A pattern of fitnas

[faithandpeace]

This Landmark scheme is just one in a series of fitnas I've had to deal with from the beginning. I had two Iranian friends whom when I told that I reverted seemed happy to help but encouraged me to get into Sufism. They introduced me to some Shia friends of theirs who also congratulated me on reverting. Yet mere minutes later they asked me if I wanted the alcohol they were having and one woman wanted me to participate in a tarot card reading. Most of them promoted Landmark Education as well. Subhanallah.

I started going to a halaqa at a masjid geared for new reverts. Yet it was co-ed with brothers and sisters right next to each other to the point of accidently bumping arms and legs. One of the leaders made a frequent mockery of hijab, niqab, beard, and other aspects of the sunnah, actually discouraged us from focusing on sunnah details, and referenced woman-led salah of men and women and Ahl ul Qur'an as valid approaches of Islam. He and one of the other leaders injected politics into it saying that America is the best place on earth to practice Islam and parroted the "official" stories and versions of 9/11/01 and Osama Bin Laden from American mainstream media (even many non-Muslim Americans reject the government's official story).

If that isn't enough, my nationality and race seemed oddly important around Ramadan time at this masjid. There were women who after watching me perform a salah had the nerve to ask me if I was Muslim and laughed at me when I used basic phrases like insha'Allah and alhamdulillah and did not even return my greeting of peace. I kept being asked by people if I am American yet we were all clearly standing inside the United States. I don't go around asking their citizenship status. The one day I chose to wear niqab to see what it was like a Syrian woman blurted out to me "You're not Arab!" The main group of reverts I started socializing with spent much of the time talking about "Landmark Education." A group of "progressive Qur'an alone Muslims" at some point during this tried to recruit me to their way.

The store and restaurant I frequented to buy my hijabs, abayas, and basic Islamic clothes ultimately deceived me. Not knowing how much these things cost I was significantly overcharged. The woman in charge would spend more time catering to non-Muslims and flirting with Arab and Persian liquor store owners who came in. The lady told me that hijab is optional and the Qur'an can be interpreted the way you want. She lied to my face telling me my meal was vegetarian even after I showed her the meat I found in it. She sold me a hadith set for double the price of what the publisher sells it for and it turned out they were illegal pirated counterfeit books. Plus she was openly abusive and hostile to her non-Muslim workers under her. Subhanallah. Another woman I met on Eid who runs a coffee shop who is a born Muslim told me that she doesn't believe in hadith and does not like hijab and feels people should not wear niqab. She didn't even know what the word "fiqh" meant.

And now we have this new sister halaqa for reverts that started out wonderfully but has quickly fallen apart and into the hands of Landmark Forum. I eat at some Middle Eastern restaurants in which the Muslims who own, cook, or run the restaurants will not greet me Islamically (even with me in hijab) and yet give much more positive treatment and warm company to the Jewish friends who sometimes accompany me. Yet at one venue run by Arab Christians I'm treated better, accepted as a Muslim, and my race/ethnicity is not important.

I love Islam to the deepest core of my heart and I love the ummah very much and only wish I could be a better Muslim. This being said, despite the fact that I have had many positive experiences with other sisters and brothers, there is a very serious illness with our ummah. If kaffirs are treating me better than many of my own brothers and sisters then this is a very sad state of affairs. If as a revert of less than a year I'm realizing I know more about Islam than born Muslims yet they see themselves fit to educate me because they feel their race and nationality make them more qualified, this is a serious problem.

This is not backbiting, it is a declared emergency. It is time to pull the fire alarm. By that I mean the alarm of hell fire. Subhanallah, the sahabah went through far more trials than I have. I have seen many reverts come and go and it is sad. I realize, however, that while Islam is perfect Muslims are not. I am so thankful to Allah (swt) for protecting me from the Shaytan and not resulting in these trials overwhelming me and allowing me to turn back or go astray. These fitnas may all seem like small things but they aren't small on the Last Day. I really do not look forward to experiencing the punishment of the grave or living in jahannam. So these things do matter. Jazakallah khair for hearing me out.

