Thank you for your response. Please clarify further the following questions.

Q1: Please define a nation? Is nation a country or collection of a religious countries? Are Israelites and Ishmaelites considered nations ONLY? Does Israelites and Ishmaelites nations exist in the present times.

You write in your original response,

As for the first part of your question, it is actually a reference to God's law relating to the fall of nations. A nation, which is blessed by any special privileges continues to benefit from these privileges as long as it remains obedient to God's directives and fulfills the responsibilities, which these special privileges entail. This law is of God is applicable to each and every nation that is or ever was, as a nation, blessed by any of God's special blessings, whether it be the Jews or the Muslims.

Q2: Since no Muslim country is the ruler of the world anymore, does this mean that the Muslim countries are deprived of the blessings of God? Is each individual Muslim country a nation or all the Muslim countries are considered one nation collectively. Are these Muslim countries considered the Ishmaelite?

Q3: Is USA a nation? If so, is the USA a blessed nation where the people are following the directives of God since the USA is the ruler of the huge part of the world. Can the USA be blessed with the blessing of God even if they are not following the directives of God and are not considered Muslims. Are all the Jewish and Christian countries considered Israelites?

You write in your original response,

How, then, can we expect or even aspire for development and prosperity, when we have ourselves taken to the path, which leads to ultimate doom?

Q4:  Would an individual be ultimately doomed in the hereafter for the happenings of the Muslim nations even though that individual follows the directives of God and even though that particular individual may not be blessed with the blessings of God?

Thank you,

Amir
United States of America

Answers to your questions follow:

1. The word 'Nation', may be used in various connotations. 'American nation' would have a different connotation from 'Christian nation'. 'Muslim nation' would have a wider connotation as compared to 'Ishmaelite nation'. Thus, the word 'Nation' is not confined to either the Ishmaelite or the Israelite collectivities. As for the present times, it apparently seems that after the formation of Israel, the Israelites exist as a nation in a more pronounced form, in contrast to the Ishmaelites.

2. You ask:

Since no Muslim country is the ruler of the world anymore, does this mean that the Muslim countries are deprived of the blessings of God?

Yes. This is precisely what seems to be the case.

You ask:

Is each individual Muslim country a nation or all the Muslim countries are considered one nation collectively. Are these Muslim countries considered the Ishmaelite?

From a purely political perspective, yes, each individual Muslim country now indeed is a separate nation. These Muslim countries, in their individual or collective capacity cannot be considered as the Ishmaelites.

3. USA is indeed a nation, composed, in turn, of many separate nations. Being granted the rule over a large part of the earth and political influence over a significant part of the earth, it does indeed seem to be blessed by God. Nevertheless, the USA or other Christian countries cannot be considered as the Israelites. The blessings enjoyed by the USA are not according to the Divine law relating to the progeny of Abraham (pbuh). On the contrary, the USA has been blessed by power and influence, on the basis of the general law of trial, whereby nations are granted power, influence and other blessings as a part of their test, as nations.

4. Individuals shall not be answerable for the deterioration of the community, except where an individual has the moral and legal authority to correct the situation and still refrain from correcting it; or an individual has positively contributed to such degeneration of the collectivity.

I hope this helps.

Fond regards,

Moiz Amjad
October 24, 2003