I'm thankful and appreciative to anybody who is taking time out of their day to read my blog. This post is for those who are at a cross-roads, be it physically or spiritually. I have been thinking a lot about individuals who have given up or don't take their religious beliefs into consideration when doing things. There is a significant amount of people who are indulging in activities explicitly forbidden in Islam. Now, we are also at a time where people are highly practicing and on a fantastic path so this entry may not pertain to them.
People are judged now more than ever. The pious tend to be so proud of themselves for following what they follow and they feel that it gives them the right to tell others where their faults lie; I will admit that I have done this to others on more than one occasion. I am not anywhere near where I should be with my own level of practice and following of Islam but there have certainly been times where I felt like I was above another and acted on that arrogant feeling. I have felt the verbal wrath of others towards myself for my own slip-ups or transgressions and know the feeling of being judged by others and it's not one that makes me feel welcomed in an environment of piety.
How do you bring others towards Islam? I have been thinking about this for so long and my first thought is to look at the greatest example of an individual who brought others towards Islam, Prophet Muhammad (sallallu alayhi wa sallam, may peace be upon his soul). He was kind. He was forgiving. He was understanding. Most importantly, he recognized the flaws in others but did not use them to guilt others or make them feel low. This is how a Muslim ought to be, whether you're a shaykh or a new convert.
People who grew up in a Muslim family or environment are usually taught what is right and what is wrong. A lot of people will choose to stray from the right path when they're young but deep down, I truly believe that they know they are doing something wrong. We are all on a set path with one destination. I think of us traveling somewhere and the various routes we all will take. Some people will stray from the directions given to them by their GPS and want to see the scenic route. The scenic route will give them a varied experience than another person and may use up more gas (drain your battery more-so if you have an electric car) and will usually take more time before you arrive at said destination. Will you have a different experience and may even see something or learn something different from the man/woman that followed the GPS the entire time? I certainly think so.
The Qur'an is our spiritual GPS. It is God's positioning system. It tells us exactly how to live, where to go, what to do, how to conduct and hold ourselves to a high standard and gives us an overall straight set of directions to the best destination. If somebody chooses to take the off-beat path or at some point during their drive shut it off and navigate themselves, are we to scold them? Of course, it's not a wise thing to stray from the set path, please do not get me wrong; but it happens. Sometimes the battery charge drains in the device (or our wanting to practice is damaged by a life experience) but eventually, we will get there. A lot of people may misconstrue my overall message by this post. I am not championing those who are not practicing Muslims. I empathize with those who have gone astray and I don't want those people to think that they are too-far-gone.
Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala, may He be glorified) knows best. This is all part of His great plan for us and we are all going accordingly. We do have the freedom to come back from whatever misdoings we have fell into. Allah (swt) says it Himself, "I am as my servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers me. If he thinks of Me, I think of him. If he mentions Me in company, I mention him in an even better company. When he comes closer to Me by a handspan, I come closer to him an arm's length. If he draws closer to Me by an arm's length, I draw closer by a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him. If my servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running." (Al-Bukhari).
Keep working on yourself and never be satisfied with who you are. Be quick to judge yourself and hesitant to judge others, no more how wrong their actions may be. This will help those have gone astray actually want to come back to Islam and hopefully will bring those on a good path even closer to Islam.
People are judged now more than ever. The pious tend to be so proud of themselves for following what they follow and they feel that it gives them the right to tell others where their faults lie; I will admit that I have done this to others on more than one occasion. I am not anywhere near where I should be with my own level of practice and following of Islam but there have certainly been times where I felt like I was above another and acted on that arrogant feeling. I have felt the verbal wrath of others towards myself for my own slip-ups or transgressions and know the feeling of being judged by others and it's not one that makes me feel welcomed in an environment of piety.
How do you bring others towards Islam? I have been thinking about this for so long and my first thought is to look at the greatest example of an individual who brought others towards Islam, Prophet Muhammad (sallallu alayhi wa sallam, may peace be upon his soul). He was kind. He was forgiving. He was understanding. Most importantly, he recognized the flaws in others but did not use them to guilt others or make them feel low. This is how a Muslim ought to be, whether you're a shaykh or a new convert.
People who grew up in a Muslim family or environment are usually taught what is right and what is wrong. A lot of people will choose to stray from the right path when they're young but deep down, I truly believe that they know they are doing something wrong. We are all on a set path with one destination. I think of us traveling somewhere and the various routes we all will take. Some people will stray from the directions given to them by their GPS and want to see the scenic route. The scenic route will give them a varied experience than another person and may use up more gas (drain your battery more-so if you have an electric car) and will usually take more time before you arrive at said destination. Will you have a different experience and may even see something or learn something different from the man/woman that followed the GPS the entire time? I certainly think so.
The Qur'an is our spiritual GPS. It is God's positioning system. It tells us exactly how to live, where to go, what to do, how to conduct and hold ourselves to a high standard and gives us an overall straight set of directions to the best destination. If somebody chooses to take the off-beat path or at some point during their drive shut it off and navigate themselves, are we to scold them? Of course, it's not a wise thing to stray from the set path, please do not get me wrong; but it happens. Sometimes the battery charge drains in the device (or our wanting to practice is damaged by a life experience) but eventually, we will get there. A lot of people may misconstrue my overall message by this post. I am not championing those who are not practicing Muslims. I empathize with those who have gone astray and I don't want those people to think that they are too-far-gone.
Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala, may He be glorified) knows best. This is all part of His great plan for us and we are all going accordingly. We do have the freedom to come back from whatever misdoings we have fell into. Allah (swt) says it Himself, "I am as my servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers me. If he thinks of Me, I think of him. If he mentions Me in company, I mention him in an even better company. When he comes closer to Me by a handspan, I come closer to him an arm's length. If he draws closer to Me by an arm's length, I draw closer by a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him. If my servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running." (Al-Bukhari).
Keep working on yourself and never be satisfied with who you are. Be quick to judge yourself and hesitant to judge others, no more how wrong their actions may be. This will help those have gone astray actually want to come back to Islam and hopefully will bring those on a good path even closer to Islam.
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