dipulmiah
14-09-06, 07:51 PM
The Adab of Nasihah
By Delavar Basha
He has recently ended a relationship with his girlfriend. His only copy of the Qur’an gathers dust, unopened since the last time he was coerced to read by his parents. He visits the Masjid approximately twice a year. When his parents tell him to pray, he argues that he does not have enough time. He has other important priorities -- partying with his non-Muslim friends, having fun, with insouciance about the future. He doesn’t think Islam discourages mingling of the two sexes and believes hijab is necessary only while praying. His knowledge of Islam is very limited.
He is just one of the many Muslims brought up in America. He needs no name, face or identity. In fact, he doesn’t even have to be a ‘he.’ Most people are familiar with someone who fits this delineation and/or were analogous to him/her at some point.
Narrated Anas (ra): the Prophet (saw) said, "None of you will have faith till he likes for his brother what he likes for himself" (Bukhari).
Insha’Allah, when a Muslim encounters someone similar to the above, he will yearn for that person to follow the path of Allah (swt) and to leave his distractions. But simply wanting is not enough; we have to do something. If we saw another Muslim drowning and we had a means to save him, would we not? Well, a non-practicing Muslim engrossed in the ways of the ignorant is drowning and we have the life-jacket to save him.
Many complain that a particular person is so far gone that he is beyond help. How can we possibly know without even trying? If the person shuns the extended hand, then that is his own choice. But we have to at least try to help. Several steps can be taken and different methods can be effective in different environments.
When we meet a non-practicing Muslim, we should not avoid that person. We should not condemn nor patronize him. Most importantly, we should not immediately make him aware of his faults. If we commit any of these idiocies, we will only further antagonize him from Islam. The person will listen to the Islamic advice with disinterest since he has probably heard it many times already. Moreover, he will simply make sure that he avoids the advice-giver in the future.
Instead, what we should do is act in an Islamic manner. As Allah says, "Invite people to the Way of Allah with wisdom, gently and convincingly, by beautiful speech and arguments" (Al-Qur’an, 16:125).
We should treat that person as a Muslim, a friend and a human being -- not as "da’wah-bait" or as someone who is inferior to us. We should go out of our way to familiarize ourselves with him and when we meet him, we should greet him with salaams. At first, the person may be embarrassed to respond accordingly. Yet if we are persistent then Insha’Allah this shyness with wear off.
The best step would be for the non-practicing Muslim is to embrace Islam fully. That step, however, may be a long way off. In the meantime, any bit of Islamic information would be of help to that person. Consequently, if we could inculcate at least one hadeeth or Islamic ruling, it would still be better than nothing. We should seek opportunities to convey some Islamic information. At the same time, we must be careful not to overdo it.
Narrated Ibn Mas’ud (ra) that the Prophet used to take care of us in preaching by selecting a suitable time, so that we might not get bored (Bukhari). We should constantly look within ourselves for faults to show the other person. We can tell him that we faced such and such a temptation but the consequences caused us to reconsider. This way, he may learn the Islamic ruling on an issue he had no knowledge about. Also, he may feel more comfortable talking with someone willing to confess his own faults, someone who would not readily criticize another’s shortcomings.
If we know he is committing any sins, we should tactfully mention it, without the aura of an attack. For example, we can say, "Many people don’t realize that such and such is haram but Allah says in the Qur’an..." Evidence should always be accompanied, whenever possible. This lends credence to our words and displays that the Islamic information is valid.
When chance yields, we should invite the person to an Islamic event or meeting. This will allow him to see the multitude of the Muslim population. This will also permit him to spend time amongst Muslims rather than with non-Muslims who may tempt him to commit un-Islamic actions.
We cannot change non-practicing Muslims into religious scholars overnight. In fact, we might not even be able to convince them to pray regularly. But if we can help the person in even one small area, it would be worth the effort. Even if we aid the person to understand one ayaat it would be better than if he learned nothing. Insha’Allah, Allah will reward us for our efforts and intentions.
"Ye should believe in Allah and His Messenger
and strive for the cause of Allah
with your wealth and your lives.
That is better for you, if ye did but know."
