All praise is truly Allah's. We praise Him, seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We take refuge in Allah from the evils of our selves and from the wrongs of our actions. Whomever Allah guides, none can lead him astray. And whomever He leads astray, there is none to guide him. I testify that there is no one worthy of worship but Allah alone, without any partner to Him. And I testify that Muḥammad is His slave and messenger. May Allah's prayers and peace be upon our master Muḥammad, and upon his family and companions.
To proceed:
Dear brothers and sisters! Know that everyone is bound to something. Some are bound to money, some are bound to their job, some are bound to their having fun, some are bound to their popularity on social media, some are bound to their reputation. However, these are all creations, and being bound to creation makes you weak. But we as Muslims – we are bound and enslaved to someone greater. We are enslaved to the Creator of all creation. Allah says in His book:
هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ
"
He named you Muslims." (Qur’ān 22:78)
That's right, Allah Himself – the Creator and Sustainer of all that is in existence – named you as a Muslim, as a person who submits to the One who knows what's best for the human being better than the human being himself does.
Thus, my question is this:
why feel shy to be Muslim? Why the need to feel ashamed about your Islam? Why feel shy to wear a
kufi/
topi or a
jubbah out in public? Why feel shy about growing a beard? Why feel shy to wear the
hijāb in public? Why feel shy to tell non-Muslim friends you don't eat certain foods or party or mingle because of your religion? Why feel embarrassed about offering
ṣalāh in public when its time comes? Why?
Dear brothers and sisters! Understand that
you have been given the
best way of life, revealed from the Creator Himself. What more could you ask for? This Islam we have is a precious gift. Why feel ashamed of it? You see, a lot of us just want to fit in with everyone else. We want to be like everyone else. But dear Muslim, this might shock you, but a Muslim was never meant to just fit in with rotten apples.
Really.
The chosen people of Allah were meant to stand out. Did any of the prophets of Allah (blessings and peace be upon them all) fit in with the bad ways of their people? Do you read about the prophets in the Qur’ān trying to just fit in with their unbelieving people and be all snug and cosy?
No!
They all stood out. They were exceptional people. They didn't want to be like everyone else – they wanted to go further. They understood that Islam, being from the Creator Himself, was superior to other ways of life. They were proud of this precious gem and wanted to share it with those who drowning in darknesses.
Dear brothers and sisters! Today's society is clearly going further and further downhill. It has decayed to an all-time low. Yes, technology is ever-advancing, but that's about it. Children are becoming more rebellious, more and more families are crumbling, people are losing their sense of shame, violence and abuse is on the rise, foul language is as normal as saying “Hello”, people now take alcoholics, druggies and people with no respect for their bodies as role models, and the list goes on. It's all messed up. Whereas us – we have a way of life that saves us from falling into all this corruption! Our Islam grants us dignity and honour. Yes, some the laws may seem strict, but they're for your own good. It's like a mother who stops her thirsty baby from drinking soap (to Allah though belongs the highest example!). But yet, you have Muslim youth who see imitating the corrupt as being cool. Muslim youth who take these corrupt devils as role models. For God's sake, really? You wanna take
them as role models? We have much better role models!
Our master Muḥammad (ﷺ) was abused, teased, thrown rocks at such that he bled so much that the blood glued his feet to his sandals, expelled from his own city, and even had people attempt to kill him – he endured hardship for 13 harsh years. And then 10 years later, he (ﷺ) and his companions marched into Makkah victorious. How did he deal with the people who previously oppressed him? Did he slaughter them? Finish them off? Exact revenge on them? Humiliate them?
No.
He forgave them.
He let them go.
Ṣalla Llāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam (Allah bless him and give him peace)
.
That's what you call a role model.
Dear brothers and sisters! We talk about how our parents or teachers favour one kid over the others? Well guess what?
Allah, the
Creator, has favoured
you in that He has selected
you to be guided at this moment to His chosen religion. You're Muslim because the All-Wise and All-Knowing Creator willed for you to be from the people of Islam, the religion that
guarantees your success in both this world and the next. So I want you all to walk out of this hall with at least this one message:
be proud of your Islam.