 

[M.I.A.]

i get what your saying, but you have to understand misrepresentation is a major part of life.

you cant use your experience to discredit all people that use the quran only.

in the same way people cant use the term muslim to describe all torrorists.


im going the opposite way in my life.

big beard.

silver ring.

head covered.

and many other sunnat of the prophet pbuh, that i have learned mainly from the internet.

and many more that have been offered to me.


the point is that there is restrictiveness that is imposed by each and every one of those.

..and im not fully sure of there benefit, compulsion and restrictiveness in enforcement.

..or the validity of those presented sunnah.


one of the first things you learn from the quran is that there is no compulsion in religion, it is a middle path.


i mean even in real life you will get conflicting information regarding the sunnah, depending on the people you meet.



but you seem clever enough to have understood that the people you have met are not on the correct path.

so i guess all is not lost.

and dont downplay the importance of the quran, even though the stupidity you meet might incline you to do so.



the quran is a revelation during a time of change.

when people did all sorts of things and worshiped all sorts of things.


it is easily comparable to modern times. which is a shame and also an reinforcement of islams goal.. to spread the message really.

so live and learn.


(silver ring is not a sunnah btw)

 

[faithandpeace]

Islam is not a "pick and choose" religion. There will be differences in the degree to which Muslims follow Islam correctly in terms of practice and implementation but when it comes to belief there is no degree of difference. Either you accept the aqeedah or you do not. Reciting the shahadah only to later reject belief in the sunnah as compulsory sounds like risking becoming a murtad to me. We as Muslims have an obligation to hold ourselves and others who are calling themselves Muslims accountable. We are obligated to educate ourselves and other Muslims. These things are not optional. Sins are sins and while they can be very serious in nature are something that can be repented for and which do not cast someone outside of the fold of Islam. Lack of belief does. Let's say a Muslim drinks alcohol, engages in homosexuality, and only occasionally prays a salah. If it is private and not discussed, it is between them and Allah (swt). If it is public, it is my obligation to advise them politely with correct adab as to what is being done incorrectly and insha'Allah help them improve or refer them to someone more knowledgeable. They also are expected to do the same for me. It is not about judging or insulting but about becoming closer to Allah (swt) and trying to obtain protection from the Fire (jahannam). So it isn't insulting or judging them but it is helping them. Yet when it isn't an issue of sin but one of belief it becomes more serious as it serves to lead people astray altogether. It is one thing for someone to call themselves a Muslim and for instance drink alcohol, engage in homosexuality, and only occasionally pray a salah and it is another thing when they tell me and others right to our faces that Islam says those things are ok. At best they are in error and need to be given correct Islamic understanding and at worst have publicly professed disbelief and therefore have left the fold of Islam altogether. When it gets to the point where you start noticing that the majority of people calling themselves Muslims that you meet are openly declaring haram halal and halal haram and professing disbelief then this is not a small matter but a very very serious fitna going on. Allah (swt) knows best.

 

[Ahmad H]

Sister, I feel your pain. I get the same feeling from a lot of Muslims. I have met very sincere Muslims, ones I envy for their goodness and try to emulate to the best extent I can, and then there are some who I am ashamed call themselves Muslims because they make a mockery of Allah's religion. That is a major affront to me, even though it seems like it shouldn't, since my life goal is to focus on spreading Islam through action and knowledge to those who lack in either one of them.

As for the problem with alcohol, fornication, and other evils among Muslims in this age, it is all a huge loss for those people. Since this evil is so rampant in our society, and it is not the problem of a few, we have to be nice about how we approach such people.

I have this problem with some Muslims I know very well. So perhaps this will show you what to do. During the last couple of days, I have been extremely worried about these Muslim friends of mine. After consistently worrying about it and praying for them - as well as asking whoever else I could to pray for them so that Allah may at least accept their prayers, if not mine - so that they can start going down the straight path once again. Allah answered my prayers by giving me a small glimpse of hope, by one of them calling me and asking me if they could help me with helping out at the Masjid.... If that isn't a sign from Allah, then I don't know what is. This sort of thing never happened before.

Keep up your faith. Feel the pain for these brothers and sisters of yours, and let that pain be what you use to pray for them. When you become sincerely concerned with your erring Muslim brothers and sisters, then you will find that Allah helps you to help them. No one knows Allahs Qadar, but we can always pray since Allah is always to do anything for those who sincerely love Him and others for His sake.

