Rang-o-Noor (BY SA'DI)

BOYCOTT OR DISSENSION

May Allah protect us all against every subversion and bless us with Caliphate! Today, I am to say a few things about boycott.

I Witnessed All Drinking

Since Childhood, I have been seeing all the Muslims drinking Pepsi, Coke, Seven up, Mirinda and Sprite without any hesitation. Not to speak of the Muslims in general, even the scholars drank it well. I saw Hazrat Mufti Rasheed Ahmad drinking Seven Up and my Spiritual Guide drinking Teem. The substance is that everyone who had not the problem of diabetes or any other ailment would drink bottles happily. You would certainly have drunk well and will be drinking now even.

Pepsi And Coke - The Sign of Piety

I happened to visit those countries also where drinking Pepsi and Coke was considered the sign of piety. Actually, wine and other filths are very common in those Pagan countries. In this intensity of situation, several Muslims also wash their hands of Belief. The smell of wine spreads there everywhere in the bazaars and streets. In this situation, the Muslims who do not drink wine but only Pepsi and Coke are regarded as very pious people and this point is specially mentioned in their introduction that the said person does not exceed Pepsi and Coke.

Helplessness

There is no letter " پ " in Arabic. Hence, the Arabs who are to utter " پ" utter it as " ب ". Pepsi is sold like hot cakes in Makkah, Madina and other cities of Saudi Arabia but they call it "Bebsi." When a person witnessed the sign boards "Bebsi" everywhere, he blurted out, "Why are there sign boards of "Helplessness, Helplessness every where?" It is senselessness or helplessness of the Muslims that Helplessness is sold in every of their country and is drunk well.

The Direction Changed Suddenly

There were both kind of people who would drink Pepsi and Seven up and who would not but Allah be thanked that there was no dissension on this issue. No religious scholar or Mufti called these bottles unlawful. These bottles were actually the invention of western countries but the manufacturers and buyers in the Islamic countries were generally the Muslim traders. Some physicians called these bottles anti-health but people did not accept their point. Then, all of a sudden, a movement and voice arose in the Muslims against Pepsi and Coke. On the other hand, when Europe started insolence to the Holy Prophet , the voice of boycotting the products of Denmark, Holland and Norway were also raised. As there is no strong pure Islamic government in any country of the world, this process of boycott could not work properly, however it is working partially in some countries. Now, several people do not drink Pepsi and Seven up. A number of ladies do not use "Head & Shoulders Shampoo." A number of children do not drink the milk pack of the Nestle and several people do not use the Telenor SIM.

The Matter Has Gone Too Far

It would have been better if the process of boycott was the same but it seems that the matter has gone too far and this process is now becoming the basis of new separation between the Muslims.

i. Those who have boycotted these few things consider themselves very great Muslim and Mujaahid.

ii. The boycotting Muslims consider those Muslims very mean and great sinners who have not yet been able to boycott Pepsi, Seven Up and Telenor etc.

iii. The boycott of these few things has been taken as a criterion of piety i.e. the one who does not drink Pepsi is religious and the one who drinks it is a sinner. So much so, if they see a big Mufti scholar drinking these bottles, they begin to doubt his Belief.

Think A Little

Till yesterday, you yourselves would have drunk Pepsi very fondly. Perhaps you might have drunk several drums. Were you at that time a Mu'min or Faasiq? It is very much possible that your shoes may be from Germany, your wrist watch from Switzerland and the vehicle from Japan or America. What do you say about yourselves? Our bazaars are full of imported items. 75% things of common use are imported. Now who will decide which thing to use and which to be boycotted? A number of Muslims use these things not out of enmity with Islam but due to their simplicity and ignorance. Same is the case with the scholars and the Mujaahideen that they do not find time to think over any other thing besides the things that Sharia has called lawful and unlawful. If you think over all these points, you will find equilibrium in your thinking.

One Thing is Certain

If the Scholars and Muftis term a thing unlawful in the light of Sharia, there remains no ground for latitude in it. It becomes the duty of the Muslims to throw those things out of their shops and houses and never think of using them. But the thing which the scholars have not termed unlawful; intense policy about them can become a danger for our Belief and unity of the Muslims. Firstly we were also of the opinion that the Muslims should boycott such things but considering the coming circumstances, there arises no hatred in our hearts against those who do not boycott those things. Why should we Muslims fight with one another?
Allah Almighty Says:

O Muslims, what has happened to you that you become groups about the Hypocrites? These days, the Muslims are being attacked by the Pagans from all sides. We do not have the power to make Pepsi and Coke the criterion of truth and Falsehood or consider it a source of outlet of modesty and fight with one another.

