What is chaplaincy, anyway? And what do Muslim chaplains do? How do they fit into the grand scheme of the da’wah world? Zainab bint Younus speaks to Chaplain Sondos Kholaki about Islamic chaplaincy, the role of Muslim chaplains, and Ch. Sondos’s experiences in the field of hospital chaplaincy. This episode is a dive into more than just the medical healing you find at hospitals, but the spiritual healing journeys that also take place there.

Chaplain Sondos Kholaki serves as a hospital staff chaplain and a community chaplain in Southern California. She is a board-certified chaplain with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC). Sondos earned a Master of Divinity degree in Islamic Chaplaincy from Bayan Islamic Graduate School/Claremont School of Theology. She is the author of Musings of a Muslim Chaplain (2020) and the co-editor of Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America (2021).

Related:

The Bigger Picture: Understanding Loss, Sacrifice, and Purpose in Dhul Hijjah

Book Review – Mantle of Mercy: Islamic Chaplaincy in North America

Muslim Chaplains In An Evolving Profession

The post [Podcast] Hospitals And Healing: Islamic Chaplaincy | Ch. Sondos Kholaki appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

From the Maldives to Malaysia, Shaykha Aisha Hussain Rasheed has traveled many miles in her pursuit of Islamic knowledge! In this episode, Shaykha Aisha shares what it’s like to have her qadr decreed in ways she never expected; insights on studying both Islamic and secular law; and spiritual pitfalls that students of knowledge should watch out for. She also delves into navigating da’wah as a career, especially a woman seeking to balance family obligations and work alike.

Shaykha Aisha Hussain Rasheed is a daughter of the Maldivian islands, currently acclimating to the tropical rainforests of Malaysia with her husband and son. She graduated from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, holds a BA in Islamic Law and Jurisprudence, and a shahadah alimiyyah from Al-Salam Institute, where she is now also a teacher. Pre-order her book, “Auntie Aisha Answers: The Muslim Tween’s Guide to Growing Up!”

Related:

– Quran Culture in Malaysia: Connecting Little Hearts To Islam

Podcast: Muslim Women’s Spirituality In Ramadan

The post [Podcast] From The Maldives To Malaysia: A Shaykha’s Story | Shaykha Aisha Hussain Rasheed appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Ustadha Safiya Ravat began her Islamic Studies journey in 2008 under Shaykh Isam Rajab at Arees Institute, and continued on to attend the Bayyinah Dream Arabic Program. She then pursued her Bachelor’s Degree in Islamic Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and a Master’s in Pastoral Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy. Safiya also holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Houston. She and her husband, Imam Mahad Qamar, are the founders of Suhbah Institute.

Related:

Podcast: Love in the Era of Da’wah | Imam Mahad & Ustadha Safiya

The post [Podcast] Ustadha On The Dawah Front Lines | Ustadha Safiyah Ravat appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Ustadha Marjaan Ali, Ustadha Tuscany Bernier, and Zainab bint Younus talk (almost) all things niqab! In today’s context, wearing niqab is more controversial than ever… whether it’s because of Islamophobia from nonMuslim society, to Muslims who think that niqab isn’t even a part of Islam, it’s always difficult to navigate. And that’s not even dealing with the struggles of trying to eat a burger with niqab when you’re going out to eat!

From dealing with family pressures, finicky fabrics, and people who demand to know WHY you’re wearing niqab, these three niqabis have got you covered. These niqabi pro tips will answer questions you didn’t even know you had!

Ustadha Tuscany Bernier is a convert from rural Indiana who has graduated from both Mishkah University and Tayseer Seminary. She has spoken at several universities and masaajid across the United States, and enjoys life with her husband and three cats.

Ustadha Marjaan Ali is a haafidhah of the Qur’an with ijaazah in the Qira’aat Ashara Sughra and Kubra and is a graduate from Taibah university in Madinah with a bachelors in Quranic sciences. She has more than 10 years of experience teaching and doing Dawah. She lives in Dallas with her husband and two cats. 

Related:

So You Want To Wear Niqab? Top Tips To Getting Started

Niqabi In A Chocolate Shop: A Niqab Story

The post Podcast: Niqabi Pro Tips Unveiled | Ustadha Marjaan Ali & Ustadha Tuscany Bernier appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Imam Mahad Qamar and Ustadha Safiyah Ravat are the ultimate Muslim power couple, mashaAllah – a married couple who formally studied Arabic & Islamic studies, graduating from the International Islamic University of Malaysia, and going on to establish Suhbah Institute in Houston, Texas.

Join us on this episode to learn all about how they embarked on this epic journey of marriage and da’wah together, their work in marriage counseling and college chaplaincy, & striking a healthy work-life-da’wah balance as a family.

Mahad Qamar and Safiya Ravat are an American couple from Houston, Texas – of Pakistani (Mahad) and South African (Safiya) heritage. 

Mahad and Safiya began their Islamic Studies journey in 2008 under Shaykh Isam Rajab at Arees Institute, and continued on to attend the Bayyinah Dream Arabic Program. They then pursued their Bachelor’s degrees in Islamic Fiqh and Usul al Fiqh (Islamic Law and Jurisprudence) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and finally completed their Master’s in Pastoral Counseling in Marriage and Family Therapy. Safiya also holds a degree in Journalism from the University of Houston. Mahad and Safiya are currently the lead instructors at the Suhbah Seminary, pre marital training facilitators for Suhbah’s Strong Couples program, and will serve as the inaugural Chaplains at the University of Houston’s Muslim Students Association.

Related:

[Podcast] Happily Ever After (Ep. 1) | How to Find Your Match Made In Jannah

MANA Conference: The Healthy Marriage Community Covenant

The post Podcast: Love in the Era of Da’wah | Imam Mahad & Ustadha Safiya appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Irtiza Hasan, podcast host of MuslimMatters’ Man 2 Man show, chats with Shaykh Fahad Tasleem about all things da’wah: best practices of da’wah in the West, strategies for sharing Islam, and navigating the tricky dynamics of engaging in da’wah with the opposite gender.  For anyone already involved in da’wah, or finding themselves unexpectedly talking about Islam with non-Muslims, this episode is a must-listen!

