If we ask ourselves, or one another that question, how many of us can answer it without hesitation, without pause, and with conviction and certainty? Out of the three people I asked in my short field research (very short and very brief lol ), only one could provide the ready answer, without having to think for even three seconds why s/he chose Islam as the faith to follow. The eloquent response showed the depth of their knowledge and the sincere understanding they have found as to why Islam is the best path for them, why being a Muslim provided the enlightenment s/he needed to go on the journey of life with a brave face, no matter the obstacle presented before them. Does Islam provide the same enlightenment for us? Does being a Muslim enable us to stand up strong and proud or do you feel even more burdened? Do we follow the faith we are in because of unadulterated, sincere conviction or because of familial loyalty, of socialization, of an inherited tradition we dare not to question/challenge for fear of reprisal from respected authorities?Why are we Muslim?
Embedded in the Qur’an is the belief that true faith comes from within. Faith is not just an accessory we put on whenever we deem necessary. Faith is not a blanket we use to cover ourselves from transgressions we oft repeat. Faith should not just be our facades but that innermost layer of ourselves whereupon we build our foundations on.
Faith, most especially the Islamic faith, calls for us to be patient, to be calm, to be persevering. Faith wants to help us brighten that inner light we have been blessed to have from the moment of our birth. Faith brightens, not dims. Faith forgives, not harbors contempt or resentment. Faith understands, not belittles or spread harmful gossip. Faith lifts us up, not brings us down.
There are a great many sins of this world, but the one that can slowly erode our inner light is the sin of harboring negativity. We do not realize it, we cannot feel its effect directly, but the ripples cast forth from our being and spread out affecting any and everything it touches with our inherent ill-will. As in the words of the Beatles, “ Let It Be“. The coworker who just wronged you, let them be. The friend who just belittled you, let them be. The boss who does not recognize you, let them be. The sibling who is annoying you, let them be. The car who just cut you, let it be. “Let it be” does not mean, in any way, acquiescing to the maltreatment or frustrating behavior, but to look at it, the situation, the person with an eye and heart that is free from emotion: to see the other side of the story, to find an understanding and compromise and not fuel for a heated argument.
I write this not because I have 100% conviction in my faith, but because, in all honesty, I do not. I have let my inner light slowly dim as I allowed myself to be overcomed by life’s obstacles. That has led me everywhere but the path I hoped I would be on now. As I watch my son grow, every day he becomes less and less a baby and more and more a child, I realize that I have more than myself to think about, more than myself to care about. And I wonder: what shall I pass on to him?
As we are the future leaders of our communities, be it our immediate families or the society at large, we owe it to our future generations to introspect and endeavor to understand the very faith we use to build our life’s foundations on. Islam is not a weekly or yearly religion, it is one that encompasses all aspects of our lives, not to burden it, but to lift its soul. We should ask ourselves if who we are today, the path we walk this very day, is the person and path we hope our children and grandchildren would emulate and follow?
Will we pass faith that brightens their souls or faith that will slowly fade their light away?
As Ramadhan is before us again, that holiest of month, why not explore the question and challenge ourselves to understand our faith just a little more better, so when we are asked, we would not hesitate. If we can pray the sholat tarawih, fast, then surely we can dive into the religion we claim to embrace and strive to learn more about it.
I call and challenge all of us to this task. By the end of Ramadhan, let’s hope that we can provide the answers to the question, “Why are we Muslim?” and answer without hesitation, and with firm conviction as to why being a Muslim is the path for us.
May we all have a blessed Ramadhan!
September 5, 2008 at 4:55 am
Hi again Nadia
Rada pusing baca italics gini hehe, tanpa sadar pas lagi baca kepala pun ikutan miring ke kanan
Why are we Muslim? Good question but hard to answer. Because our firm and confident tongue doesn’t guarantee it represents our true answer.
I might say like this, I am Muslim by birth and by choice. The answer, to me, is a big hope for myself that I also feel the same inside. Just like when my friends why I wear head veil I probably answer with different words, but they have similar meaning actually. Wearing head veil at first is to fulfill my obligation and submission as a Muslimah, but then wearing head veil is because I want to do so, it’s my personal choice. No matter was there anybody who made me to do so or wasn’t, it comes from within.
To have that confident faith needs long ages process so we can make our tongue say it firmly too. Before loving Islam deeply, we should recognize and approach it first. Just like Javanese proverb “witing tresno jalaran soko kulino” or in other words “to fall in love, it takes time”
Simply by loving Islam we will have firm conviction, Insya Allah, very nice piece thought, Nad
*Btw, you can call me Yonna, without mbak
September 7, 2008 at 4:24 am
Yonna, gak kira jadi italics. Original ini adalah email post yg aku tulis dan kirim ke keluarga dan milis buat Ramadhan. Gak kira pas tak copy dan paste di wordpress malah jadi miring. lol Nanti aku coba format lagi supaya gak miring yaks.
The idea for this post came one night when I was researching Islam. I asked myself that question and found that I have lost the ability to answer directly. My own response to the question is more questions and more introspections as I realize that I am still far from understanding Islam and what it means to be a Muslim.
I once felt I had it, and this was the time when I was diligently poring over the Qur’and, tabbing the tafsir edition for notes, and researching feverishly about Islam.
Now, I feel like I am back at square one. So thus, the article hehe
The Javanese proverb is very beautiful! Thank you for quoting it here. Hopefully, we will all take the time to learn and love the faiths we follow.
btw, proverbnya kayaknya akan tak pinjam ntuk acara keluarga sini yaks. hehe I hope that’s alright.
September 8, 2008 at 4:00 am
The Javanese proverb belongs to everybody hehe. So you can have it
Btw….just FYI, my blog is restricted to certain users, but I count you in, your username is Nadia (i think if you already logged in to your blog, you don’t have to log in to my blog again)
June 19, 2009 at 9:02 am
MashaAllah Sister, your piece really resonated and spoke to me in a profound way.
The part about ‘Letting Things Be’ is very accurate and fitting at this point in my life where I am conflicted with too many personal issues and adopting such a negative stance towards things. It is undoubtedly impacting upon my inner light and provides for a state of hoplessness. As a practicing Muslim, I know I should know better and i should not succumb to these feelings of negativity but to succumb and submit totally to Allah swt, and to understand whole heartedly that this path or this moment and/or situation that I am encountering has been pre determined. It is with this understanding that I strive to approach every situation with patience and calm. InshaAllah.