(Al-Qur’an, 61:11)
By Delavar Basha
He has recently ended a relationship with his girlfriend. His only copy of the Qur’an gathers dust, unopened since the last time he was coerced to read by his parents. He visits the Masjid approximately twice a year. When his parents tell him to pray, he argues that he does not have enough time. He has other important priorities -- partying with his non-Muslim friends, having fun, with insouciance about the future. He doesn’t think Islam discourages mingling of the two sexes and believes hijab is necessary only while praying. His knowledge of Islam is very limited.
He is just one of the many Muslims brought up in America. He needs no name, face or identity. In fact, he doesn’t even have to be a ‘he.’ Most people are familiar with someone who fits this delineation and/or were analogous to him/her at some point.
Narrated Anas (ra): the Prophet (saw) said, "None of you will have faith till he likes for his brother what he likes for himself" (Bukhari).
Insha’Allah, when a Muslim encounters someone similar to the above, he will yearn for that person to follow the path of Allah (swt) and to leave his distractions. But simply wanting is not enough; we have to do something. If we saw another Muslim drowning and we had a means to save him, would we not? Well, a non-practicing Muslim engrossed in the ways of the ignorant is drowning and we have the life-jacket to save him.
Many complain that a particular person is so far gone that he is beyond help. How can we possibly know without even trying? If the person shuns the extended hand, then that is his own choice. But we have to at least try to help. Several steps can be taken and different methods can be effective in different environments.
When we meet a non-practicing Muslim, we should not avoid that person. We should not condemn nor patronize him. Most importantly, we should not immediately make him aware of his faults. If we commit any of these idiocies, we will only further antagonize him from Islam. The person will listen to the Islamic advice with disinterest since he has probably heard it many times already. Moreover, he will simply make sure that he avoids the advice-giver in the future.
Instead, what we should do is act in an Islamic manner. As Allah says, "Invite people to the Way of Allah with wisdom, gently and convincingly, by beautiful speech and arguments" (Al-Qur’an, 16:125).
We should treat that person as a Muslim, a friend and a human being -- not as "da’wah-bait" or as someone who is inferior to us. We should go out of our way to familiarize ourselves with him and when we meet him, we should greet him with salaams. At first, the person may be embarrassed to respond accordingly. Yet if we are persistent then Insha’Allah this shyness with wear off.
The best step would be for the non-practicing Muslim is to embrace Islam fully. That step, however, may be a long way off. In the meantime, any bit of Islamic information would be of help to that person. Consequently, if we could inculcate at least one hadeeth or Islamic ruling, it would still be better than nothing. We should seek opportunities to convey some Islamic information. At the same time, we must be careful not to overdo it.
Narrated Ibn Mas’ud (ra) that the Prophet used to take care of us in preaching by selecting a suitable time, so that we might not get bored (Bukhari). We should constantly look within ourselves for faults to show the other person. We can tell him that we faced such and such a temptation but the consequences caused us to reconsider. This way, he may learn the Islamic ruling on an issue he had no knowledge about. Also, he may feel more comfortable talking with someone willing to confess his own faults, someone who would not readily criticize another’s shortcomings.
If we know he is committing any sins, we should tactfully mention it, without the aura of an attack. For example, we can say, "Many people don’t realize that such and such is haram but Allah says in the Qur’an..." Evidence should always be accompanied, whenever possible. This lends credence to our words and displays that the Islamic information is valid.
When chance yields, we should invite the person to an Islamic event or meeting. This will allow him to see the multitude of the Muslim population. This will also permit him to spend time amongst Muslims rather than with non-Muslims who may tempt him to commit un-Islamic actions.
We cannot change non-practicing Muslims into religious scholars overnight. In fact, we might not even be able to convince them to pray regularly. But if we can help the person in even one small area, it would be worth the effort. Even if we aid the person to understand one ayaat it would be better than if he learned nothing. Insha’Allah, Allah will reward us for our efforts and intentions.
"Ye should believe in Allah and His Messenger
and strive for the cause of Allah
with your wealth and your lives.
That is better for you, if ye did but know."
(Al-Qur’an, 61:11)