Shaykh Fahad Tasleem is a research fellow and instructor at The Sapience Institute. He is the author of the book, “No Doubt: Finding Certainty in an Age of Uncertainty“. He holds a BA in Economics from Michigan State University, an MSc in Business from the University of Southern California and Graduate Studies in Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Islamic Theology from the University of Texas at Austin. Fahad is a student, researcher teacher of various Islamic sciences and is currently pursuing his Phd in Islamic Thought from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.

Related:

Da’wah in The 21st Century; Taking Lessons From The Messenger ﷺ

Using Philosophy in Da’wah

The post Podcast [Man 2 Man]: Da’wah Deconstructed | Fahad Tasleem appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

It’s a blast from the past and back to the future with Shaykh AbdurRaheem Green!

In this episode of The MuslimMatters Podcast, Shaykh AbdurRaheem takes us on a trip down memory lane, reminiscing over 90s da’wah, the development of street da’wah and convert care, and the fate of the Ummah. Buckle in for a great ride!

Shaykh AbdurRaheem Green is someone who has been around the block longer than many others today in the da’wah field. He accepted Islam in 1988, and since then has been actively involved in Islamic education and community work. He is particularly known for founding the Islamic Education and Research Academy, iERA.

Related reading:

Street Cleaning and Dawah In Chicago – Video & Behind The Scenes

Street Cleaning and Dawah In Chicago – Video & Behind The Scenes

– Dawah: You missed a spot!

Dawah: You missed a spot!

The post Podcast: Back To The Future With Sh AbdurRaheem Green appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Say, “He is Allah, the Uniquely One (Aḥad)

Allah, the Indivisible.

He begot no one nor was He begotten,

and never has there been to Him anyone equivalent.” [Surah Al-Ikhlas: 112;1-4]

Allah is Uniquely One, Indivisible, and Incomparable. He is al-Wāḥid (the One) and al-Aḥad (the Unique) – nothing is equal or can be compared to Him. There is something incredibly comforting about how uncomplicated our beliefs are. The concept of tawḥīd – oneness of God – can be explained to anyone, whether a child or an elderly person, an intellectual or someone without any basic education. There are no mental gymnastics required, no ‘leap of faith’ to avoid hard questions; rather there is complete congruence between the intellect, heart, and soul. Indeed, Allah is al-Ḥaqq – The Truth – and the soul recognizes and is liberated by the Truth. Thus, it finds tranquility in it.

Moreover, Allah being al-Wāḥid and al-Aḥad means that all perfection is united in Allah ; He is completely unique in His Essence, His Names, and His Attributes, and He is utterly distinctive in His Lordship over creation.¹ When we talk about Allah being al-Raḥmān (the Completely Merciful) or al-Wadūd (the Affectionate) or al-Ḥakīm (the Most Wise), for example, we have to know that His Mercy, Love, and Wisdom, are unique in their perfection, and there is truly no equivalent. Hence, there is no love like the love of Allah , and no good like the good that comes from Allah .

The Importance of Knowing that God is One

The opposite of tawḥīd is shirk – taking other idols with Allah . Committing shirk contradicts the Truth and Divine Reality.² Indeed, since our purpose in this world is to worship and know God, taking other idols – in the literal or symbolic sense – contradicts our purpose³, and it stands in the way of truly knowing Allah . If we do not know Allah , we do not have the proper foundation for worshiping Him and for doing good holistically in this world.

Perhaps some of our ailments – those that we cannot point to specifically – are as a result of this disturbance in our soul. We understand that constantly and consistently eating ultra-processed food has gradual (sometimes immediate) adverse effects on our physical health. We may still be able to function, sometimes even appear healthy, but our body has to fight to counteract the negative effects of pseudo foods, and we develop ailments that even affect our mental health.⁴ When we live in opposition to the Truth and to our purpose, and when we starve our heart and soul of what they need, it is natural that we suffer underlying unease that is not cured by the perfect diet, spin class, and yoga.

And hence, as Muslims, all our actions spring from the conviction that Allah is al-Wāḥid al-Aḥad, and we are vigilant against anything that has elements of polytheism, as this impacts the state of our souls.

The Effects

Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Have you not considered how Allāh presents an example, [making] a good word like a good tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches [high] in the sky?

It produces its fruit all the time, by permission of its Lord. And Allāh presents examples for the people that perhaps they will be reminded.” (Surah Ibrahim: 14;24-25]

The ‘good word’ here is the profession of faith: lā ilāha illā Allāh – there is no god but Allah .⁵ It is the foundation for all good that comes after: it produces fruit all the time.

Truly internalizing the meanings of al-Wāḥid and al-Aḥad does not only result in a tranquil soul, and in being and doing good. It goes to the root of what we give our hearts to. Allah being Uniquely One negates any other false idol in our hearts. Allah is One and Incomparable, and thus nothing should stand equal to Him in our hearts. Knowing that He is al-Aḥad reminds us that anything we put above Him is a false idol. Hence, true sincerity is of utmost importance, and our actions and intentions should be directed towards His pleasure and love, and not be tainted by ulterior motives.

Negating other deities

Bilal, may Allah be pleased with him, understood the power of sincere belief and submission to Allah al-Aḥad. Considered to be lowly in society because he was enslaved, Bilal accepted Islam, and he was tortured severely for what was perceived to be a defiant act. Famously, Bilal repeated one word in the face of his tormentors: Aḥad. This infuriated them even more, but Bilal would not desist. He was negating that he worshiped, indeed that anything existed that was worthy of worship, except Allah . He would not submit to anything other than Allah, al-Aḥad. This single belief inspired strength and conviction which the polytheists could not stand. Indeed, they revealed their weakness in not being able to counter this simple truth and resorting to force, while Bilal was strengthened by the truth.

