For Muslims there was a time of glory and progress, a time when there was awe and respect in the hearts regarding Muslims. At present there remains no trace of the glory. In the hearts of others there remains no trace of respect or friendship for Muslims. The disgrace has reached such a peak that even among Muslims there remains no respect for each other. Enmity within Muslims thrives so much so that even the Masaajid, Madaaris, Halaqas and Jamaa’ats are not free of it.

Why? Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (Hafizahullah) explains during a speech at the Completion of the Qur’an graduation today.

The answer can be summed up in a single sentence. The Muslims of the past were “Haamil-e-Qur’an” (Which is the same as being Saahibe Qur’an/ Muttaaqeen/ AwliyaAllah/ Kaamil Mu’mineen)

They not only recited the Qur’an in abundance but the recitation was with concentration and contemplation. They worked at understanding it and then adopted every teaching so much so that they became living images of the Glorious Qur’an and they led lives full of total piety. They became a means of the propagation of the teachings of the Qur’an.

Today we lack these qualities (even if we attain one of them we ignore the rest) and the awe and respect for Muslims has left the hearts of non-Muslims. We have become weak and disgraced. To regain the past glory and the nusrat (help) of Allah subhaanahu wata’ala, we need to become attached to the Qur’an once more by reciting it in abundance, attending Dars e Qur’an (lessons to understand the Qur’an) and thereafter adopting Taqwa (live lives of piety according to the teachings of the Qur’an) and propagating those teachings. This will ensure respect in the world, at the time of death and in the Hereafter.

(I wish I could have done justice to Shaykh’s words!)