Asabiyyah or nationalism  is one of foremost causes of decline of muslim ummah in general and Pakistani muslims  in particular. 

What is asabiyyah ? we will discuss below its definition plus what islam says about it.

The causes and the diseases that have weakened the Muslim ummah are many, and the asabiyyah with all its kinds and forms is one of these deadly diseases that have weakened the Muslim ummah in the past as well as today; the once unified, merciful, and cohesive Muslim ummah has transformed into differing, conflicting, warring entities. Based on prejudices nationalism,regionalism,and tribalism instead of concept of one muslim ummah or pan Islamism.

Definition of asabiyyah:

Linguistically, asabiyyah comes from the word asabah, which is the relatives of the person from the father side. These relatives are called asabah because they strengthen and defend the person that makes him/her stronger.

Idiomatically, asabiyyah is man's supporting his people to whom he belongs, whether they are right or wrong, oppressing or oppressed. The belonging to these people can be due to kith and kin, ethnicity, color, birthplace, citizenship, school of thought, or a group of people with common interest.

So asabiyya in brief means  unjustly supporting ones own people ( based on caste and creed, professional affiliations etc  etc)  when these people are actually on wrong path.

This idea of nationalism is an ignorant idea that traces back to the pre-Islamic paganism , something which Islam clearly denounces and rejects. In the Hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) it is stated: "He does not belong to us the one who calls for `asabiyyah . He does not belong to us the one who fights for `asabiyyah. He does not belong to us the one who dies for `asabiyyah. "

 This ideology of nationalism call for supporting the oppressor and failing the oppressed.

Also, in his Farewell Hajj, which constituted the declaration of the constitution of the whole Muslim nation, the Prophet (sallalahu alih e wasallum)  declared that no Arab is superior to a non-Arab, nor is a black inferior to a white. It is only by the merit of taqwa (piety and fear of Allah) and moral soundness that man can be superior

.

The natural outcome of nationalism then will be that people will give their cause a higher place than any other consideration. That is why we find that Arab nationalists give priority to Arabs over non-Arabs and even forget about any religious bonds. This goes contrary to the clear words of the Qur'an that state: "The believers are naught else than brothers." (Al-Hujurat: 10)

The Qur'an commands us clearly to cast aside all considerations or links once they come in contradiction with Islam and the bond of Islam. Almighty Allah says: "O ye who believe! Choose not your fathers nor your brethren for friends if they take pleasure in disbelief rather than faith." (At-Tawbah: 23)

The supporters of nationalism will blame us for standing for the causes of Muslims in Kashmir, Ethiopia or Russia. However, they will find no sin in supporting Hindus, Communists or anybody else that are linked with them under the umbrella of nationalism

Nationalists call for separating religion from the state. They call for a secularist state and restricting religion to the places of worship where it is confined to a certain number of practices and spiritless rituals. In their thinking, religion has no role to play in life; rather, it should be put on the shelf and removed from the core of life and just put on the margin.

The nationalists take a hateful stance against the Islamic awakening and any Islamic movement calling for the return to Islam and sticking by its teachings and guidance.

(if we observe in Pakistan,the nationalistic movements like sindhi nationalists, balochi nationalists, seraiki nationalists, mqm etc are staunchly anti islam and secular people and they proudly say that mohammad bin qasim the muslim conqueror of India is not their hero as he was an arab and muslim and they say that hindu raja dahar was their hero ,who was hindu, but he had Indian blood! Balochi nationalist leaders are so anti islam that they have head quarter in Israel and they support Israeli atrocities on Palestinians openly!how low a muslim falls in nationalism!

I will now give one of  my own personal example here,if someone minds that than its his problem ,as a muslim I am ordered to speak the truth no matter how bad it seems to people of certain beliefs and  nationalities!

in college years I had a classfellow from seraiki area,he was seraiki nationalist  ,a group which wants independent  seraikistan under Indian patronage etc , he once told me that hindu raja dahar is our hero and mohammad bin qasim and afghan invaders who brought islam to India are villains to us and we hate them. now this seariki was muslim born and had muslim name but his hate for islam and love for hindu religion showed me and opened my eyes to nationalism and its satanic effects, the same guy enjoying education in punjabs capital city Lahore always abused Punjabis openly due to his nationalist views  but no one minded as Punjabis are either very tolerant bunch or not very  brave nation? (only allah knows, I wrote what were my observations ,so any Punjabi here please don’t mind) , this guy  also abused quranic ayats openly!  So this was first time my eyes opened to evil of nationalism )

Imam Muslim reported that the prophet (S.A.W.) said, "And whosoever fights under a blind (rayah) flag (it is not known whether this flag represents the truth or falsehood), gets angry along with his group of people, or calls to a group of people, or supports a group of people, and is subsequently killed because of that, then he died in jahliya

(meaning that he died sinful death and died as a nonmuslim!!!)"

