Engagement...

Bismilahir Rahmanir Rahim,

As salamu alaikum (peace be upon you all),

Today I want to address the recent message spread via Ulema (religious leaders) about sharing what we know about Islam with other people.  Several incidents recently have inspired me to address the importance of this act and address the reality of implementing this practice.  I started this blog with this purpose in mind and I am trying to be ever mindful about what our Imams have taught about speaking only when beneficial.  
First and foremost, I am an educator so I rarely shy away from addressing the need of someone to have his or her questions answered if the answers are in regard to issues that I am in fact knowledgeable.  Every time that I have stood before a classroom or church or some other speaking event I have prayed to Allah (swt) for protection from speaking incorrectly or in some fashion that could misled.  There is a very concise dua for teachers on duas.org that I carry with me in sincere hopes that the words from my mouth are sincere and correct.

I begin in the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family. O Allah, I take refuge with You from misleading or getting misled, making mistakes or being made to make mistakes, doing wrong or being made to act wrongly, and (from) acting ignorantly or being made to act with ignorance. [O Allah] Mighty is Your protection, Holy are Your names, Sublime are Your praises, and there is no god besides You. In the name of Allah, sufficient for me is Allah. I rely O Allah, and there is no power and strength except with Allah. O Allah, strengthen my heart and let truth appear on my tongue. O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family.

Now back to the aforementioned “incidents”.  I have actually found that the toughest audiences for sharing knowledge with are actually those who call themselves Muslims or espouse some knowledge of Islam.  In my last post I shared a photo of what is most likely a more racially accurate depiction of the 12 Imams and now the Shia Muslim women’s group which I shared said photo and my support of its accuracy and talking about race-based understanding of our Imams that same week with has not invited me back (coincidence?).  My parent’s who seem to derive their only trusted knowledge of Islam from the mainstream media have become more hostile to my way of life to the point of making rude comments about hijab or halal eating in front of my children and yet here I am still advocating that we all seek and share accurate knowledge about Islam.  The man who accosted me on my way into the grocery store with my kids about shariah law and hijab is less painful to deal with, but in my opinion no less or more important than the two aforementioned groups.  In 6 minutes and 20 seconds, Sheikh Usama AbdulGhani breaks down what our role of individual Muslims is to imparting what valid knowledge of Islam we have with others and encouraging others to seek knowledge from original and valid sources.  (My concern here is the ever-growing population of intellectually challenged and selectively illiterate humans that I find myself surrounded by).

I recommend watching this video and the rest of the series on Islamic Pulse which can be found here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiKWYEgofx7rXpxv_SgFTOQ).  During this month of Ramadhan, which starts next week inshAllah, I am going to try and actively engage with my neighbors in hopes of doing my part in preparing for my Imam (ajf) and encouraging my children, through my actions, to be confident, respectful, Muslim ambassadors in the communities in which we live. 

Questions to ponder:

• Is your community, if you are lucky to have one, a community open to engagement between Muslims and the greater non-Muslim community? 
• What is the best way for kids to engage the anti-Islamic or lacking true knowledge of Islam, world?
• How can minority voices best be heard?