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Paving the way (1)

Pre-commencement words of advice
A The Shahadah: A declaration of immense weight The Quranic depiction of the journey from disbelief to Islam is a profound one. Allah mentions: Is he who was dead .. then We raised him to life (!) and gave him a light by which he walks among the people, is he like him who wonders in utter darkness unable to come out from it? 1 A rhetorical question to captivate your senses and to draw your attention to the sheer weight of the blessing which youve been gifted with. Islam is life: A life of content and clarity of vision in this world and a life of bliss and enjoyment in the world to come. Your chest was opened for Islam. Yes, your lips moved in declaration of the Shahadah but the ease of doing so was via divine assistance! Allah mentions: Whomsoever Allah wishes to guide, He expands his chest for Islam .. 2

B - A message to the People of the Book The Christians and Jews Prophet Mohammad PBUH said: "There are three types of people who will be given their reward twice: (one of the three were) A person from among the People of the Book who believed in his Prophet (whether Jesus or Moses), then when he came to know of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, he believed in him too and followed him; He will be given is reward twice " Whether of Christian, Jewish or other backgrounds: Your good characteristics before Islam were many .. and they are to remain! Particularly the ones which lead you to Islam. They are to be nurtured and developed further.

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Chapter 6, Verse 122 Chapter 6, Verse 125

Paving the way (1) | 28th January 2012

Class 1 For example, amongst these good characteristics which the Quran speaks about are those present within Christians, which consequently play a pivotal role in their acceptance of Islam. Allah says: and You will find the nearest in love to the Muslims are those who say: "We are Christians." That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not arrogant 3 And then the next verse says: And when they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of the truth which they have recognised. They say: "Our Lord! We believe; so write us down among the witnesses" Two admirable qualities were alluded to above! The first is the ability of perceiving truth (because of the truth which we have recognised) and the second is the strength in suppressing conceit and pride (That is because amongst them are priests and monks, and they are not proud) A third praiseworthy quality (which is to remain with you) is found in another verse: and We placed in the hearts of those who followed him (i.e. Jesus PBUH) compassion and mercy 4 In short, Islam doesnt require you to drop all of your previous traits. By you coming into Islam, you are merely refining your previous ways and making adjustments. Prophet Mohammad PBUH would say: Ive only been sent to perfect good manners

C Where culture stands The followers of Islam have been ethnically diverse since the time of the Prophet Mohammad PBUH; for amongst his companions included Bilal nicknamed alHabashi (meaning: The Abyssinian or Ethiopian), Salman nicknamed alFaarisi (meaning: The Persian), Suhaib who was nicknamed Ar-Roomi (meaning: The Roman, from Rome).

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Chapter 5, Verse 82 Chapter 57, Verse 27

Paving the way (1) | 28th January 2012

Class 1 This nullifies the misconception that multi-culturalism is a feature of a postslavery era. Multi-culturalism dates back before Western advances on the New World. If you take a look at 7th century Arabia, it was a cultural melting pot where, like London or New York today, many cultures shared a common space. Even after the advent of Prophet Mohammad PBUH, not once did he call for an end of all cultural norms nor did he advocate for the painting of humanity using an Arabian brush. Rather, Islam recognises that were different and thus merely regulates these inherent differences between us and harmonises them. Allah mentions in the Quran: O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another 5 In fact, in Islamic law there is a term known as Urf (meaning: the customs of a particular community of people) which is given due consideration when arriving at an Islamic ruling or verdict (fatwah), particularly where the details of a particular ruling havent been precisely defined in the Islamic texts, so long as this Urf doesnt contradict the teachings of Islam. This is why Islam has always been a photogenic religion!

D - Overflowing zeal Without a doubt, racing and competing in acts of righteousness has been encouraged in many places of the Quran! (e.g. So race to all that which is good! 6 and also For this let the competitors compete! 7 and also and rush to a forgiveness from your Lord and to a Paradise the width of which is like that of the heavens and earth! 8 But at the same token, there is another aspect which Islam emphasizes: Consistency. Sustaining that good deed. The wife of the Prophet PBUH, Aisha, relates that whenever Prophet Mohammad PBUH would engage in an act of worship, hed sustain it.

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Chapter 49, Verse 13 Chapter 2, Verse 148 7 Chapter 83, Verse 26 8 Chapter 3, Verse 133

Paving the way (1) | 28th January 2012

Class 1 So yes! Race to all acts of righteousness but at a pace/amount which you can maintain.

E Feeling overwhelmed? Times will come when youll feel overwhelmed, with so much you aspire to do with seemingly so little time! Prophet Mohammad PBUH has addressed this. It was narrated that he said: This religion is very profound so approach it in a gentle manner and do not make yourself hate the worship of Allah because the traveller who does not let his mount rest will not reach his destination nor will he have a mount to ride in the end Rushing will always yields a lose-lose situation. Take it gently.

F Yes, I do feel overwhelmed! What do I do? Bring your Islam back to the basics! Rewind back to the five pillars of Islam, hold on to these fundamentals and perfect them. A man came to the Prophet PBUH and when he drew close to him he asked him about Islam. Prophet Mohammad PBUH said: Five prayers each day and night. He said: Do I have to do anything else? He said: No, not unless you choose to voluntarily. Then the Messenger of Allah PBUH said: And fasting the month of Ramadan. He said: Do I have to do anything else? He said: No, unless you choose to voluntarily. And the Messenger of Allah PBUH told him about Zakaah (the charity). He said: Do I have to do anything else? He said: No, unless you choose to voluntarily. The man left, saying, By Allah, I will not do any more than this or any less. The Messenger of Allah PBUH pointed at him and said: He will succeed, if he is speaking the truth. Anything you do above and beyond these five pillars is extra cherries on the cake and highly recommended, but if youre struggling to find these cherries, then dont throw the cake away! We need to flush out this all-or-nothing mentality. One step at a time and just how Allah describes the first generation of Muslims, the companions of Prophet Mohammad PBUH and how they gradually developed. Allah mentions:

Paving the way (1) | 28th January 2012

Class 1 Like a seed which sends forth its shoot, then it slowly became strong, and then it becomes thick and then it stands straight on its stem (i.e. on its own) 9

G Keep your eyes fixed on the bigger picture: Why am I Muslim? Wasnt it to protect yourself from the fire? And to reserve for yourself a home in Paradise? And for you to be close with God? Not for anyone or anything else. Yes, perfection is a characteristic Islam .. but not that of Muslims. A firm grasp of this reality will shield your faith from being damaged following the misconduct of certain Muslims. The reality that: The prime benefactor of your Islam is you. Allah mentions: Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his own self, and whosoever does evil, it is against his own self. Then to your Lord you shall return 10 However, without the fortification of knowledge of what Islam is, who Mohammad PBUH was and how he lived his life, then yes, the stability of your faith will be pending on the actions of others.

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Chapter 48, Verse 29 Chapter 45, Verse 15

Paving the way (1) | 28th January 2012