In this question-and-answer session, Sheikh Bahauddin Adil addresses the wave of sorrow that swept across the world in the preceding months. He recalls the brutal attacks on two mosques in New Zealand and a shooting at a synagogue in Chicago, and asks what these calamities say to humanity, and to Muslims in particular.
The Sheikh reminds us of the prophetic saying that fitna (trial and chaos) is asleep, and that whoever awakens it bears Allah’s curse. Those who carried out these acts, whether in New Zealand, Sri Lanka or elsewhere, are the ones who stir this dormant turmoil. In his view their actions are not isolated outbursts but part of a larger pattern driven by hidden forces that seek to dominate and enslave humanity through technology, media and economic dependency.
Modern life, he warns, has made us servants of our phones, our jobs, our debts and even our fears. The rapid spread of information lets those who want to sow discord reach millions in an instant and turns real suffering into a kind of video-game spectacle. This manipulation is not new: the Sheikh traces it back to the outbreak of the First World War, when the murder of a single heir to the throne set a continent ablaze, and notes how colonial powers, especially the British, mastered the art of creating fitna for their own gain.
Against this background, Sheikh Bahauddin calls on Muslims to wake from spiritual slumber: to be vigilant, to hold to the Qur’an and the prophetic teachings, and to stand together so that fitna does not overwhelm our communities. Such tragedies, he says, are never merely isolated events; they are threads in a larger fabric woven by those who profit from division.
For those seeking further guidance, we invite you to our Live meetings, where these questions are explored together. May we all remain steadfast, aware and united in the face of fitna.
