I am horrified.

If you are Muslim, you should be too. There are people all over the world today, Muslims and Non-Muslims, who are misquoting and misinterpreting Allah’s words and the way of His final Prophet, Muhammad (SAW). By hijacking our Islam, they are tearing the sanctity of the most complete and beautiful faith to ever grace the earth to shreds and we are sitting idly by watching the spectacle of this evil propaganda play out against our Lord and our Beloved (SAW). Whether it is militant groups or the west, it doesn’t really matter. They are cut from the same cloth. They are both defaming a faith of almost 1.6 billion disunited mutes.

How shameful we have become. How ignorant and arrogant are our views. The very essence of what you hold the dearest to you is called your “Illah”. If you were to ask a Muslim who their “Illah” was they would answer Allah. I beg to ask, however, is this reality? Is Allah the centre of our very existence? Do we take His word over our most precious desires? Would we defend His words over fear, over isolation, over humiliation, over mistreatment? I ask this of myself as well…

Who is our “Illah”?

Defending only ourselves, we find ourselves constantly apologizing for things that we didn’t do and definitely don’t believe. We sit back touting that we are different, we are “moderate”, we are peace loving, we are not the so-called “jihadi” beast in the middle east or the religiously ignorant mentally imbalanced or criminal American, European or Canadian who supposedly embraced Islam yesterday. We ignore that our Allah, our religion, our Prophet (SAW) are being subjugated to being wrongly questioned, to being demonized, to being ridiculed. Where is our desire to defend now? Should the earth not open up and swallow us all whole? We were told not to sit one second where our Allah or Prophet are being mocked. We click on the television and computer devices, watch these heinous crimes against Allah play out right before us and yet our eyes remain dry. Our tongues remain tied. Our hearts remain hard.

“Then who does more wrong than one who invents a lie against Allah, to lead mankind astray without knowledge. Certainly, Allah guides not the people who are wrongdoers.” [The Noble Quran 6:144]

The truth is, we should be horrified by ourselves. We have become just another cog in this giant machine we call Dunya and we have forgotten honour. We have left Islam to the vultures of this world and so honour has left us. We are empty, gutless, silent people who comply to what the world claims, because out of misplaced fear we don’t defend our “Illah”. We don’t defend His words, His Prophets (AS) or His slaves.

To the true believer who came to His defense He gave honour and victory. To the people who want to blend in, because they fear harassment or isolation He will give them just that. Think of it this way, are we really the ones trying to hide our identity by becoming as westernized as possible in the name of acceptance or is it Allah that has stripped us of our identity, because He doesn’t want us to represent Him any longer? Perhaps we are not worthy to wear His badge anymore.

Malcolm X (May Allah be pleased with Him) said: “A man who doesn’t stand for something, will fall for anything.” How many more times will we fall? It’s time to stand up and defend our faith. Have an open dialogue within our family, friends, Masajid and colleagues, be prepared to patiently correct them when they are misinformed and when they are unreasonable say “peace” and walk away showing your displeasure and keep walking until they show remorse and understanding.

“And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] peace.” (The Noble Quran 25:63)

Keep in mind, we are Muslims, we do not keep company with people who humiliate us or mock our faith. We have dignity and we will not allow someone to insult Allah or His Prophets (AS) or His Word. Keep good company and if you can’t find it then stand alone with Allah. Be peaceful and do not engage the ignorant. Become more involved in the Masajid and encourage your leaders to speak up, not by claiming us moderate, but to ask for a stop to Anti-Islamic rhetoric, which is offensive to devout Muslims just as Anti-Semitism is offensive to devout Jews. Ask that people don’t bring our Allah, Quran or Prophets (AS) into the middle of this media feeding frenzy, which is gunning for a faith it doesn’t comprehend and is not illustrated by the very convenient actions of a small percentage of mad men to dehumanize us all. This is bigotry at it’s best and we must stand up to it.

“Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.” (The Noble Quran 60:8)

We must read the Quran and Sunnah, understand them and follow them in such a way as to show the world that when we follow this faith as we should we become the best of the best so that no one can point a finger at us or put blame on us. We will come in peace and go in peace. This is His promise and He will give us victory if we follow His Islam. If the majority of us spoke up and adapted the beautiful character that Allah maps out for us in His Book and in the example of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) we would be a beloved people not a feared or mocked people. We would crush this stigma once and for all. The propaganda is so great and all consuming, but we must be even greater and with Allah on our side who can counter that? Together we can toss out the trash and make this a victory in the name of Allah!

For He made us and He knows what is best for us. Follow Him, make Du’a to Him, and honour Him and His faith. Insha’Allah, only then will the eyes tear, the tongue loosen, the heart soften. Only then will Allah grant His slave respite in this world and in the hereafter.

“We were the most humiliated people on earth and Allah gave us honour through Islam. If we ever seek honour through anything else, Allah will humiliate us again.” – Umar ibn Al-Khattab (RA)

 

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