Assalamu alaikum everyone,
The youth wing of AMDA has launched a halaqa series called “The Ideal Muslim.” InshaAllah, this halaqa will take place on the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month after Isha prayers. This halaqa has been chalked out to learn how a Muslim should develop his or her personality in light of the teachings of the two primary sources of Islam—the Quran and the Sunnah. To be able to make this halaqa series consistent and ongoing, we’ll be following a book entitled “The Ideal Muslim” authored by Dr. Muhammad Ali al-Hashmi.
The author guides the reader to the Islamic lifestyle. It starts with the Muslim’s relationship with his Creator—Allah (SWT), which is the most important aspect of one’s life and provides the foundation for all other relationships. How should a Muslim relate to every person starting with himself, his family and moving on to the other members of the community or society?
To understand the term Muslim, we must first know what Islam is. Is Islam simply the name of a religion amongst many other religions? The answer is “NO.” Islam is a verbal noun; i.e., it denotes the name of an action. It means to achieve peace—peace with oneself, peace with one’s surrounding, peace with God, and peace with God’s creation. A broader meaning of Islam is to achieve peace by voluntarily submitting to the Will of God and obeying His commands. Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His Prophets to every people. Islam has proclaimed that God has always sent His Prophets to different peoples in different eras.
Far from being the youngest of the major monotheistic world religions, Islam is the oldest because it represents the original as well as the final revelation of the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them all). Islam is built on the basis of values which are not only for the group which adheres to them, but for the whole of humankind. It provides guidance in all spheres of life—individual and collective. It covers the moral, ethical, social, economic, and political aspects of human life, and provides a perfectly balanced approach to address the core issues of a society. Islam seeks to develop the personality of the individual. It admits that man has his weaknesses, as he is constituted simultaneously of capacities for both good and evil. Yet it does not admit that there is original sin in him, because that would be unjust. Each human being is responsible and accountable before God for his or her personal account only.
A person who freely and consciously accepts the Islamic way of life and sincerely practices it is called a Muslim. In a broader sense, anyone who willingly submits to the Will of God is a Muslim. Thus, all the Prophets preceding the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and their true followers are considered Muslims. Mentioning Prophet Abraham who lived long before Moses and Jesus, the Quran says,
مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
“Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. But he was upright; a Muslim. He was not one of those who associate partners with God” (Quran, 3:67).
One cannot judge Islam by looking at those individuals who have a Muslim name but in their actions, they are not living or behaving as Muslims. The extent of being a Muslim is according to the degree to which one is submitting to the Will of God in one’s beliefs and actions.
Anyone who calls himself and considers himself a Muslim must aspire to be an ideal full-time practicing Muslim, and neither a part-time nor a non-practicing Muslim. The Qur’an says in Surat al-Baqarah,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا ادْخُلُوا فِي السِّلْمِ كَافَّةً
“O you who believe, enter Islam totally” (al-Baqarah, 2:208), meaning “enter Islam wholeheartedly.”
In his introduction to the book, “The Ideal Muslim,” the author says that he observes Muslims to be enthusiastic in some matters but negligent in others. They may be obeying and fearing Allah in certain things, but neglecting other aspects of life, such as taking care to uphold the ties of kinship. They may be devoting much time to worship and seeking knowledge but neglecting their children’s upbringing. They may be taking good care of their children but abusing their parents. They may be taking good care of their parents but abusing their spouses. They may be paying good attention to their own welfare or to the welfare of their family but ignoring their friends and the welfare of the Muslim community at large. Good practicing Muslims need to have a complete and holistic personality.
It is sad that sometimes this aspect of a balanced personality, which Islam advocates and desires is not reflected even in the lives of people who are otherwise considered to be religious. So we have to be on our guard lest we fall into the trap of Satan and start thinking that we are practicing Islam in letter and spirit. It is easier to fall down than to lift oneself up, and to be lax than to follow the rules.
It’s a duty of each one of us to explain the noble values of Islam and present them in an easily-understood way so that people will be able to develop the values and attitudes which Allah intends for them in order to lead a decent and peaceful life. The noble words of the Qur’an have not been revealed from above the seven heavens just to be a matter of theoretical discussion or only for the purpose of recitation to seek blessings. They have been revealed to govern the life of the individual, the family, and the society at large; to be a beacon that would lead the people out of darkness into light.
The first step towards this life of guidance and light involves the formation of a sincere Muslim individual who will present a beautiful picture of Islam, so that when people see him or her, they will see true Islam.
It is with this intention that we have embarked upon this 15 to 20 minutes long halaqa series. InshaAllah, every halaqa that we have, will cover certain portions of the book “The Ideal Muslim.” We’ll try to understand the Muslim’s relationship with his Lord, with his own self, with his parents, with his spouse, with his children, with his relatives, with his neighbors, with his Muslim brothers and sisters, and friends, and with his community and society.
InshaAllah we’ll try to be consistent in our effort and try our best to apply the teachings derived from the two primary sacred sources of Islam—the Qur’an and the Prophetic lifestyle or the Sunnah.
May Allah bring about all that is good and keep us under His divine care and protection.
