American Muslim

"Respect Cuts Both Ways"

Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),

I was recently reading this great article from Cricinfo on Mushtaq Ahmed, the Pakistani spin bowler who became a legend in English county cricket. Ahmed lived a great Muslim lifestyle and was known for his forgiveness of others and his quiet ways. Most importantly, he was respected and loved as a person who took pride in his religion and never let his quest for religion get in the way of his dealings and respect for all people.

At the heart of a Muslim's actions, is the goal of following the Sunnah or habits and customs of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). These cover everything from how he slept, walked, ate, greeted others, spoke, etc. I mean everything - every aspect of our lives should be according to the wisdom of Allah (SWT) communicated through the Qur'an, the lives of the prophets and the lifestyle of our last prophet, Muhammad (SAW). As Maulana Nabeel Khan, a close friend and Muslim scholar in Chicago, said at a Dar-ul-Hikmah event in Des Plaines, IL (audio available here), if you love someone, you try and give them a tangible gift. In the same way, we try to give gifts to Allah (SWT) by loving His prophet by following the Sunnah. Therefore, we are showing our love for Allah (SWT) by loving His servant.

The Sunnah are derived from hadith, which are recorded statements of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that have been authenticated by the scholars through strict levels of scrutiny via different transmissions. There is a whole science of hadith authentication as well.

I have been trying to incorporate the Sunnah into my life for awhile now in as many small ways as I can. I try and enter all rooms with my right foot, but enter the bathroom with the left. I cuff the bottom of my pants and jeans so that my clothes do not reach past my ankles. I sleep on the floor. I eat on the floor. I only try to eat halal (permissible) and zabiha (hand cut and Islamically slaughtered) meat. I don't use toilet paper, but rather water for istinja (bathroom purification). I try not to waste water while making wudu. I have no pictures of people or faces on the walls, but rather verses from the Qur'an, the 99 names of Allah (SWT) and Islamic art.

Again, this is something Maulana Nabeel has talked about. For example, we can put on our pants with the left leg and then the right leg if we want. But, if just following the simple action of putting the right leg in first gives us an additional reward from Allah (SWT) for following the Sunnah, then why would we pass up that reward?

I've also been trying to represent Islam at all times and live the Sunnah so that others, insha'allah (God willing) may observe the correct practice of Islam from my actions and be drawn to the original and not pushed away. When I was in Chicago, I made a black hoodie from Neighborhoodies.com that simply had "ALHAMDULILLAH" in white lettering. It was a big hit at the Islamic school I worked at in Lombard, but much more importantly, it had a strong effect on non-Muslims who I met on the bus and around town. Once, for example, I was wearing my Chicago Muslim, modest, winter ensemble of jeans, thobe or kurta and this hoodie and waiting for the bus from Oak Park to Lombard, when I started talking to a woman who asked me several questions about Islam. She asked me about the hijab, about praying five times a day, etc. And then she said, "I never knew any of this, but you looked so approachable." I don't know if it was the hoodie or just the noor (light) that Allah (SWT) put on my face, but inshallah, she was pulled towards the religion and not pushed away.

Another time, I was waiting for a cab at the Sears at Oak Brook Mall, wearing the black hoodie, when I saw an elderly African-American woman struggling to carry her bags. She was having so much difficulty, that she was dragging the bags on the ground. I offered to help and carried the bags to her car. She commented on it, and then I noticed that none of the Sears folks had even offered to help her. When I was about to leave, she said, "God bless you," and then I told her that my hoodie actually said, "All praise to Allah (God)." She seemed really happy with that so again, I hope someone was pulled towards the religion and not pushed away.

There have also been a couple of incidents lately here in Georgia, usually at the bus station or on the MARTA bus, where I've had the opportunity to live the Sunnah and show the positive aspects of Islam to others. I was coming back from an iftar (fast-breaking meal) and had a couple boxes of yummy Turkish food and cake. I was doing salawaat (remembrance of the Prophet Muhammad) in Arabic and saw an elderly woman struggling with various bags. She looked homeless and wondered if she wanted some food. And then it hit me - I was silently reciting prayers for the Prophet (SAW), so how I could I not immediately want to follow the Sunnah and offer her some food? She declined, but a woman on the bus accepted. Then, later during the bus trip, I was still doing dhikr or remembrance of Allah (SWT), when another woman asked me what I praying with my beads. When I told her, she said that she had studied Islam a little bit and had known that I was Muslim and doing something religious. Subhanallah! (How perfect is Allah!).

In conclusion, it takes constant effort and prayers to Allah (SWT) to allow Muslim men and women to follow the Sunnah and incorporate it into our lives. May Allah (SWT) give all of us the taufiq (ability) to follow the Sunnah, stay on the siratal mustaqeem (straight path) and always give thanks to Allah (SWT). Ameen.