Before one deals with the secondary matter of mankind’s actions, one must remember the very purpose why mankind has been created and his duty. By knowing our purpose, we will be cognizant of our cause and what our actions should be. We have been taught that the only purpose Allah (swt) created us was for His worship and the pinnacle of worship is to declare belief in the Tawheed (oneness) of Allah (swt) in His names, actions, attributes and disbelief and rejection of all forms of gods and laws. Therefore, as Muslims we must direct our prayers, our dua, our fasting, in fact all of our actions to Allah (swt) alone as that is our purpose of creation.

Our duty as Muslim is to INVITE PEOPLE TO ISLAM, COMMAND GOOD and FORBID EVIL, not to become a part of this Kuffar system (man-made system). Our effort should be focused at working to address the evil and command good in Maranao society (the laws and order system) and preserving our Islamic identity and that of our children, and grand children, and also to work to establish Islam in the totality wherever we are through intellectual and political struggle, carrying the call of Islam (not democracy) to the society. This can be done by following the methodology Islam has defined for this task embodied in the track record of Rasul (saw) and his companions, and not being led by pseudo-benefits that our limited intellects churn out. What is strongly enjoined upon us to carry out is often ignored.

We are being told that our model is the Messenger of Allah (swt) and his sahaba and not the Jews, Christians or simply put it Kuffar. In no certain terms, Rasul (saw) warned us from following the ways of the Jews and Christians. Unfortunately, we find this tragedy happening over and over again. Although what we have in the Qur’an and Sunnah is not sufficient but complete and perfect, we have still turned to external non-Islam sources through integration and assimilation into Kuffar society. We have tried to integrate them into Islam, compromising our religion and sometimes even putting the external sources alone Islam. But the Prophet of Islam so clearly stated that whatever that was not part of the religion of Islam at his time would never be accepted as part of the religion.

The call of integration (e.g. voting) is a call for further subjugation of the will of the Muslims. It is a concerted effort by the enemies of Allah (swt) to drive us to integrate into Western society and to instill into us the values of Secularism. This drive towards secularizing the Muslims has already led to many Muslims suffering the consequences of freedom. Don’t you look the dire consequences in which we have adopted the lifestyles and values they have found around them? Muslim youth have become submerged into the Kuffar culture around them. Rampant fornication, adultery and even homosexuality have found their way into our community. Do we as Ummah want to continue to go down this road?

As Muslims, we are so fortunate that our Shariah has been perfected and protected. Let us not legitimize our evils as the West has done. If we are unable to uphold the standard that Islam set, we should regretfully acknowledge our shortcomings as such and not regard our wrongs as acceptable or even wajib (obligatory) as some deviated scholars have claimed. If we are not willing to carry the call to Islam to our society, then at least we should stop leading our fellow Muslims into pit of secularism through intehration and assimilation.

This is a call upon the Ummah to actively resist the plots and plans of the Kuffar to destroy or water down our Deen and thus our identity by introducing alien, Western concepts into it. The time has come for the Muslim Ummah to realize its responsibility to witness over mankind and to work to establish the deen of Allah (swt) to fulfill this responsibility. Participation in this vicious Kuffar system defeats the very purpose of the Ummah being the leader of and witness to humanity. We possess the haqq (truth), we are well equipped to tackle all fitnas.

Instead of degrading ourselves searching for a means to a solution in a system that is bringing nothing but misery to the humanity, we should call humanity to Islam, the only way out of this mystery. We should do it the way Rasul (saw) did it, in a challenging and open manner not by taking the shape of nay environment we happen to exist. We are here not integrate but to change this society to an Islamic society as the Prophet (saw) did it in Makkah and Madinah through an intellectual (inviting society to the belief of Islam) and political struggle (addressing the law and order of the society) wherever we are.