One God, Same Religion – Our Duty to Spread the Message of Islam
Summary of Khutbah by Shaikh Shafayat written by Sis. Staci Brody / Florida USA
In the Holy Quran, Allah SWT has commanded Muslims to spread the message of Islam. Yet some Muslims still believe that to do so is not an obligation upon them. Allah SWT says in the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nahl, v. 125, “Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided.” In this verse, Allah SWT reveals to the Prophet Muhammad SAW that the key to circulating the teachings of Islam is through knowledge and beautified preaching. But Allah SWT also says that to spread the message of Islam is a responsibility and an obligation of everyone who calls themselves a Muslim. It has already been stated that Muslims must take the initiative to propagate the message of Islam to the best of their ability. Furthermore, it is even more essential than ever in today’s world due to the ever-increasing fear and misconceptions that people in our communities hold about our religion. In the media, Muslims are portrayed as being primitive militants who are intolerant of any beliefs besides their own. Based on the manipulated images illustrated in the media alone, it is understandable to anyone why someone who knows nothing about Islam would fear such a religion. Similarly, these same tactics news publications use to instill fear in viewers are also the same strategies used to shape societies negative views of other minorities and situations. Yet, it is something easy to criticize and hard to change, and although occasionally a media corporation might broadcast a positive aspect of our religion, their bottom line is always to boost sales and make money. Therefore, it is up to us to not depend on the media to back our cause, but rather take the mission of spreading the positive messages of Islam into our own hands. Allah SWT says to first invite others with knowledge. Unfortunately for many Muslims this means solely educating themselves. While educating oneself is indeed commendable, Muslims should ultimately educate themselves with the goal of sharing their knowledge with Non-Muslims. Due to the media’s bombardment of negative views of Islam, there are subsequently people in our communities who are begging to know what our religion actually says and why it seems to them to be a new or foreign religion that has recently surfaced. By educating ourselves (and then spreading the message) we can help them understand that our religion is neither new nor foreign at all, but rather is simply a continuation, as well as a confirmation, of their own religious beliefs [Judaism and Christianity]. In the second part of Surah An-Nahl, v. 125, Allah SWT instructs us to “argue with them in a way that is best.” This means that we should not quarrel when discussing the differences in our religion, but rather should beautify our words and teach both Jews and Christians that essentially our religions are one in the same. Even the Hadiths support this; In Sahih Muslim, Book 30, Hadith Number 5834, Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger SAW saying: “I am most akin to the son of Mary among the whole of mankind and the Prophets are of different mothers, but of one religion, and no Prophet was raised between me and him (Jesus Christ).” The Holy Quran also provides evidence of this in Surah Ash-Shuraa, Ch. 42 v.13, when it states, “He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and not be divided therein.” By analyzing this scripture, it is clear that we not only share the same beliefs as earlier Christians and Jews, but that we also practice the same religion as them and vice-versa. Their Prophets are our Prophets and we worship the same God: Allah SWT. There are other verses in both the Torah and the Bible which maintain that we are all part of one religion. In the Old Testament, in Genesis 16, it is confirmed that Hagar, is indeed the legitimate second wife of Ibrahim. Hagar bore a son from Ibrahim, who is the Prophet Ishmael and also the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad SAW. Also, the dress code of Muslim women is also criticized as being “oppressive”.
Yet, in The Bible, 1 Corinthians 11:6, a Jewish or Christian woman is also instructed to cover her head [while praying]. Lastly, in the New Testament of The Bible, it is said, in Matthew 26:39, that when Jesus AS prayed he “fell on his face,” which is another way of saying he prostrated in prayer to God, similar to Muslims. In the United States there are over six million Muslims living today. It is difficult to believe then why these misconceptions about our religion continue. It is easy to blame others (the media, bigots, etc.) for our own shortcomings, but it is imperative for us to take seriously own inadequacies of learning and spreading the message of The Quran and Islam. As explained in this article, there are a vast amount of similarities between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and we must educate not only ourselves on what they are, but we also must go a step further and educate others, Inshaa Allah. By obtaining knowledge and sharing it, hopefully we can start doing a better job of combating the negative rhetoric being circulated about Islam and replace it with a more positive and realistic message about whom we are and what we believe, Inshaa Allah, Ameen. END