“Muhammad (pbuh) said that this religion began as something strange and will return as something strange... so give glad tidings to the strangers”
Sheikh Khalid Yasin is one of my favorite’s lecturers. In "Strangers", he invites us to be strangers, especially people of the west, living among non-Muslims.
Are we strangers enough? If we are not, then we are not practicing the deen correctly.
The women who wears the hijab, gets stares constantly, she looks strange, Alhamdulillah, she is a stranger.
The working muslimah, who does not attend any corporate functions because of alcohol and the setting, she acts strange, Alhamdulillah, she is a stranger.
The muslim man, walking around in his thobe and his beard, he looks weird and out of place, Alhamdulillah, he is a stranger.
The muslimah who prays salat at work, “why does she need to worship so much”, she is so bizarre, Alhamdulillah, she is a stranger.
The muslim couple who buys everything cash because they avoid ribba at all cost, Alhamdulillah, they are strangers.
The list can go on and on…
I know that as a muslimah, a lots of my colleagues or even old classmates from college, thinks the life I lead is very weird and even “maybe” not fun at all, but I am happy to be a stranger to them.
Inchallah, until next time,
Diali
PS: The top quote is from Sheikh Khalid Yasin, Strangers Lecture.
5 comments:
Diali,
I love Khalid Yasin myself and this is one of his lectures that I did not see. I only saw the preview in a different lecture and always wanted to get it. It is so true that once you start practicing your deen the way you're supposed to, you become a stranger even to your own family!
Salaam Alaykum,
Love love him too!
Bushra lahum for the strange ones. (Glad tidings). Mashallah, keep up with the hijab, I also begun...um..a few months ago. It has been hard especially disconnecting from old friends. Anyway, the best thing about islam is when you lose friends, you gain sisters!
Shukran
Sister Diali, although I'm staying in a Muslim populous country, surprisingly my circle of friends comprise of non-Muslims. Irregardless, I am thankful that even with my 'stranger' status, they become all the more inquisitive to find out more about our Deen. Insha'Allah, strangers will one day be just a word. At least, amongst my circle. :)
Life it self begin as a little stranger I must say.
I was born alone in this world as it was the case of all of us except the lucky few of twin, triplet and the like. My forefather also was "born" into this world of yore alone before the foremother was created for him and certainly they are not from some monkey's breed or any comical sp. at all.
Well I would put it as it would be great if those nice and charming corporate lady whose happen to be a muslimah can participate in the so call corporate functions as well, at least we don't look timid, backward and many things typical stereotype (associated with a new convert and muslim in general) in the eyes of unbeliever (which they alway does). Which indeed gave a bad images and shy 'em away from learning even a little thing about Islam.
So let participate within our boundaries. Ask the organizer to accommodate and your constrain and reason it well. If they can accommodating the Jews why can't they do as well for the Muslim, we aren't so much different anyway. Sure am not talking about Ma & Pa shop ere, as a corporate entity they should know the rule or let encourage 'em to embrace it.
You know what, sometime when we change, we expect people around us to understand and embrace us on whatever changes we made notwithstanding its was so bizarre to them or their environment anyway. Many convert complaining this and that and yet conveniently forgetting the days before they embrace Islam. The days they know little about Islam, the day the fear run to their spine for the scaremonger feed 'em 24/7 of so call twisted news, analyst and the like.
Don't blame 'em coz it ain't going no where, so do our part even if it does an iota changes. But if you insist then we might count on some elements in our muslim as well, there's a plenty of cultural practice and custom that wasn't Islamic at all and yet there are many of us would like to believe and think it's part of our religion. I wouldn't have a liberty to say it all as I'm afraid I'm gonna hijack your treat. There's score of so call scholars, ulama, sheik, mullah or what ever name they fancy, whose many of 'em know not about science left alone to grasp the highly advanced contents of the holy book, highly encrypt with science and information that some of it we only begun to understand a few decade before. Yet in the comfort of their place, isolated from day to day life and huge paycheck in their way, would dish out many sermons, ruling and what has not?Some is ridiculous, some are nonsense, some are outright stupid.They would be quick to point finger and score of account in the days of prophet and he's apostle albeit out of context at the most.
SO what if they stares at you? smile and politely greeting will break the "ice" I reckon. No?
Think I must stop here.
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