Periodically, I check the referrers to my blog and was pleasantly surprised to find out today that my post, Is It Permissible to join a Kaafir Army? A response, well sort of generated some amusing responses from some of the Muslims over at the “Islamic Awakening” message board. Outside of being accused of having taken aqeeda 101 courses (of which I should get a refund they recommend), having my words being called “stupidity”, and other general backbiting, the best comment was if I look in the mirror I would see the definition of a Kafir!
Outstanding, well at least we now know that all it takes for someone to be called a Kafir is to merely disagree with other Muslims.
Which in all seriousness, is the main point I was trying to drive home in my above referenced rant. There exists a mindset within certain Muslim circles concerning disagreements where civility and respectability takes a backseat to labels, name-calling, and accusations. It is my firm belief and opinion that these attitudes are more indicative of cultural leanings than they are of the teachings of Islam. To be frank, in my opinion, these individuals who have issues with American culture, people, or ideals would probably be better served living in their lands overflowing with milk and honey in the East. If it’s so great in the East and their ideas of Islam are so right, please explain what is going on in the Muslim world?
I find it disheartening that these well meaning brothers and sisters that are highly critical of views such as those I have, seem to find it easier to point the finger at others than to roll up their sleeves and address the real issues facing Muslims in the Muslim world. To them it’s everyone’s fault besides the Muslims. They blame the West, the Jews, and of course faux Muslims of whom I have been included, also collectively known as the Kufr!
Who’s killing more Muslims than all non-Muslims combined today? Who’s blowing up Mosques, Markets, and other institutions within Muslim countries today? It’s much easier to turn a blind eye to the reality and blame America.
Responsibility is a big pill to swallow.
No one is holding a gun to your head making you live here, use our services, technology, media, etc. Go live amongst the real Muslims, in real Muslim lands, and leave us Kufr alone. You don’t need us, we are wrong and face the wrath of Allah (swt), and much worse anyway, so why do you care so much?
Once again, I am not a scholar of Islam, however I happen to believe that Only Allah (swt) can truly judge who submits and who does not! I wasn’t aware that I had to consult my critics first.
For the record, I do not believe that I accepted a faith and a religion that instructs me to deny my individuality, culture, and being and instead accept the culture and ideas of others.
If I can’t be accepted as a Muslim who is a black man in America who doesn’t want to wear a beard (although I have one) unless I want to, who doesn’t want to dress in the cultural garb of others unless I choose to, and who has his own ideas concerning the understanding of religion through the prism of his own background, then maybe I truly am a Kafir.
However, if Islam is still the religion that I believe it to be, that isn’t a respecter of culture, ethnicity, tribe, or nation, if Islam is still the religion that I believe it to be wherein individual submission to the One God is measured more by individual intention and pious deeds and less than by what sect you claim, what scholar you follow, or how much knowledge one claims to have, then may Allah (swt) accept me as one who submits for His sake alone.
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#1 by MSD on December 5, 2009 - 9:48 pm
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beautifully said, brother , epsecially the last graf. Thank you for calling it like it is…I also dig your points re responsibility and finger-pointing.
It’s clear from the responses you get (and some other comments on various Islam blogs these days) that many can’t tolerate diversity even within the ummah; we don’t set a good example of “Islam is a tolerant religion” when we can barely manage it amongst our own…
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#2 by Muhammad on January 23, 2010 - 4:36 pm
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Brother, I commend you for your post. You are spot on and it is truly unfortunate that some Muslims amongst us choose to be narrow-minded bigots. Among them are Salafis and Wahhabis who are still working hard to destroy Muslim unity and the overall fabric of society. i am also a “kafir” to many of them as well! May Allah save us from their treachery.
In the US, Yasir Qadhi al-Maghrib Institute, and Muslim Matters have done much to damage our Ummah, including our image as peaceful followers of the great religion of Islam.
This recent blog exposes these bigots for who they are:
http://sunni1.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/al-maghrib-institute-exposed/
Allah bless you for your efforts! All the best, my brother!
Yours in Islam and humanity,
Muhammad
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#3 by Abdulrahman Mohammed on February 16, 2010 - 1:55 am
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Al Alaikum dear brother,
You speak of a very serious issue in the Islamic Umma. Muslims are forbidden to accuse other Muslim brothers of being a ” Kafir ” they only do so out of ignorance.
You as a Muslim have to come to an understanding that there is a huge gap in between the true teachings of Islam and Muslims. Not all Muslims represent Islam if any. Those who speak of such accusations upon you dear brother are sinners and should seek repentance.
Our beloved prophet says: “If a man addresses his brother as, ‘O’ Disbeliever,’ it returns to one of them; either it is as he said or it returns to him.” (Agreed upon – in both Bukhari 10/427 and Muslim 60)
have not read the Quranic passage ?
“O you who believe! Let not a folk deride a folk who may be better than they (are), not let women (deride) women who may be better than they are; neither defame one another, nor insult one another by nicknames. Bad is the name of lewdness after faith. And whoso turneth not in repentance, such are evil-doers.”
Islam is a universal message to human kind not restricted to any culture either in the middle east or in the west. Not in anyway does it instruct nor clash with your American identity. I Myself from the middle east very proud of the American Muslim community and their efforts may Allah bless them, as i am proud of having a Muslim brother such as you.
May the bless of Allah be upon you and whom you love.
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#4 by RominDeLaMan on April 3, 2010 - 10:03 pm
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Indeed many muslims are quick to denounce others that are not like themselves, and in cases wrongly call them Kaffirs, and this is a problem howeve some of your responses are worrying, for exmple when you say “If I can not be accepted…..then maybe i truly am a Kafir” Well part of being a muslim is having conviction of your belief, if acceptance by others wavers your belief then you have something to be worried about, a muslim who sincerely believes in Allah and observes his prayers would never doubt if he is or isn’t a kaffir. Faith is in tiers, belief , conviction of that belief and then action on account of that belief such as prayer fasting etc. Just to clear up about the army our Prophet pbuh forbid us to help an army fighting the muslims even with a glass of water, spreading democracy (rulng by other than Allah) in muslim lands, Killing of other muslims whose blood is more sacred that the kabbah, taking the kaffirs as alawi (helpers and protectors) so is there really a question about one who joins such an army, if he knows this and sins it is with Allah but the strong indication is he is a kaffir, if he knows it and doesn’t believe it he is a kaffir, if he doesn’t know it Allah says ignorance is an excuse for all sins, i.e if you didn’t know you are not accountable, as for the beard the prophet commanded it not other ”cultural” muslims however he did not state a punishment for not growing it hence the difference in opinion whether it is mandatory or recommended, hope this helps, and the word Kaffir should not be taken lightly, when u die as we all do being black or American wont matter very much at all, the believers say ”we hear and we obey” being submissive does not stem from being uneducated and brainwashed its comes from having researched/ searched for truth being confirmed with ur belief and trusting that Allah knows best, if u believe in the Quran u believe all not excluding a word, not a part here and there, being opinionated past that is arrogance, I think reading more about islam would alleviate these issues that you are having, so if someone tells you something you feel uncomfortable with u are furnished with knowledge to re-bunk it.
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#5 by WisdomtoIslam on April 4, 2010 - 1:41 am
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Some Muslims need to separate cultural issues from the pure message of Islam. As long as ingore the pure and most fundamental message of Quran and nitpick over little details we will never success; neither in this life nor in the next.
Whoever submits his whole self to the one God and is doer of good shall never griever nor shall have fear.
Peace be with all.
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