Empowering New Muslims

By Arshad Gamiet

Royal Holloway University of London/2010 and 8 Aug 2014

(The text version of this khutbah is set out below. To hear the audio version, please click on this link: AG Empowering new Muslims 2)

“A-úthu billáhi minash shaytánir rajeem. Bismilláhir rahmánir raheem

Al hamdu lillahi nahmaduhu wanasta’eenahu, wanastagh-firuhu, wanatoobu ilayhi, wana’oothu Billaahi min shuroori an-fusinaa, wamin sayyi aati a’maalinaa. May- Yahdillahu fa huwal muhtad, wa may- yudlill falan tajidaa lahu waliyan murshida. Wa ash-hadu an Laa ilaaha ill-Alláh, wahdahoo laa shareeka lah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhoo warasooluh”

All Praise is due to Alláh, We praise Him and we seek help from Him. We ask forgiveness from Him. We repent to Him; and we seek refuge in Him from our own evils and our own bad deeds. Anyone who is guided by Alláh, he is indeed guided; and anyone who has been left astray, will find no one to guide him. I bear witness that there is no god but Alláh, the Only One without any partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad, peace and blessings on him, is His servant, and His messenger.

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem! Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, haqqa tuqaatihee wala tamu tun-na, il-la wa antum Muslimoon.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, with correct awareness, an awe-inspired awareness, and die not except as Muslims.

Ya Ay-yuhal-latheena ‘aamanut taqul-laaha, wa qooloo qawlan sadeedaa. Yuslih-lakum a’maalakum wa yaghfir lakum thunoobakum, wamay yu-til-laaha warasoolah, faqad faaza fawzan atheemaa.”

O You who believe, – Be aware of Allah, and speak a straightforward word. He will forgive your sins and repair your deeds. And whoever takes Allah and His Prophet as a guide, has already achieved a mighty victory.

In the opening verse of Sura An-Nisaa’, Allah says:

O mankind! Show reverence towards your Guardian-Lord Who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, his mate and from the two of them scattered (like seeds) countless men and women;― Be conscious of Allah, through Whom ye demand your mutual (rights) and (show reverence towards) the wombs (that bore you): for surely, Allah ever watches over you.

My Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Every day, more and more people are entering Allah’s religion. Some reports say that Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion. That may well be true, but these studies don’t tell us how many actually stay Muslim for more than six months or a year. They don’t tell us how many new Muslims also leave Islam feeling rather disillusioned with us.

I’ve heard some complaints, that Muslims are very exclusive and racist. They urge people to take shahadah and then they forget about their new brothers and sisters. We don’t invite them to our homes and treat them like real brothers and sisters. There’s a big difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.

What can we who are born into Islam, do to help those who have chosen Islam as their faith? What can we do to empower new Muslims? How can remove the obstacles from their path to Allah? How can we facilitate our new brothers and sisters’ journey to become full and productive members of the Ummah?

Firstly, let’s not rush things. Too often we try to be too helpful. You can’t teach someone in a few days, what took you a lifetime to learn. You have to do things step by step, Priorities first. Allah urges us in Sura 16:125:

“Ud’oo ila sabeeli Rabbiki, wa mow-‘idatul hasanah…”

“Invite (others) to the Way of your Lord, with wisdom and beautiful speech.” The key here is wisdom, and beautiful speech…

What does this mean in practice? Here are some of my thoughts, based on my own humble observations and experience:

