- Part One: ‘Izzah – Forgotten Concept, Lost Virtue
- Part Two: Literary Analysis, Islamic Understanding
- Part Three: Following the Path of the People Before Us?
- Part Four: The Iman Stimulus Package of Epic Proportions
- Part Five: Conclusion
We have gone through a brief journey regarding this concept of ‘izzah. Insha’Allah we now have a firmer grasp of what it is and how we may regain it. Basically, ‘izzah is a sense of honour and superiority, of strength and power, of spiritual fulfillment and confidence which comes only when we strive to obey Allah and fulfill His commands as He has ordered us to. ‘Izzah comes from Islam; to lose our Islam is to lose our ‘izzah; and the loss of ‘izzah leads to weakness and humiliation – both personal (on an individual level) and on a higher, broader scale (socially and politically).
This being said, a few questions and ideas remain – for example, in this day and age of “equality,” “tolerance,” and so on, how do we actually demonstrate ‘izzah in public? How are we supposed to abandon our position of a weak minority community and become the kind of Ummah we all dream about? Does being superior mean that we have to hold ourselves utterly away from others and not engage with them at all?
The answer is No! It is important to note that by emphasizing the ‘izzah of the Muslims, we are not calling for disengagement from society. We are not saying that we must be utterly aloof and removed from the communities we live in, that we should not cooperate with the non-Muslims at all.
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Rather, the goal is to be more aware of who we are, as individuals and as an Ummah. The goal is to realize that the position Allah has given us over all of creation is not something to be taken lightly; indeed, it is something very serious and to be given due consideration. Nor is it a merely theoretical engagement Islam is a religion of practicality, and the concept of ‘izzah is also something which we must apply in our everyday lives.
Yes, be active in society. Yes, cooperate with others. Yes, be a force of positive change. This is something which Allah has commanded us to do everyday, in enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. But always remember that we are Muslims, we are different, we are special. So before you do anything, ask yourself: Is this befitting of the best of creation? Is this an action of honour or dignity, or of humility to other than Allah? Is this a respectable action, in a respectable place?
Furthermore, we have to change our outlook and understanding, of ourselves and our situation. Knowing what we do now about the honour that Allah has bestowed upon the true followers of al-Islam, we need to get over our inferiority complexes and show this ‘izzah to the world. We have delegated ourselves to the position of victims, and elevated others to a position of power, and we cannot allow this to continue.
On an individual level, this ‘izzah is projected in the confidence, the pride, and firm belief that we have in Islam and in implementing it in every aspect of our lives. Praying salaah on time even if it means in a parking lot? That’s ‘izzah. Observing hijaab, growing a beard, even when people actively discriminate against you? That’s ‘izzah. Daring to speak against the political authority, sticking to your principles, loving your fellow Muslims and supporting them even when the rest of the global community claims that they’re radicals, terrorists, and fundamentalists? That’s ‘izzah.
From local, we go global. In the political arena, we see that we are in a position of pathetic weakness that simply can’t be tolerated any longer. Rather than pleading for help, rather than asking others to intercede, we must place ourselves on equal footing “ if not higher “ and demand an end to the oppression and injustice, in Ghazzah and elsewhere. Rather than sitting back timidly and waiting for the approval and encouragement of others, we must stand up and stride forward, with strength and wisdom. Being defensive and apologetic will get us nowhere; the only way to get people to take us seriously is to take ourselves seriously. We need to demonstrate to the world that we are not a people who will accept oppression and humiliation; rather, we are a strong, principled, and honoured ummah, and we will stand up for ourselves.
With wisdom and strength, with knowledge and understanding, we can insha\’Allah strike the balance between outreach, Da\’wah, and maintaining the standard of the ghurabaa. It is imperative to note that we will never be able to make Islam more palatable to those who have already set themselves against it. As for the masses, then guidance comes from Allah alone, and our only role is to live al-Islaam the way we\’re supposed to “ because that alone is the best form of Da\’wah. No matter what the people say, this is our Deen, this is al-Islaam, and we will never be shy of it. This is the source of our ‘izzah, and we must never forget it.
The rest of the world may have money and physical power on their side, but we have something even better: we have Islam. We have Allah. And with that, we are unstoppable.