In another narration by Imam Muslim, "......And whosoever is killed under a blind (rayah) flag, gets angry along with his group of people, and fights for the sake of his group of people, then he is not from my ummah."

not from my ummah! means he is no longer a muslim who has asbiyya!

thats why pious people say that those who die fighting for their country,caste,tribe etc  rather than fighting for islam,than its wrong to call them shaheed.

In both narrations, there is a strong warning from the prophet (sallalahu alihe wasallum) to the one who is triggered by asabiyyah to call for it, or to get angry for it, or to support it.

In the first narration, it clarifies to us that if he gets killed because of asabiyyah, then his killing is a jahili (sinful) killing.

In the second narration, the prophet  excludes the one who carries asabiyyah from his ummah. Both of these warnings indicate how serious and great the sin of asabiyyah is.

 Imam Abu-Dawud reported that the prophet (S.A.W.) said, "He is not of us if he calls to asabiyyah, and he is not one of us if he fights for the sake of asabiyyah, and not one of us if he dies on asabiyyah.

this shows that asbayya or nationalism is alien to islam and islam and nationalism cant go together,if a person has even minor asabyya or nationalism than he has no islam in his heart actually

Nationalism is a concept alien to Islam because it calls for unity based on family and tribalistic ties, whereas Islam binds people together on the `Aqeedah, that is belief in Allah (swt) and His Messenger (sallalah u alih e wasallum). Islam calls for the ideological bond.

Grouping the Muslims on tribalistic lines is clearly forbidden. It is narrated by Abu Da'wud that the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said,

"He is not one us who calls for `Asabiyyah, (nationalism/tribalism) or who fights for `Asabiyyah or who dies for `Asabiyyah."

And in another Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) referring to nationalism, racism, and patriotism said:

"Leave it, it is rotten." [Muslim and Bukhari]

Also, the Messenger of Allah (saaw) said, narrated by At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud,

There are indeed people who boast of their dead ancestors; but in the sight of Allah they are more contemptible than the black beetle that rolls a piece of dung with its nose. Behold, Allah has removed from you the arrogance of the Time of Jahiliyyah (Ignorance) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but an Allah-fearing believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are the children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust."

So according to islam

If a person is good muslim and acts on islam in its true form as revealed by quran and sunnah than he is our brother, and if our own brother deliberately does not act on quran and sunnah than he is not actually our brother

Islam does not believe in racial or nationalistic divisions and affiliations

Now after writing this let me give some more sad examples from Pakistan

Asbiyya is at its peak in pakistani society. for example kalabagh dam was not allowed to be built by three provinces because Punjab would get its royalty as it will be built in Punjab .if that dam was built than present floods would not have devastated Pakistan like presently they did ,but even religious minded big bearded fellows from sindh, nwfp and balochistan united against kalabagh dam in hatred for Punjab!.

On other hands Punjabis though seem less nationalistic than other provinces but many of them supported swat operation by Pakistani army just on the bases that Pakistani army has many people from Punjab! Shame on the people who supported pak armys anti islam operations just on bases of caste creed and nationalistic reasons.

Than we can see even further divisions in our society

Also this nationalism is eating up iman of even religious people in many places.we all know that present ruling party in nwfp province of Pakistan is awami national party ,and that this party is anti islam and pro hindu party since its birth,this party is now killing islamist pakhtoons throughout nwfp and tribal areas under instructions from America etc.once I was talking to a long bearded pathan from Peshawar who seemed Islamic minded to me,but when I started to talk about awami national party I was amazed to hear that he was passionately supporting that anti islam party just on bases that it’s a pathan party and he too is pathan! He got angry with me but I said to him that how can you be a muslim if you support enemies of allah just because their caste creed is same as you!

So muslims be attentive! This sin of nationalism is prime reason for muslims decline.