When we say that Allah is al-Wāḥid and al-Aḥad, we are negating the worship and the intercession of any other so-called deities. Allah condemns those who said about their idols that,

“Indeed, sincere devotion is due ˹only˺ to Allah. As for those who take other lords besides Him, ˹saying,˺ We worship them only so they may bring us closer to Allah, surely Allah will judge between all regarding what they differed about. Allah certainly does not guide whoever persists in lying and disbelief.” [Surah Az-Zumar: 39;3]

There is only Allah, and only He deserves to be worshiped – there are no intermediaries.

Shirk thus includes the belief in other deities, whether worshiped for their own sake, or as a means to Allah . Shirk is ‘dividing’ God and making Him into multiple parts. The lesser shirk includes those things that we essentially worship in our lives by submitting to them in heart and deed. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Wretched is the slave (Ꜥabd) of gold, silver, fine clothes, and garments.” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī) When we pursue these things – wealth, status, power – and choose them above God and what He loves, we are essentially enslaved to them. These are the things we have submitted our hearts to.

Knowing this forces us to confront what we have raised to the status of something to be worshiped and submitted to, even if this is subtle. Allah points out in the Qur’an,

“Have you not seen the one who takes his own desires as a god?” (Surah Al Furqan: 25:43).

And it thus compels us to ask ourselves, is there really no other ‘god’ in my heart? What drives and motivates my actions – is it the unadulterated Oneness of Allah , or is it for worldly gain? Am I willing to violate Allah’s laws in pursuit of my desires?

Knowing He is al-Wāḥid and al-Aḥad also encompasses the symbolic actions that express those beliefs.

Symbolism

There may be some practices, whether traditional or contemporary, that we think are harmless, but they contain elements of shirk. The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘Whoever hangs an amulet around his neck has committed an act of idolatry.’ (Aḥmad)

In this context, one of the people who had come to pledge allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ was wearing an amulet, and it was generally worn for protection. However, it is interesting that the Prophet ﷺ did not specify the purpose of wearing the amulet. He did not say, “whoever wears it for x reason”. While it was generally known that protection was the purpose of wearing the amulet – it was not simply decorative – the Prophet ﷺ made a blanket prohibition against it. It would be akin to someone wearing a cross today because it is fashionable. Even if their intentions are not religious, it would still be considered prohibited.

Indeed, many religious practices nowadays are watered-down, their previous rituals reduced to heart-warming celebrations that everyone can take part in and enjoy. This includes, for example, Christmas, Easter, Diwali, and others. However, they are not only rooted in ideas that are in contradiction to Allah’s Oneness – the belief which is so fundamental for Muslims and is an essential truth – but these ideals are still associated with these festivals and have a deep significance for followers of these faiths. One might be forgiven for wondering what the big deal is, as the symbols seem to be largely divorced from their religious underpinnings, and the celebrations are something one can partake in as a society or just to bring family together. Yet, this goes to the heart of the matter. Allah reminds us in the Qur’an:

“And That is so. And whoever honors the rituals of Allah, it is best for them in the sight of their Lord.The ˹meat of˺ cattle has been made lawful for you, except what has ˹already˺ been recited to you. So shun the impurity of idolatry, and shun words of falsehood.whoever honors the rituals (ḥurumāt) of Allah, it is best for them in the sight of their Lord.” [Surah Al-Haj: 22;30]

As well as:

 “And whoever honors the symbols (shaꜤā’ir) of Allah, it is certainly out of the piety of the heart.” [Surah Al-Haj: 22;32]

These two verses are specifically talking about the rites and rituals of Hajj, as well as the places, times, and states Allah has made inviolable.⁶ But the ḥurumāt as a general term are those matters that must be respected.⁷ The veneration of the ḥurumāt of Allah – the boundaries that Allah has set – is best in the sight of Allah .⁸ It stems from a deep belief in the heart that leads to outward action – this is taqwā. What is seemingly minor is not so when we connect it to the foundation of the act. The intense conviction in Allah being al-Wāḥid al-Aḥad, and that this is a fundamental truth, should cause us to venerate and honor that which Allah has deemed important, while eschewing completely anything that contradicts His Oneness. Of course, there are nuances in how we interact with non-Muslim family members and their religious celebrations, as well as society, in a sensitive, kind, and humane way. But it is an altogether different matter to adopt anything ourselves which is rooted in that which goes against the Oneness of God.⁹ Indeed, the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever imitates a people is one of them.” [Abu Dawud] While this can describe a general reality, it is a “condemnation if in fact a Muslim is imitating other religions in their religiously symbolic dress, worship or festivities.”¹⁰

One in Our Hearts

This brings us back to Allah , al-Wāḥid al-Aḥad. The Prophet ﷺ told his Companions: ‘Renew your faith.’ They said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, how can we renew our faith?’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Say often, “there is no god but Allah (lā ilāha illa Allāh).”’ [Aḥmad]

Regularly reminding ourselves that there is no god but God Himself – essentially, that He is al-Wāḥid al-Aḥad –  helps to renew our faith as we become conscious of removing from our hearts anything that we have made equal to Him. One of the companions loved Surat al-Ikhlas so much that he would recite it in every prayer, saying ‘It is because this chapter describes the Most Merciful, and therefore I love to recite it.’ We can pause here to reflect: He loved to recite this chapter not because it was a short one, nor because it was the only one that he had memorized, but rather because it was a description of Allah , the Most Merciful. The companion recited it out of love. The Prophet ﷺ heard this and said: ‘Tell that man that Allah loves him.’ [Bukhārī and Muslim].

