A few days ago, a Muslim lady from Texas allegedly killed her two children because they were autistic and she could not handle the pressure of raising them. (Ref)
Last year, a very successful Muslim entrepreneur killed his wife because of domestic issues and now awaits trial. The entrepreneur had known to have been involved in a number of domestic violence cases earlier. (Ref)
Couple of years ago, a Muslim man killed his daughters because of them allegedly having affairs with their boyfriends. (Ref)
Other similar issues in Muslim households that involve spousal beatings, domestic violence, child abuse, elder abuse, lack of respect of parents and elders, spousal lack of respect, intergenerational conflict, teenage pregnancies, to name a few come into Islamic centers in the west almost on a regular basis.
These painful stories beg many questions – Where is the real Islam in these Muslim households allegedly perpetrated of such acts and social evils? Does the Muslim upbringing today lack adequate focus on Islamic mannerisms, morals, and etiquettes and instead focuses merely on spiritual and ritualistic aspects (praying, fasting, etc.)? What can be done to train families and individuals on Islamic etiquettes, morals, and mannerisms?
Based on general observation of increase in social evils within Muslim communities, it is safe to attribute the root cause to not investing enough in inculcating adequate Islamic etiquettes and morals. Education and knowledge in Muslim households, like others, instead focuses mostly on career building. This realm of education in today’s Muslim mind can be observed in Tony Blair’s (UK’s ex prime minister) statement where he said in an interview (reported in the Times Educational Supplement of July 5, 2002): “Education is and remains the absolute number one priority for the country because without a quality education system and an educated workforce, we cannot succeed economically.” (Ref)
No one denies the need for education that is required to advance oneself economically and for the betterment of life in general. However, knowledge and education required to instill moral values must also not be ignored. The focus today may be more towards the building of human beings into entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers and so on instead of making humans beings human. As a result, a number of us are succeeding economically but the question remains whether we are truly happy within our families, communities and societies at large?
Within the context of Islamic education, the Muslim upbringing today may be solely focused on spiritual and ritualistic aspects (praying, fasting, etc.), while ignoring the morals and values that these rituals are meant to instill in the individual in first place. We all know people who may pray five times a day and fast yet fail to epitomize good Islamic morals and etiquettes. On a smaller scale, most of us in one form or another may be guilty of maintaining double standards ourselves. We stand to pray in front of our Creator with humility yet fail to demonstrate humility to our families and other people. We may read the Quran but our character is not that of the Quran. We exercise patience in refraining from eating and drinking when fasting, yet fail to show any patience when it comes to worldly matters.
Dua to Say when Breaking Ones Fast
This sad state of affairs calls for the urgent learning of Islamic manners, morals and etiquette by Muslims of all ages. Besides building the spiritual core within the young Muslims, parents must also focus on instilling Islamic values that can help guide the new Muslim’s life in these turbulent times. For those of us who didn’t get the opportunity to teach or learn those Islamic manners, we can start by reflecting the Quran and Hadith, taking the teachings, and more importantly to start applying those to our lives. A book by Imam Bukhari (Link – al Adab al Mufrad – Muslim Morals and Manners) lists more than 600 Islamic manners and morals and is an excellent source for learning Islamic morals and etiquette.
Finally, let’s review some of the Islamic mannerisms from the life of the prophet (SAW) and sahaba. Abu Haamid al-Ghazaali in Ihya’ ‘Uloom al-Deen highlighted the prophet’s qualities, some of which are stated as follows –
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- He was the most forbearing of people, the most courageous of people, the most just of people, the most chaste of people.
- He was the most modest of people and would not look anyone straight in the eye.
- He would respond to the invitations of slave and free alike, and accept a gift even if it was a cup of milk, and he would reward a person for it.
- He got angry for the sake of his Lord but he did not get angry for his own sake.
- He would adhere to the truth even if that resulted in harm for himself or his companions. He found one of the best of his companions slain in an area where Jews lived, but he did not treat them harshly or do more than hat which is prescribed by sharee’ah.
- He would accept invitations to meals, visit the sick, and attend funerals.
- He was the most humble and quiet of people without being arrogant, the most eloquent without being long-winded, the most cheerful of countenance.
- He would sit with the poor and offer food to and eat with the needy, honoring the virtuous and softening the hearts of people of status by treating them kindly.
- He upheld ties of kinship without favoring his relatives over those who were better than them, and he did not treat anyone harshly.
- He accepted the excuses of those who apologized to him; he would joke but he only spoke the truth, and he would smile without laughing out loud.
