Where are we going wrong here? It seems like some of us are absolutely committed to self-hate, to jelousy, to ignorance, to championing every cause but our own, to unlawful relationships, to tearing down our leaders, to divorce as the go to option in marraiage, to gender war between the sexes, to making up new forms of Islam, to abandoning scripture, to not being committed to anything, to individualism, to lack of sacrifice, to selfishness, to disobedience to Allah, to sitting on the fence, to not following hadith, to thinking like we’re still slaves, and to attacking those of us who stand on the front lines.
By Allah, I just don’t understand sometimes. What is so wrong about simply doing what’s right best you can? What is so wrong about being honest? What’s so wrong about being poor until you can do better? What’s so wrong about being wealthy but generous and not brag about it? What is so wrong about being loyal? What is so wrong about spending money in the cause of Allah? What is so wrong about imams cooperating for the common good? What’s so wrong about people getting together to form communities? What’s so wrong about not being slick? What’s so wrong about people just being regular Muslims? What’s so wrong about men and women having honor? What’s so wrong about staying out of other people’s business?
What’s so wrong about keeping covenants with the Lord? What’s so wrong about respecting our elders? What’s so wrong about having teachers from our own? Why do we have to innovate in religion? Why do we have to invent new forms of Islam? Why? I just don’t get it. What’s so wrong with the simple Islam of the Prophet (SAWS)? What’s so wrong about sharing our resources? What’s so wrong about empowering our leaders so that they can do better? What’s so wrong with repentance? What’s so wrong with men acting like men and women acting like women? Its like so many of us just want to be stuck on a fence, in the middle of nowhere. We’ve been virtually stuck as an ummah for the last 60 years.
The Prophet (SAWS) said: “All of my ummah shall enter paradise except those who refuse. (They asked) who would refuse O Messenger of Allah? He replied; “whoever obeys me shall enter paradise, and whoever disobeys me, has refused”.
Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad is Associate Imam at Masjid al-Islam in Toledo Ohio.
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 