In the Name of Allâh, the Most
Beneficent, the Most Merciful
By Dar-ul-Muslimeen
Why should you, a young Muslim, be
helping to bring your friends closer to Allah? After all, you've got your own
struggles to deal with: trying to explain to hostile teachers why you pray,
Hijab discrimination, standing up in class when the professor attacks Islam,
dealing with parents who think you've gone nuts because you're growing a beard,
or all the other difficulties faced by a number of practicing Muslim youth?
Islam was never meant to be an
individualistic faith, reserved for the "chosen few". Muslims have a
duty to spread the Deen; and practicing Muslim youth, whether beginners,
activists or leaders, have a crucial role to play.
"Allah has put them in a position
that perhaps no one else is in," notes Sheema Khan, former Muslim Youth of
North America (MYNA) advisor for eastern Canada. "They have the means to
communicate with their peers, they have an understanding of what they're going
through plus they have the guidance of Islam."
Who is your childhood friend going to
listen to? Who is your childhood friend, who would rather spend Fridays at
McDonalds's than the Masjid, or your classmate who is Muslim in name and only
knows that "Muslims don't eat pork" going to listen to: the nice Imam
of the Masjid who would freak out if he saw the way they were dressed and
talked or you who may have grown up with them, joked with them, or see them
everyday in school?
The answer is obvious: You.
Don't panic. Here are some tips and
advice which can help. These are advises from other Muslims, many of whom have
been there and done that:
Tip # 1 : Make Your Intention Sincere
All work we do should ideally be for
the sake of Allah. That includes the task of bringing someone closer to Allah.
That of course means this should not be connected to arrogance, thinking you're
the teacher and everyone else should be lucky you've embarked on a crusade to
save them. Guidance is from Allah. Make Dua and make sincere efforts and
remember Allah.
Tip # 2 : Practice What You Preach
Not practicing what you preach is wrong
and you will lose the confidence of anyone, young or old, once they figure you
out. Don't do it.
Tip # 3 : Use The Qur'an, Seerah of the
Prophet and Ahlulbait (peace be upon them)
As TABLIGH Guides Read and understand
those chapters of the Qur'an which talk about how the Prophets presented the
message of Islam to their people.
Read the Seerah to see especially how
the Prophet Muhammad and Ahlulbait peace and blessings be upon them) brought
Islam to so many different people, including young people.
As well, talk to Tabligh workers, and
check out manuals they may have
written, like Yahiya Emerick's How to Tell Others About Islam.
Tip # 4 : Talk To People As If You
Really Don't Know Them
Don't assume you know someone just by
looking at them. You don't know that the Muslim girl in your homeroom who walks
through the school's hallways as if they were fashion show catwalks, is not
someone you can talk to about Allah because she looks like a snob. Or that the
Muslim guy who you've never seen at Juma at your university is a "bad
Muslim". Maybe he was never really taught Islam and has no idea what
importance Friday prayers have in Islam, especially for Muslim men.
Tip # 5 : Smile
Did you know the Prophet was big on
smiling? But many "practicing" Muslims seem to have "their faces
on upside down" as one speaker once said-frowning and serious. Smiling,
being polite and kind are all part of the manners of the Prophet, which we must
exercise in our daily lives. If we want to approach others with Islam, we have
to make ourselves approachable. Smiling is key to this.
But note that being approachable does
not mean being flirtations with the other gender. There are Islamic rules for
how men and women should deal with each other which have to be respected.
Tabligh is no excuse to have long and private conversations and meetings with
the other sex, for example. Set up a system where someone expressing an
interest in Islam is referred to someone of the same sex.
Tip # 6 : Take The Initiative &
Hang Out With Them
Take the first step and invite someone
you may have spoken to a couple of times to sit at lunch together, to check out
a hockey game or invite them over for Iftaar in Ramadan.
Also, share difficulties, sorrows and
frustrations. Help with homework, be a shoulder to cry on when depression hits,
or just plain listen when your friend is upset, discuss common problems and
KEEP THEIR SECRETS. There are few things as annoying as a snitch and
backstabber. But an important note: if the problem is of a serious nature,
(i.e. your friend is thinking of committing suicide or is taking drugs), notify
and consult an adult immediately.
Tip # 7 : Show Them Islam Is Relevant
Today, Right Here, Right Now
Young people may think Islam is too
"old fashioned" and not in tune with the modern age.
Prove this wrong. Show how Islam is
really about relating to Allah, which any human being can do, anywhere,
anytime. Allah is always closer to you than your jugular vein and He hears and
knows everything. Encourage friends to ask Allah's help during tests, exams,
and in dealing with problems at home with parents and siblings. Also point out
how Islam relates to teenagers: Islam gives you focus and an understanding of
who you are and where you are going, which most of "teen culture"
does not.
Tip # 8 : Get Them Involved In
Volunteer Work With You
If you are already involved in the
community, get your friend to help out. Ask them to make a flyer for one of
your youth group's events or brainstorm for ideas about activities to hold this
school year. This involvement makes them feel part of the Muslim community and
deepens your friendship, since you are now working together on something
beneficial for both of you. Make sure you thank them for their contribution.
Tip # 9 : Ask Them 4 Fundamental Questions
As your friendship develops, you will
notice the topics you discuss may become more serious. You may be discussing,
for instance, future goals and plans. Khan recommends four questions to ask
that can steer the topic to Allah and Islam:
a. Where am I going in life and what
would make me really happy deep down inside?
b. What do I believe?
c. Who should I be grateful to?
d. Did I get to where I am today
without the help of anyone?
Tip # 10 : Emphasize Praying 5 Times A
Day Before Any Other Aspect Of Islam
A person's main connection with Allah,
on a daily basis, is through the prayer five times a day. Don't emphasize any
other aspect of Islam until your friend starts making a real effort to pray
five times a day. Emphasize the direct connection one has with Allah in prayer.
If they are facing a problem, tell them to pray, and to ask Allah for help in
Salah and outside this time. When possible, make it a point to pray together
during your "hang out time". If your friend begins to pray, that is
the first step to other aspects of Islam like giving up swearing, treating
parents with respect or dressing Islamically.
Tip # 11 : Help Instill Confidence In
Adults
Adults, like Bart Simpson's dad Homer,
are considered bumbling idiots in the eyes of "teen culture". Your
job as a young Muslim is to help turn the tables on this false and un-Islamic
belief. All you have to do is this: when a Muslim adult does something good
(i.e. saving someone's life, donating money to a worthy cause, the Imam gives a
good speech, taking good care of his/her family) bring it up in the course of
your conversations with your friend and praise the adult in question. Doing
this regularly may not only change your friend's perspective, but could lead to
them seeing their own parents in a more respectful way.
Tip # 12 : Support Them Even When They
Become More Practicing
Remember, just because a person starts
practicing Islam more regularly, this does not mean everything will be okay
from this point onwards. There will still be hard times, difficulties. There
may be times when your friend may have doubts about his or her newfound
practice of Islam. Be there to reassure them.
Source: kalamullah.com