As believers in His Oneness, we affirm Allah’s unity in directing all our love, fears, hopes, supplications, and all our worship, outwardly and inwardly, towards Him.¹¹ May we find strength in this conviction to withstand the tests of life, like Bilal and all the righteous believers did; may we find comfort and serenity in this Truth, and live in accordance with it.

–

The author would like to thank Hala Akram for her feedback on the draft of this article.

Related reading:

– Tawhid: Asserting God’s Unity

Tawhid: Asserting God’s Unity

– A Strengthened Heart: Connection To Allah During Difficulty

A Strengthened Heart: Connection To Allah During Difficulty

The post He Is One: Truly Knowing Allah appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

In this third part of the Dirty Da’wah series, I explore problematic trends in our online outreach to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Click here to read Part 1- Insulting in the name of Islam, or Part 2 – “Satisfying” Revenge In The Name of Islam.

And Now, To Dive In

Alex Jones is a right-wing radio host whose fame has been built on conspiracy theories and outrageous accusations. When the yogurt company Chobani began hiring refugees from Afghanistan and Syria, he accused them of “importing migrant rapists.”

He accused Hillary Clinton of operating a child sex ring below a pizzeria (PizzaGate) and created mass hysteria by “alerting” the residents of Texas to an imminent invasion by the US military – operation Jade Helm.

“This is sensational news, Texas is listed in red as a hostile sector…I told ya, I’m deep behind enemy lines folks. I mean this—we are listed as a hostile sector, they’re having Delta Force, Navy SEALS, with the Army, train to basically take over. This is over the top.” [source]

The hysteria became so widespread that the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbot, sent the Texas State Guard to monitor the exercises conducted by the US military, as a sort of ‘just in case.’

Alex Jones was most recently in the news for being ordered to pay nearly one billion dollars to the families of those killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. He had been alleging that the shooting was another hoax, and that the “victims” and their “families” were actors. Twenty six people were killed, many of whom were elementary school children.

So what does this have to do with the Muslim community? It’s all big business in the industry of Manufactured Outrage.

On Outrage – Artificial vs. Organic

This really is a case where it’s better to go with organic. Good old natural outrage isn’t a problem. A certain amount of anger for the sake of Allah isn’t just permissible, it’s expected as a decent human. The Messenger of Allah said,

“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.” [Sahih Muslim]

Not only is righteous outrage a natural response to the outrageous, it’s also a force of positive social change.

When 14 year old Emmett Till was brutally murdered,  his death “pushed many who had been content to stay on the sidelines directly into the fight” for civil rights. ¹ A photograph of Emmett’s mother standing beside the open casket of her son’s mutilated body was deemed to be one of the”100 most influential images of all time.²” by Time magazine.

Publications like What Has Happened to Me  and Guantanamo Voices tell stories that appeal to the righteous outrage we feel when a grave injustice has occurred.  How we respond to this grave injustice -or not- says as much about us as a society as it does individually.

“Of course, there is a good reason we feel an obligation to feel and express outrage: We assume it is a reliable force for social change. The absence of outrage in the face of the outrageous reflects a cowardly quietism, resignation, or apathy.” Professor Richard Thomson Ford. “The Outrage-Industrial Complex” Stanford School of Law

Righteous outrage, the kind that results from true injustice, spurs us to take positive action to rectify a wrong. It is a commendable and universal human response, and that is why manufactured outrage works so hard to impersonate it. Where righteous anger demands a response to factually established wrong, manufactured outrage demands action for a wrong that is established through misinterpretation, misinformation, or misrepresentation.

Also referred to as outrage porn, manufactured outrage refers to any media designed to evoke a strong backlash, particularly for the sake of getting online traffic. Politicians use the anger they incite to rile up supporters, or claim the moral high ground in order to tar their opponents. On slow news days, media outlets use it to inflate minor occurrences into major stories.

“The ubiquitous outrage of today is a perversion of this American custom of politics-as-entertainment: Now, instead of reflecting sincere and mature political engagement, conspicuous outrage takes the place of it.” Professor Richard Thomson Ford. “The Outrage-Industrial Complex” Stanford School of Law

Conflation And Conflict

Compared to plain old lying, outrage media is harder to dispute because it is built on a grain of truth that is then deliberately misinterpreted. That is why its purveyors are able to present the “evidence” that lends legitimacy to their claims. It’s like a wolf wearing what was part of a sheep, but no longer qualifies as one.

It makes things even harder when the wolf in sheep’s skin grows a beard, wears a kufi, and uses the defense of Islam to deter disagreement. It’s a bit of a hostage situation, where people are discouraged from disagreement for fear of attacking Islam.

Conflating the sanctity of their opinion with the sanctity of Islam itself, videos like these can be hard to disprove without a depth of Islamic study not available to your standard Muslim viewer.  Or, without taking a deep-dive into some of the nuanced topics so often misrepresented in over-simplified ways, and who has time for that?

There are many, many ways that this distortion is happening in the Muslim media, and in the next few installments of this series of Dirty Da’wah, I’ll be sharing a few specific examples. I will not be sharing the channel names or identifying information about the Muslim da’ees who are making the errors I discuss. For a full explanation of why, please see the disclaimer in Dirty Dawah [Part 1] Insult in the Name of Islam.

Dirty Da’wah [Part 1] – Insult In The Name Of Islam

Misrepresentation: Sisters On The Verge Of Kufr?

There are a number of videos in which Muslim influencers dishonestly rebuke other Muslims for things taken out of context, either through cherry picking, creative editing, or some other form of misrepresentation. 

For this section, I will be discussing an actual case of misrepresentation where a number of videos have been made ridiculing and criticizing the content of another da’wah channel.

