True Muslims

We talk all the time of becoming true Muslims.  Of truly believing in and subscribing to the way of Allah.  We recognize that we can not achieve any true success without this belief and this subscription.

We can not fight the enemies of Allah or fight the evil around us and within ourselves without cleansing our souls and strengthening our beliefs.

We can not be worthy of our religion if we do not implement our shahadah that there is no god but Allah in all aspects of our lives.

Brothers, our status nowadays as Muslims is really pitiful.  We are so far from Islam and we are so weak and we are so divided.  Simply put, Islamically we are out of shape.

We all believe that Islam is the answer to our problems.  But do we really subscribe to that belief.  If we truly believe in Islam, then nothing should stand between us and implementing this belief.

Brothers, yes we are out of shape.  And we can not get back in shape because of our weak wills, because of our ignorance and because of the way we were brought up.

Brothers we must do something about our Islam before it is too late.  It is never too late for Islam to revive as we all know.  Islam will rise again and will dominate In'Shaa'Allah.  But It could be too late for us to become part of it.  It could be too late for us to have participated in its revival.  It could be too late for us to identify with it.

I ask myself and ask all of us to think: What got us so deep down in this darkness, and how can get out of this miserable status we are in.

We reflect back on the way we were raised with Islam in the background, as a peripheral not as a core.  The systems that dominated our countries and societies  were not Islamic.  The values, the ethics, and the educational environment were all polluted by the enemies of Islam.

Non Islamic influences have seeded itself and stretched its roots all over.  Even in the peoples ideologies and beliefs.  We were raised in mixed up societies that could not sort out what is Islamic and what is not.

Life material joys and comfort became our necessities and the Islamic essentials and necessities were ignored.  Islamic beliefs and ideologies were compromised, and what they called progress and modernism was in fact the ultimate of backwardness and ignorance.

The light that was being portrayed to people is nothing but reflection of a satanic image aimed to destroy the human soul and its beliefs.

We were raised in these mixed up and polluted environments, and we were exposed to the ills of those societies, so we became carriers of those ills and their germs.

Brothers, the trouble is that we are not taking this situation seriously.  And the more troubling part is that we are portraying our troubled image as Islam.

We are doing that to the non Muslims who in turn are finding it as a good excuse to denounce Islam and to put it down.  And we are doing it to the new generation, our children, and that in turn is making it harder for them to follow the straight path.

 And what are we doing about it? Some are fighting it and some have given up and some have no plans to do anything about it.

And for those who are fighting, the battle is difficult, extremely difficult.

To fight an enemy, one needs to identify this enemy first.  And to examine our situation the enemy is within us, mixed up in our system.  And hard work and careful examination is required to be able to sort it out.

Knowledge is needed to identify that enemy.  And not any kind of knowledge, Islamic knowledge is the only way.  When we examine the situation that we have to sort every little habit, tradition, or custom we have.

We have to sort out every little thing we picked after our families, our societies, and our ancestors.  This is a hard task, hard on two counts: 1.  it is within us, and 2.  we lack the Islamic knowledge to do the sorting.  This is assuming that we are convinced that it must be done.

But if we try, Allah promises His help and his championship.  Allah is so near to us, Willing to help us if we are sincere.

Allah (swt) has promised in Surat Al-Hajj (22:40), that He will aid, He will support, and He will champion those who champion Him.

Allah is the Truth, and He says nothing but the Truth.  He promises to champion us if we champion Him.  It is this condition with which we are having difficulty.

How can the creature champion the creator?  Again, Allah made it clear to us in many Qur'anic verses that championing Him can be achieved through worshiping him.  Truly worshiping him through total submission and total obedience.

In surat Arroom (30:47), Allah Says:

"And it was a duty incumbent upon Us to aid and champion those who believed."

The key word here is "those who believed", and this key word is the key to the straight path, the key to true success, the key to Allah's championship.

The early Muslims knew the importance of true belief and Iman, and throgh that they were victorious both on earth and in the hereafter.

And we Muslims nowadays are constantly wondering how is it possible to recover the status that once was enjoyed by the early Muslims? And, how is it possible for us to defeat the enemies of Allah and the enemies of Islam within our souls, within our lines as well as outside.

The answer is very straight forward.  By fulfilling our part of the contract.  By returning to Islam.  By worshiping Allah the way He should be worshiped.  By becoming worthy of the title that we were blessed with, the title of "Muslims".

But are not we already Muslims?  We do our prayers, we fast, we do zakat.  Isn't that sufficient?

The answer to this question can only be taken from our religion.  Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

"A person does not become a Mu'min until his desires, his ambitions, and his objectives precisely follow what I brought (i.e.  my teachings)."

We examine today's Muslims' desires and ambitions, and what do we find?  They are no different from those of the non Muslims; to  get rich and to be influential, to live a fancy life, to own a new car and a luxury residence, to enjoy vacations, entertainment, and have fun.

