Remembering
9/11: Prophet Mohammad’s Life Remains A Guidance
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It is the duty of American Muslims to make Dar-ul-Islam, or the house of Islam, a beautiful home to all. |
By Dina Rashed, IOL Chicago
correspondent
CHICAGO,
August 11 (IslamOnline) – The International Strategy and Policy
Institute (ISPI), an American Muslim think tank based in Illinois,
dedicated its latest quarterly lecture held on Friday evening, August
9,to examining how the life and sunnah [Prophetic tradition] of
Prophet Mohammad can help lead Muslims around the world and especially
American Muslims in the aftermath of September 11.
Dr.
Umar Faruq Abd-Allah, a scholar-in-residence for the Nawawi
Foundation, and the keynote guest, spoke of the importance of making
the house of Islam an attractive home both to Muslims and non-Muslims
alike, while Dr. Javeed Akhter, a physician by profession and
executive director of ISPI, presented his latest published work, a
book about the life of the Prophet titled: The Seven Phases of Prophet
Muhammad’s Life.
Talking
to the audience Dr. Abd-Allah stressed two main points; the importance
of Muslims clearly shaping their identity, and how to make Islam a
beautiful home for all.
“We
must define ourselves, as the Prophet, God bless him, defined himself
and his community,” said Abd-Allah, a life long researcher of
Islamic civilization who taught comparative religion and Islam in over
three continents. He added that it is imperative to clearly state the
nature of the American Muslim’s identity, what they are all about,
and what is the beautiful faith that they stand for.
He
said that with at least six million American Muslims in the U.S.,
these Muslims are the custodians of Islam in this country and
therefore it is their duty to make it Dar-ul-Islam, or the house of
Islam, a beautiful home to all.
He
added that despite the people who carry Muslim names and have
different affiliations, who legitimize burning churches and synagogues
and tend to identify themselves and their acts with Islam, there are
millions of other Muslims who do not agree to these wrongdoings. These
millions have to clearly state that they do not approve of the killing
others and burning of other houses of worship.
“It
is very important that we make it clear that not only that this is
wrong, that it is against our faith, but that we do not stand for
anything like that. We stand for the Islam of our Prophet, that is
humane and beautiful,” he said, “As long as we fail to define
ourselves, as long as we fail to make ourselves known to American
people, then we will be defined by circumstances. And that is what we
have seen happening for many years.”
With
a mixture of history and seerah (or, the Prophet’s life), Abd-Allah,
who was a Protestant before following Islam, drew from the life of the
Prophet and his guidance to his companions, whose deep and profound
understanding of the beautiful spirit of Islam helped spread the faith
in what he identified as the core lands such as Syria, Egypt, Algeria,
Anatolia and Spain.
Abd-Allah
observed that the beautiful face of Islam as displayed by these
Muslims reminded the Christian majority then of the original teachings
of Christianity and therefore convinced them to electively follow that
beautiful new religion.
He
noted that if any lessons could be drawn from Islamic history, it
would be the fact that the last 300 years, when Muslims have been
politically at their weakest and most socially decadent. During the
past 300 years, Islam has been in its dark ages, whereas the first
millennium that preceded them were more of a golden age as Muslim
countries witnessed an economic boom as well as a flourishing of the
arts.
He
said that the highest level of following the seerah of the Prophet
(peace be upon him) and his sunnah was not merely manifested in
physically imitating the Prophet’s rituals, but is more the
emulation of his behavior and character; that is, following in his
footsteps and taking on his personality.
Dr.
Akhter, whose book highlights the Prophet’s life said that many of
the questions that encounter some Muslims nowadays like dealing with
the other, living in a multi-religious or multi-ethnic communities
could be easily answered by examining the Prophet’s life and his
tradition and his dealings with people outside his Muslim community,
especially in Medina.
“The
situation where some Muslims live as a minority especially post 9/11
is very similar to the early experience of the Prophet and his
followers. He was stereotyped, physically and verbally abused,
socially ostracized and economically boycotted. His response was to be
stoic in the face of hostility, to remain patient in the face of
adversity, and to spread the message in the best possible manner,”
said Dr. Akhter.
Akhter’s
book is not an intensive study in the seerah, as he notes, but rather
a holistic approach to the major themes of the Prophet’s life,
targeting a group of new Muslims, younger American Muslim generations
and those searching to know more about the Prophet in a simple clear
way.
ISPI
was founded in 1994 by a group of American Muslims in Chicago,
Illinois. It dedicates its quarterly lecture series to discussion of
issues concerning culture, public policy, history and ethics. It has
also released a number of publications on current issues from an
Islamic perspective.
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