IRAWAN GANI

It is not easy being a revert, convert, and a new Muslim. It is even harder to be a new Muslim woman let alone a woman. Not only does she need to navigate through the thick curtain of Islamic Law or Shariah, there are also the different Muslim attitudes that she needs to negotiate around.

 

From her eyes, I would imagine that she will see a lot of terrible things that Muslims do. For example if she looks at the modern Muslim governments and societies around the world she will see that there are not many of them that is an exemplary entity.There is no better (or worse) example than The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  

 

When I was younger, I was given the impression that Saudi Arabia was the model Islamic society and government. And then the First Gulf War happened. This led to a series of research that came to the obvious conclusion that a large part of what they are doing is the opposite of the principles of Islamic Law. The most important part is that the ruling government is in bed with religious/judiciary authority.

 

From such oppressive regimes, the attitudes of Muslims are formed. I have concluded that Muslims all around the world, to a certain degree, have developed the attitude that in order for someone to be a Muslim, he or she needs to be perfect. I should know. I was one of them and perhaps still am. (I am hopeful that I am not) This attitude is judgemental and counterproductive and is contrary to tenets of Islam and the pillars of faith. It is perhaps against the principles of Islam that The Prophet laid out in his final sermon.

 

Not only are we judgemental against atheists, agnostics, fellow religionists but we are judgemental against other Muslims. We deem that they are not ‘Muslim enough’ if they are not doing what we are doing. Didn't we learn that there is only one perfect being and the everyone else is flawed? Didn't we learn that our faith and heart is immeasurable? Didn't we learn about how well the Prophet treated the people around him and others who don't subscribe to the same set of beliefs? Have we forgotten all these lessons?

 

Perhaps we did not learn at all because the first thing we learnt in religious classes is not about the principles of Islam but the halal and haram. After the Syahadah, the Prophet’s Last Sermon should be an oath that every Muslim should take every single day.

 

So it appears that not everyone can be a Muslim. And here I thought that the only way you need to be a Muslim is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Recite ‘There is no God but The God and that Prophet Muhammad is the Last Messenger’ and you are a Submitter or in Arabic, a Muslim. And then I realised, God did not make it difficult for us. It is us, humans, people, Muslims who made it difficult for ourselves.

 

Thankfully Nouman Ali Khan called it. He mentioned that the Quran has never called anyone Kafir or Infidel. If anything only God has the right to call someone Kafir because only He knows what is in their hearts. In fact, it is the vilest thing a Muslim could call another human being. It is perhaps equivalent to the ’N’ word. The Prophet treated others with respect and tolerance but why haven’t we?

 

There are rules that a Muslim should follow. But that does not mean Muslims have to treat others terribly. Wouldn’t that be a lack of graciousness? Isn’t that discrimination? Isn’t that racism? Didn't the Prophet say there is no difference between a black person and a white person except for what is in his heart? Isn't the dignity of a person sanctimonious in Islam? Isn't revealing the weakness or shame of a person prohibited?

 

So it is not surprising that we are the persecuted ‘nation’ and community today. It is because we persecute other people every other day. We persecute them with our judgements and bigotry if not for our interpretations of the Law. There may be rules that we should adhere but the judgemental culture should be eradicated.

 

Aren’t we encouraged to recite The Cave (Surah Al-Kahf 18) every Thursday night? Does anyone remember the essential lesson from the The Cave? Those youths in that chapter are heroes in Islam. The reason why they are heroes is because their belief in the One God is non-negotiable. It was not about how they wore their clothes. It was not about them memorising the Quran. It was not because they were against gay marriage. It was about their steadfast hearts and single belief that they should not worship anything other than Allah.

 

I am not surprised that atheists and agnostics detest religious people. We have become so simplistic and dogmatic in our beliefs that we seem irrational and illogical. Lots of rules, no principles. I am not saying that we should be pleasing others but we should be leading others with our behaviour. Aren’t we supposed to be the beacon of hope in the midst of darkness?

 

For the past few decades the world has been overshadowed by greed, pride and envy. Have we shown the world that our religion taught us that pride, greed, and envy are unwanted qualities? Just scheme through Muslim governments and societies and tell me what you think.

 

The rest of humanity will be judged based on the best of us. And the way I see it, most of us are only fit to fill in the shoes of the worst of humanity. If that is the case, how are we supposed to lead them?

 

Remember all those stories about the Hypocrites, Infidels, Christians and Jews in the Quran. Those stories are not about them. It is not a slight about those current communities. It is about us. It is a warning to us. The Quran warns us to be real. To remember the essential message. To not go overboard with perfection. Not to be dogmatic. But we have by and large become those very types of people as described in the Quran. And if you are upset by this assertion, you are one of them.

 

So I would imagine what she might be thinking as she looks out into the Muslim world. I don’t want to be of those people. They are ugly, vile and judgemental. There might be groups of people who are knowledgeable about Islam who are against Muslims. But by and large, there are groups of people who are against Muslims because we are ugly, vile and judgemental. There is evidence of this everywhere. But if we continue with this trajectory, there will be more who will join those wretched ranks.