We need to wake up and smell the coffee. Remember that Allah has blessed us with al-Islam, and that by submitting ourselves to Him and Him alone, He has raised us in status above all other creation.
It\’s time we acted like it.
And to Allah belongs all honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers, but the hypocrites know not (Al-Munafiqun 63/8).
#Culture4 weeks ago
Sadaf
April 17, 2009 at 12:53 PM
Excellent round-up to the series! Barak allahu feek. May Allah make us live Islam with honor. Ameen.
I couldn’t agree more!
Amad
April 17, 2009 at 3:10 PM
Is that really true? Was there someone more set against Islam than Umar rd? Or Abu Sufyan rd? Yet, they became such highly regarded stars of our Ummah. It is not a question of making Islam palatable, but rather a question of getting through to someone. Different strokes for different people. But just giving up on them, or saying they are beyond help, is not a good strategy… at least imho
ibnabeeomar
April 17, 2009 at 3:47 PM
i dont think its an issue of them accepting or not accepting islam – the issue is how much are we willing to compromise while giving them the message? or to put it another way, just the act of “making it palatable” is not what will convince them to become muslim, so its not a strategy we should adopt.
Amad
April 17, 2009 at 4:20 PM
I guess you have to first define what “palatable” means. Palatable could be hikmah if you don’t start with the hudood when talking about Islam, but talk about the mercy of Allah. Palatable could be not talking about alcohol before they know about Tawheed. It all depends. I would agree if we are talking about compromising Islam, or saying that there are things in Islam that are wrong or don’t apply. But if it means not talking about everything in Islam at all times, then that would be a fine strategy. It is not out of wisdom to say everything that is in your stomach, and I think that can be extended out beyond the person.
Siraaj
April 17, 2009 at 7:42 PM
For example, some people run around saying, “Islam = Democracy” and then point at our shura system – this is a problem. Or if someone goes to another group and says, “The Qur’aan says that Jews, Christians, and Sabians are believers,” this is a problem (and there are some who do this to lure them into their group and then try to convert them).
These are two examples, there are plenty of others.
Siraaj
mohamed
April 18, 2009 at 12:02 AM
We have to remember that Allah works in amazing ways. We cant decide what parts of the Quran can guide a person towards Allah, so its not our duty to pick and choose what verses to include/not include in dawa. That said, its important to stress tawheed first and foremost, and rules last. But dressing up Islam in a light that may appear in our minds to be more appealing to a nonmuslim can end up in a dawa catastrophe. Islam is Islam, you have to trust that everything that is needed to guide a person is already there, and our job is to remove the obstacles shaytan puts in front of it, by making it more socially acceptable by combating stereotypes, etc etc.
Algebra
April 18, 2009 at 12:59 AM
Aslamu-alaikum:
this was a good post Mashallah.
I agree with SADAF
it is imperative to note that we will never be able to make Islam more palatable to those who have already set themselves against it. As for the masses, then guidance comes from Allah alone, and our only role is to live al-Islaam the way we’re supposed to – because that alone is the best form of Da’wah.
salam
AsimG
April 18, 2009 at 3:33 AM
How does one reach the Muslim by name crowd?
Umm Fulaanah
April 18, 2009 at 5:47 AM
– Salaams –
I totally loved the whole ‘Izzah series…. Just highlights one of the biggest problems in our society…. Insha-allaah, hope that the word of this series reaches out to more than those who read it on MM…..
And this was -mashaa-allaah- the ideal conclusion to a wonderful, enlightning and sightful series….
And insha-allaah in the mustaqbal we might see a difference in our Ummah….
Wassalaamu 3alaykum…..
MR
April 18, 2009 at 11:11 PM
The problem I have with the Izzah series is that it’s written in English and it’s blogged on a mostly American-Canadian blog.
Stuff like this needs to translated into Arabic, Urdu, Farsi, Pashtu, Indonesian, Malay, Russian, Hindi, Tamil, Bangla, etc. and then posted on the top blogs relative to those languages.
Siraaj
April 19, 2009 at 1:24 AM
MR
How’s that a problem with the series again?
Siraaj
Mariam
April 20, 2009 at 12:09 AM
Assalam Alaikum
way to go Algebra.
Sh
April 21, 2009 at 4:04 PM
whoa. That was excellent mashallah!!!