- He did not waste time without striving for the sake of Allah or doing that which was essential to better himself. He did not look down on any poor person because of his poverty or chronic sickness, and he did not fear any king because of his power.
To conclude, lets remind ourselves of what Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said when describing the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is mentioned in the lengthy story about Sa’d ibn Hishaam ibn ‘Aamir, when he came to Madeenah and went to ‘Aa’ishah and asked her about some matters. He said:
I said: O Mother of the believers (Ayesha), tell me about the character of the Messenger of Allah (S). She said: Do you not read the Quran? I said: Of course. She said: The character of the Prophet of Allah (S) was the Quran. I wanted to get up and not ask about anything else until I died… Narrated by Muslim (746).
What is your opinion about the state of affairs of Muslims in learning Islamic etiquette, morals, and values? Share your thoughts and stories below.
— End
Read more:
May allah give patience to each and every one… Ameen
Salam.
Its really sad and pathetic that despite the priviledge we had of being muslims with fountain of moral guide in the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah of our Nabee Kareem, we still show tendencies that are ordinarily seen in non-muslims.
The reasons for this is simple – we have distanced ourselves from the Qur’an and authentic sunnah. Its only when we correct this before our lives will take the form of true muslims.
May Allah(SWT) give the muslim community enough knowledge on the teachings of Islam
alhamdulilah, thankyou for this article, may Allah (SWT) help us all to become better people…more like the prophet (sal allahu alaihi wa salam)
the muslims at large are living in morally challenging times we, and i put myself first, should focus on the basics Islamic principles and realise the enemy of man will always try to misguide us, I pray that we have the strength to fight him ameen.
A beaetiful message by the blogger may the CREATOR guide their words always ameen
Undoubtedly this much is true, that your values have been slowly eroding for a long time now, and that kids are raised to be successful in the world, with little emphasis on the afterlife. As some brothers in a circle once said, a man dies wondering how his children will live after his death, but what he should be worrying about, is how they will die, and if their death will be upon the faith…
When we have the perfect example in the Prophet salallahu alaihi wassalam, and if we are irate if someone makes the mistake of disrespecting him, then why do we not follow that example? Is our love just limited to expression, or should we strive to show our love by following the golden example set by him? I think the answer is clear. We need to re-establish those values, and I for one take it a responsibility upon myself to teach the values inspired by the life of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wassalam to my own children, and any other in my immediate family.
Sure, it is often times hard to immerse ourselves in such a way in the golden example of the Prophet sallalahu alaihi wassalam, but therein lies the test, and glad tidings for those who are able to firmly clench the rope of Islam.
In the end, I ask Allaah to bless all Muslims with the guidance, strength and clarity of mind to follow the example of the Prophet salallahu alaihi wassalam in its entirety, and not just adapt the golden morals and etiquettes ourselves, but inspire others through our courteous conduct, our desire to do justice to all those whom we interact with and our high levels of tolerance and patience.
Allaahu al-Musta’an
As the Bro. Muhammad said above, this is my same viewpoint, its really depressing actually how we manage to copy the non-muslims in just about everything, even that which is strictly haram, so its not really a surprise when these events happen. Qur’an and Sunnah Sahih is our answer, they are there always, they are our laws and guides!… but are we willing to return to them? Allahu musta’an.
prayer from the heart will solve all issues good or bad faith is the most important.
Salam.
As muslims, we should learn from the Qur’an and Sunnah of the Prophet S.A.W. how to worship Allah and how to interact and live with people. Allah Will Surely ask us how we deal with our families during our lives on earth.We must teach them good morals for them to be morally sound, otherwise they will follow the satanic way of life and as such displease us of their wrongs. If a family is Islamically trained, nothing of such that happen will ever happen.May Allah Guide us on the straight path and protect us from the evil of the devil.Ameen
may Allah be pleased with the noble one amen
let us reflect and live an islamic life with our family
salam
ya i agree with Muhumin to have enough knowledge on Islamic teachings, it’s an obligation for us Muslims to ground our variety in fields of knowledge with Islamic knowledge, that will bring two main benefits: we will be among the true believers Allah wants ever, and we will use the specific knowledge every one of us is seeking for the benefit of Ummah.
So, plz let’s take the advantage of coming Ramadhan to purify our selves, as well as to get successful in life related matters. May Allah make that easy for everyone of us.
wassalam
Salaam
I’m not completely certain that we as Muslims are collectively lagging or lacking in Islamic morals or if it’s merely a handful (relatively speaking) that suffer this affliction nor if it’s something that impacts only those living in Western/westernized society or if it’s a global issue. However, I do believe that part of the issues come from the teachings and examples set by those in leadership positions, who often don’t utilize their position to teach correctly.