This begins with two da’ees reacting to a video in which a group of Muslim women discuss the abuses that happen when polygamy is practiced improperly. The influencers begin their reaction three minutes after the source video begins, while one of the female hosts is in mid-sentence. She is heard to say, 

Sister 2: “- the environment around polygamy and what happens in the aftermath of it is really toxic and judgey and negative. There’s a lot of pressure to react in a certain way, there’s a lot of pressure to uh, accept that being like the automatic position. Like if you’re a Muslim you accept what God allows, so why are you struggling? Like what’s wrong with you? It’s bringing your faith into question and you’re – I hear it over and over, I want- I love Allah, I love this faith, this is something that Allah subhanallah wa ta’ala allowed, why is it breaking me? And I think that that’s what I want to talk about today.” 

Sister 3: “So women are questioning themselves? Questioning their level of faith because it is something breaking them? Is that being the experience that you’ve had with people that you’ve spoken to and worked with?”

Sister 2: “I think that it’s an opportunity to put a wedge between a woman and Allah subhanuhu wa ta’ala if she thinks that it’s being positioned that Allah azzawajal allowed me to do this to you.” 

Sister 3: “So it’s like the spiritual abuse, when something’s going on to happen and then I say I have this God card that says I can do it to you, so if you have a problem with it, you have a problem with God.” 

The impression that the viewer could take from this clip is that the women are discussing polygamy without any further context, and thus they are suggesting that polygamy itself is a form of spiritual abuse. Here the clip of the sisters is cut, and one of the da’ees in the video provides a disclaimer:

Da’ee 1: “Just to be just yeah, before the video starts – because we don’t want the sisters to be like you didn’t put the beginning bit. In the beginning bit they make it very categorically clear that they do not have an issue with polygamy itself. It is from Allah, but when we watch the video, we’ve yet to see – they said they wanted to touch upon the way the polygamy is done the wrong way, so we’re going to see if they even touch up on that. Just to give that disclaimer they said that. Now going straight to this.”

Da’ee 2: “I think what she said is highly problematic, she is not giving an example of where there is a miscarriage of justice from the Islamic paradigm. She’s just talking plainly about polygamy as an institution or as a form of marriage that Islam allows.”

Da’ee 1: “It’s clearly in the pretext, not even in the subtext of what these women are saying that just basically engaging in this act itself [polygamy] is a kind of spiritual abuse.”

Da’ee  2: “Exactly. This is verging on kufr.” 

The two da’ees are correct in that if the sisters in the video actually been declaring a halal thing to be haram, they would have been committing a major sin.

“Do not falsely declare with your tongues, ‘This is lawful, and that is unlawful,’ ˹only˺ fabricating lies against Allah. Indeed, those who fabricate lies against Allah will never succeed.” [Surah An-Nahl: 16;116]

Muslim scholars agree unanimously that only Allah has the right to legislate halal or haram through the Qur’an or through His Messenger . In his book The Lawful and The Prohibited in Islam, Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi – one of the world’s leading scholars before he passed away this September – wrote,

“Nobody is allowed to forbid something that Allah has permitted. If he did so he would be exceeding the limits set by Allah and claiming to himself what is a divine attribute of Allah. Moreover, those who accept and follow this man-made legislation will also be held responsible.”

That is why, had the sisters in this video been declaring polygamy to be haram, a correction would absolutely be in order.  In spite of how this refutation is positioned, that isn’t actually the case.

The two da’ees in the refutation video began their critique by skipping the context that clearly explained the topic of the video, and thus contradicted the basis for their reaction in the first place. Here is what the sisters were actually saying, from the beginning of the original video, without any omissions.

Sister Da’ee 1: “First of all, it’s really important for me to say Allah ‘azzawajal has spoken on this and we are not here to discuss whether this is good, bad – Allah has spoken. Polygamy is permissible just as monogamy is permissible. Allah has made it halal and that is not what we’re bringing to the table. What we are bringing to the table when we discuss polygamy is how it is done, the effect that it has on individuals as a result of how it is executed and yeah- that’s what we’re going to bring to the table, Bismillah.

Sister Da’ee 2: “So you started, we’re talking about execution and how it’s being done, not the principle in our faith. Um, because that’s to avoid all of this “it’s allowed, it’s not-“ we’re not talking about that. Um, so execution – how is this being done? What are the effects it has? It’s not being done right. It’s a big issue. By the vast majority it’s a big issue, because there are cases where it works, there are cases where people choose this, there are cases where all of the positives are there, but that’s not what we’re discussing. We’re discussing where it’s an issue, where it’s to where it’s detrimental.

“Um, and obviously we’re talking about the position. I think you can’t escape a related kind of issue, which is the issue of secret marriages, they’re kind of hand in hand in the way it’s being done. So you have the case of a woman who has been married for x number of years, has children or doesn’t, and for whatever reason her husband has remarried in some cases they know, and in some cases he tells her this is what I’m going to do, and in other cases it’s done in secret where she will find out after the fact in short period of time, or well after the fact. And what this does to her, I think in the cases that I’ve seen and worked with in my own life experience, the environment around polygamy and what happens in the aftermath of it is really toxic.”

And here, in the final half the last sentence is where the critique begins, deprived of context and the emphatic confirmation that polygamy is halal and that its permissibility was not up for discussion.  

“When a person calls his brother (in Islam) a disbeliever (kafir), one of them will certainly deserve the title. If the addressee is so as he has asserted, the disbelief of the man is confirmed, but if it is untrue, then it will revert to him.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

In the spirit of husne-zhann, in which we give others the benefit of the doubt, we can try to suggest that the two brothers somehow missed the entire point of what the sisters in the video were saying, and that their entire critique was a misunderstanding.

If that were the case, could the brothers not have communicated with the sisters directly and respectfully through any of their da’wah channel’s many social media accounts? (Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? YouTube?)

And if we assume the brothers to be making a genuine mistake, how do we explain why they did not take the video down when Muslim viewers pointed the discrepancy out in the comments?

When a Muslim makes a mistake, it is their job to repent, and if their mistake involves another person or party, it’s their job to apologize directly to them and make amends. 

If we are to assume an honest mistake, then we can look forward to the video being removed, and the two influencers replacing it with an apology and an explanation of what went wrong as soon as they found out. Over three months and 200k views later, we have yet to see one.

