Am I a Confident MUSLIM?

Building Conviction in The Deen

OPENING:
Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu sisters. Jazkallahukhairan for joining us today. May
Allah SWT bless us with beneficial knowledge and reward you all for your efforts.

Let’s begin with the recitation of the Quran. I welcome Sister Fareeha to read Surah Al- Nisa 4:36-39 ?

(RECITATION)

INTRODUCING THE SERIES

 I welcome you all to another "Pearls of the Ummah" workshop. We are a group
of sisters who are dedicated and committed to present Islamic topics and
current issues that affect young ladies like you. This is workshop is especially
designed for you because too often we feel left out in large Islamic gatherings.
So our main focus was to bridge this gap between Islam and we,the youth, to
address our struggles in practising Islam and the solutions to them. We aim to
create an interactive and open platform where you can discuss your thoughts
and concerns, finding answers, to ultimately become a firmer, confident, and
practicing Muslimahs who love Islam and am proud being a Muslim.

Now, let’s introduce ourselves.

INTRODUCTION OF ALL SISTERS

My name is Sumayya and I'm a college student like many of you all, I will be
hosting our programme for today.
We have sister Suraiya who will be managing the meeting, and conducting the polls for us.
Assalamualaikum sister.

(Sis suraiya introuces herself)

Jazakillah khair sister.

Introduction:
The Islamic Identity defines us, and everything about us Our thought, our action.

All the above emanates from this identity.

1. What should be the foundation of the Islamic identity?

How do we identify ourselves as Muslims? What image comes to mind when

we think “Muslim”

Is it a particular way a person looks like. A Muslim looks a certain way…he

has these features, they have this skin color-they come from a certain place
- ethnicity ( Arab, Asian, Turk, Indian).

He speaks a certain language – Arabic, urdu.. creates familiarity and comfort

Coming from a part of the world - Our eastern tradition, our values, culture

Our history (Legacy of the muslims…mughals, nizam, ertugrul). Sense of

pride.

Are all these things that define Islam identity? Belonging to some part of
the world and everything that comes with it – ethnicity, language, lifestyle,
culture, history..

No. an identity should be established upon conviction.

Islamic Identity must be established upon conviction. Conviction is established

upon “THE CORRECT IDEA”

Everything else false identity…is hollow.

• False identity does not establish the criteria of right and wrong, they create
a notion of acceptable and unacceptable – which when challenged false
apart, especially in the age of freedom.

Tradition – doesn’t suit our times, backward.

 • False identity is not established upon mind, rather on emotions based on
attributes that are beyond our control – (Ansari, sheikh, sayyid; upper
caste/lower caste etc) eastern world, language, ethnicity, allegiance to
nation, (culturally bounded, mixed up by tradition/ superstitions)

We have seen influence of dominant culture, Tradition, superstitions enter

into the lives of Muslims which are contrary to Islam.

Dowry, wife/daughter in law role in family(Hindu culture).

Salwar kameez – cultural muslim attire. Is this the Islamic dress code?

e.g. Why girls should wear dupatta in public, but half sleeve/ figure-hugging

• How we think, not what has been followed from long.

How we distinguish between right and wrong – not what is accepted as part
of culture or tradition.

emanating from the source of the identity

Criteria should be from the idea, conviction

2. What determines a strong conviction?

How are we strongly convinced of an idea? How should an idea convince

us?

*Emanates when many people follow the idea (1.5 billion Muslims in the world)?

*Many arguments can be produced in favor of Islam?- we listen and convey so

much positive about Islam.

*The idea has a proven track record of successful implementation?-?

*The idea has a potential to bring change?-?

While all the above are true, despite that we can find instances that they have not
contributed to the strength of idea: “this is why it should fully convince us once
and for all-I’m completely convinced of this”

Many followers of Islam today yet we’re not considered strong unlike the sahaba,
although they were few were stronger than anyone else.

Zakir Naik gave so many arguments, but didn’t establish a set of strong muslim
who can become the vehicle to change like sahaba

Even though we have more than 1000 years of history, but muslim only feels
nostalgic about the Golden Age of Islamic civilisation, which is the display of a
failed nation

Potential to bring change is an opportunistic approach, will fall flat when sacrifice
will be needed. The result may or may not be realized in our life, conviction lives
beyond the realization of success.

Not numbers, not impressed by arguments, not looking at past, need to see it
actually working…

The strong conviction should be convincing to the mind, agrees with Man’s nature
and brings tranquility to the heart.

I don’t need the other factors to keep me convinced, to keep me steadfast

**When we are convinced of something, we will be self-driven and motivated

regardless of any monitoring.

