Outline
- Introduction
- The Muslim Identity
- Living as a Muslim
- Can One Hide His Muslim Identity?
- What is Da’wah
- Da’wah by Word
- Da’wah by Actions and Social Interaction
- Conclusion
Introduction
Alhamdulillah… infinite thanks and praise are due to the Almighty God, the Creator, the Master, the One and Only. Complete peace and blessings be upon the chosen final Messenger of God to the world, Sayyiduna Muhammad, his household, his companions, and all those who follow his guided path.
This article supplements and elaborates episode 1 of the newly started series on Al-Bushra by GSalam, “A Moment Please!” If you’re new on GSalam.Net, Al-Bushra by GSalam (both on YouTube and Facebook) is the social media wing of the website (GSalam.Net).
Please spare 2 minutes to watch the video below (if you haven’t done so yet) before diving in the article.
If you haven’t taken your coffee yet, why not pause for A Moment Please! and make a cup and then, come back right here… Let’s go!
The Muslim Identity
Welcome back!
The identity of the Muslim emerges from the reality of embracing Islam and giving it the ultimate power to be the determinant of our actions in life and shape our lifestyle. This is the identity you were given by God Himself; thus, as long as you choose to cherish it, none can strip you from it.
It’s the identity that earns you recognition the easiest way, wherever you go in this world. With your Islamic identity, you have brothers and sisters in every corner of the earth, who are willing to embrace you and treat you of a true brother of their own.
Furthermore, your identity as Muslim becomes powerful, once more when you liberate yourself from sectarianism mindset as Muslim and identify as Muslim. Muslim and that’s it. You may want to read more on that in this article.
Additionally, as discussed in How to Convert to Islam, embracing the Muslim identity and giving it the priority in your life ensures anything you do is aligned with the Pleasure of God, subḥānahū wa ta’ālā. This doesn’t mean that you become a sinless angel. It rather means, when you sin, you are quick to seek repentance from God, and then move on.
Once a correct Islamic identity is established, the Muslim’s relationship with God comes first before any relationship. Nationality and passports included. It’s needless to indicate (for the record, not necessarily to emphasise) that nationalities and passports can be changed. And you’re not held accountable for doing so (changing your nationality or citizenship) on the day of Judgement. However, changing your religion subjects you to account on the day of Judgement. Regardless, whether you changed your religion to Islam or from Islam.
With an established Muslim identity, you develop clarity in life. You become a Muslim who leads a purposeful life. A life with a mission. Your lifestyle is then shaped without the need to fall for the media, influencers, politicians, and any sort of distractions.
The identity of the Muslim is essential. So much so that a Muslim can’t trade it in with anything else under the sun. It’s only when the identity is established that the Muslim can live as a Muslim.
Living as a Muslim
Living as Muslim means living by Islam. It, by no means, implies that you must be a scholar of Islam to be able to live as a Muslim. Just like you don’t have to be a medical doctor to lead a healthy life. However, there’re basics and fundamentals of Islam that every Muslim layman must know and put into practice in his daily life.
Every Muslim must know the fundamentals and basics of Islam, in order to lead a purposeful Muslim [read: Islamic] lifestyle.
Also, living by Islam by no means equals living by a certain culture or established system. One can combine leading an Islamic lifestyle with embracing cultural practices. However, if a cultural practice contradicts anything in Islam, then you go with the Islamic practice over the cultural practice. And the same applies to any national system.
With that, the Muslim has no problem declining a job offer, if he believes it’ll jeopardize his relationship with God. After all, jobs are just a means, with God being the real Provider, subḥānahū wa ta’ālā. Similarly, he refuses to marry the most beautiful lady in town, if he feels she doesn’t take God and His Messenger seriously.
Having said that, it should be emphasised that deciding to live strictly by Islam comes with a hefty price. Yes, a hefty prize in this life, with a handsome reward in the next life.
Choosing to strictly abide by Islamic lifestyle comes with a hefty price in this life, with a handsome reward in the next life.
While it may be challenging at the beginning, you’ll be become used to it after a few weeks, insha Allah. All it takes is to make God the centre of everything. And remember that everything in existence revolves around Him subḥānahū wa ta’ālā. Everything you see should remind you of Him.
Living by the principles and guidance of Islam means to uphold standards that are taught and inspired by Islam and do not necessarily have to be conventional. Social norms are never the standard. Mind you.
Social norms do not decide how to live by Islam. The other way round is correct, though.