Rather than an honest representation, a private conversation, admission of error, or public retraction, in Dirty Da’wah like this is a pattern of criticism, refutation, and a toxic culture of reaction videos, as well as the subsequent reactions, reactions to the reactions, and the rebuttals to the reactions that have been reacted to. And a special mention must be made here, where that pattern is directed against Muslim women. 

Competing In The Sport Of Public Spectacle

When da’wah channels intentionally misrepresent information in order to refute, it’s hard to see the effort as sincere. It’s even harder when they double down on the misrepresentation and fail to correct it or apologize for it.

When videos like these stay online, we have to wonder who they are meant to benefit. With other da’ees being insulted, and Muslim viewers being misled, what exactly does content like this improve?

The bottom line.

“According to a variety of sources, YouTubers can make anywhere between $0.01 to $0.03 per view with AdSense, with an average of $0.18 per view.”  [Source]

Without paid sponsors or promotions, YouYubers make between 3$ to 5$ per 1000 views. When they allow Adsense to run on their videos, they can make $18 dollars per thousand views. Further revenue can also be generated through paid video sponsors, endorsements, and those prices depend on the amount of clout these platforms bring to the negotiating table.

Because platforms like YouTube incentive popularity (not accuracy), our religious outreach has fallen into the same popularity contest that news media has. In order to successfully compete for our attention – and thus, ad revenue – da’ees one-up each other in the quest for the most shocking, most infuriating, and most outrageous videos possible.

“News and media outlets know that headlines attract readers, so they use this to their advantage. Often times headlines feature an over-exaggerated display of events. With the right wording, the most mundane thing can be blown out of proportion.” – Rylan Vanacore, RIT Reporter

“Ideally we should be fulfilling the expectations we have of da’wah to begin with – good akhlaaq, and respect for one another,” says writer and activist Zainab Bint Younus, who has been involved in online da’wah for the past 16 years. “Instead, we get swearing, threats, and personal attacks.” 

“Public trolling is a threat used against Muslim women. I know plenty of Muslim women – Shaykhas and activists, who have had to retreat from the internet and public life or avoid talking about certain things because they know they will be harassed and attacked. They have people threatening their homes and families. This effectively pushes aside female da’wah/ scholarly participation, which in turn reinforces some of our community’s worst habits and patterns of disrespecting and even harming women.” 

The Cost The Muslim Community Pays

The net effect of sensationalized, misrepresented, and artificially inflated “controversies” like these is:

• The creation of conflict between da’ees, influencers, and scholars.
• Infighting between the respective viewers/subscribers at odds with each other.
• The discrediting of Muslim scholarship and institutions.
• The tainting of truth with the lies of intellectual dishonesty and sensationalism.

The Prophet reinforced the requirement of good manners and gentle speech – not only in da’wah, but in our lives as Muslim as a whole – in many, many ahadith. When Muslim influencers turn a dishonest spotlight of criticism onto other Islamic content, they set a combative tone for how others engage with the channels, scholars, and leaders targeted.

It’s hard to see this as good for the community, and harder to see “da’wah” like this as a good deed. Ibn Taymiyyah wrote in Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah, that:

“Likewise in responding to the people of innovation among rejectors and others, if its intention is not to clarify the truth, guide the creation, and offer them mercy and goodness, then it is not a righteous deed.

If he is harsh in condemning innovation and disobedience, his intention should be to clarify what is in them of corruption and to warn the servants of Allah, as in the texts (verses) of warning and others. A man may be boycotted as a discretionary punishment, and the objective of that is to deter him and those like him as an act of mercy and goodness, not as revenge and vengeance.”

While defending Islam is the responsibility of every Muslim, it cannot be separated from how Islam instructs us to do so: with sincerity, good manners, and the well-being of the other person in mind. Content that creates controversy to direct traffic through public anger isn’t actual refutation. It’s a lie, and what some da’ees gain from manufactured outrage, the Muslim community loses.

Part 4 of this Dirty Da’wah series is coming soon to a MuslimMatters near you.

The post Dirty Da’wah [Part 3] – “The Infuriating” | Manufacturing Muslim Outrage appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The word da’wah stems from the verb for invitation or calling in Arabic.  The term da’ee refers to those who call others to Islam, whether they be Muslim or not.

A large amount of this “satisfying” content seems directed towards feelings of anger and helplessness in its Muslim audience. After all, the world is a cruel and difficult place for Muslims. How can we not feel angry when people insult our religion, misrepresent our Prophet ﷺ, curse our Lord and oppress our family in faith?  

When even the Prophet ﷺ sought comfort and consolation in hard times, it makes sense that we too seek to satisfy some sense of justice or comfort. The problem with this content is how it seeks to provide it- i.e. at the direct expense of others. 

Often labeled “hilarious” or “entertaining,” videos like these allow the viewer to have a laugh at the non-Muslim getting “crushed,” “destroyed,” or “dismantled” by the da’ee.  Many of them suggest a level of payback for the indignities suffered by the Muslim community, and in doing so, give their viewers a vicarious sense of justice served. 

Seeking justice is an important cause for the entire Ummah, and until all of us are safe, the rest of us should remain restless for their cause. However, videos like these don’t serve justice as much as they dish out revenge.

Seeking justice for oppressed Muslims means fighting for their freedom, safety, and  rights. Compare this to revenge, which better explains why some da’ees fight the people they are -ideally- inviting to Islam.

The following bright yellow images in this article are all composites of common -and actual- titles in these Dirty Da’wah videos, and there are many, many more like them. 