Example…being the only muslim in class/workplace. How do you carry out all your
obligations of prayer, hijab etc without constant external motivation.

3. How is the conviction established in our society?

Oh the Quran says so, but how do we know Quran can not be wrong

How is this different from any hindu – vedas, or Christian - bible argument?
We think Muslims are culturally, morally superior (wudu-clean, pray w/o idols)?
However under the force of dominant culture (secularism, drug addicts, gang
members, actors, slum dwellers), how much of this is true? When Muslims are
being harassed , oppressed, persecuted, demonized, throughout the world, our
belief gets shaken: There must be something wrong with the Muslims or Islam?
Leaves some muslims embarrassment, apologetic, ashamed….Pushing young
Muslims away from Islam further.

Muslims prefer to live with other muslims and not discuss islam with nonMuslims.
Is this because they are not confident about islam?
Why does this happen? It’s simply because our belief is built on mere emotions.
We are Muslims because our parents are Muslims. Other than that we have never
been personally convinced. We lack the confidence in Islam.

How was the conviction established upon Sahaba

• Few muslims, but they knew that they were correct

• Ready to sacrifice everything for islam

• Makkan muslim had not even seen a day of implementation of islam – just
got the message..didnt see it practically.

• All the arguments were given by the Quraish, but that didn’t deter them.

• Conviction is established upon the mind, which is ready to accept the truth,
reject all falsehood and then the convinced mind is ready to accept any
consequence of following the truth!

• Musab ibn Umair

• Nowhere does islam or the Qur’an say “just feel it and know it”. Always
asked to ponder and question
 • THE AYAT OF QURAN – CHALLENGING THE BEST TO PRODUCE SOMETHING
LIKE IT.- an intellectual challenge---to convince your mind.

4. A common atheist allegation is that Man does not need religion.

Organised religion only existed at most 3000 years ago. Is this true?

“Religion is man made. Does not need it”.

Look at man’s reality….he has needs and instincts as part of his nature. Nature
you cannot deny…you have observed it.

Look at history of man - Always have found something to sanctify

Excavating lost civilizations- you find idols for worship

Innate nature – look upto something, know there’s a higher power.

Nature needs satisfying of instinct of sanctification

Atheist themselves look upto something – believe in science, they have

idols, they follow personalities.

Man wants to know the purpose of their lives; else they find their lives
meaningless. What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to do it? What is the
right way of doing it?

What is the correct food to eat, correct way to dress, correct way to establish
relation with people, society? What is the correct way to establish order in society
where they live? What is the meaning/bearing of the actions? Life/Death? How to
organize economics, social and political relationship in society?

We have so many thoughts, philosophies, ideologies because man has always

wanted to know the answer to these.

Every person “organizes” his life according to something or the other. May not be
religion…a thought, philosophy or his own desires.
(Explain Proof of God)

Reality states the fact that everything we see around us is limited, dependent –
CREATED. Science itself says that things cant come out of nowhere…just appear.
Logic of science demands cause. If there is creation…there should be a Creator.
We would not conclude that the machine had come into existence accidentally. The machine to
the engineer is like the world to God,

The standard argument put forward to counter this “design” argument, is that the universe came
into being purely by chance through the random forces of nature over millions of years. Thus the
diversity and intricacy found in humans and animals is put down to chance. This argument holds
that there is no purpose behind the universe and the complexity and intricacy of the world. the
simplest living creature is more complex than a car; and it
would be absurd to believe that an inorganic matter could come together by chance in such a
manner as to make a car. It must therefore be even more absurd to consider that the inorganic
matter could come together to form an organism. The world exhibits order and regularity. Such
intricate relationships require an intelligent, purposeful mind behind the world, and not the
random unconscious and unintelligent process of chance.

This is a rational conclusion.

Creator created with a purpose. How the creation should function?

Why was I created? What am I supposed to do in this world? How should my life, this society be
organised…obviously should be instructed by the maker of all of this.,,

If it is left for Man to organize his life and the society himself; it will be subjected
to disparity and conflict. Man would be driven by emotions and superstitions.

If you have a new iphone, you would go to the Apple iphone website to find out
all the features of the phone and how it works. You don’t go to Samsung or
Huawei. You may choose not to check out the website and just use the phone by
trial and error. It may work but you’re not optimising the full feature of the
iphone.

