WHAT WILL YOU SAY TO ALLAH ?

This article written by Ahmed Kilani and published in Muslimvillage.com

One of the outcomes of the individualistic, highly superficial, fast paced world we live in today, is that it has become very difficult to identify what is truth from what is falsehood

Alhamdulillah as Muslims, Islam has given us the means to be able to have insight and identify the true realities of the world in order to protect ourselves.

But getting the ability to “see” beyond that which the “two eyes can see”, is conditional on following Islam in a deeply spiritual and intellectual means. This is what unlocks the “third eye”…..the heart.

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. “Do they not travel through the land, so that their hearts (and minds) may thus learn wisdom and their ears may thus learn to hear? Truly it is not their eyes that are blind, but their hearts which are in their breasts”(Quran 22:46).

Sadly Islam for the majority of the Ummah today has become nothing more than a set of ritualistic rules that are followed devoid of any spiritual dimension or intellectual understanding.

This phenomenon is the fruit of decades of traditional Islamic scholars that are out of touch with the people. The overwhelming majority of scholars today appear to live in a parallel universe where their concerns and teachings are out of touch with issues and realities that everyday Muslims face.

Today Muslims, especially in the West, are confronting on a daily basis issues with drugs and alcohol, interest and insurance, halal + haram food, health and medical problems, divorce and family breakdown, sexualisation and pornofication of society, Islamophobia and discrimination, and the list goes on and on. If you live in a so called “Muslim” country and believe you are immune from such issues, if they are not already present but are being hidden under the prayer rug, they will be visible soon.

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Despite these realities, when was the last time you heard a scholar of Islam addressing these realities beyond a reactive approach of screaming out “Haraaam!”? When was the last time you heard a scholar teach you a practical and proactive means of combating these issues to protect you and your family? Sadly we all know what the answer is. At best you can’t remember, at worst….never.

Whether it’s traditional scholars that have chosen to live a fish bowl existence or the petrodollar and satellite TV scholars peddling a literalistic rigid interpretation of Islam; the result is the same. A shallow, ritualistic reality of “Islam” is now the defacto religion for the majority of Muslims. Whether Muslims are living in Egypt, Australia or the North Pole, this is now sadly a global phenomenon.

The fact the Muslims have now become the biggest oppressors of other Muslims is evidence that we have lost our way and need to return to an Islam that is a successful living tool for day to day life.

We need to return to the Islam of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and all the Prophets). An Islam that promotes good manners, tolerance and civility in all our dealings with others. An Islam that teaches and breeds love for each other and greater humanity. This is Islam based on a deep spiritual and intellectual understanding. This is true Islam.

It is these fundamental attributes that have been missing for decades and must be revived. Only then will individuals and the masses be able to distinguish the real truth from the falsehood in this fast paced superficial world of mass media lies and deception that we live in.