Breaking Down Walls

Islam is the final message of Allah to mankind and it came after the revelations sent to Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). Islam is guidance for all people, at all times and places, and will last until the Day of Judgment. Its principles can be applied anywhere, at any time, and if they are applied for the sake of Allah, human society will develop, grow, and combine people's ' efforts and abilities to become a truly great, just, and pious civilization. Those whom Allah has blessed to be counted among the true believers in Islam have a great responsibility to spread the message of Islam wherever they are. How can Muslims perform this responsibility if they isolate themselves from society and from life?

Some Muslims may think it is better to retreat from society because there is so much evil around. And there are corruption, immorality, and violence in the world, but isn't that all the more reason to get involved in what is going on and be the one who calls for honesty, morality, and fairness?

One of the most powerful tools these days that puts barriers between people, even though it has the potential to bring them together, is the media. Very often people misuse it. Misuse of the media puts barriers of misunderstanding between people. Misunderstanding leads to fear and fear leads to mistrust and, in turn, mistrust makes people stay away from each other. If this happens, how can Muslims perform their duty of spreading the message of Islam? What is the best way to combat misinformation? The answer is easy: with correct information coupled with good examples.

If Muslim youth could learn about the message of Islam and commit themselves to living its principles, values, and teachings with bright, happy, shining faces and eloquence and sincerity — what a powerful message they would send out!

To spread of the message of Islam, it is vital that Muslims break down the barriers that separate them from non-Muslims. To do this what should be the belief of the Muslims? They must have certainty in their heart that Islam is the way to success and the way to overcome the miseries of our time. Muslims must have sure belief that the future is for Islam and that they should eradicate misunderstandings and misconceptions with truth and good examples.

Muslims should be aware that man-made systems of law and jurisprudence don't last — in fact, they're in a continual state of flux. On the other hand, Islamic principles and laws are valid for all times. For example, Islam forbids paying and receiving interest on money because it is unjust and leads to corruption and oppression. However, Islam encourages trade, business, and healthy economies. This principle remains the same even though at a certain time of history, governments were taken over by bankers who aimed to use interest and encouraged this practice by making it easy for people to get credit and loans. They sought to control the economy and to make a lot of money out of people's indebtedness. Islam stands firm in the face of people who legalize interest and present it as a good thing, and try to sell this concept to the masses.

The example of paying and receiving interest and Islam's stance on this issue is a good example of the importance of breaking down the barriers of misunderstanding. Once people understand the wisdom behind Islam's stance on interest and realize that it is a mercy for people, they will see how unjust the present system is. For example, why would people want to borrow money from a bank based on interest? If they borrowed $10,000, they would eventually have to repay two or three times the capital amount by the time the debt is repaid. Wouldn't they rather borrow the same amount from an Islamic bank and only repay the same amount of their original loan? Which type of financing is closer to human nature, mercy, and reason? People will not know such truths unless Muslims mix in their societies and let them know how beautiful Islam.

Encouraging the practice of finance without the use of interest is just one part of the call of Islam that Muslim youth should make. In order to be part of this call, we cannot isolate ourselves from the world. We have to gain knowledge and skills and move forward with the message of Islam, the message of hope in a world full of misinformation, sadness, and fear.

• Fulfilling Our Responsibilities Towards Community Building  

• Youth, Culture and Islam in the West

• Tolerance in a World Filled With Hate 

•  Stop Labeling People

** Latiefa Achmat is an Islamic counselor and social worker in Cape Town, South Africa. She can be contacted at youth_campaign@iolteam.com.