Waiting around for instantaneous change to take place is a way of fleeing from responsibility and hard work. This is a fact that applies to nations as much as it applies to individuals.

The great achievements of history have always been the result of hard work, good planning, persistence, and a sincere will to succeed. Behind these achievements have always been the people, uniting under some program, ideology, or collective effort.

Great failures have always been the bitter fruits of neglect, the disparaging of human effort, and lack of will. Such bitter fruits have been the just harvest of the Muslims whenever they allowed themselves to become a people without initiative who wait around for things to happen.

Allah is capable of everything. If he wants something to occur, He has but to say “be” and it is. However, Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has decreed that the world – human life included – will be governed by natural laws, and that people will be tried with responsibilities and duties and with the need to work to achieve their goals. He then promises us His help and His guidance if we do what we are supposed to do.

Even the Prophets were subject to these natural laws.

When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taken on his miraculous night journey from Mecca to Jerusalem , it was purely an act of divine intervention, without the involvement of any human effort whatsoever. His mount for this journey was the burâq, the steed of the Prophets whose hoof s moved at a speed faster than the eye can discern. Allah says: “And His command for the Hour is naught but the glance of an eye or even more fleeting. Indeed Allah is capable of all things.” [ Sûrah al-Nahl : 77]

Nevertheless, when the time came for the emigration from Mecca to Madinah, this was a human endeavor commanded and sanctioned by the Prophet (peace be upon him). For this, he had to prepare himself and his mount for the journey. It was days before he could even depart, and then he did so with Abû Bakr as his traveling companion. Both of them were subject to fear, hunger, thirst, and all manner of human discomfort. However, they were throughout their journey surrounded by Allah’s mercy.

The emigration was a human endeavor that took years of planning, searching for supporters, securing a place to emigrate to, and taking into account all the requirements of departure. `Alî had to remain behind at the house of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the night of his flight from Mecca , so that all of the personal belongings that people had entrusted to the Prophet’s safekeeping could be returned to their rightful owners.

Abû Bakr feared for the Prophet’s life, at times traveling ahead of him fearing an ambush and at times traveling behind him fearing that they were being pursued. At other times he would move from the right of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the left and back again on account of his fear and worry for him. He did so until the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Do not be distressed, for Allah is with us.”

Failure requires nothing more from us than a lack of planning and foresight. This is precisely how we see the Muslims conducting themselves today, whether we are talking about their governments, their nations, or their societies. Desired reforms are not going to come about in an instant. They require us to work for them long and hard, to face difficulties, to invest our energies, and to exhibit constancy, persistence, and cooperation.

There is one momentary event in the whole process. That is the critical moment in which the person resolves his will upon the task at hand. Allah says: “And if they want to make amends, Allah will reconcile between them.” [ Sûrah al-Nisâ’ : 35]

Here we see that the will to make amends is needed to realize Allah’s help. This will emanates from within the individual. It is, however, nothing other than the initial push that sets a person into motion, propelling him forth into an ongoing process of serious work. What may appear to others as an instantaneous change is in reality the happy inauguration of a new enterprise.

We do not intend to diminish the sense of hope that a Muslim should feel towards his Lord. By contrast, we are merely emphasizing the sense of responsibility that should accompany that hope. It is a serious problem when Muslims allow themselves to get distracted by verbosity and rhetoric to the expense of getting a solid grasp of the real world that they can translate into a sensible program of thought and a responsible course of action.

Achievements, both great and small, may seem instantaneous to those who are standing on the outside, who were not there at the inception of the enterprise, who were not there to see its long gestation, its painful birth, and then its first tentative steps. Indeed, all human endeavors are subject to this natural order. Allah makes it clear when He makes an exception to that rule. He says: “ Verily, the likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him from earth and then said to him: ‘Be!’ and he was.” [ Sûrah Âl `Imrân : 59]

Therefore, it befits those who hope for change and reform and those who suffer under the burden of the backwardness and decline in which we are living, to study those first steps and define where individual responsibility lies.

We are not going to change the world or advance in leaps and bounds. It is not to be expected from a people who have grown accustomed to disgrace, shame, and inaction to become a lofty, productive and responsible nation without considerable effort, and preparation.

We should never belittle the efforts that we are capable of making. Our circumstances cannot and will not change overnight. This does not mean that we should remain indolent and await a miracle to descend from heaven. Yes, we believe that expecting relief from Allah is a form of worship, even though there is no authentic hadîth that explicitly says so. However, this belief does not mean that we just sit back and fold our hands. It means that we take the initiative to bring this relief about and then place our hopes in Allah’s promise of help. Indeed, Allah promises that ease will come after hardship.

Allah says: “Indeed after hardship comes ease. So when you have finished (from your work) stand up (to worship), and to you Lord direct your hopes.” [ Sûrah al-Sharh : 6-8]