Muslims praying inside the Church in UK

[ardianto]

Salah Eid-ul Fitr 2012 in Malang, Indonesia.

 

[tearose]

Assalaam alaikum sister tearose,
Dawah cannot be given in an environment where religious tolerance is not accepted Not in modern day. Hence, we take steps, lead by example, and other may follow.

wa 3laikum as-salam,
I was quite tired when I wrote that post and I don't think I expressed myself very well. Of course we must be tolerant and kind towards those who are not hostile to us, maintain good relations with them, and lead by example. However, many interfaith initiatives and many personal relationships between people of different religions goes beyond that, to a kind of cosiness, praising each other and trying to please each other. These situations are full of traps.

For example, a family member of mine is a practising Catholic. Recently we were talking about religion, and he spent most of the time praising Islam, praising Muslims, saying how interesting the religion is. Then he made one comment about how interest in studying Catholicism is declining, said 'It's a shame, because Catholicism is a beautiful religion' and looked to me for approval. If I approve, I fall into the trap. If I disapprove, everyone will look at me as the bad person, because he said so many nice things about his religion and I can't even say one nice thing about his. If I stay silent, what's the point of having the discussion.

Then there are people who tell you to have a nice Eid, hope Ramadan is going well for you etc., then they get hurt when you don't wish them a Happy Christmas.

If you never debate with them, or talk to them seriously about the message of Islam, how can leading by example be effective? If you are constantly interacting with them in a way that reassures them that you accept them and their ways(whether you mean to do so or not), all they might learn from your example is that you are a nice person and that your faith is an important part of that. It doesn't necessarily motivate them to take it seriously.

I learned this the hard way, when after months of thinking I was 'leading by example' my mum told me that she didn't realise Muslims thought Islam was for everyone, that other ways of life could be true for other people. This made me realise that unless you insist on the fact that Islam is the only true way, people can easily miss the message. It also becomes very easy to confuse showing others you are a good person with striving to please them.

Please note this doesn't mean being disrespectful to others or talking to them in a harsh way, but just don't fall into these traps and never stop calling to the truth in a way that makes clear what is at stake.

 

[Ali_008]

^^^ I completely know where you're coming from, sister. I experience a lot similar things very regularly as well. I have also thought a lot about what I can do about it without getting into sin, and without hurting others' feelings. I've come to the conclusion that it is best that we just do what our leader, our beloved Rasoolullah :saws: did. Our job is to only deliver the message. You might be dead serious when communicating it to someone, but it doesn't guarantee that the listener is also grasping the gravity of it. You can try various methods, and make sure that you're presenting the right picture of Islam by your actions and behavior. Without a practical illustration, all the theories in the world are of no use. Thus, preaching what you practice is exponentially important. Many revert brothers/sisters were able to influence and bring their families to guidance only by means of strictly practicing Islam.

That was the method of Rasoolullah :saws:, and it worked, and in shaa Allah it will work now as well. It can get tough to be patient during taxing times, but the reward at the end of it is definitely worth it.

Addressing the particular situation you found yourself in, if you ever land in such waters again, you can try injecting the similarities between Islam and Christianity into the conversation. Talk about how Christians and Muslims are working together about the handful of causes where they are, indeed, working together. Abu Ameenah Bilal Phillips was asked about the issue of not being able to wish Christians merry Christmas, to what he replied that instead of saying merry Christmas one can just say happy holidays.

Also, we need to keep in mind that we can't use the same method for every person. The approach has to vary from person to person. Watch the following video from 10:10 to 11:00.

 

[tearose]

Thanks for your reply brother. I agree that we must practise what we preach, and use different methods of dawah that are appropriate to each individual. But we must remember that Rasulullah :saws: also directly called people to Islam, as well being the example for them.

I agree that it can be useful to highlight the similarities between Islam and the other monotheistic religions, especially for a person who doesn't know much about Islam or has misconceptions, but at some point we have to point out that Islam is the only true way. Otherwise, people can easily get the impression that if the religions are so similar, why should they need to give theirs up and enter Islam?

About the 'happy holidays' thing, I have to disagree. Ever since I looked into this issue, I have followed the opinion of those scholars who say it is impermissible to give any kind of special greeting on the occasion of non-Muslims' festivals. I don't see any different in effect on the person you say it to; they know you are referring to your festival and that is why you are saying it. So the special greeting, even if doesn't explicitly include the word 'Christmas', can still easily give them the impression that you approve of what they are doing.

I used to worry sometimes about the reactions I would get if I didn't return someone's greeting, or if I didn't shake hands with a man, for example. However, I have actually found that in general people show more respect to me if I stick to my religion firmly. People's feelings should not be hurt just because you are different from them.