Imagine now how the Prophets of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all) felt, the Holy Prophet (saw) used to sob so that he sounded like a boiling kettle - all for his people who had gone astray. The Holy Qur'an said that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was so grieved after his own people, that he might almost die of grief for them.

 

[faithandpeace]

It is very painful to see and feel it. It is tragic to see brothers and sisters whom I recently looked up to and considered mentors for me only to now be considered unreliable sources of information on Islam. I do not expect anyone to insist that they are perfect because I certainly am not but if someone is willing to teach others about Islam then they should speak on what they have knowledge on and have the proper intentions to refer what they don't have knowledge on to the scholars and come back with correct knowledge. This as opposed to an ego problem where nobody is allowed to correct them even though the evidence from Qur'an, Sunnah, and established scholarship clearly contradicts what they have to say yet they will then tell me that I am new and don't know what I am talking about. Just because someone is a revert and knows a miniscule amount of Arabic does not mean they know nothing at all about Islam. Yet I just had another sister whom I previously looked up to as a mentor make a mockery of niqab and stated that it was cultural and implied that it was not part of sunnah. I was also silenced from speaking the truth and prevented from assisting a non-Muslim who was considering embracing Islam. The sister then started discussing terminology used in Landmark as if it had something to do with Islam. Subhanallah. I think an email is going out soon insha'Allah.

Regardless of our level of knowledge as Muslims we are obligated to share the things we do know and should always seek to learn more from reputable sources of knowledge. There is a clear suppression of Islamic knowledge in my community and it is being replaced by social and cultural activities. Basically, given that I am a single Muslimah they are perhaps more concerned with matching me up with a brother for nikkah. Yet insha'Allah I will not make the mistake that sadly many revert sisters make and just jump into marriage when they are not ready only to end up in a toxic relationship that is far from Islamic. It does me no good to have a husband who prioritizes culture more than deen and who has very low iman and ilm. Subhanallah.

Despite all of these challenges, Allah (swt) knows best and will guide me and others as He wills. Insha'Allah I will continue to make duas for our brothers and sisters who are lost to guide them back to the deen and insha'Allah will continue to try to become a better Muslimah myself and try to be a good example for others. That is about all we can hope for right now.

 

[sugaray21]

My sister in Islam, you have been extremely unlucky in that you have met, in my opinion, some of the worst types of 'muslim'. It is hard when heritage muslims insult us (converts to islam) by refusing to acknowledge us as muslims. Hard and hurtful, but at the same time so bizarre!!! My friend who is white english, and a convert, is not accepted as muslim by the family of her Pakistani friend because of the colour of her skin! And Islam is completely against racism!! Allah (swt) sees beyond our skin colour and yet mere human beings calling themselves muslims are still unable to do this it is just baffling to me!!! the level of ignorance in the world today is so bad, and so worrying, that if we think about things like this too much it will drive you insane....

There is a huge problem in certain parts of the muslim world whereby cultural practices and traditions have somehow taken over religious traditions and belief and become deeply entrenched. We could spend time analysing the hows and the whys but the fact is, Allah alone can change people.

You sound like an extremely intelligent woman masha allah and you definitely know whats' what. The ummah needs more sisters with this mentality.

I will say one last thing-no matter how much anyone insults you, no matter how much it annoys you, always always smile and keep your head up and show them that you are trying to project the correct image of a muslim and in a subtle way, make it clear that it is they who are misguided.

 

[faithandpeace]

One of the great things about Islam is the ability to worship and submit to Allah (swt) without the requirement of other people. This does not negate the importance of having the association of pious and righteous Muslims (nor the obligatory communal salah for brothers). Yet in the absence of these conditions, I can still pray, still fast, still pay charity, still learn, and still perform just about any other obligation. One of the pitfalls that perhaps many reverts make is the association of Muslims with Islam. We have to always check our niyyas (intentions) to make sure we are taking actions to please Allah (swt) not just trying to please other Muslims (and non-Muslims).

It is sad and challenging to deal with but I'm now at the point where I'm not going to waste my time with people mocking our deen or showing shame for it. I did not embrace Islam for social hour or because I wanted to look pretty in a hijab. I embraced it due to my desire to submit my will to Allah (swt).