like a frog in slowly heated water that has almost reached a boiling point …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBKz1wdK0M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-I90EtZO9Q
This brings me to the third component of the ayah :
ۗ وَإِذا أَرادَ اللَّهُ بِقَومٍ سوءًا فَلا مَرَدَّ لَهُ ۚ وَما لَهُم مِن دونِهِ مِن والٍ
“… But when Allah willeth a people’s punishment, there is no turning it back, nor will they find besides him any protector… ”
[*]The masjids that were used to pronounce laanats on SKQ (RA), I foresee, may meet the same fate; become the remnants of the past - like the past Ummayad masjids where the laanats were showered on Maula Ali (AS) and Imam Hussain (AS). History repeats ...
As Sayedna Fakhruddin lamented this behavior in his very first bayan …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq2SfxjaE8Q
[*]Then, the community celebrated the children custody case enjoying and rejoicing over the hardships of the daughters of SKQ (RA). Today, half of the community parents are in awe and running after lawyers fearing the loss of custody of their own children in the USA following the FBI inquiries on FGM.
مَن جاءَ بِالحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ خَيرٌ مِنها ۖ وَمَن جاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلا يُجزَى الَّذينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئَاتِ إِلّا ما كانوا يَعمَلونَ
If any does good, the reward to him is better than his deed; but if any does evil, the doers of evil are only punished (to the extent) of their deeds.
Al-Qasas : 84[/i]
And now the first component of the ayah :
لَهُ مُعَقِّباتٌ مِن بَينِ يَدَيهِ وَمِن خَلفِهِ يَحفَظونَهُ مِن أَمرِ اللَّهِ ۗ
… “For each, there are angels in succession, before and behind him: they guard him by the command of Allah” …
I remember of this ayah recited by Sayedna Qutbuddin (RA) to an old muminah. She lived alone in Bhendi Bazaar and when she expressed her fear to SKQ (RA) of the community backlash, he instilled courage in her by reciting with the above ayah.
Truly, I feel blessed to have responded to the Dawat of Sayedna Qutbuddin (RA) and his successor Sayedna Fakhruddin where the guidance flows uninterrupted. Be it in the form of an answer to the contemporary issues like eradicating the FGM on minor girls & Islamic finances, or to a larger spiritual satisfaction.
There is enough light if one wishes to see …
FiAmanillah