Erosion of values ― the cause of our decline: Dr Raheeq Abbasi

Dr Raheeq Ahmad Abbasi, Secretary General of Minhaj-ul-Quran International, has said that it is incumbent on the Muslims to eliminate the evil form their respective societies in accordance with their capacity. No evil is the weakness of faith. Only that society is successful whose members are champions of commanding good and forbidding evil. The Muslims would have to start the journey of spreading the good with the reform of their own selves. The torment of insecurity and misery we are afflicted with is the aggregate result of our actions.

He expressed these views while talking to a delegation of MQI office holders in the Central Secretariat the other day. He said that the Muslims had put the teachings of Allah and His Prophet (saw) at the backburner and given up the invitation to the good and pious actions, with the result that they have been seized with tormenting consequences. Evil is spreading in the Pakistani society and we are just spectators allowing it to grow unchecked. The state and the institutions responsible to transfer moral and spiritual values to the younger generations have proved ineffective in this connection. We can revitalize these institutions and have the power of vote but do not use it judiciously. If people learn to use their vote wisely, they can change their fate, bring about a system of values and create history.

He said that if the Pakistani nation wanted to progress, it needed to use its power of vote wisely to elect honest and competent leadership. Otherwise it would continue to remain mired in crises. He said that it is the principle of the Islamic law that when the evil spreads, Allah does not impose torment on the people. But when people choose to turn a blind eye, become heedless and do nothing to stem the tide of evil despite having the power to do so, it is then that they become liable for punishment. These torments befall in a variety of ways like the emergence of dishonest and immoral rulers etc. In such a state, the nation gets deprived of collective consciousness and prayers are not granted. He said that at a time when Islam and its teachings are being distorted, projecting its true face to people is the real service to our religion. ‘MQI is performing this responsibility at multiple levels’, he concluded.