And problem is not that simple!Even professional colleagues show asabiyyah ! so asabiyyah is not only on racial ,provincial  levels ,but a group of similar  profession people also unjustly support their own profession people .let me give an example

A lawyer had some tussel with a doctor and involved him in false rape case here in Lahore Pakistan.the doctor tried to get justice at every court level but the lawyers supported their own lawyer brother and implicated him further and further into more false cases. So many false cases were made against that doctor that he lost his mind. the doctor had no choice left so he put a bomb on his body and blew himself up in the session court! the whole court room  fell down, killing that lawyer too who made false cases against the doctor .

this happens when you don’t give justice(by the way Pakistani courts are famous for corruption and injustice.the corrupts get free while innocent get hanged while lawyers make money

All lawyers support each other. like you will see if you attack a crow all crows gather around you trying to hit you on head with beak.

Same is case in other fields ,each and every field.

And our indo pak society is divided into caste systems like no other society in world,this is one reason this region never progressed.

In Pakistan where I live caste plays an important role in getting admissions in good colleges and than finding high paying jobs,actually caste plays 70% role.

Caste system is so strong here that since last 40 years or so every caste person at high post brought his own caste people on high government seats and jobs..this injustice resulted in stupid and unworthy people getting control over Pakistan, for 40 50 years these seeds of injustices were planted by Pakistani people and now its time to reap !if we see present state of chaos in Pakistan we can see that its strongest cause is presence of non deserving unworthy people on every seat of power who get  every job that counts in a countrys progress

These non deserving people who come into these powerful seats than continue the system of injustices and corruption that was legacy of their seniors

The caste system is so horrible that in sensitive fields like police and medicine too the safaarishi (people with contacts ) and unworthy people are now controlling everything

Recently In mayo hospital a qualified surgeon who was safarshi killed a woman in simple hysterectomy operation ,the reason you people know

In Pakistan a  butt caste person will support another butt caste person no matter if that person  is satan himself, a jatt caste will support another jatt caste always,and rajput will support a rajput no matter how corrupt and morally bankrupt that person is,a mohajir will support mqm party no matter if the proof of this partys involvement in karachi murders is crystal clear.

As we saw in muzafar garh area of south Punjab, where caste politics resulted in winning of jamshaid dasti as  member of national assembly ,same jamshaid dasti who was proven by court of making fake and  fraud education degrees to get into assembly.

People voted for him as they said that he is “our own”. they ignored his false degrees and lies and corruption and his cruelty towards people of his area (he beat up female doctors of his area with battons ) .they ignored all this because he belonged to their caste

So people of Pakistan beware .when you people will die you will die in jahliat according to above mentioned hadith. Unless you change yourself and start supporting the pious muslims instead of corrupt people of your own tribe and caste

 you always choose corrupt people instead of pious people on bases of caste, creed, nationalism and provincial and regional prejudices and affiliations ,and you are free to do that as allah is testing you. but in the end you people will have to pay for your deeds in both this world and akhira.

Now question can arise that what are the bases of honour and greatness, if islam rejects caste ,creed etc as criterion to judge people. the answer lies in below ayat in quran

Al-Hujurat, (verse 13), what can be translated as, "O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honorable of you in the sight of Allah is those who has most taqwa…"

So honour belongs to the one who is more pious and has taqwa. taqwa means to fear allah and thereby act on quran and sunnah in their true form. and here allah also tells us that who we should choose as our leaders.

 so allah clearly shows us that chose the most honourable person as leader and honourable is the one who is most pious among you.

And when people go against this ayat and choose  leaders on bases of nationalism and caste creed ,and our own material benefits associated with these things, than people invite allahs wrath. .and we can now clearly see allahs wrath on muslims in general and Pakistani muslims in particular

When we choose a leader on bases of nationalism than we do great injustice and it’s a known Islamic  truth that unjust nations don’t survive for long

Another example  I will give. in these elections Pakistani nation chose the most corrupt and most cruel people as leaders .(take example of zerdari and mqm) and when anyone tries to stop likes of zerdari and mqm from corruption than these parties and people threaten that we will raise our nation (sindhis or mohajirs) and we will take our accountability as attack on us by “Punjab”!!! (remember baber awan,s takht Lahore statements?)

 imagine ! to protect the zaalim ,cruel and corrupt people on bases of nationalism! This is inviting azaabs on oneself.

So allah has decided who is best among man kind .even if a person is poor slave if he has iman he is better than a highly educated  triple frcs  burger family surgeon,or a billionire etc .this is islamic law and whoever will not act on this than that nation will ultimately perish

 "O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared and die not except in a state of Islam with complete submission to Allah. And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of Allah (i.e. Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favors on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace you became brothers; and you were on the brink of the pit of fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah make His signs clear to you that you may be guided." [Surah Al'Imran (3); ayah 102-103]