Are We Afraid?
Please pardon me for not sending a letter last week, my writing ‘left me’ as I tried to grapple with the genocide in Palestine. I pray that Allah grants our brothers and sisters ease, victory and that He replaces all they have lost with that which is better, Ameen. Please support them here: launchgood.com
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuLlah wa barakaatuh.
Trust that you're good, striving and thriving.
I was watching an Imam at a protest recently and something stood out to me , he started in the name of Allah. Let me give some context here, this is someone who was recently labelled an antisemite by a politician, lives in a hostile environment and was speaking at a multi-faith event. If there is anyone that should be worried about starting with Allah’s name it should be him, but it did not stop him. It was his ‘protocol’ which was not going to change because of the situation.
As I watched , I wondered, If I were on that stage in my country, would I do the same?
I need to bring this home for you to get it. Home is Lagos, Nigeria, the largest city in Africa which also happens to be have a Muslim population of about 55%. In Lagos, it is pretty normal to find people modestly dressed and fully covered. It is far from unusual. I think it is safe to say that being Muslim and visible in Lagos, is really not a big deal.
Have we leveraged this blessing though? Has it translated to much?
This thought has been on my mind and so have the following..
Are we afraid to be who we are outside our comfort zone?
Are we ashamed or confident of who we are as muslims?
Are we quick to adopt policies that are not in line with our or faith or do we push for something else?
Have we made any efforts to speak about our religion in non-Muslim gatherings?
Do we bother to educate our neighbors and colleagues?
Are we a true reflection of our beautiful faith or is it restricted to what we wear?
Even though our outward appearance is ‘normal’ and acceptable, can we say the same about values?
Is our only contribution to the society, public holidays and meat every Eid?
These are questions that we REALLY need to start asking ourselves. I am sure we have all been in events for the general public that start with ‘the grace’. Or maybe we delayed your prayer at a conference because there was no designated prayer place.
Are we scared of asking for something different? Do we think it will appear somehow if we do?
You know I think about how normal yet abnormal our religion is in this society.
I think of how accepted yet strange it is.
These are things we should be concerned about. We cannot leave our religion to chance or even worse to assumption. We cannot leave the reputation of our religion in the hands of those who will wield it for violence or reduce it to a tool for political purposes only. We have a HUGE opportunity right in front of us and opportunities to show the beautify of this religion.
What can I do to change this, you may be wondering?
Start off by educating yourself. Alhamdullilahi for the internet, you can now access knowledge from all over the world, set your intention to know more about your Deen today. A lot of us have a LOT of learning to do.
Educate others, do not be afraid to take on difficult issues calmly and armed with knowledge. You cannot keep saying ‘our religions are the same, we worship the same God’ . They are actually not and even though, it is not a reason for you to claim superiority, it gives room for a conversation. When in doubt, admit that you do not know, go and learn and come back informed and ready to have a discussion. Keyword: Discussion, not fight.
Be an advocate for Islam in your space, at home, in the office and community. Ask to recite Surah Al Fatiha or start with Bismillah at gatherings and when you are asked to lead the prayer, please do it properly and do not mumble through it in shame. These things matter!
Practice what you learn and let your character be a reflection of Islam. You cannot be the ‘promise and fail’ or even worse the one harassing people in the office.
Choose your battles wisely. You know that 140 characters spent arguing with a random stranger who will eventually block you on social media is not a great idea, Do not do it! Refrain from engaging in baseless arguments, especially the ones that you know will not lead to anything positive.
Do not be afraid to talk about your religion with people. We cannot be reactive and only discuss Islam when we have a crisis. Start off with easy topics like Ramadan, non-voluntary fasting, and even why we pray 5 times a day.
Weave examples from the Sunnah, Prophets and even our rich Islamic history into your presentations, talks. I can never forget sitting in a presentation where the case studies they shared where actually from Islam, this was done by non-Muslims!
Condemn terrible acts even when they are done by Muslims. I find this to be very important in our society. We have gotten to a point were atrocities are committed in the name of Islam and we just turn a blind eye. I was so ashamed when I saw tweets saying ‘before you know it they will claim it is the religion of peace’ after yet another terrible act was committed in the name of religion. It is really sad to see that these issues often go unaddressed by our leaders. Even though these can be tricky conversations, we cannot wish them away, instead we should be comfortable admitting they are wrong and have no place in our religion.
These are just are few out of so many things that we can do to engage with purpose, stop running and get comfortable being true representatives of this beautiful religion on earth.
What are you going to do today?
REFLECTION OF THE WEEK
💭 I have consulted many tafseer books, but still struggle to understand this man. Did he offer this suggestion to pacify his own conscience, to feel that he was the least wicked of his brothers, and allow himself to sleep at night? Or was he actually righteous, but knew that he was too weak to stop them, and that advocating for the lesser evil was his only chance to save Yusuf from being murdered? Perhaps even he was unsure of what his primary motive was for offering this alternative. I realized that in this very ambiguity are powerful lessons: minimize clear harm when you cannot eliminate it, even if you are unsure of your intentions, as that can still benefit others. Also, never feel reassured by finding others more malicious than yourself. Such people will always exist, and just as Paradise has levels, the Hellfire has pits. -Mohammad Elshinawy
Please remember that we still have fabulous resources from a life with Allah to give out at the 1Ummah conferences in Lagos. These resources are absolutely free and include morning and evening Adkhar, Duas for different occasions and times and Sunnah Duas as well. If you are interested or know someone who is , please register below.
A life with Allah put together this eye-opening presentation, that includes training materials, Duas, quizzes etc exploring the life of Palestinians, virtues of al-Masjid al-Aqsa and the current crisis in Gaza. It is suitable for adults, madrasas and adults. Buddy up and start learning!
Till Next Week, Insha Allah
We leave you in Allah’s care,
One of us at Ibadahplug