“O believers! Do not insult what they invoke besides Allah or they will insult Allah spitefully out of ignorance. This is how We have made each people’s deeds appealing to them. Then to their Lord is their return, and He will inform them of what they used to do.” The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al An’am: 6;108]

Ridiculing And A Bit Racist

In one such video, a Muslim da’ee mocks the accent and grammar of a non-Muslim who speaks English as a second language, much to the amusement of the Muslims gathered around him. The video starts in the middle of what looks like da’wah gone horribly wrong. It begins with a non-Muslim angrily calling out to the Muslims gathered around him. They are crowded around him laughing as he is being mocked.

[Non Muslim]: “If you want to hear many times -”

[Da’ee]: “I have many hairs.”

[Non Muslim]: “I will hear-”

[Da’ee]: “You have hair, I have hair.”

[Non Muslim]: (gesturing with hand) “I will give you – I will give you this insight many times. Don’t follow the pagan religion.”

[Da’ee]: (gesturing with hand) “This in Hindi means I want to eat.”

[Non Muslim]: “Worship Jesus.”

[Da’ee]: (making hand gesture) “In Italian it means something else.” 

[Video captioned by Da’ee to read: “It means WTF.”]

[Non Muslim]: “Allah is – Allah is fail.”

[Da’ee]: (interrupting) “Your English is fail.”

[Non Muslim]: “Allah is fail-“

[Da’ee]: (interrupting) “Your grammar is fail.”

[Non Muslim]: “Shame on you. Shame on you to be a encyclopedia here. Shame on you.”

[Da’ee]: (interrupting) “What’s an encyclopedia got to do with grammar?”

[Non Muslim]: “Shame on you to be a encyclopedia, correcting my English here.”

[Da’ee]: “Encyclopedia doesn’t correct English uncle.”

[Non Muslim]: “So shame on you by talking this. (scratches nose) So let me tell you-“

[Da’ee]: (interrupting) Don’t pick your nose. It’s unhygienic.”

Here the video ends, and the comments that follow can be broken down into four categories broadly:

1. Praise for the video from other da’ees: “Loooooooooool I’m dead. This video would have been so boring without [Da’ee’s] edit style.”
2. Praise from viewers: “Bro I loved your roasting skills,” “[Da’ee] is best in comedy.”
3. Support for the behavior: “Warning: When you insult Allah , Allah will make a joke out of you lol.”
4. Complaints from viewers about the da’ee’s poor manners.
   • “SubhanAllah we shouldn’t be making fun of people like that. May Allah guide us”
   • “I would suggest to present everything as it is without laughter and jokes. Let the people judge who is wrong. Akhlaq (good character) is our weapon in such places. May Allah guide us all.”
   • “Salam, seen this video and wasn’t pleased with the behavior of our brothers… this guy may not know much about Islam  and may criticize our faith, but if we retaliate with ridicule then it shines a negative light upon us as individuals or maybe so as an Ummah.” 
   • “…you guys are popular YouTubers and need to behave in such a way that our youths emanate your positive behaviors.. sorry to criticize especially publicly (don’t know how to send privately) but I felt that it could have been handled more sensibly. Best way to deal with situations like that is refer back to the Sunnah…”

So, What Would Our Prophet ﷺ Do?

Believe it or not, there are instances from the Sunnah in which a group of people are found mocking, ridiculing, and talking over someone in a deliberately disrespectful manner. It happened more often than you think, but this isn’t what the Prophet ﷺ did to debate with the Quraysh. This was what the Quraysh did to the Prophet ﷺ instead.

How much sense does it make to try and promote the message of the Prophet ﷺ with the same bullying tactics that were used against him? In what way is surrounding a non-believer with a group of hecklers any type of da’wah?

It’s not.

We have lessons from our Prophet ﷺ (as compared to his enemies) that give us very specific examples of how to respond to aggressive, disrespectful, or insulting non-Muslims. Story time!

Pray For Them, Even If They Hate You

Abu Jahl, in an evil little nutshell, was called the Fir’aun of Makkah. He beat and tortured people when they accepted Islam, especially those too weak, too poor, or too unimportant for others to protect. He tortured the sahabi husband and wife Yasir and Sumayya to death in front of their son, Ammar Bin Yasir , may Allah have mercy and blessings on them all.

While Sumayya has the honor of being the first martyr in Islam, Abu Jahl has the dishonor of making her so. He thrust a spear through her private parts and killed her.

In spite of this, the Prophet still prayed for Abu Jahl to become Muslim. In the same dua’, he also prayed for the conversion of Abu Jahl’s nephew, a harsh, hard-drinking, relentless persecutor of Muslims in Makkah, and especially in his own tribe.

Islamophobia is Stupid: Part I

The day after the Prophet made this dua’, Abu Jahl’s nephew left his home with his sword in hand, intending the kill the Prophet went to give his shahaada instead.

“O Allah, strengthen Islam with Abu Jahl or Umar Ibn Al-Khattab.” – Tirmidhi

Yes, it was THAT Umar , legendary defender of Islam and second khalifah in the Muslim Ummah. Before his conversion, he had been one of the biggest enemies of Islam in Makkah. After it, he became one of its most powerful protectors.

It was about this former enemy, oppressor, and heavy drinker that the Prophet said, “Among the nation of Bani Israel who lived before you, there were men who used to be inspired with guidance though they were not prophets, and if there is any of such persons amongst my followers, it is ‘Umar.” [Sahih Bukhari]

Do Not Curse Them Back

When a group of Jewish residents in Madinah greeted the Prophet with Saam ‘Alayka – meaning death be upon you – the Prophet’s only response was a simple wa’alaykum, meaning “and upon you as well.” Feeling angered by the insult masquerading as a greeting, the Prophet’s wife Aisha added “Death be upon you, along with the curse of Allah and His Wrath!”

