It's Time to Look in the Mirror
"The anger being vented at Muslims in the west is the anger that Muslims should have toward the murderers that crashed into those buildings. We should be the ones so incensed and sad. We should be the ones putting together military forces to hunt them down and find them, then dispense justice - Islamic justice - toward them. They attacked our religion - Allah's religion!"
by American Convert to Islam, Abdul-Lateef Abdullah. IslamForToday.com, September 16, 2001

As Muslims, when we look the mirror, who do we see? According to Allah SWT in the Qur'an, we are supposed to see Rasulullah (SAW). "In the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the meeting with Allah) and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much (33:21)." Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is supposed to be our mirror image, that which we strive to be and the human criteria for us to judge ourselves by. In reality, however, how many of us see this beautiful person when we gaze into our mirrors?

This past week the entire world witnessed a great tragedy. Along with the suffering of the victims and their families of the World Trade Center and Pentagon bombings, Islam and Muslims were counted among the victims as well. In one fell swoop, Islam, the religion of truth and peace became bastardized and Muslim brothers and sisters throughout the West became targets of hatred and violence. Islam became associated with the most heinous acts, the most un-Islamic notions, and the worst of mankind. In one fell swoop. Unfair? Perhaps. But who do we have to blame?

The anger being vented at Muslims in the west is the anger that Muslims should have toward the murderers that crashed into those buildings. We should be the ones so incensed and sad. We should be the ones putting together military forces to hunt them down and find them, then dispense justice - Islamic justice - toward them. They attacked our religion - Allah's religion! As unthinkable an attack as it was for Americans and New Yorkers, as Muslims, it was a direct assault on our entire way of life. All the gains that American and other western Muslims have made in the west (6 - 8 million Muslims in the U.S. alone, fastest growing religion) to promote Islam through patience and hard work has been sabotaged, and now we are all on the defensive with many people questioning the basic values of our faith. The people that did this in the name of our religion are hiding behind it to fulfill their own distorted and twisted agenda. The question for the rest of us is what now? How do we respond to something like this?

Let's face it. The problem in the Muslim world today is us. The "enemies of Islam" right now are the ones we see in the mirror. When we look in the mirror, we don't see Rasulullah, what we see are the enemies of Islam. Harsh? Well let's look at this rationally. Despite the polices of the U.S. government and its corporate elite that have more or less economically, politically or culturally colonized the entire Muslim world, how many Muslims are truly practicing Islam? Despite all the mosques, all the Qur'ans lying around, all the turbans and kufi's, how many of us are really practicing Muslims, following the Qur'an and being obedient to Allah? Let's go back to basics for a second because that's really where the problem lies. How many Muslims in the world pray 5 times a day? Of those who do - how many in congregation? How about subh prayer and isha? Of those, how many pray with sincerity and concentration, in full awe of Allah's greatness? Of those who pray, how many perform ablution correctly and completely? Taking all these together, the figure is probably less than one percent of all Muslims and this is only one aspect of that which comprises the basics in Islam.

Yet despite this depressing reality about our ummah, certain members within our community are quick to call for jihad, or label non-Muslims the "enemies of Islam," or to call other Muslims who may not follow their school of thought "kafr (unbeliever)." Yet, what are we doing? Each and every one of us? Then, what about our families? Then, what about our communities? As an Ummah, we have strayed so far, yet we still expect Allah to help us, which He often does in his infinite mercy, despite the fact that we are not living up to our end of the contract. And we wonder why Allah puts our enemies over us? I just recently heard a story of an Imam who gave a khutba (Friday prayer sermon) in California about his experiences travelling to Palestine in the late 50's prior to Israel's control of East Jerusalem. To his dismay, when he went to attend the daily prayers at Al Aqsa for dzhuhur and asr, he said he could count on one hand the number of people in the congregation! This, the same Al Aqsa that so many Palestinians, many of them children, have supposedly died for. The point of his khutba was supposed to be that we take what Allah has given us for granted. What good is Islam's third holiest site if it is not even used? And we wonder why Allah took the holy land from us?

When will we realize that Islam is not a religion of convenience? When will we stop acting like Christians who believe that just because they are Christian they are saved and forgiven and Allah will help them just because they call themselves Christian? Islam is not a privilege, it is a responsibility. When will we truly heed Allah's word in the Qur'an when He says that He will not help a people until they help themselves? Why did Rasulullah (SAW), the companions, the scholars and saints of Islam literally spend their entire lives and sacrifice so much showing, demonstrating and preaching to us the correct way to live, by providing us with all the knowledge and guidance we could ever need. So that we can disregard it, yet still claim to be the greatest ummah ever, and still expect Allah's mercy and help?

