other nations our role models. It should have been that nations copied us, but we became copycats; we started copying others copying outsiders in our gait and posture, copying outsiders in education, copying outsiders in principles and laws, and even in buying shoes, clothes, and in eating and drinking, we copy other nations.

Most unfortunately, today, Muslims do not learn the Holy Quran, they learn the philosophies of non-Muslims; they do not look at the Sīrah (life) of their Noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم and they adopt the lifestyle of non-Muslims.

Dear Islamic brothers! The pious Muslims of the past did not imitate any nation, they adopted the Sunnahs of their Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, they adhered to the principles described in the Holy Quran. Their fame was renowned in the world, the Lord of the universe had granted them progress, they were given ascension, non-Muslims envied them, to the extent that getting inspired by their character and manners, the unbelievers would recite the Kalimah.

A beautiful incident of Madinah al-Munawwarah

Dear Islamic brothers! This is the greatness of a believer; a believer is entirely a source of goodness. In the Muslims of the past, the spirit of wishing well for one another was instilled to the core. Amir Ahl al-Sunnah, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Attar Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ writes:

Someone once asked Sayyidi Qutb-e-Madinah Maulana Ziā al-Dīn Madanī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه: “O my master! How did you find the people of Madinah in the past (probably during the Turkish era)?”

He replied: “A wealthy pilgrim, with the intention of distributing cloth among the poor, reached the shop of a cloth merchant and demanded a large quantity of the required cloth.”

The shopkeeper said: “I can certainly fulfil the order, but my request is that you buy from the shop opposite to mine because, اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه! I have had good sales today, while that poor neighbouring shopkeeper has had somewhat less income.”