Keep things simple. Islam is not a complicated religion with confusing dogmas and practices. The kalima shahadah can literally be summarised on the 5 fingers of one hand. It’s putting those universal principles into practice that’s the hard part. And the most important thing to remember is there’s a big difference between Islam and Culture. Islam and our ethnic, national or tribal culture is not one and the same thing.
Islam is a universal set of moral and ethical principles that fit into every time and place. Muslim cultures reflect ethnic, geographical and historical influences at different times and places. Don’t confuse the two. For example, forced marriages, the oppression of women, so-called ‘honour killings’ have nothing to do with Islam. These are pre-Islamic tribal practices that Islam came to destroy. Don’t impose your own cultural excess baggage on your new brother or sister.
New Muslims want to know how best to serve Allah within their own capacity and limitations. Make it easy, keep it simple. Our new sisters and brothers can keep their original names. They don’t have to adopt and Arabic name. That’s optional.They shouldn’t alienate their family and friends. On the contrary, ties of blood and friendship must strengthen and rise to a higher, more meaningful level, illuminated by love of Allah.
A word about our dress code. There’s no such thing as ‘Islamic’ clothing. Any modest, clean, attractive, unostentatious clothing will do. Again, don’t confuse Islam with Muslim cultures. Becoming a Muslim is not like coming to a fancy-dress party. Tell them it’s perfectly halaal for them to continue to wear their usual Western clothing, as long as the clothes aren’t showy or provocative.
We shouldn’t pressurise new sisters on Hijab, Niqab or Burqa. Modesty is essential, but ethnic dress code is an option, not an obligation. Remember that. To dress yourself up like a wannabe Arab or wannabe Pakistani doesn’t make you a better Muslim. A good Muslim personality is constructed from the inside, not from the outside. It begins with the right attitude, the right disposition of the heart… When the attitude is right and the qalb, the spiritual heart is sound, everything else, including the hijabs, niqabs, burqas, beards, thobes and turbans may (or may not) take care of themselves later… Let’s always keep our sense of perspective, and remember our priorities.
From cultural baggage to ideological baggage. Don’t try to make your new Muslim brother and sister into loyal Salafis or Sufis. Don’t try to turn them into pukka Deobandis, Barelwis, Wahhabis, Hisbut Tahriris, Militant Jihadis or Tablighi Jamaatis, Shia-hating Sunnis or Sunni-hating Shias. Islam a simple, universal faith with an inclusive ethos. Diversity is celebrated and not feared. Being a Muslim means to be at peace with oneself and one’s Creator, to be at peace with all of Allah’s creation both inwardly and outwardly.
Sow an action, reap a habit, sow a habit, reap a character, sow a character and reap a destiny. Remind yourself and your new Muslim sister and brother, that Prophet Muhammad (sws) preferred small, repeated acts of kindness to the grand gestures that are done occasionally. Grand gestures are often just for show. Small, repeated good deeds build real sound character and help to polish the heart of moral and spiritual pollution.
Teach your new Muslim sister and brother to be inclusive, not exclusive. Don’t become judgemental. Allah is the best of judges. He alone knows the secrets of all hearts. Urge new Muslims to be merciful, with themselves and with others. Allah is Ar-Rahmaan, The All-Merciful, first and foremost. His last Prophet (sws) was sent as a Mercy to all the Worlds: “Wa maa arsal naaka il-laa Rahma tul-lil-Aalameen.”
Any manifestation of Islam that lacks mercy becomes a serious danger, as Allah warns us in Sura 43: Al Zukhruf, The Inner Apartments: “And whoever turns himself away from the remembrance (dhikr) of al-Rahman (The Compassionate), We appoint for him a shaitan (a satan), so he becomes his close companion (and associate). And most surely they (the satans) turn them away from the path, though they (the people) persistently imagine that they are rightly guided….” (Qur’an 43:36-37)…” Let us all try to become the friends, the awliyaa of Allah, not the awliyaa of Shaitaan.
This leads to the next point: If anyone became ‘Muslim’ in order to ‘wage a war on the kufaar’ they’ve made the wrong decision and you can’t help them at all. They’ve come to Islam for the wrong reason, or they’ve come to the wrong religion. Tell them that the world is like it is because of human failings, brought on by ignorance of Allah’s message or in defiance of Allah’s will. Yet everything happens with Allah’s permission. We can only put things right with hard work, with justice tempered with mercy, and at all times showing patient perseverance, “Innal-laaha ma’as saabireen.” Allah is with those who patiently persevere. Whatever we do, we have to work strictly within the moral and ethical limits decreed by the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah. We often hear people say: “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” This reaction belongs to the realm of Hollywood movies, not for Allah-concious Muslims. Islam is not a religion for desperados. A Muslim who works hard and who relies totally on Allah will be rewarded by a heart filled with ridhaa’, that is, a serene acceptance of whatever Allah has decreed. When we strive energetically to please Allah, and we cultivate a sense of utter reliance on Allah, then Allah will fill our hearts with absolute certainty, yaqeen, that Alllah’s help is always near. “Innal-laaha nasral-laahi Qareeb.” In time, this inward struggle will be rewarded with sakina, a deep sense of inner peace, serenity, a calm confidence that despite the chaotic and confusing appearance of the world outside, Allah is in complete control. Sakina is the prize for trusting Allah completely.