The individuals themselves would have to be held accountable for their own failure to learn, understand and apply correct teachings for themselves, favoring instead to lead lives of those around them or worse yet to go back to acts of the days of ignorance where brutality was the norm.
When one doesn’t respect self for whatever reason, it is impossible to show respect for another. When we cannot bring ourselves to lend a helping hand or simply offer it with good intentions or for that matter speaking up to the individuals ho are doing what is known is wrong then others will think we are selfish. When we are more concerned about what the world thinks of us and what it can give to us than on what Allah knows of us and has blessed us with then we are lost.
Muslims have left behing the essence of islam. Its all about rituals and giving out our perfect apprearences. There is no concept of true deen, awareness or fear of Allah.
This woman probably killed her kids because she couldn’t show them off to others or they were burden to her social life. The guy killed his wife because she wouldn’t ‘listen’ to him the way he expected. The father killed his daughter because she was bringing shame to him in the community. Its all about now and here. Absolutely no fear of Allah or day of judgement.
Salaams Brothers and Sisters,
In the past, even before they read anything about Islam, many non-Muslims were attracted to Islam simply due to the strong morals, etiquettes and values demonstrated by Muslims. Today, the majority of people who convert to Islam have simply embraced Islam out of their own curiosity, first, by reading material in the internet or getting books from libraries etc before coming to Islamic centres etc for help. This is because the behavior of most Muslims, does not attract non-Muslims to our cause. May Allah guide the Ummah on the path to true Islamic morals and etiquettes. Amin
Assalaam-Aliakum,
We muslims are blessed to have Quran as a guide to follow Allah’s comands, and the sunnah- hadees to be a good human being. If we regularly read Quran with understanding, and follow the path shown by our Prophet(saw), we shall never lag behind others. My humble request to all Muslim brothers & sisters, learn to read Quran with understanding and also teach others.
Assalam Alaikum Brothers & Sisters,
The article above deserves a bookmark.
I’m an Indian and now reside in a country where Alcoholics, Prostitution and kind other illegal activities are open today. It’s to be noted that this kind of business are legal in here. Bringing up our children here today is harder any kind of labor work.
I’m talking about a “so called” Islamic Country in the gulf (NOT Saudi Arabia), and being an Islamic country drives all the attention upon it.
It should be rather “funny” to know that in an so called Islamic country the Adhaan is given in a low voice and the Iqaama is NEVER heard out. This often makes people miss their Fardh Prayers. It’s now PROHIBITED here to sit in masjids and talk Islamic issues. Wallahi…Wallahi…I’m now trying to get back in to my home country ASAP which is atleast better.
DAJJAL’s fitna has came up on this earth and many Islamic country is bowing to DAJJAL the ultimate deceiver!!!
MAY ALMIGHTY ALLAH BLESS US SHOWING US THE RIGHT PATH LEADING TO JANNAH.
Assalaam Alikum Wa Rahmatullah,
Thanks for the informative article. We Muslims must try to increase our knowledge and understanding about Islam because there are excellent and fruitful principles for our living in different angles. Therefore, it is nice to learn more about Islam, manage our work Islamic and refer our issues to Quran and Sonnah of our Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.).
Best Regards,
We can still make a change if we commit ourselves to God by worshiping Allah d way it should be because Islam is total submission to the will of God in practice and other wise. I think we need more dawwah to make a change.
May Allah guide all Muslims to the right path and protect them from all evils and seduction? Amen.
Assalaam Alikum Wa Rahmatullah
Thank you and Jazak Allah Khair for this beautiful message.
I have made this verse from the Koran the guiding principal of my life
In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
By (the Token of) Time (through the ages), Verily Man is in loss, Except such as have Faith, and do righteous deeds, and (join together) in the mutual teaching of Truth, and of Patience and Constancy.
All gains and losses of this world are hellow and immaterial. What is important is your “akhera”.
I recently attended a business meeting. Alcohol and intoxicants were on offer, I did not go near any of these things. Colleagues inquired, “Do you not like drinks”, “are you allergic to alcohol and intoxicants”. I said, “no I am perfectly fine, I do not take alcohol and intoxicants because such things are prohibited in my religion.”. All such problems will not arise if the Muslims have this attitude to life and all its charms and keep in mind the “akhera” where we have to face our Lord and Creator.