Man made religions and ideologies do not solve problems and give tranquillity…
because they do not align with man’s true nature. Allah, the creator of that
nature alone knows and has provided the right ideology of Islam to the world.
 5. Why Islam is not accepted by all: Since there is a claim that Islam is the
correct ideology?
First of all, people don’t know it’s an ideology.
Islam is relegated to just a religion like the rest. Secularism dictates that
religion is a matter of personal belief. How you worship, how you pray – it is all
between you and God. So keep it in your personal space, your own homes and
place of worship. Don’t bring it in public. This is CONTRARY to Islam. Islam not
only address our relationship to our Creator, Allah swt but it is tells us how to
take care of ourselves and how do interact and organise the society. Islam is in
fact a comprehensive ideology.
Islam is a guidance from Allah swt to solve Man’s problem BUT this can only
happen when Islam is being implemented completely.

The correctness of Islam is not being recognised because the mind is not being
used, instead blind following, emotions etc…

The early Muslims were so confident and they have no fear in their hearts
other than the fear of the punishments of Allah swt. They were very clear of
their goal to seek the pleasure of Allah swt. That is the ultimate goal.
Their foundation of belief was based on an intellectual conviction, not only
emotional.

Knew their purpose, they were convinced…they were confident with that.

The Muslims were driven to bring goodness to mankind through Islam; guiding
the world from darkness to light. Even if no one is looking or no one is praising
them they are still driven. Why? It is because they were convinced that Allah is
watching, Allah is hearing the. DRIVEN - The highest accountability was to none
other than Allah swt.
6. Subhanallah. Indeed the companions were the best of generations.
Considering the state of the ummah today, is it even possible for us to reach the
same level of Iman and confidence in Islam like the sahabah?

Our society is not that much different from the time of Jahiliyyah, when Islam was
first presented to the Quraish.
Muslims nowadays more than often are reminded of their minority status.

Sahabah were few in numbers, lived in an environment hostile to Islam.

That if we don’t integrate we will risked being label extremists or fundamentalists.

Instead of firmly holding on to Islam, we get swayed by the masses, we let
ourselves ride along the waves of Kufr. COMPROMISE

In the initial stage of life at Al-Madinah, after the migration, when the Muslims
were in great trouble on account of economic hardships, external dangers and
internal villainy of the Jews and the hypocrites,

Knew they are right…and that is why facing trouble.

Stayed motivated because of it…verses of the Qur’an telling them the same thing.

Allah said:

“Do you think that you will enter Paradise without undergoing such trials as were
experienced by the believers before you? They met with adversity and affliction
and were so shaken by trials that the Prophet of the time and his followers cried
out, when will Allah’s help come? (Then only they were comforted with the good
tidings:) “Yes, Allah’s help is near!” (Surah Al-Baqarah: Ayat 214).

If you are convinced in the aqeedah, then the actions from that convinced mind
will lead to real success.

The only way of life ordained for humanity by the creator of the universe is Islam.
Allah (swt) says,
َ ‫َو َمن يَ ْبتَ ِغ َغ ْي َر اِإْل ْساَل ِم ِدينًا فَلَن يُ ْقبَ َل ِم ْنهُ َوهُ َو فِي اآْل ِخ َر ِة ِم َن ْال َخا ِس ِر‬
‫ين‬
“If anyone desires a deen other than Islam, never will it be accepted of him, and in
the hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost.” [TMQ 3:85]

َ ‫ق تُقَاتِ ِه َواَل تَ ُموتُ َّن ِإاَّل َوَأنتُم ُّم ْسلِ ُم‬

‫ون‬ َ ‫يَا َأيُّهَا الَّ ِذ‬
َّ ‫ين آ َمنُوا اتَّقُوا هَّللا َ َح‬
“Oh you who believe, fear God as He should be feared, and die not except in a
state of Islam.” [TMQ 3:102]

If you’re a convinced Muslim whatever comes your way you will be able to
answer convincingly. You will not feel anxious or be apologetic.

QUIZ: Now it's time for the quiz sisters. Please click on the link in the chat and
answer the questions. The one with the most right answers in the shortest time
will be the winner iA but all of you will be winners in the sight of Allah SWT for
your efforts. (motivate the audience to participate)
May Allah SWT reward you all for your efforts. We have a winner and she is sis
_________. Congratulations!

Open to Q&A.

CLOSING: Jazakallah khair sisters for joining us today. I hope you have benefitted
from today’s session and we'll meet again next month iA with yet another topic.
Looking forward to seeing you all again.
SubhanakaAllahumma wabihamdika, ashhaduan la ilaha illa Anta, astaghfiruka
wa atubuilaika
Surah Al-Asr.
Assalamualaikumwarahmatullahiwabarakatuhu