How Does Equilibrium Come?

i. Once we went to meet an elderly religious scholar. He brought Seven Up to serve us. The Muaahideen and bodyguards with me would look at those bottles and sometimes at that saint disdainfully and even whispered with one another. That saint felt greatly ashamed. I realized lest the situation should exceed boycott and reach atheism that the Sharia has not called one thing unlawful but many Muslims are considering it worse than unlawfulness and are calling it the criterion of Din and piety whereas all of them have stopped drinking bottles a short while ago.

ii. After the boycott of these bottles, many companies entered the field with "Islamic Drinks." They advertised much the boycott campaign for the sake of their business interests but did not supply the Muslims any standard thing. These millionaires were not religious. They had their accounts in the Pagan Countries. They themselves did not avoid any thing of the Jews and the Pagans. They saw the situation favourable and made full use of the opportunity.

iii, Only those Muslims who live in the Pagan countries are sending most of the information about boycott. Only they send names and codes of the companies through the Internet and advertise this campaign. Many of them are the people who do not abide by Sharia rather their living, company, eating and drinking depend upon the heathen things. They pay taxes to the Pagans every month rather every week and use every thing made by them. They are never willing to quit the Pagan countries. Sometimes, it seems that these people are hindering the Muslims from practical Jihaad but the religious sense of honour of the Muslims urges them to wage Jihaad. These people are limiting this sense of honour only not to drink Pepsi. Hence numerous Muslims consider this sense of honour enough and are deprived of Jihaad.

iv. It is very difficult to get rid of the Products of the Pagans without breaking their power. The vehicles, aeroplanes, phones and almost every thing come form there. Now if a Muslim goes to perform Hajj in the aeroplane made by them, roams about all the time in the vehicles made by them, uses phones made by them, puts on clothes prepared by them and then taunts a poor Muslim who drinks Pepsi with immodesty, this thing seems a great oppression.

Or Be Like Them

Once, I happened to go to "Fajirah" during my visit of the UAE. The native host said to me, "There lives a gentleman at the coast who does not use any modern thing neither electricity, nor phone nor any machinery. He lives in a hut. He does not use alleopathic medicine. If he falls ill, he uses the specific ancient method of treatment. He does not use ice or cold water from fridge. He keeps his hut pure of modern things." That fellow was actually so. If the boycotters become like that saint, it is their right to hate those who use Pepsi and Seven Up but they themselves use 75% things of the Pagans and call one or two things the criterion of "Islamic modesty." It does not appeal to the heart.

Moderation, Moderation

O Muslims, be moderate because great hatred is spreading in the Muslims due to these things. The Belief of the Muslim must be right and he must follow all the five obligations; only this thing is sufficient to be religious. If he is a Scholar or a Mufti, respect for him becomes due more. Now, do not judge him at other things, whether he wears a watch or not, wears in the right hand or the left one, he drinks such and such lawful thing or not. Do not coin your own criterions but fear Allah with regard to respect and chastity of the Muslims. It is not fair to hate the Muslims or develop misgiving about them. For Allah's sake, do not search ever new ways of dissension. After embracing Islam, it is obligatory to follow five pillars and act upon them i.e. Prayer, Fasting, Hajj, Zakat and Jihaad. Do not call any new thing obligatory from your own side nor call any thing unlawful.

The Last Request

Let us sum up the matter. We ourselves are the supporters of boycott. We kept supporting this movement in the past. We wish just to break the power and grandeur of the Muslims and keep working for the realization of this yearning.

● The Muslims who have stopped using Pepsi, should not make this column a cause and start using Pepsi again. You should drink Zam Zam, honey, fresh fruit juice or simple water which are Allah's great blessings. Pepsi is normally harmful to the stomach.

● The boycotters of these few things should not consider themselves equal to the Mujaahideen who are sacrificing their lives for religious modesty and grandeur; who are getting their bodies minced and causing irreparable loss to the infidels.

● If most of the scholars of the country issue the decree of boycott of a thing, the Muslims should boycott it very strictly.

● If all or majority of scholars do not issue the decree and Muslim is certain that the income of that thing is used in the anti-Islam tasks, he himself should boycott it and persuade others to it but should not make the Muslims the butt of hatred or scorn.

● Most of the Scholars of the country have issued decree against the products of "Shezan" company. The Muslims should boycott it strictly.

● All the Muslims should wage the way of Allah and cut the roots of infidelity. There will be no use in cutting the leaves and branches because more leaves and branches will sprout from them. May Allah grant Islam and Muslims with might and grandeur and protect us all against every subversion!