Personally, I find that many Muslims today are more loyal to their cultural values rather than the unifying Islamic values. This has lead to a weakening of the Ummah as a whole because people of the same Islamic faith are not accepting nor accommodating towards their own fellow Muslims. Another issue is the fact that a lot of Muslims who emigrated to non-muslim countries are now facing difficulties in raising the newer generations as good Muslims. Now I am not judging people who have had a genuinely hard time living in their own Islamic countries, I’m aware that it is not easy to avoid emigrating to non-muslim countries, but I doubt that the majority of Muslims living in the west were forced to emigrate due to impossible circumstances, and it is those Muslims who I think should seriously consider returning to Muslim countries to rectify the damaging effects of being surrounded by a non-islamic atmosphere. It is important to remember that you are not supposed to leave Islam to get others to embrace Islam. As for Muslims who have had the previlige to live in their native Muslim countries there is even less of an excuse for leading non-islamic lifestyles as they are not faced with the same pressures as those in the west. I would like to end with the saying of Omar Ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: “We are a people who have been given prestige by Allah through Islam, so whenever we seek prestige by any means other than Islam, Allah will make us wretched”.
Assalamu-alaikum to all Bros. and sisters
This is an excellent article. What we have to understand is why in today’s world, when we have Deeni literature in every form, book, etc. all over the world, still we Muslims are far behind in every field when it comes to implementing the Deen in our lives? Just try to understand 1400 years age how a small group of companions who adhered to the Quran and Sunnah, followed and implemented every word, action or deed from our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), when there was no such access to the means of education and knowledge as compared to today’s world, were successful in every sphere of life, wherever they went people saw them and entered ISLAM – SUBHANALLAH. They had nothing to eat, went hungry for days, no proper clothes to dress up, no good houses to live in, still they were successful, and ISLAM spread to the whole world. Now in today’s world, we have by ALLAH’s Grace, everything we want, but we are far away from ISLAM, so what is the reason, why are we being humiliated, killed, robbed, etc. by the non-Muslims, when we consider ourselves the best (many of us are born Muslims), are we not inviting the wrath of ALLAH upon ourselves.
Yes, of course, if one could see his or her innerself, we will realise that we are at war with ALLAH and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Then where is the help from ALLAH, which we want HIM to send upon us. On the day of HASHR, ALLAH would like us to face the earlier Prophets, Messengers and the companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who sacrified their lives, etc. just to ensure the torch of ISLAM was never extinguished, it remains forever untill the end of the world. What then we will answer them, what have we done for the sake of ISLAM? ALAS, we could not even illuminate our homes with the light of ISLAM. Is it not time now to think and ponder about the path we should have tread, and what we are following? JAZAKALLAH KHAIR
Alhamdullillah. The resolution from Beinjing confrence that our Mothers should be actively involved in other affairs outside that of home is partly responsible for these. But most importantly, any law or policy that is not in conformity with the Holy Quran and Sunna will ever remain inconsistent, fall short of time and majorly brings about crisis in our community. The solution is for all to return to Holy Quran and Sunna and apply its teachings.
assalaamu alikum
it was an enlightening topic ……….masha allah………………… hope u include topics of daily lives in future too!!!!!!!!!!!
The basic issue is that muslims today are only in name and in observing the islamic rituals where necessary. The islamic morals and quality of iman, yaqeen and taqwa are lacking. Of course the consequences are all too clear for everybody. Without iman yaqeen, a muslim’s morals and behaviour is just like an unbeliever or munafique. Islamic rituals without iman are just futile physical exercises without the backbone of cleansing the individual. We need as muslims to go back to the teachings of Rasul SAW during the Makki period i.e developing iman through jihad of the soul. Only then can the Ummah develop and bring back the islamic glory. May Allah SWT guide us to the correct path. Amin.
Assalamu Alaikum warahmatulah
It is a very interesting topic. May Allah guide and protect all muslims. The number one problem that we facing in our society is that muslims are not abiding by the teaching of the Quran and sunnah of (SAW) thats all. Parents are not taking care of there families instead they go for worldly thing.
ASSALAMUALIKUM
dear brothers & sisters
Now a days,
Every Muslim knows that the key to Paradise is the statement, “There is none worthy of worship except Allaah.” Yet too many Muslims simply rely upon this statement and believe that as long as they have made this statement, nothing will harm them. They think they will be granted Paradise because of this mere verbal statement of the Shahadah. There is no question that the mere saying of,” I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger,” is not sufficient for salvation. In fact, the hypocrites used to make this statement quite often yet Allaah describes them as liars and says that they shall abide in the lowest abyss of the Hell-fire.
