By Will Coley
December 31, 2012
“It does not take a majority to prevail… but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men.”, Samuel Adams.
Whenever I read or hear this quote I hear echos of Prophetic wisdom expressed in an adage that I have heard since the day of my shahada. That throughout time, regardless the amount of corruption which abounds, there will always be a small group from among the Ummah(muslim community) that will enjoin to good, and forbid evil.
This tireless minority, said to exist during the extreme corruption and oppression close to the end of time, was quite special to Muhammad(saws). They are mentioned a number of times, with varying descriptions, but they are always praised as recipients of rewards and blessing envied by even the sahaba, granted to them for persevering through trials, tribulations, and fitna envied by no one.
In one particular set of these narrations, the quote begins, ” Tooba lil Ghurubaa”, often inaccurately translated as,”Blessings upon the strangers.” Tooba however, is a tree in paradise that it would take a rider on horse back riding non stop 100 years to pass it’s shade, so to translate “tooba” simply as “blessings” is a gross understatement. With tooba being in paradise, these “strangers” are not simply blessed, they are assured paradise.
These same “Toobah lil Ghurubaa” narrations end in varying ways that, when read parallel to one another, offer a a description of the character and characteristics these “strangers” will be known by:
“They are those who maintain themselves upon righteousness when people become corrupt” (Ahmad)
“They are individuals from different tribes” (ibn Majaah)
“They are those who revive my Sunnah and teach it to people”
“They are righteous people amongst a great number of evil people; those who disobey them (when they invite them to righteousness) are greater than those who obey them” (Ahmad).
As we can see by the descriptions offered, these “strangers” will be a minority from among people who will stand for truth and justice when the rest of the world has sided with corruption.A band which will form from across the social spectrum, of those willing stand firm, enjoining good and forbidding evil. A group of revivalists calling their fellow Muslims back to a more classical understanding of Islam, and who seeks to renew Islam after greedy and designing men have corrupted it.
Truthfully no movement for justice and liberty has ever been a majority, everyone knows the revolutionary fights alone until he wins, then he is suddenly a hero and a genius, that everyone supported all along. Look around you, are YOU part of a majority? Are liberty advocates a majority voice in America? Do a majority of Americans support lower taxes, gun rights, smaller government, rational foreign policy, the NAP, sound money ,or any other of the whole host of issues that are important to us as activists and advocates for Liberty?
If a majority of Americans, a majority of congressmen,a majority of supreme court justices, and the president all see the NDAA and Obamacare as “constitutional”, and a minority of us disagree with their modern interpretation of “constitutional” and say it is not, does our “minority” make this opinion nay less correct or orthodox? I would say not!!
WE are a minority, embrace it, love it, accept it. I would much prefer to stand the tests and trials of the irate and uncompromising minority than enjoy the luxuries granted the oppressors in the majority.If the best our detractor can levy at us,that will stick, is that we are members of a “minority” opinion in the modern age, then I accept that label and wear it with pride, because Toobah lil Ghurubaa.