I guess the prevailing logic is, why seek knowledge when you got Google, and why do anything when you can simply like it on Facebook, and why commit when you can simply look committed on social media? Why actually believe? As long as you look like you believe, your good. Belief is hard anyway, it means you gotta do stuff.
TACTICAL INDECISIVENESS
To be honest, we are in a tactical situation with respect to our problems as an indigenous Muslim people. Of course there are historical nuances but a lot of it goes back to a general acquired aversion to using scripture. The problem many of us have with scripture is that scripture is fair and wise, it doesn’t play favorites and it calls everyone into account. As a people, we have developed an aversion to that.
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Interestingly enough, the Quran and the Sunna assigns every single Muslim a place or places where he or she fits in and functions as a part of the ummah. This is without exception. When you remove scripture from the equation, you simply end up with a whole bunch of displaced people making a whole lot of noise. This is why we are supposed to refer all difference to the Book and to the Sunna. This is so that every displacement can be placed and every unsettled issue that matters, can be settled.
Problem is, the Book is decisive and we’ve been programmed that when it comes to our collective, even personal religious affairs, not to be decisive at all. You just end up with tactical indecisiveness, which is just an accelerated for of dajjaali thinking. That’s just my take on it. Okay to disagree. Also okay to take it back to Kitaab and Sunna. – Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad.
Wherever you are, wherever you live in inner city America, go to the local Masjid and make some kind of commitment. Give, volunteer, fix something, get in the prayer line, replace a burned out lightbulb, clean the restroom, replace a door, fix a fence, head up something, teach something, donate something besides your old shoes, build a ramp for seniors, shovel the sidewalk, cut the grass, remove graffiti, join an ongoing project. Talk to the imam. Say, hey Imam, my name is so and so, how can I help? Forget the politics, forget if the masjid is on somebody’s do not pray in list.
My theory is that why should the youth want to come to the Masjid if the grown ups hardly want to come to the masjid? And how could there even be a discussion about it if we know doggone well that we are not prepared to spend any money or make any financial, physical investment or organizational commitment into the masaajid or any institutions for us or our youth?,
We’ve basically committed ourselves to a non-committed, discussion only, Islamic existence. It’s like being committed to not mowing your grass and then wondering why the grass is is high? Or being committed to not having families and wonder why the youth are so disinterested? And then, speaking of Muslim youth, what youth? A lot of our youth can’t wait to get away from our madness. We already virtually haraamed every single aspect of their lives in one way or another, and the youth know that. Hey, I could be wrong. But I don’t think so…
We’re haunted by perhaps three of the scariest words in Black American Muslim vocabulary; money, commitment and organization. My hats off to the brothers and sisters who run the jawala scouts. It’s one of the best programs I’ve seen for Muslim boys. I wish we can implement it here in Toledo.
Speaking of inaction, I could be mistaken but I believe that some of Muslim male depression is from sitting on the sidelines and not lending themselves in the service to the deen of Allah. Gathering psychological butt sores. That’s gotta hurt.
Imam Luqman Ahmad
Imamabulaith@yahoo.com
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 