Therefore, you need to gather a big amount of courage to say “I’m sorry, I can’t shake hands with the opposite gender” or “No, I don’t drink liquor or consume non-halal food. Even if all the Muslims around you do it. It really takes a great deal of determination to request from your employer to allow you to go for prayers at a certain time, during office hours. It also requires a lot more to abstain from involving in corruption and polluting your halal earnings with haram income.
Remember that despite the inconveniences, there’s a heaven (Jannah) on this earth that’s only occupied by those who make God their focus. That Jannah is the happiness and tranquility you live in your heart. It’s something you just can’t explain to anyone, because it won’t make sense to The Majority.
وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِۦ جَنَّتَانِ
“There are two gardens for one who fears standing before his Lord.” (Surah al-Rahman, 55:46).
Can One Hide His Muslim Identity?
When we talk about faith-based identity, we’re talking about the cause for which one lives and aims to die upon. Whether that faith is a correct one or the otherwise, that’s a different story altogether. But for the Muslim, we are certain with proof, that Islam is the correct faith.
The extent to which one takes pride in who he is and what he does decides the extent to which he can go in displaying and showcasing his identity as Muslim.
In Islam, while you can hide your identity if you believe your life is threatened (and that only when you can hide your identity), it’s better to lose your life as a true and committed Muslim than to live as a coward Muslim.
It’s better to die as a true and committed Muslim than to live as a coward Muslim.
Now, how should we incorporate da’wah in our life as Muslims? Before answering the question, what is da’wah?
What is Da’wah
Da’wah is an Arabic word that literally means ‘invitation.’ However technically, it means to invite to Islam. In other words, to propagate Islam and call people to the One God.
Calling to the one God includes reminding existing Muslims to uphold the correct and authentic teachings of Islam. It also includes calling and inviting non-Muslims to convert to Islam.
Da’wah by Word
Da’wah by word, or verbal da’wah is essential. The start of the da’wah of The Prophet Muhammad ṣallā Allāhu ’alayhi wa sallam was verbal (by word). He had to invite the people and to verbally speak to them about Islam primarily. He then later taught them, verbally about Islam and what is constitutes of, as well as its DOs and the DON’Ts.
Da’wah by Actions and Social Interaction
Da’wah by action comes first when you live, work, deal and interact with people. Human beings learn from examples. And this makes da’wah by action more effective, sometimes.
Human beings learn from examples. And this makes da’wah by action more effective, sometimes.
When the Muslim succeeds in establishing his Muslim identity and taking pride in it, and after he’s recognised by those around him as a Muslim, it becomes easy for him to propagate Islam when the chance presents itself.
When he reaches this point, he will have to engage in verbal da’wah. Because his audience is comfortable with him, they also have established some trust for him. If a Muslim has to hide his identity, I wonder how he’s going to call non-Muslims through his actions and interactions, no matter how good of a Muslim he is.
If a Muslim has to hide his identity, I wonder how he’s going to call to Islam through his actions and interactions, no matter how good of a Muslim he is.
Conclusion
This article highlighted two main points. The first focused on the identity of the Muslim, and the other on da’wah via the Muslim identity.
The article first defined the “identity of the Muslim” and then discussed the importance of taking pride in one’s Muslim identity over any secondary identity. It also encouraged the need to live by Islam regardless of the inconveniences that one may be exposed to.
It then transitioned to define ‘da‘wah’ and then highlighted the difference between verbal da’wah and da’wah by actions.
It’s hoped that the article has brought some clarity to you, the good reader, and inspired you to embrace your Muslim identity as a religious identity that deserves to be taken pride in. It’s also hoped that, once the reader establishes clarity in his identity, he’s inspired to start a new page, as a genuine ambassador of Islam. Whether he speaks or remains silent.
If you’ve reached this point of the article, then kindly consider sharing it with your loved ones. And let the discussion continue on Facebook.
Allāh knows best.
Allāhu Ḥāfiẓ 🙂
Masya Allah. A very thoughtful and great article Indeed Ustadz.
I am in my humble opinion feels that it is also the identity that the Muslims have, that brought about both the allies and their opposing nations to use Muslims as their propagandas that began pre, throughout and post WW2.
Masha Allah… Mr Isa.
Thanks for passing by. I’m humbled and glad that you found this article worthy your reading time… haha.
I believe that weak identity adopted by Many Muslims which led us to where we are today roots to when the Ummah became complacent and started embracing Dunya, forgetting that the Dunya is nothing but a temporal point of transit. Forgetting that they were chosen for a noble mission; that الأمر بالمعروف والنهي عن المنكر