EXPLAINING your way through life...

When Non Muslims ask you questions on Islam, more often or not the questions are awkward or challenging. How are you most likely to respond? Do you make up some vague answer, avoid the question completely or just tell the truth?

Nearly all the way through secondary school I would have probably chosen option one or two. This was partly because I thought people were only asking me questions to criticise or to start an argument. I remember year ten in particular as the year I was asked the most awkward questions, especially as people started to notice I was refusing party invitations more and more! By year ten teens begin think they’re old enough to do what they want (if they hadn’t thought that by year nine already) and suddenly birthday invitations move from all girl sleepovers (which I was rarely allowed to anyway I might add) to Friday night parties and under 18 club nights. So obviously it was not long before non Muslim friends started asking questions like ‘why don’t you drink?’

I told them I don’t drink because I am a Muslim.
One friend called me a liar. I was a bit dumbfounded. For a moment I thought she was accusing me of lying about my religion. But then she clarified herself by saying:
‘So-and-so’s a Muslim and she drinks. So obviously Muslims can drink.’
Besides it being one of the most illogical arguments I’ve ever heard, I instantly realised that her knowledge of Islam was SERIOUSLY limited. I said to her:
‘I can see why you’re confused; some Muslims still do drink, but really Muslim’s aren’t allowed. Obviously not everybody does as they’re told.’

I expected the party invitations to stop then and there, but of course they didn’t. Friends started to say, ‘just come along to the pub with us, you don’t have to drink any alcohol, you can just have a coke.’ To them this seemed like a perfectly rational compromise. I could still have a good time with them outside of school without having to ‘break the rules of my religion’ as they use to say. By this point I would get extremely frustrated. Hadn’t I just explained myself? In the end I would just give up and say: ‘no I’m busy, I have coursework to do.’

But it didn’t take me long to realise that I hadn’t properly explained myself at all. I had skirted around the question, I had told them a mere fact rather than giving them a proper explanation. What they needed to hear was why exactly we didn’t drink, not that we just didn’t drink, full stop.
Of course this should be applied to everything, not just alcohol. Why do we pray? We do we not eat pork? We do we dress the way we do? These are basic questions which we know the answers to, so we should start telling people. This probably sounds like quite a basic reminder, but it’s amazing how many of us forget how essential it is to explain why we do what we do. the root meaning for the word ‘Kafir’ is a good reminder of why we should explain ourselves a bit better.

When the word kafir is mentioned we usually associate this to a person who disbelieves in Allah, a non-Muslim. In Arabic, the word ‘Kafir’ means a ‘rejecter.’ However the plural of ‘kafir,’ which is ‘kufar,’ means ‘to cover up,’ and was used as a term to refer to peasants who till the earth and ‘cover up’ the seeds. Therefore a kafir is not simply anyone who is a non Muslim, but someone who heard the truth and rejected it- in effect they ‘covered’ the truth up as they were unwilling to accept it. These are the people who Allah has damned to the hellfire. However, on the day of Judgement Muslims will be held responsible for not giving the message to the non Muslims who were ignorant of the truth. And how many people do we know who are ignorant of Islam?

Giving Dawah is such an important part of our Deen. Allah tells us in surah Asr :
(1) By the token of time through the ages (2) Verily mankind is at loss (3) Except such as have faith and do righteous deeds and join together in the mutual teaching of the Truth, and of patience and constancy.’

In this surah Allah has informed us of four criteria which Muslims need to meet to be successful in this life, one of which is to give dawah. By explaining to non Muslims WHY we do what we do and why we can’t do certain things is a form of dawah.

When I came to university I was reminded of these things. I have four non Muslim flatmates who have never had to live with a Muslim before. I see this as a perfect opportunity to spread small dawah, simply by telling them why I wear hijab and why I eat halaal meat etc. Amazingly some of my flatmates didn’t realise the most basics rules we follow, such as not eating pork or non halaal meat. But then again how can they know if nobody’s told them?

The ultimate conclusion of this rather long post: use every opportunity to give dawah to others by explaining! Of course people will not agree with everything you say and people are bound to criticise, but at least you know you have done your part by telling the truth. And InshaAllah...you never know who you might affect....