Asslamo Allaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh,
I was young when a Jamaat arrived from Pakistan with a Mufti who was very knowledgeable and had spent 1 year in the Middle East (Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon) and was thus also fluent in Arabic. I became very close to Mufti Saheb.
One day I needed the address on my driving licence changed and Mufti Saheb (HA) decided to come along with me to the office. The requirement was to have 2 pieces of valid IDs and I only had one, the woman was going to send me away but I moaned and complained so she changed my license based on just 1 ID.
Around the sometime a Sister had taken Shahadah and she had a disabled son who was also deaf and could only lip read. She requested the Masjid to have her son spend his afternoons and evenings in the Masjids so we used to pick him up from home and he used to happily spend time with the Jamaat or praying or in the Madrasah. During talks, speeches and programs he used to sit in the front row so he could “lip read” what was being said.
We also had a wheelchair bound Revert brother who was also alone so he used to spend a lot of time in the Masjid.
One evening, Mufti Saheb (HA) gave a talk about punishment of Allah (SWT) and sins and he said that more sins people committed the more Allah (SWT) constricts their Dunya, after Bayan the following discussion took place between me and Mufti Saheb (HA).
Muadh Khan: Mufti Saheb (HA), I understand where you are coming from but these guys (Americans) commit far more sins then Muslims and YET they have so much Dunya. I know that there is a connection but there has to be something else and the picture can’t be as simple as you have said.
Mufti Saheb (HA): (Smiling) I used to think that you are an intelligent young man, until you asked me something which is dead obvious!
Muadh Khan: Dead obvious?
Mufti Saheb (HA): Yes, I went with you to the driving licence office and you were wearing Shalwar Qameez and Topi and I was wearing a huge Turban! Did the woman discriminate against you? Did she went out of her way to make life difficult for you because of the way you were dressed or looked like or me for that matter? Is it not the way bureaucracy and offices work here (in America)? They have a process and they apply the rules. Do you know what poor people and those with no connections have to go through in Pakistan and most Muslim countries to get things done? I know that there is probably corruption here (as well) but by and large the general public gets things done and there is some semblance of rules and regulations.
Muadh Khan: Yes if you follow rules most things happen.
Mufti Saheb (HA): Then I have been noticing that there are several people with disabilities in the Masjid including that child and everybody looks after them and talks to them and helps them out. Do you know what happens in Pakistan with disabled or deaf children? Do you know what happens in the Middle East with disabled people? Do you think that they are encouraged to be part of mainstream society or are they neglected and it is pretended that they don’t exist?
Muadh Khan: That is also true
Mufti Saheb (HA): My son, I know that America has been involved in conspiracies against Islam and Muslims and they have also supported Israel but I also witness that these people by and large don’t discriminate in common things and look after the weak, the feeble and the disabled.
Muadh Khan: So you think that this is why these (Americans) have been given Dunya?
Mufti Saheb (HA): It is possibly one of the reasons because Allah (SWT) doesn’t like oppression
Muadh Khan: So when will things begin to change?
Mufti Saheb (HA): When you will see that these (Americans) begin to discriminate in their daily affairs amongst their population and they don’t look after the weak amongst them, when you see that their tyranny and oppression becomes manifest and outpaces the kindness of people you will see that their (Dunya) will begin to decline!