You know what’s really nice about Islam? I mean, truly beautiful. Well, actually there are a lot of things that are beautiful about Islam. So what am I thinking of now?
Is it the unity? How when you see another Muslim on the street, you say “El Salam 3alaykum”. How when you walk into the masjid, you feel at home. How when you’re in need of help, you know there’s a whole community there for you. How even if you’re separated by miles of ocean and land, your Muslim brothers and sisters are out there, in every country in the world. How a fellow Muslim’s pain is your pain. How I cried while Egyptians were being hurt during their protests, though I live in America. How our masjid threw a celebration when Mubarak left, though it did not directly affect us. How the people there were not only Egyptian, but from America, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, France, England, Saudi Arabia, and every other country you can think of. How we prayed qiyaam afterwards to make duaa that the situation gets better. How the Libyan flag and colors are all over our clothes, hands, faces, though we are not Libyan. How the Tunisian people are seen as heroes, though we have never been there. How it’s not country borders that keep us apart, but Islam that keeps us together. How you feel that connection, that connection with every Muslim out there. It’s like they’re related to you. It’s like their family. You feel it. You know it. It’s real.
Is it the clarity? How everything is SO clear, all of Allah’s orders. How anything you don’t understand in the Qur’an can be answered by the Sunnah. By a fatwa. By a scholar. How the scholars are so easily accessible; there are plenty of opportunities to get answers to your questions. How there are books and books out there written by human beings to teach you how to run your life, but all you really need is one: Allah’s words, the Qur’an. How there aren’t the factions and debates that destroy other religions’ followers, because everything is so clear in ours. Everything is explained. Everything is right there, at the tips of your fingers, just waiting, BEGGING to be explored. Do it. Explore it. Right now. It’s right in front of you.
Is it the purity? Think about what Islam teaches us to be. What kind of person. Islam teaches cleanliness. Islam teaches kindness. Islam teaches helpfulness. Islam teaches intelligence and hard work. Islam teaches expression. Islam teaches self evaluation, self betterment. Islam calls for equality. Islam calls for basic human rights. Islam tells you never to sleep on a full stomach while your neighbor is hungry. Islam preaches generosity and caring. Islam commands humanity in the treatment of animals. In the treatment of any form of life. Islam teaches you to take care of yourself and of those around you. Islam teaches success in this life and the next. Islam teaches patience and perseverance. What does Islam preach? Islam preaches purity. Purity in its simplest form.
Is it that Islam is truly a way of life? You know, Islam isn’t REALLY a religion, in the way we think of a “religion”: simply a set of beliefs about the origin of the universe or of life. Islam is a way of life. It’s not just a set of rules to follow. Islam tells us how to lead our lives, from the simplest actions to the most important. From what to believe, to how to treat people, to how to handle our emotions. How to walk, how to talk, how to work. How to pray, how to fast, how to be a better person. Everything. Islam is how we run our lives. Islam IS our lives. Islam is us.
All of these are beautiful qualities of Islam. All of these and more. But there is another quality, another beautiful aspect of Islam that I am thinking of. It is the passion. The passion we as Muslims hold for our religion. For our Prophet. For Allah. It is the devotion. It is the love. The burning, fiery passion we have for the religion we follow. It’s that, when other religions are mocked on television or on the internet, a small opposition rises, but when Islam is insulted, we are FURIOUS. We stand up, and we fight. We stand up for what is right. How others around us can have the audacity to mock God, while we stay respectful to the Creator. How we KNOW that God is watching us at all times. How our blood boils when Islam is misrepresented. How everything we do is to please God, because we love and fear Him so much. It’s that devotion we have to Islam, that love, that passion, that fervor. That’s what makes us strong. That’s what makes us united. That’s what makes us who we are. Muslims. The Muslim Ummah.