It is not just the ritual practices that comprise Islam and make one a Muslim.  It is the complete belief and sincere practice of the teachings that make us Muslims and thereafter worthy of Allah's championship.

Again, as the Hadeeth states: We need to have our desires, our inclinations, our wishes, our dreams, and our ambition to be all under control.   All need to coincide with what the Prophet brought to us: Islam.

In the same manner, becoming a true Muslim is a prerequisite Allah has prescribed to gain his championship.

Our problem, brothers, is that we want to ignore this fundamental and still expect Allah to reward us with His championship.  This is unrealistic.  Listen to Allah's words in Surat At-tawbah (9:109):

"Which is best? - he that lays his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure? - or he that lays his foundation on underminded sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces?  And it does crumble to pieces with him into the fire of Hell.  And Allah guides not people that do wrong."

We can not win Allah's championship if we do not become true Muslims, and that is a fact.

In several Qur'anic verses (e.g.  42:31), Allah assures the we will never find any alliance or championship other than his.

"Nor have you besides Allah any one to protect or to help."

We can not win Allah's championship if we do not submit to him.

We can not win Allah's championship if we associate with him.

And we do associate with him waliyazubellah.

We worship the enemies of Allah when we submit to them and compromise our religion to gain their favors.

We worship money and wealth as we make so much considerations and accommodations for our income resources that result in our compromise of our beliefs and Islamic practices.

We worship comfortable lifestyles as we make every effort in the way of enjoying it and experiencing its joys while putting religious aspects and practices to second or even lower priorities.

We worship our egos and our positions as we do what we can to have more and climb the ladders of command.

And the question before us is: How are we different from those around us who do not claim to be Muslims?  The unfortunate answer is that the main difference is our verbal claim.

The main issue is that our complete believe, trust, and submission to Allah, is lacking.  It is lacking because we have a different order of priorities than that implied by Islam.  It is lacking because we are associating with Allah many of our world desires, dreams, and ambitions.

Belief is a prerequisite that makes our work effective.  Because Allah will accept this hard work and bless it and that is how we become worthy of His championship.  And without the belief, our work is in vain.  Even if we win a battle or two, Allah promises that without the belief the ultimate end is a great failure, and what failure is greater than hell fire waliyazu billah.

Brothers: let us all supplicate to Allah that He helps us understand and appreciate the vital nature of taking the first and most important step: Becoming true Muslims.

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We all live in this non Islamic country either for a short duration or for a long duration.  And, many of us get wrapped up in the system here and forget that they are Muslims.  That we have a different belief, and we have different commitments.

Many of us forget that in standing firm by the principles of Islam we must sacrifice some privileges of this non Islamic system and that this is a price we must pay.

Many of us do not want to do that sacrifice and think that we can do so and still claim Islam.

Brothers: Let me remind myself and remind you that we can not have it both ways.  One can not be one of them at the same time resent what they stand for.

One cannot play their game their way reaching for the same objectives and claim that he is different or he is a Muslim.

We can not raise our children their way and expect them to stand on Islamic grounds.

We can not set for ourselves ambitions of their making and meet Allah on the day of judgment with any pride.

We cannot compromise on aspect of Islam using the system here as an excuse and claim that we are true Muslims.

We can not skip our prayers because we have meetings, miss fasting Ramadan because it is hard in this country, and claim that we are Muslims working for Islam.

We can not hide our identity, and live a fake image because we are afraid others would alienate us.

If we are truly working for the sake of Allah and seeking only his satisfaction, then we have nothing to fear.

We have to present to this system an alternative.  The Islamic alternative which we believe to be the right and only way.  We have to present this alternative in our identities, our personalities, our behavior, and our actions.

We have to show them a clear correlation between the good work we do and Islam, the good values we stand by and how it is derived from Islam.  The good characters and discipline we enjoy and how it induced by Islam.

Brothers, I ask myself and ask you: Do we have a choice in this matter?  The answer is a straight forward no.

If we want to be counted among the Muslims, If we want to be part of the Islamic revival, and if we want to please Allah and champion his cause, the answer is no.

We do not have a choice, and we have to fight our battle and not turn our backs and ignore it.

The choice to ignore this fight is the choice of staying doomed, staying weak, staying divided, and for that, one should not expect but the displeasure of Allah and His punishment.

Each of us has to get involved, and we can not ignore our being part of a whole that has to fight the Islamic battle.

Brothers, we have to get started before it is too late.  Or before our ills get beyond our control.  And before these ills get to infect others around us.  Such ills are already being transmitted to our children, the Muslims of the future.

We better get started now before it is too late, otherwise, we deserve nothing but Allah's displeasure and punishment Wal'iazu-billah.