As many scholars state, though, this statement or testimony is the key to Paradise. The famous follower Wahb ibn Munabbih was once asked, ” Isn’t the statement of la ilaaha illa Allaah the key to Paradise?” He answered, “Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you.” That is, the statement must meet certain conditions. These conditions are what will differentiate the person who will benefit from his making of that statement from the one who will not benefit from that statement, no matter how many times a day he may have made that statement.
Before discussing the conditions of the Shahadah, there is one more point that I feel compelled to make. That is, some people have a tendency to take one Hadith or one verse and then based on that one text, they will make some conclusion that, for example, whoever simply says,” There is no God except Allaah,” will enter Paradise. But, actually, we should all realise that all of the Qur’aan and Hadith complement each other and explain one another. To find the correct position on any one question, one must bring together all of the related verses and Hadith and see what the true Islaamic position is of that question. The same is true for the conditions of the shahadah.
If we study the verses of the Qur’aan and the Hadith of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we will find that the conditions of the shahadah are seven, eight or nine in number depending on how we look at them. It is important that all of us make sure that we are meeting these conditions in our own lives and in our own testimony of faith. We must do our best to satisfy these conditions before it is too late and our testimony will be of no avail whatsoever. It is not simply for the sake of teaching these conditions, indeed there is no benefit to that. But it is, instead, for all of us to look to ourselves and to make sure that we are actually meeting these conditions so that, by Allaah’s mercy, the doors to Paradise will be open for us by our key of la ilaaha illa Allaah.
The conditions of La ilaha illallah are the ridges of this key, and they are: –
1. Al-`Ilm (Knowledge of the meaning of the shahadah, its negation and affirmation)
2. Al-Yaqeen (Certainty – perfect knowledge of it that counter-acts suspicion and doubt)
3. Al-Qubool (Acceptance that contradicts rejection).
4. Al-Inqiad (Submission to its rightful requirements, which are the duties that must be performed with sincerity to Allah (alone) seeking His pleasure)
5. Al-Sidq (Truthfulness that permits neither falsehood nor hypocrisy)
6. Al-Ikhlaas (Sincerity which negates shirk)
7. Al-Mahabbah (Love of the shahadah and its meaning, and being happy with it)
Asslam alaykoum,
Barakallah fik for this topic.
Assalamu alaikum brothers n sisters..
I think most of the reason have been beautifully summarised by each one from their personal experience… what can we say.. there is so much academic knowledge, but the real knowledge, that is the iknowledge of the heart has not happened for most muslims… times are such.. nevertheless we pray to allah ta’ala that faith becomes stronger and not the mind. Given the western education, it is so difficult to listen to the heart and so much easier to fall into the trap of the so called’ rational mind’ which makes faith very old-fashioned and uncivilized.
Assalamualaikum to you all. Each and every muslim, must practice the 5 pillars which is the min. One should do being a muslim. We must pay attention to our behaviour, attitude and charactor while dealing with other irrespective muslim or not. It is a fact the level of Iman is not the same within diff individuals.
It is role of each and every muslim to guide those on the wrong path.
Each one will have to answer about this in the hereafter. Most of the time people do not like to be told about dos and donts.
We must not be scared to speak respectfully and explain what is wrong and right. We must have patience and love for Allah and His religion in making the effort. while guiding others.
When we want something we make the necessary effort to reach our objective
We have to act similaly while guiding others. Some people need to be pushed cos they do not have the courage to act alone. I am not saying that we must force people but be sure we have done our best. Moufis, Imam and Islamic leaders have an important role to play.
We need to know how to approah people in order to get the result. This does not mean that we must simply ask people to Quran and Sunnah. Left alone people may not dot it. Last but not the least we must show the good examples. This is my opinion based on experince which i beleive is efficient cos three persons in my environment have reverted to islam with good behaviour. May Allah guide us all as He knows best. I ask Allah for forgiveness for mistake done by me in what I wrote.
Assalamu alaikkum warahmathullahi wabarakaathuhu,
May Allah protect me, you & all muslims from worst moral charactors, Insha allah we should try to be very closed to Quran & Sunnah. AAMEEEN
Aslamu Alaykum,
As all or most muslim are aware, shaytaan has made pledge to attack the children of Adam from every direction. Even though we are muslims does that mean shaytaan will leave us alone, no, we will commit sin every day but as soon as we see our error we repent to the Almighty, Allah, and inshallah we will be forgiven, ameen.
