The only time in my life I was ever attacked without warning or was sucker punched, was on November 9th 2018, by a Muslim, outside the masjid, right after salaatul Jum’ah, while I wasn’t looking. In fact, I was shaking someone else’s hand (the khateeb), when it happened. I had three broken bones in my face. It took me a full year to realize the effect it has had on me. Since then, I’ve come to know another Imam who was shot several times by a Muslim without warning, and nearly died and I’ve talked to another Imam who was attacked at a masjid. You don’t realize the effect these things have on you until later.
I’m still sifting through it. I’ve also known three scholars of Islam who were killed by Muslims right here in the United States.
There is nothing new about Imams, scholars, or Muslim leaders being attacked or killed by other Musims. I remember when Dr. Saeed Ramadan al-Bouti was killed in Syria in 2013. By a damn suicide bomber no less, who blew up the Masjid. I never met him but I benefitted from His knowledge. He was amongst the top echelon of Islamic scholars, and they killed him, thinking they going to jannah. Senseless.
We have a lot of weirdos in the Ummah. A person will know you twenty years and you say one thing, and they’re online calling you a possible unbeliever, you blood is borderline halal. I know brothers who I taught aqeeda from alif, baa, taa and they turn around six months later and tell me my aqeeda is shirked (my word). This is one reason why I have zero tolerance for ignorant extremism and cut and paste takfeeris (also my word). And being attacked makes you less trusting, especially of novices who have no respect for Islamic scholarship.
Imams endure more than a lot of people would ever realize. I have no complaints, this is the work that chose me and I (very reluctantly) after many years, accepted. But when I occasionally snap on a mo fo, try not to get all self-righteous on me, you may not know the whole story.
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