“Innalláha wa malaaikata yusallúna alan nabi. Yá ay yuhal latheena ámanu sallú alayhi wasalli mú tas leema. Allahumma salli alá Muhammad, wa ala áli Muhammad, kama salayta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali Ibrahim. Allahumma barik ala Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahim, wa ala ali ibrahim. Fil ála meen, innaka hameedun majeed.”

Second Khutbah:

“Soob’ hanallahi wal hamdu lillah, wala hawla wala quwwata illah billah yu althi yual theem”

Glory to Allah! Praise to Allah! There is no power and no strength except from Allah!

My dear sisters and brothers,

We are talking about empowering new Muslims. One final point I’d like to discuss is about Da’wah calling others to Islam. There are many individuals and groups up and down the country feverishly working on this project, outside railway stations, on street corners and in shopping malls.

One of my main worries about the current pervasive enthusiasm for da’wah is that some Muslims get carried away and they apply too much pressure on people to ‘take the Shahaadah’. We sometimes forget that it’s not we who guide, it’s Allah who guides whoever He pleases. At the beginning of the khutbah we hear that “Those whom Allah guides, no one can lead astray, and those whom Allah has left to stray, no one can guide.” We also know that “Those whom Allah loves, He opens their heart to Islam.” We mustn’t mislead ourselves into thinking that people take Shahadah because of our efforts. We shouldn’t pressurise others into Islam. Islam isn’t about numbers. It’s about quality, the quality and calibre of individual Muslims. That’s what really matters. That’s where the real work awaits us.

None of Allah’s Prophets used emotional blackmail or clever marketing tricks to find followers. They weren’t spin doctors or public relations gurus. The simply conveyed the Divine Message, in words and actions, like living Qurans, and left Allah to do the rest. We should do the same. The results are not in our hands, and we should give people time to reflect on what we have told them and showed them about Islam. The Shahadah is too important to be treated lightly. Becoming a Muslim is a big responsibility. When we do the work of Allah, let’s make things easy. Be truthful, be generous and above all, be patient.

Brothers and sisters, to conclude our khutbah:

InnaAllaha, Yamuru bil adel, wal ihsaan, wa eetaa-i zil qurba; wa yanha anil fuhshaa-i, wal munkari walbaghi; ya-idzukhum lallakum tathak-karoon. (Sura 16:90),

“Surely Allah commands justice, good deeds and generosity to others and to relatives; and He forbids all shameful deeds, and injustice and rebellion: He instructs you, so that you may be reminded.”

Fadth kuroonee adth kurkum, wash kuroolee walaa tak furoon [2:152].

“and remember Me: I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and do not reject faith.”

wala thikrul-Laahi akbar, Wal-Laahu ya’lamu maa tasna’oon.” [29:45].

“and without doubt, Remembrance of Allah is the Greatest Thing in life, and Allah knows the deeds that you do.” Ameen. Aqeemus salaah