Salam
Indeed we muslims are laggin behind , in many ways if we’re to actually look deeper into our selves, the reason why Allah swt created , do we follow his ways and teachings of Rasool, or do we select some and neglect some. My brothers and sisters islam is a complte way of life , in which one find everything.
May Allah swt continue to guide us . Ameen.
Assalamualaikum..
Its true that many muslims r lagging behind in Islamic Morals & etiquttes ultimately following the footsteps of shaitan.
we the ummah of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is bestown with many privilages |(Quran N Sahih Hadith etc.)
I feel its responsibility of parents to nurture there children in there childhood n teach them the morals n etiquttes of Islam..Its so sad that we never spare time for such things, Remember on day of judgement Allah will held us.
Its My Sincere Request to All my bros n sis of Islam please teach your childeren the morals n Etiquttes of Islam..
Assalamualaikum.
In Malaysia, the highest incidence of children born out of wedlock is among the malays who are born muslims. The state of affairs is very sad indeed.
Assalaamu Alaikum to all brothers and sisters.
Peace and Blessing of Allah SWT on Prophet Muhammed SAW.
The blog is very interesting. We have read all the charecteristics about our Beloved Prophet SAW. What are we doing about it??.
We as muslims are not united like as at the times of the Prophet. We are actually lost in this materialistic world of becoming great people hence not caring about our morals,manners,character family etc. Wake up all and let us try from the step one and follow the morals of our Holy Prophet Muhammed SAW. All the above comments are good. May Allah SWT bless and shower his mercy on us all. Ameen.
As Salaam Wa Alaikum
I believe that most muslims (myself included) are aware of the moral & etiquette values entrenched in Islam. Our problem lies in the implementation thereof. Even when we do implement these values in our life, we need to look very seriously at our intentions.
As in the Hadith of our Beloved (SAW), Every action will be judged/rewarded by its intention. We want TO BE SEEN AS Muslims, as morally upright, pious individuals. We want to play the part, but this is not done sincerely and for the pleasure of Allah (SWT). Therefore in our homes, where we truly are ourselves, our children do not learn about true values, cause we only put on a front for the community and others.
We also need to look at sucess, but not in terms of the worlds definition, but in terms of what the Quran, defines success by. Everybody has different ideas of sucess, and Success of a Mu’min is defined by Allah. Let us start with the words of the Adhaan, Haya Alas Salaah, Haya Alal Falah, Come to Salaah, Come to Success, Insha Allah, we will be Successful.
Asalamu’alaykum wa rahmatula wa barakaat,
I live in a multiracial country where Muslims is only 20% and upbringing our children
in this condition is very difficult but not impossible, with the help Allah SWT we have
to create our own environment where islamic issues are being teached everyday.
And the best teaching for our children starts at home from Mother and Father who
themselves should follow islamic way of life.
May Allah SWT guide us to better understand islam, the only true religion.
.
May Allah increase our Iman and give us the strenght to always abide by all his injuctons.
Asalamu alaykum waramatulahi…
If we provide atleast basic Islamic knowledge to the muslims we can reduce crimes committed muslims to a greater extent.
Salam
I think that love is the answer. If we abide in love for Allah, then this love overflows on to family and neighbor and enriches all we are and do. How can anyone do what is right except that they abide in love. Even very simple people can excell in the expression of appropriate morals and values if they abide in love. Indeed observation may be shallow if it is of the head and not the heart. It is love that gives value, force, meaning, and direction to all we are and do. If we can teach/learn to love rightly all else will follow. This requires an inner attunement. The externals are excellent but may be only form unless we have love, compassion, and understanding. This requires practice – develping and staying in touch with the love within – not just as formal observance or study. Perhaps observance and study with and in love is the key. I know people who have excellent knowledge yet are mean. We must teach study with love.
As has been observed, I wonder if too many are concerned with the externals – the things of the world rather than the heart.
Assalamu alaykum.
Islam is a religion of respect and mercy, is not an arrogant because Islam teaches Muslims how to respect each others, talk to each others, have a on each other.
what is happening is out of Islamic teachings because it happens to those who lacks teachings of Islamic morals.
the cause of those crimes and arrogant attitudes are being faraway from Islam and its teachings.
