Confused personalities & divided loyalties...

[Colonel_Hardstone]

I see many Muslims (men and women, boys & girls) who are simply confused about who they really are or should be. They see that they don't physically look like the natives of the country, although they may speak the language as fluently as the natives, their choices (food etc.) are similar YET they are not the same as natives of the lands which they inhabit.

I think that this is the first time in the History of Islam where we have so many Muslims living in Non-Muslim dominated lands which is alien to their ethnicity.

Q1) Do Reverts go through the same issues when they Revert? i.e. when they become Muslim and want to follow the Sunnah do they also feel alien in their own country amongst their own kind and within their own kith and kin? How strong are these feelings?

Q2) How do we (Foreign Muslims) resolve these issues? The more we practise the more "alien" we get to these lands? or should we even try to resolve the issue? Or just accept that we are different and get on with life?

[ummuseif]

Confuse..i see a lots as well. Alhamdulillah I think and hope that I am not confuse and alhamdulillah all my kids seems like not confuse as well. People are confuse because they think that because they are different, they they will not be accepted, so might as well try hard to be like them.

But, I had seen and talk to a lots of local non muslim and I think they think that people should stick to what they believe and behave like one. But, in reality do we? If we say that we want to build and islamic country and make everyone a muslim with agressive and want our voice heard, I don't think that's the way a proper muslim should be. So, should we try to be like local people in a way to get them to accept us?

Doesn't matter how we behave or try to be like a local non muslim people in non muslim country, we cannot be like them. We got different culture, different food and different blood and genes. So, does't matter how we try it, we can't be like them. And we cannot make them also to accept our culture, even they might accept our food. Because culture usually come with the ethnic but not from Islam , the religgion it self.

I teach my kids that we are different, because we are muslim, we have to cover our aurah, we cannot eat haram food, we have to look after our prayer and all the values of the sunnah that we try to bring into our day tod ay life. BUT, these didn't means that we will not be accepted. I live in non muslim town, no masjeed in my area. The nearest is about 6/7/ miles.

But, I am wearing veil, both my daughter wearing hijab proper since small and they are homeschool, but they also go to library and join the kids club there, they mix with neighbour kids. Our kids neighbour come in and out our house. One of them only 5, he even want to sleep over, he come to us to the park although at that time, I never speak with his grand ma ever or his mother. He go and ask his grand ma, and she let her come with us, with me wearing black veil and never talk to her. I wonder how can she trust me? Because someone who try hard to follow religion, I don't think is actually consider bad.

They invite my kids for the boy birthday party, even we don't celebrate birthday, but my kids went because of respect, they bought some sweets and crips that suitable for vegetarian. Even when my 6 years old when to their house and be offer biscuit, ice cream or sweet, my 6 years old will ask politely to read the label of the packet because that's how he been teach. and our english neighbour know we eat halal food and need to be suitable for vegetarian and no wine and etc in the ingredient.

My kids stand on themselves when it's come to what we can do and what we cannot do but these didn't mean we cannot intergrate and become a problem for us. I can easily walk around in shopping centre, talk to people at the kiosk and etc without them and me feel there are a gap in between.

For me, it's very important for us to be our self. We confuse when we try to be 'other'. We think we will get accepted if we try to be like other. No we not. Especially our religion is a true religion. And as long as we follow Allah command and the sunnah, we will be all alright all along the way.

When my kids friends come, which is all non muslim, they do have a chat about hijab, prayer and etc. My kids will pray when the time come, their non muslim friends will wait. even the 5 years old now, started to do the same action with my boys because both my boys will pray together and he wil stand next to them and repeat the action. We had no sofa in the house, no dining table, so when all these non muslim kids come, and if lunch time or tea time and I make something to eat, they sit on the floor with us to eat with us.

Yes, we are different, but we never confuse nor do we feel we have to divide neither we feel there are a gap. With the different we hope that we can show them what real islam is. We can easily confuse because inside us our believe is still shaken. This is why when we go out in tabligh jamaat, again and again we learn about iman and iman and iman and how important iman is. And how important to bring teh greatness of Allah into our heart. Nothing great rather than Allah s.w.t and like my daughter said, " Who said muslim cannot have fun?".

[Colonel_Hardstone]

Sister...

Very good, Masha'Allah

[hozaifah786]

yes this is true but as the elders say jamaat is the key. If enough of us youth and elders go into jamaat then they will just look and accept Islam. This is how it was in the times of the sahabah. I agree that we are weak, I personally am weak, but i try my best by goin 3 days every month. Im not saying that we cannot be like that sahabah (inshallah we can and will be 1 day), but the problem is that we dont know enough about our own religion. Yes it is readily available in books, madressas, masjids etc. But we also need to try and go out in the path of Allah.

Everything is multiplied by hundreds of thousands of times when we go out in the path of Allah. So every action will double, triple, quadrouple into millions of times of rewards inshallah. When we go out in the path of Allah we go to learn, so the angels will spread their wings under our feet and all the creations of Allah will pray for our forgiveness.

Im not saying this is simple but if we go out in the path of Allah our lives will be made easy and inshallah those around us will realise that and join us.

P.S. When i first went out i learnt alot and tried to practice, when my friends asked why are you doing this? I gave them an answer. Mashallah a few of my friends have started coming out to jamaat with me. So it does take affect, we dont realise it, as it is the work of Allah.

Also if i may add another point this is the work of the Ambiyah (A.S.), as the last ummat we have been given the responsibility to spread the message of Allah as there are no other messengers ever coming to this world. Prophet Muhammed (SAW) was the seal for this, the gate is locked no more, its our responsibility. Yes it is the work of the Amibyah and some of you may be thinking just as I was that we do not deserve this as we are so weak, but we can ask Allah to forgive us for our shortcomings and who knows our little action of maybe reading the Holy Quran or doing some Tasbeeh may be the guidance of another being. Allah knows best.

Thankyou for reading this and please mind any words spelt in slang. sorry