An interview with Sister Amina Cisse Muhammad, founder of Volunteers for Allah, an organization which focuses on the recruitment, training and placement of volunteers with masaajid, Islamic schools and Islamic organizations within the metropolitan Washington D.C. Islamic community.

Islam Online: Sr. Amina, we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. First, aren't people too busy these days to volunteer?

Amina Muhammad: Actually, in an age when time is the most precious commodity for many of us, Shaytan and our nafs have a crafty way of convincing us that it is not our responsibility to be involved in the community, or that our hands are full dealing with personal responsibilities and issues, or we couldn't make a difference anyway, or that we've done our share.

IOL: Could you kindly elaborate further on that point?

ACM: I am reminded of a verse from the Qur'an. Allah (SWT) tells us in Sura Al-Baqara, verse 268, "The Evil One (Shaytan) threatens you with poverty and bids you to conduct unseemly." People typically interpret the use of poverty here as meaning economic poverty; however, Imam Johari Abdul Malik, Muslim Chaplain at Howard University, interprets this verse to imply a loss of time and energy as well.

IOL: But how are you relating the use of "conduct unseemly"?

ACM: In this context, "conduct unseemly" could also point to a tendency to sit back and/ or turn our heads as if community matters do not concern us or to complain and find fault in what everyone else is doing…or not doing.

IOL: What are some of the issues facing the Muslim community today?

ACM: One of the biggest issues facing our Ummah today is apathy, and consequently, a lack of action. Somewhere, somehow, many of us become convinced that community-building is someone else's job, and that all we need to be concerned about is positioning ourselves to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The reality is that if we are not a part of finding and working towards a solution, we are a part of the problem.

IOL: Please discuss some of the reasons you feel people become apathetic. Aren't we all created the same?

ACM: Yes, we all start out with the same humble beginnings. Allah (SWT) reminds us in Sura An-Nur, verses 12-14, “Man we did create from clay, and then placed him as a drop of sperm in a place of rest firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood.”

But somewhere along the road, some of us become apathetic, and in my view, there are several reasons for this apathy… Perhaps some of us have become cynical because we do not feel our efforts make a difference.

IOL: Why do you suppose there is so much cynicism among Muslims?

ACM: At a Friday Jumaah prayer, the khateeb once commented that perhaps some of us have stopped striving to perform good deeds because we feel that our efforts did not produce results. He reminded the audience that the results of any efforts are in Allah's Hands, not ours, and that as believers, we must still strive hard to perform good deeds without much consideration to whether or not they will produce our desired results.

IOL: But are Muslims any busier than non-Muslims? What keeps us from becoming involved in community development work or volunteering?

ACM: Perhaps we have succumbed to the struggle “Just to make ends meet.” Living in an environment that does not provide much support for our chosen way of life (or any way of life) is difficult. Perhaps we don't find the encouragement we need to feel confident that we are capable of making a difference, or to get up and make an effort.

IOL: What do you suppose lies at the root of all this?

ACM: Well, we might want to consider that whenever we feel overwhelmed, threatened with poverty, afraid to give back to Allah (actually, to His creation - Allah has no need for our charity and service) what is actually His anyway, what is missing is strong belief, faith, Iman. And, what comes hand-in-hand with belief is action. We are reminded about this again and again in the Qur’an, and through the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad. And we can also see today, throughout secular writings, how being active is beneficial.

IOL: Can you give me an example from secular literature?

ACM: Yes, in sha’ Allah Dr. Wayne Dyer, author of Pulling Your Own Strings, and several other self-help books, says, “Action is the single most effective antidote to depression, anxiety, stress, fear, worry, guilt, and of course, immobility. It is virtually impossible to be depressed and active at the same time.” (p. 212).

IOL: So, in addition to having Iman, being active can actually keep us from being depressed! Well, tell us some more about faith and action.

ACM: You know, our community has many needs. It is time that each of us earnestly inquires into how we can best respond to those needs. It is time that we silence Shaytan's tempting whisper that threatens us with poverty. Although giving ones self to the community will require sacrifice.

IOL: What sort of sacrifices are you referring to in particular?

ACM: Juggling time and responsibilities is not easy; finding quality care for young children while we occasionally respond to the challenges facing our community is not easy. Although Islam encourages women and mothers to be at home if they can, stories of the Prophet's wives and the first women of Islam abound with examples of their service to the community.