This happens in other religious too, in my Country Nigeria just last week a Christian woman beet her grandson to death because of 5 naira, 5 naira is just 1/3 of one US Dollars.
so, we just need true Scholars in teaching and reminding Muslims Islamic morals and Islamic Etiquettes.
yes there are gaps, quiet big gaps, – we need to link religion with current educational system – This is an uphill task in islamic countries and almost impossible in western world. Another problem we teach others what we do not practice self.
Salam. What is happening within the fold of non-Muslims is far mpre grievious compared to what is witnessed among the
Muslims. The only challenge is that Muslims are expected to be mirror that would be a reflective examples to all mankind. This is recognized by every body around and that is why there is this outcry whenever any deficiency is found in a Muslim. Non Muslims are not expected to behave modestly so, nobody is concerned when they behave unruly. In view of this, Muslims shouldrise up to there responsibility and be the expected good model for the world.
The reasons for this is simple – we have distanced ourselves from the Qur’an and authentic sunnah. Its only when we correct this before our lives will take the form of true muslims.
we have to know the islam and hadis.allah said that read namaj and kuran you will be success in world and aakharat.
This is an excellent article and gets right to the root of the problem. There is tremendous pressure on Muslims worldwide perhaps more for those living in non-Muslim countries. Beside grounding our families in Islamic spirituality and morals, we need to be aware that even with our best intentions and efforts, things can go wrong and someone in our family may take the wrong path. In all such cases, it is important to remember that only Allah has total control of the world. We must strive to be the best example for our families and exhort them to goodness to the best of our ability. If they go wrong, we should pray for them patiently. If they take the straight path, we should thank Allah for it. May Allah protect us all from earthly temptation and give us sabr and iman Inshallah!
Salaam,
I think this calls for an INTROSPECTION in each one of us.
i think we should get back to struggling to put TEWHID in each of our heart,becouse if we manage to know that we do each of our deeds for the sake of Allah,we are not going to be dissatisfied with our lifes,and we’ll be able to think that we are raising children,having sex with hasband or viseversa,working,helping others,in general we do every single action is FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH,and we are not going to consider like KUFARS that this worldly life is for ever.
Asalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wabarakatuh
Whoever works righteousness – whether male or female – while he (or she) is a true believer (of Islamic Monotheism) verily, to him We will give a good life (in this world with respect, contentment and lawful provision), and We shall pay them certainly a reward in proportion to the best of what they used to do (i.e. Paradise in the Hereafter).
( ???? ????? , An-Nahl, Chapter #16, Verse #97)
On knowledge, Abu Bakr (r.a.) said: Knowledge is the life of the mind. Umar (r.a) said: Understand the teachings of the Holy Quran for it is the source of knowledge. Ali (r.a) said: Knowledge enlivens the soul and Uthman (r.a.) said: “That knowledge is of no avail which is not put into practice. There can be no practice without knowledge and knowledge without putting it to practice is useless.
AlhamdoLILLAH we are Muslims but are we living by it? It’s so sad that the Ummah is faced with so many challenges and we are trying to contribute even to the least effort that we can in order to defend our Deen. It’s difficult to prove others wrong if from our own circle there are those who commit what ALLAH (SWT) has made unlawful for us instead of being steadfast in enjoining what HE has made lawful for us.
May ALLAH (SWT) guide us all, may he bless us with clean thought, pure heart, gentle speech, righteous acts, and strong emaan so taht we may not bring shame in Islam and so as to refute what others think about us. May we live, love, and die following the best source of guidance (Quran and Sunnah) and may ALLAH (SWT) grant us a place in jannah insha ALLAH
May we all be guided…Ameen…
I do think Muslims are lagging behind in Islam, merely because Muslims do not compromise anymore or have patience to ignore things they don’t like to hear. Instead they have zero tolerance of being kind.
Muslims faced alot of racism in the past, but now if anyone dare say anything, then they respond with gangs! Where is the patience in Muslims? our Prophet Muhammad PBUH was a prime example to us, which we fail to follow.
I think and believe that Islam has no doubt increased in form or to say the mosques are filling up with people offering salat but the essence of a muslim has no doubt deteriorated,or to say the Ruh-E-Islam has vanished to a latge extent ,this was taught in the form of Ehsan but now it is no longer taught it was something that was a part of our belief and was inculcated and taught to the earlier muslims I believe it would be well if this was again made obligatory and taught to muslims all over the world this was a practice which earlier muslims considered essential for their Iman to be refreshed and knew that without it their prayers and fastings would only become rituals without changing the innerself of the person.
assalamalikum
i think the main problem nowadays is people have become more materialistic and in this race they have become more mean ,selfish,arrogant ,rude leaving behind all basic manners and tossing up all virtues up in the air that islam teach.
