What do we want?

Islam has generally failed to evolve & mobilise the ummah from poverty, illiteracy and oppression.
Ummah has been unable to move forward & progress while keeping Islam close to their heart.

Islam has now been reduced to be a symbol which conveniently put aside when more serious matters dictate, like earning a living, getting rich, running a country & what not.

It's no longer a way of life.
It gets chucked away when it gets in our way i.e it makes us feel guilty.
We justify our action by rationalising that our deed is neccessary.

Islam has been sacrificed on the alter of convenience.

How did we become like this?

It's a long story.

The decline of Islam gets in motion when people like Muawiyah Bin Abu Suffian, a governor in Syam(nowday Iraq) during Saidina Ali caliphate, who think by dressing well will impress foreign dignitaries & raise the status of Islam. Was he wrong?
(Amirrul think Muawiyah is more progressive compared to Ali. He was thinking of material progress? I guess so. Unlike spiritual progress? His rationale? Islam spread far & wide during Muawiyah, he said. The Caliphate was turned into monarchy during Muawiyah so that his ancestors can take over)
It gets in motion when we turn the other cheek or we take when people are not watching?

How come Islam was so successful during Rasullalah days?

Billal was beaten blue & black & he kept uttering "Allah the great" until Uthman bought & free him.
Billal believed.
He believed in Allah swt, Quran & Rasullalah saw.
He wasn't a rich man. He was a slave.
Yet all are vivid in his heart & mind.

Uthman was a rich man & he'd given away most of his riches to finance Islam cause.

These sahabats have given their all & Islam flourish.

Do they become rich when Islam flourish?

Nope.

It's not their intention to get rich.
So what do they want?

Coming back to us, the big question is "what do we want?"

Most answer "successful".

What do they mean by "successful?"
Big pay check, big houses, big cars that attract bevy of girls, for the start. And later the game evolved.

Big & bigger than the other.

More power & more money.
Power to bent rules & money to buy idolation & affection.
Despite what people say about power, like;
Power corrupts, absolute power corrupt absolutely
Power never cease to amaze.

What price we are willing to pay to get what we want?

Hard work. Creative. Innovative.
Some won't do it upfront but gave their all at the back.
Some will sell their mother.

Coming back to Islam & matter of success
Can these two exist together or they are mutually exclusive?

Adakah Islam menyusahkan? Is by becoming true Muslim you will not be able to enjoy things that you enjoy in the past?

Adakah Islam membuat ummah mundur & miskin?

As a responsible Muslim, we've got to confront these issues.
Come clean with our conscience.
We can't afford to follow the herd anymore.
We've got to stand up & be counted.

What we are today is pathetic. We are ritualistic & superficial.
We dressed like one, we go to masjid like one or we fast like one but when come to more serious matter, like money, power, justice, we let the "whisper" rules.
So many things about Islam, we take for granted.

What we do & say in public is not the same when we are in private.
Who are we really?
Hypocrite?