بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Looking back at history, Islam was always a religion that offended people in one way or another. Our prophet (ﷺ) was always known to be great in character even before he became a prophet. He was known as “a-Sadiq al-Ameen” – the truthful and honest one but after he began delivering the message of Islam, the people started calling him a liar and a troublemaker, along with other insults. The fact is his character never changed, he was still extremely kind and soft with every soul, but it was the message that people were insulted by and thus they hated him for it.
This is Allah’s way – that when we stand with the Qur’an and His deen, there will be people that get offended and sadly this can be within the Muslims community itself. There are some aspects of Islam that many people get offended by, either because their subjective, post-modern opinions take over or they feel as if their values are being attacked.
Let us all remember something that Allah mentions at the beginning of Surat Al-Kahf:
[All] praise is [due] to Allah, who has sent down upon His Servant the Book and has not made therein any deviance.
[18:1-2]
[He has made it] straight, to warn of severe punishment from Him and to give good tidings to the believers who do righteous deeds that they will have a good reward
We can look back a mere 100 years ago in Western society – how people dressed back then for example was very different to how they dress now. What was appropriate beach wear back then was not at all as it is now. Society redefines what is right and wrong based on subjective moral values at the specific time – this is even more obvious in media. Let’s take movies and TV shows for example: what is considered fine on TV now would not have even been imagined back in the 70s or 80s – it’s a completely different world.
Allah tells us that His teachings have no deviancy whatsoever, no bend, that it’s straight path. Society, technology, the whole world around us can change but that values in His book will always remain sturdy. It does not matter what age we live in – what was considered wrong 1400 years ago in Islam has always been wrong and will always be wrong, and whatever was right will always be right no matter who may be offended by it. Allah tells us:
And say, “The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.”
[18:29]
We as Muslims must speak the truth; whoever wishes can accept it and whoever wishes can reject it. The sad reality we live in now is that the further along the timeline we go, Muslims have moved further and further away from Allah’s book and the Sunnah to the point where now we have people hesitating to speak the truth about Islam in fear that it may offend others or that it makes them stick out. The reality is, true Muslims will always stick out, they will never seem normal.
Our prophet (ﷺ) said: “Indeed Islam began as something strange and it will return to being strange as it began. So congratulations to the strange ones.” [Tirmidhi]
The problem with us today is that we try to fit in with modern society no matters the cost. We want to be like the rest of the world, we don’t want to be seen as weird or out of place. By definition we are the religion of Ibrahim – his whole nation thought he was strange including his own family, he got kicked out his home and the people tried to burn him alive. Why was this? He had no power or wealth, the only thing he had was Islam and he did not want to bend it.
The only fear we should have as Muslims is the fear of Allah, not the fear of being rejected by people.
This is not to say we become harsh towards others in an attempt to show the truth – the prophet (ﷺ) taught us to always be soft with Islam. Allah says:
So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah . Indeed, Allah loves those who rely [upon Him].
[3:159]
Let us be gentle with others and speak the truth for Allah’s deen is a perfectly straight path without deviancy.
May Allah make us of those who enjoin upon the true Islam and hold on to it through the pressure that modern society has placed upon it.
Allah knows best.