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Time for a Transplant
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By Latiefa
Achmat*
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Mar.
6, 2006
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As
Muslim youth, we have a great responsibility to take a step
forward in the way of Allah, which He prescribed for mankind;
the way that leads to peace, harmony, and stability on every
level of life.
Some
people profess their Islam, but their words and actions are far
away from the greatness of its message. Others were born into
Muslim families and perhaps take it for granted to some extent;
and they might even fail to comprehend the meaning of their
connection with Islam. But whether we are born Muslims or are
reverts to Islam, our connection with Islam should be the same,
and we should commit ourselves to becoming Muslims in every
sense of the word.
Allah
tells us:
[He
hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any
hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath
named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the
messenger may be a witness against you, and that you may be
witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the
poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting Friend;
a blessed Patron and blessed Helper!]
(Al-Hajj 22:78)
Unfortunately,
in many places throughout the Muslim world, Muslims are living
in emptiness; a spiritual vacuum. This emptiness comes from
generation after generation calling themselves Muslims but
drifting further and further away from the essence of Islam. At
the same time, many Muslim countries have imported modern
technology and scientific advancements and have also taken
aboard the non-Muslim values that go with these things. They
have failed to discern that which is beneficial from that which
is not. An example of this is a kidney that is transplanted into
a human body which does not accept it, and so this process is
followed by distress and pain, and finally weakness and death.
We,
the Muslim nation, are now living in this sick condition. But
what makes matters worse is that in an attempt to find the cure
of our ailments, we are again going to the source of our
illness; to the non-Muslim values that damage the character,
morals, and thinking of the individual.
Muslims
worldwide are facing so many kinds of opposition and hardship in
the form of new legislation that limits the rights and movement
of Muslims, to taunts and harassment. What is the way out of all
this? Should we just give up and adopt the non-Muslim values
that are shackling the world? Or should we turn to the deen in
its uniqueness and purity and realign ourselves with the message
of the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
If
we feel a void within ourselves, sometimes, we feel a sense of
panic and try to grasp at whatever we find surrounding us. We
might cling to relationships, to a habit, or to the values we
see people exhibiting. If the values we find around ourselves
are not Islamic, then there is a great risk that we will adopt
them anyway, hoping to feel better — to feel fulfilled, to
fill in that void.
When
the spirit of man is not close to Allah, nor in tune with all
creation, he will feel troubled. So, feeling troubled, the
person is conscious that there is something wrong, but what
should he do to fix the situation? Reach for some alcohol,
drugs, food, or any other thing that people get addicted to
while trying to find comfort? Or should he seek to become more
in tune with himself and the reality of his life; his being?
As
young Muslims in today's world, more than ever, we carry the
responsibility of living Islam because the world is in such need
of morality, stability, harmony, and peace. Perhaps the first
people we should direct the message to are the Muslims
themselves; advise and exhort one another to make all the
necessary adjustments to put our lives in harmony with the
Qur'an and the Sunnah. The answer to feelings of emptiness, to
feelings of desperation, and to feelings of depression is
remembering Allah.
[Verily
in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.]
(Ar-Ra`d 13:28)
Read
More:
*
Latiefa Achmat is an Islamic counselor and social worker
in Cape Town, South Africa. She can be contacted at youth_campaign@iolteam.com.
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