It is unfortunate that the quest for worldly treasures have blinded us since long. Those who try to see, while upholding to islamic virtues and morals are named fanatics. Please let us rethink for we are all going back to ALLAH one day.
Didn’t rasullah (saw) mention that in the end of times those who act upon the quran and its laws will be regarded as fools and made fun of. This is esp true now when we see our own muslims brothers doing this. I had one brother make fun of another muslim brother because he was dressed in the islamic dress properly. I say non-muslims esp the christians are more of a Muslims in character than the muslims themselves I really wish they embraced Islam they are the true owners of heaven and not these corrupt Muslims.
The muslim community is to blame. I have reached out for help when abused and they are more worried about their reputation than in justice and righteousness.
I agree Zainab,
I too reached out to what i thought my (ex)spouses friends and they totally ignored me because they went with their kind(arab) rather than help me(white American convert). They stuck together and left me on my own. Oh how I will never forget that.
i was looking for the right path all my life, and found islam alhamduilliah. my father was always very moral and i think thats where it starts, when i was a child i didnt understand why i was not allow to do what other people were doing,but deep inside i knew my father was right. as parents we have to educate ourseleves about islam THE REAL ISLAM;.we are responsible for showing our children how to live on the straight path. i see some parents that let there children be wild when young not teaching them lovingly that sometimes things are not right to do even though most people around you are doing them. give our children a strong sense of who they are and show them how to be proud to be muslims. but we can’t wait till they are teens and then start ordering them to do this anddo that etc, how can they understand in this way. so i say start from the moment allah has given us beautiful children to guide and care for, start at the roots and explain to children as best we can why we do something and why we dont.
we are here for the shortest time i pray that allah may show us the right way and make it easier for to guide our children…..
ALHAMDUILLIAH
We are the decendents of the original pair of humans created by Almighty God, therefore we are directly linked to God. Loving and caring each other means caring God. This is what is taught to us being Muslim by the Holly Prophet. But our parents and society has created an environment where all is messed up. Our childrens are not being tought about the basics of Islam and Sunnah (Seerat un Nabi – PBUH). Muslims can only change their persona by learning basics of Islam and social education.
I hope and pray – soon we realize it and act accordingly. Act is a second thing to do, first you have to realize the fact that education is base that broaden your thoughts; lets you think about people, environment, culture, society and yourself. It provokes you how to act in a direction for better of self and others. May Allah Guide Us. Ameen
I didn’t read the whole articles, but what some muslim people do isn’t how all muslims act, Yes muslims are distance from islam but not all of them, these crimes happens by all people and not just muslims.
The prophet (SAW) is indeed the best example for us Muslims. His deeds should serve as an inspiration to us. Yes, it is hard to be like him however, while we still have time we can try more and more to be like him. Nothing is impossible with Allah (SWT), As long as Allah sees how much we strive and never giving up, He is there to help us. I am so thankful that I’m Muslim because I know that what I believe is true, and Allah is the best protector and provider.. El hamdulillah…
Salaam. I Just give thanks and praises to ALLah for ALLAH and for HIS prophet(S) and for being a Merciful GOD. i agree and i have also encountered Christians that live upright. and I have read in the quran that says that the true Christians,Jews,and Muslims are all one. they are all believers. I am a born into Islam and i have experienced the world. and i can only come back to Allah back to Islam. And i have experienced betrayal from my own so called brothers and sisters that were muslims but the Christians would feed and shelter me. I have given the greetings to my Arab muslims brother n sisters before and only for them to refuse to return the greetings. Muslims i feel have no true unity. they have divide themselves into so many sects. they dont want to pray with this one or that one. We do not have enough examples out here. i just pray that my will can be to truly do Allahs will. i hope that i die a true believer and i hope that i can live upright and become a good example. I am not bashing my sistas n brothers. i would like to say that u never no who is observing u. u dont know who u may inspire to come into Islam. the time is changing. so dont be surprised. Turning to Allah with an empty heart an empty prayer cannot be hidden from Allah.
Salaam
VERY GOOD ARTICLE.MUSLIM BROTHERS REQUIRE TO UNDERSTAND QURAN AND ACT ACCORDINGLY. MUTUAL DISPUTES ARE TO BE SOLVED IN THE LIGHT OF QURAN,/TEACHING OF PROPHET S.A.W. PROPER EDUCATION IS NEEDED AT ALL LEVELS.