Blogger Najm Al-Deen says Muslims have watered down the true significance of the Battle of Badr – striving in the way of Allah with every fibre of our being – in favour Badr-themed charity fundraisers or art productions.
Today is the 17th of Ramadan and marks the anniversary of the Battle of Badr which changed the course of history and symbolised the victory of haq (truth) over baatil (falsehood).
But sadly, the manner in which many Muslims honour the most significant battle in the history of Islam leaves a lot to be desired.
We have Badr-themed charity pleas where passionate fundraisers invoke the struggles of the Sahaba to encourage donations.
We have Badr-themed nasheeds with lyrics eulogising the martyrs and celebrating the epochal victory against the Quraish.
We have Badr-themed role-plays where children don cute costumes and re-enact the battle sequences in front of rapturous spectators.
We have Badr-inspired clothing with imprints and imagery specific to the historic event.
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And, of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with such practices.
However, the reality is that we have become accustomed to honouring the Battle of Badr in a way which has downplayed the monumental nature of that event and trivialised the noble sacrifice of the Prophet (pbuh) and his righteous companions.
The Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) is content with Badr-themed this and Badr-themed that, but ultimately averse to producing a generation of Badr-like warriors.
Undermining the legacy of Badr
As for those who are emulating the Sahaba at Badr by striving in the path of Allah SWT and overcoming insurmountable odds in their struggle against the tawagheet, their noble efforts are often belittled and disparaged by armchair critics inside ivory towers, who would rather passively commemorate the Battle of Badr through melodies, theatre, bedtime stories and ways which are often abstracted from reality.
In stark contrast to the companions at Badr, their definition of struggle is the very antithesis to the intrepid example of the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions who resisted the Quraish with every fibre of their being.
To add insult to injury, it is not uncommon to find those claiming to uphold the Prophetic standard and extolling the virtues of the companions at Badr scurrying around with a begging bowl every election season and championing synergy with leftist organisations to promote “mutual interests” in a futile bid to advance “strategic Islamic interests” from the heart of the non-Muslim world.
Under the deceptive and short-sighted guise of pragmatism, progress, inclusivity and maslaha, they have convinced their congregation that enlisting the support of social justice movements steeped in un-Islamic values, hobnobbing with despots and tyrants and seeking proximity with the very governing institutions which usurp Allah’s exclusive right to sovereignty, are pathways to Ummatic revival and consistent with the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh).
In doing so, they have made a perilous trade-off, settling for a dishonourable life under a secular-liberal order whilst abandoning any aspiration to revive the divinely-ordained Shari’ah and restore Islam as a comprehensive deen on this earth.
They have instead invited humiliation upon the Ummah by divesting the Battle of Badr of its grandeur, due to their ill-fated choice to live like a meek-and-mild servant lifestyle in the West.
Unlike the companions at Badr who were never corrupted by the inducements of wealth, power and status and resisted any temptation to compromise on the normative principles of the deen, it is unfortunate to witness Muslims making a mockery of wala wal bara through their political affiliations, rationalising the beliefs of those who jettison Islamic values to obtain political office, and persisting in the delusion that Muslim diasporas can obtain the pleasure of Allah by adhering to the fiqh of minorities inside Western capitals.
They have thus undermined the legacy of those 313 undaunted believers who made the ultimate sacrifice to make Allah’s Word the highest and should not be mentioned in the same breath.
And then they have the gall to discourage any discourse on political revival and Khilafah as lower in the order of religious priorities, despite the fact that the special crop of believers at Badr whom they shower with praise performed hijrah, established Darul Islam and pledged to strive in the path of Allah SWT to ensure that truth and justice would prevail against oppression and tyranny.
That said, those who are committed to preserving the true legacy of Badr in our lifetime are the genuine beacons of hope in this age of tribulation. May Allah SWT unite their ranks, protect them from the mischievous plots of our enemies and grant them victories which will heal the hearts of the believers.
