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When You See Suffering, What Do You Do?
The
world has been flooded with misinformation; some premeditated
and some not, but the effect is the same. Many people around the
world have come to think of Islam in a very negative way,
successfully stereotyping Muslims which in turn puts Muslims on
the defensive and thus the vicious circle continues.
This
is contributing to the downfall of the Muslim Ummah and there
are a number of ways that Muslims are responding:
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Some
Muslims withdraw and stay on the fringes of society. This
results in feelings of alienation and makes the others
suspicious about them; not understanding how they think.
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Some
Muslims give up practicing Islam and there is little
difference between them and the non-Muslims. Therefore it's
not possible for them to share Islam and stop the
misinformation because people need to see actions, not just
hear words.
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Some
Muslims react emotionally to the machinations of those who
take Islam as an enemy and get into arguments and fights
with ignorant or evil people. This kind of behavior rarely
has positive results and usually feeds the fire of contempt,
giving non-Muslims the chance to call Muslims aggressive and
irrational.
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Some
Muslims try to be a good example and give advice wherever
possible and this is a good way but they fail to coordinate
their efforts and consult with each other; building up the
community, so there is little fruit.
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Some
Muslims face the storm head-on but in an organized way. They
try to bring other people together and build their efforts
on consultation. They take a spiritual/intellectual approach
to life and spreading Islam and are not afraid to reach out
and talk about issues – asking Allah to guide them to the
right answers. Their approach is based on gaining knowledge
and following the Qur'an and Sunnah every step of the way.
This is the way of success.
The
best way to overcome an evil (harm) is to treat it with its
opposite. This is true for medicine and it is also true for life
in general. When confronted by hate and aggression, be calm and
patient; reciprocating good for evil. When confronted by
misinformation, be analytical, seek truth and wisdom, and spread
the truth. When confronted by loudness, ignorance and bias keep
your dignity and speak calmly and wisely and behave in a noble
manner.
In
this dilemma, Muslims are sometimes confused about whether or
not to help non-Muslims in humanitarian projects. Perhaps this
confusion lies in them feeling like the victim in the worldwide
community and perhaps they feel that if they help the others,
they will be helping their enemies. However, this is not always
true. As mentioned earlier, misinformation about Islam is rife
and so we must conclude that many people simply don't understand
the beauty and grace of its message. So the answer……we have
to stop thinking like victims and reacting emotionally and
defensively – and reach out to others. The message of Islam is
for all the worlds:
(And
We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the `Alamin
(mankind, jinns and all that exists).)
(Al-Anbiya 21:107)
And
that means spreading goodness and piety, peace and wisdom, good
advice and knowledge. It means helping each other, being
responsible about the environment,
helping the poor
and needy, and forgiving those who harm us
personally.
Such
behavior requires great self-discipline and control that can
only come by enjoying the fruit of faith and closeness to Allah
the Almighty; trusting in His guidance and continually seeking
His help. It's not easy to see one's people being subjects of
oppression and aggression, to see homeless people, and hungry
children. It's not easy to have to watch injustice and feel
helpless to come to the aid of the victims.
When
things happen on the other side of the world or in any
inaccessible place, we feel frustrated but if we don't act
positively, that feeling of frustration can turn into something
much worse. Apathy! And that's largely where we are now. Quite
often we get so used to feeling helpless that we simply switch
off and fail to react appropriately.
So
if there is nothing you can do today for the prisoners in
Guantamano look around your own community seeking those who are
confined (perhaps the elderly or the sick in hospital) and do
something to help them. If there is nothing you can do to help
the starving kids in Africa and the tsunami victims, (apart from
giving donations!) you can help the kids in your own
neighborhood. Look for orphanages, youth programs, organizations
for the homeless and so on. Find parallels in all fields of life
– there is no shortage of distress, pain, and need. Form the
intention to help those near at hand and those far away in any
way you can, remembering that if you alleviate the burden of a
person in this life (with the intention to please Allah) He will
alleviate some of your burdens on the Day of Judgment, when the
results of our lives will catch up with us.
Read
Also
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Selma Cook is Managing
Editor of the Youth Section and Volunteer Youth Resource Network
at Islam Online.net. She has written a number of books
including: Buried Treasure (An Islamic novel for teenagers), The
Light of Submission (Islamic Poetry). She has also edited and
revised many Islamic books. She can be contacted at: youth_campaign@iolteam.com
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