During the Battle of Uhud during Rasulullah's (SAW) prophethood, it was apparent that the Muslims, despite being badly outnumbered by the Quraish, were going to have an easy victory. At the point of victory, the unit of archers that the Prophet (SAW) placed on Mount Ainain and entrusted with the task of rearguarding the Muslim army, fled their positions as they wanted to take part in collecting the war booty that they saw their Muslim brethren start to collect. They felt that the battle was over, despite strict orders from the Prophet not to leave their posts until he gave word - "even if you see us being killed, left right and center." Despite urgings from several men, they went ahead and disobeyed the Prophet's orders, thus disobeying Allah. The results, of course, were disastrous as the Muslims lost 70 mujahideen to the Quraish's 24 men, and the Muslims almost lost Madinah altogether on account of one disobedient decision by the Muslims. Despite their disobedience in Uhud, these men were of the highest caliber, bravery and iman, being companions of the Prophet (SAW). If Allah was to grant them defeat as a result of one disobedient decision, how is it that we can expect success in our endeavors despite disobedience to Allah in even the most basic aspects of Islam?

The answer is simple. Forget about all the complicated politics. The answer was given to us 1,400 years ago, and it remains the same as it always has. Practice Islam. Two words -- Practice Islam. Don't follow desires, lusts, greed, or emotions, just practice Islam. It doesn't require a new movement, a new sect, a new organization, a lot of arguments over minutiae or fancy jargon. It just requires humility and effort. Our individual and collective will in line with Allah's will. That's it.

Start praying -- five times a day, each time as if it is our last prayer. Start paying zakah and acting charitably, just like Rasulullah (SAW). Start fasting, with consciousness of Allah. Start raising and teaching our children to be good Muslims and to fear and love Allah more than anything - regardless of what our culture might say. Start reading and striving to understand the Qur'an. Start seeking knowledge. Start being kind and respectful to our wives and following Rasulullah's (SAW) guidance on how to treat one another. Start treating non-Muslims not as enemies but as potential Muslims. Start putting our egos aside and listening, asking questions, reading, taking an interest in our own education, knowledge and ultimately, our fate. Start treating our neighbors in the way of Rasulullah (SAW), with kindness and respect. Start correcting our brothers and sisters when they are wrong, in the best way, the way that will create change, not sew hatred. All in all, start practicing Islam.

Now, if all of us, or at least a good percentage of us, began to take these steps toward Allah, looking inward at ourselves and outward to those for whom we are responsible, what do you think Allah's response would be? Just as the hadith says, if we walk toward Allah, He will run toward us. Now many of us have experienced this on an individual basis, but what would happen if Muslims acted in such a way on a collective basis? One can only imagine given an ummah of over one billion followers. Details aside, we can be sure that some amazing things would happen within ourselves, our communities, and around the entire world.

All the horrible, un-Islamic, inhumane things happening in the world today are caused from illnesses of the heart. Although many of these things are not caused by Muslims, many unfortunately are. Regardless of who is to blame, the illness remains the same. Hearts are diseased. Sickness likes company so often people suffering from the same illnesses will act together and bring down as many as they can with them. The only solution, the only remedy is Islam, not simply being Muslim. "But only he (will prosper) that brings to Allah a sound heart (26:89)." Various groups -- not including those truly fighting in defense of Muslims and Muslim lands around the world -- talk about their backward means as justification for trying to establish Islamic states. In reality, however, Islam has to be practiced for there to be an Islamic state. A true Islamic state is the reward from Allah for those who PRACTICE Islam. Did Allah not give the Prophet (SAW) and his companions Madinah as a reward for their patience, suffering and steadfastness in Makkah? A period (in Makkah) in which they were not even allowed by Allah to take up arms to defend themselves?

As Muslims, we have to stop talking about what is due to us and start thinking about what we are responsible for and to whom. We are responsible to Allah for ourselves first and the world second. Thus, we cannot help the world figure out its mess until we clean up our own house, which must start with each and every individual Muslim. We must begin the work of returning to Islam through practice. This is the only hope for us and in effect, the rest of creation.

Read other articles by Abdul-Lateef Abdullah here.

Email: abd_lateef@hotmail.com