While the Prophet and the early Muslim in community in Makkah had not given permission by Allah to fight back, this happened in Madinah, where the Prophet was the leader of the entire city. He had the authority and power to respond in any way, but he didn’t rebuke them. Instead, he rebuked his wife. “Oh Aisha, be gentle. Indeed, Allah is gentle and loves gentleness in all matters. Beware of being harsh and vulgar.” [Sahih Bukhari]

“And do not mind the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Ignore their harm and rely upon Allah. And sufficient is Allah as a Disposer of [your] affairs.” [The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Ahzab: 33;48]

Maintain Their Dignity, Even If They Offend Yours

Before converting to Islam, Urwa Ibn Masud was part of the Quraysh’s negotiation team at the Treaty of Hudaybiya. While he came to negotiate terms on their behalf, he was insulting and offensive to the Prophet . In addition to that, he was also one of the chiefs of the same tribe that sent a mob to throw stones at the Prophet ﷺ in Taif until he bled into his shoes.

On top of that, he reached out to grab the Prophet ﷺ by the beard, causing the companions around the Prophet to draw their weapons. They Prophet ﷺ ordered them to stand down, and as was customary, Urwa was still hosted as a guest and ambassador of the Quraysh. [Incident related in Bukhari and Muslim]

“Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.” [The Holy Qur’an, Surah Fussilat: 41;34]

There are many, many more examples of the Prophet ﷺ taking the high road and never stooping to the level that he had been treated with. His entire character was that of honor, nobility, and dignity. So if the “satisfying,” videos of Muslims insulting and ridiculing non-Muslims aren’t from our Sunnah, then where are they coming from?

A Modern Muslim Misery – On Powerlessness And Frustration

“Revenge fantasies often serve to calm the negative feelings of frustration, humiliation, and insult by virtually punishing the perpetrator and settling the score between the victim’s suffering and the perpetrator’ actions¹.” (Haen and Weber, 2009).”

Numerous studies have shown positive associations between feelings of injustice and the desire for revenge. Given how much injustice Muslims face on a global basis – i.e. discrimination, occupation, genocide, invasion, oppression – we are bound to be outraged.

Prayers For The Persecuted: A Global Du’a

As justified as our anger can be, da’wah isn’t the place for us to act on it. Allah says:

“And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best, except those of them who act unjustly, and say: We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our Allah and your Allah is One, and to Him do we submit” [The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-‘Ankabut: 29;46]

Scholars of tafseer have written on “what is best,” and in one brilliant example, Saeed Abu Ala Maududi writes:

“The discussion should be conducted rationally, in a civilized and decent language, so that the ideas of the other person may be reformed. The preacher’s chief aim should be to appeal to the addressee’s heart, convey the truth to him and bring him to the right path. 

“He should not fight like a wrestler whose only object is to defeat his opponent. He should rather conduct himself like a physician who is ever cautious not to cause the patient’s ailment to worsen by any of his own mistakes, and tries to cure him with the least possible trouble.” [Tafseer Sayyid Abu Alaa Maududi]

Translation: Mind your manners. Don’t fight. Your job as a da’ee is to speak to the heart. Pretend you’re a doctor, and try to heal the heart without making things worse.

According to Ibn Katheer:

“What is meant here is that anyone who wants to find out about religion from them should argue with them in a manner that is better, as this will be more effective. Allah says: (Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching…(Surah An-Nahl: 16;125))

And Allah said to Musa and Harun when he sent them to Fir`awn: (And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear. (Surah Taha:20;44)”  [Tafseer Ibn Kathir]

Translation: If you are going to teach people about Islam, be polite. That works better. God commanded Prophet Musa to be polite to Pharoah too. 

The Story of Prophet Musa: A Story of Optimism | Part 1

So if Allah commanded the Prophet Musa to use gentle speech with Fir’awn (Pharoah) – a man who claimed divinity, murdered babies, enslaved people, and massacred those who dared believe in God’s message – are we really justified in bad behavior towards the people who verbally antagonize us? 

There may be some who try to use the exception in this verse [“except those who act unjustly”] to justify mocking, insulting, and speaking harshly to non-Muslims in the course of their d’awah, but do “those who act unjustly” really include people who get snarky at da’wah booths?

So what does “acting unjustly” in this verse mean? Allah uses the word ظَلَمُوا۟, which German Arabist Hans Wehr defines as “to do wrong or evil, to wrong, treat unjustly, ill-treat, oppress, beset, harm, suppress, tyrannize, commit outrage, to act the tyrant,” etc.

The noun itself – what the oppressor does – is defined as “wrong, iniquity, injustice, inequity, unfairness, oppression, repression, suppression, tyranny.”

So, if a person disagrees with your faith, interrupts you, calls you rude names, and makes fun of what you say – is that person an oppressor? Thank God they’re not, because lots of our da’ees would qualify for that label as well.  Rude people are just rude people. Unless someone wrongs you, be civil or be quiet as Allah and the Prophet commanded us to.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “He who believes in Allah and the Last Day must either speak good or remain silent.” Muslim, [Riyad As-Saaliheen]

If going to war seems a bit much for the people who yell at a da’wah booth, then you get the point. This verse of the Quran does not give Muslims the permission to verbally abuse non-Muslims, it gives us permission to go from words to swords if/when oppression happens and confrontation (versus civil discussion) is necessary to stop an ongoing injustice. 

Our scholars have written extensively on how to interact with non-Muslims that we are calling to Islam. The gist of it is that we have good manners, gentle speech, and the best of intentions towards those we are addressing.

After all, the purpose of da’wah is not the victory of the da’ee, it is the betterment of the person being addressed. The “satisfying,” “hilarious,” and “entertaining” videos that position da’wah as a battle in which we fight dirty to win are missing the entire point.

Whoever strives for knowledge for the Hereafter

Obtains great gain in righteousness.

But he is in utter loss who seeks 

To obtain advantage over people. 

– Imam Abu Hanifa

 

[Part 3 of this Dirty Da’wah series is coming soon to a MuslimMatters near you.]

Dirty Da’wah [Part 1] – Insult In The Name Of Islam

The post Dirty Da’wah [Part 2] – “The Satisfying” | Revenge In The Name Of Islam appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.