The question is quite often asked and comes to ones mind, what does Islam say about Patriotism i.e. love of one's country?
So, the very basic thing that we all need to know is that the centre of all our love and liking must be the true love of Allah and His Prophet and striving in His cause and any feeling of love that supersedes these things is a grave sin.
Allah Almighty says in the Holy Qur'an:
"Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline: or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause;- then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious." (Qur'an 9:24)
So, we can easily understand that if the love of one's country supersedes his love for Allah, His Messenger and striving in Allah's cause then this is a sin and Allah will question him for that. This can happen in a way that if the people of one's country let the country and its sources being used against the Commandments of Allah and the person out of his blind love of his country and people defends the crime committed he is actually practically testifying that he cares more about his people and country and not for Allah and His commandments.
But if it does not happen and a person keeps his love for country, which actually is a natural thing, at its place then there is nothing wrong in it. I say that love of one's land is a natural thing and in itself there is nothing wrong in it because this is what happened with the Holy Prophet (PBUH) even. In the city of Makkah he had to go through different troubles but he still proclaimed his love for his city, his birth place. At the time of emigration to Medina he said to the city of Makkah:
“What a nice town you are! How dear to me! Were it not that my people expelled me from you, I would not live anywhere besides you.” (Jami' Tirmidhi. Hadith 3952)
But in this statement alone the whole discussion is summed up. Holy Prophet (PBUH) loved his birth place but when practising the commandments of Allah became impossible and the people of the city created hurdles in the way of practicing Islam he left his land and shunned his people and displayed that his love for Allah overwhelms any other love and liking he had. He left the city to dwell at a place where it was much easy to practice Islam.
But still this was not the end of Prophet's connection with Makkah, for eight years he worked and maneuvered in a way that he was able to take over the city and make the practice of Allah's commandment easy and plain there. For eight years the core of all his strategy was to eventually get back to Makkah. So this was infact Holy Prophet's love for Makkah that he after all conquered the city and made it the center of Islam.
In the same way if we love our county and yearn to make it a place where Islam can flourish then there is nothing wrong in it; infact it’s a great virtue in itself.
Let's put it in another more simple way. If I say that I love Pakistan and Pakistan is my passion then if these feelings of mine lead me to justify and blindly support everything that people and government of Pakistan do even when it is in direct clash with the teachings of the Islam then it is big a sin. It is Asbiyyah :
Allah's Messenger (PBUH) was asked; what is Asbiyyah (nationalism)? He replied: "That you should help your people in wrongdoing." (Sunan Abu Dawud Hadith 5100)
And this is when it becomes what Iqbal says; 'In taza khudaoun me bara sub se watan hai' i.e. 'State is greatest of modern deities.' And such a blind 'love' is even, at a level, shirk. Similarly if such feelings make me feel superior and indifferent to other Muslims living around the globe then it is again a great sin as the Holy Prophet (PBUH) said:
"People should give up their pride in nations because this is a coal from the coals of hell-fire." (Sunan Abu Dawud Hadith 5097)
And this is when the state becomes what Iqbal puts up as, 'jo pairahan is ka hai wo mazhab ka kafan hai.' i.e. 'its cloak is the shroud of the faith (islamic fraternity).'
On the other hand if my love for Pakistan urges me to work for making Pakistan a truly Islamic state and to strive to make it the center of Islamic Revival and the base for Khilafah then there is nothing wrong about it and it is in itself an Ibadah and such a love ought to be the part our faith. And this is exactly the feeling Holy Prophet (PBUH) had for Makkah.
Now it is for all of us to peep into our hearts and see what is the true nature of our love for our (respective) country? Is it Ibadah or is it Shirk? Is it the Sunnah way or is it merely Asbiyyah?
May Allah guide us all!
INDEED ALLAH KNOWS THE BEST !!!
...by Waqar Akbar Cheema
