Readers must have read this piece of news in the papers, His Highness, Shah Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia, while announcing a donation of 10 millions Riyal for the war-effected people of Iraq, has made an appeal to his people to donate generouslay in this fund. Crown Prince, Abdullah has donated 5 Million Riyal while Prince Sultan has given 30 million Riyal for this cause.

"The announcement was made in a special telecast by the Saudi Television. As a result 30 million Riyal have been collected until now".

With regard to helping the war-torn, suffering and wounded people of Iraq, such announcements by a number of other Muslim countries, besides Saudi Arabia, are constantly appearing in newspapers now-a-days. Such heartening announcements were also made for the torn and bleeding Afghan people, victims of ruthless American bombing. Such announcements and news of this, type, bring to my mind the 84 and 85th ayat of Surah Baqarah. But before going into the details of these ayaat it is necessary to know their background. In those days there were two great tribes of the Mushrikeen, the Aws and Khazraj living in Madinah. They were at war with each other most of the time. Two large tribes of the Jews lived there also. They were Banu Quraiza and Banu Nazair. Banu Quraiza were the allies of Aws while Banu Nuzair sided with the Khazrajites. Whenever there was a war between Aws and Khazraj both the Jewish tribes supported their friends. What took place then was what usually happens in a war. The warring tribes killed each other, turned their rivals out of their homes and took each other prisoners. But when the war ended the victor Jews gave ransom (fidya) of their captured brothers to have them set free. This they did because they had been ordered in the Torah to get the slaves and prisoners of Bani Israel released by paying ransom for them.

This was a strange contradiction in their lives. Fighting was haraam too, as was turning each other out of their homes, but they did all this whole heartedly just in order to please their war partners. When as a result of the war and eviction some of their people were captured, they suddenly remembered what their holy book, Torah had said. Then in order to prove how religious they were, how much they cared for their brothers, they gave money out of their own pockets for the prisoner's release. Referring to this Allah Ta`ala says, "And remember We took your Covenant (to this effect): Shed no blood amongst you, nor turn out your own people from your homes: and this ye solemnly ratified, and to this ye can bear witness.”

"After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes; assist (their enemies) against them, in guilt and transgression; and if they come to you as captives, ye ransom them, though it was not lawful for you to banish them. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? -- And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unaware of what ye do".

We ask you, O readers, to make an unbiased, objective analysis of the character of the Muslim countries of to-day. It certainly seems as if the story of 1400 years ago is being repeated before us again with new names and new faces. There is the same division, same classification and grouping. The allies are different the enemies are different too. All the Muslims should have been united as Islamic teachings say, should have been the allies of each other while the Kuffar and Mushrikeen should have been their enemies. But what has happened is that those who should have been allies are mistrustful and suspicious of each other and those who should have been their enemies are being looked upon as friends. The Quran had said, do not ever consider these people your friends for their hearts are filled with enemity and malice for you; and if you make them your friends you shall be considered one of them. It is these very malevolent people to whom we offer support and co-operation of every kind it is to them that we offer our lands, our seas, our air space and all our material resources to attack our brothers in deen. The enemy sets up bases in a Muslim country, makes its headquarters there. Its aircraft-carriers sail through the waters of that country in order to attack another Muslim country; its fighter jets fly through its airspace to rain down missiles and bombs upon a hapless Muslim people, and it is through the material resources and wealth of the Muslim country that the enemy reinforces its economy and military power. Then when cities turn into ruins, villages are laid waste; when buildings crumble into dust, when factories and mills become stark skeletons; when children become orphans, sisters and daughters are raped; when hospitals overflow with patients, stench from rotting bodies in the streets fills the air, cities become desolate while graveyards thrive; when those left alive are forced to live a life worse than death itself; when they go begging for a single piece of bread, a handful of water to drink; when the Western media starts projecting them as starving beggars, as dying wretches; funds start being collected all over. The world for these hungry and naked Muslims; used clothes of stinking Kuffar arrive in heaps; the ships of the Kuffar, loaded with let-over pieces of foodstuff, and medicines start inching their way towards the land of the "poor", "oppressed", "hungry" people -- it's then that Sheikh Ji yawns and shakes himself free from a sleep worse than death. His lost memory comes back, and he accidentally, suddenly remembers that he is a Muslim, and that those upon whom bombs had been rained through resources provide by him, were Muslims too. Sheikh Ji makes a grand appearance on T.V and radio and tell his dictatorship -- shackled people that he had thrown a few coins of the wealth he had looted from them, into the begging bowl of their poor, suffering Muslim brothers then makes a passionate appeal to them to donate generously for the worthy cause too. For, he says it is our religious duty to help our naked, starving, wounded and oppressed Muslim brothers. To make the people act upon this religious duty fervently, whole-heartedly, Sheikh Ji quotes many an ayaat from the Quran and many a hadith of Rasool ullah (sallallahu `alaihe wasallam). But no one has the courage to ask Sheikh Ji why he hadn't remembered these ahadeeth and ayaat of the Quran when the enemy, riding upon his very back had been raining death upon his Muslim brothers? When their cities, homes, their very masajid were being completely destroyed? What is this if not duplicity? If this repulsive attitude cannot be termed manufiqat or hypocrisy then what else is hypocrisy? But if no one else can ask them, Allah Ta`ala has. In all His Majesty he says, "Then is it only a part of Book that you believe in, and do you reject the rest?"

Another characteristic of the Quran described by ulama is that it is a living Book. In whatever age it is read in, it seems as if it was sent down from heaven in those very days. Just cast a cursory glance at the Muslim world. Doesn't it seem as if their ayat has descended from the Heavens this very day and the Muslim are being asked, "you believe in some of the orders of this "Book while you reject the rest?" -- You believe in salat, yet deny jihad; believe in the order of helping the wounded Muslims, yet refuse to fight with those who wounded them; believe in the auspiciousness of building the Haram, yet refuse to fulfil the demands of protecting it. Then listen to the next question of the All Mighty, "But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? -- And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty". Allahu-Akbar! How closely does the Word of Allah conform to the actual reality, the true facts! There is the least bit difference. The Muslims have already been punished for their duplicity, their hypocrisy, in this world. It And it is not necessary to be keen-sighted to see the punishment the Muslims are going through, a man with common eye-sight can see it too. The only thing is that he is not completely blind. In view of the punishment of this world, the thought of the punishment of the World Hereafter is enough to make on tremble with fear. As it is, the last words of the ayat are, "And Allah is not unaware of what you do". And who is it among us who is not aware of his dastardly deeds? Of the evil he has committed?