A warning to new Muslims.

A Warning to New Muslims

Bism’Allah Alr-Rahman Ilr-Raheem (In the name of GOD, Most Gracious, Most Merciful)

Many of us fairly new Muslims enter Islam in a state of naiveté. We enter Islam committing forbidden deeds, we enter Islam taking the advice of unknowledgeable and misguided born-and-raised Muslims; and this is all because we simply just don’t know any better. We’re ignorant.

You may be convinced, upon converting that your worst enemies in faith can be the people you once called your brothers and sisters in your previous religion. You’d be surprised, how sometimes even your own fellow Muslim who are misguided or ignorant may misquote something or give you the wrong facts, thus making them an even bigger adversary to your faith.

What the new Muslims generally need to do for themselves is use their logic. Upon converting, it’s not blameworthy to commit sin when you’re in the state of ignorance. However, there will be those several so-called brothers and sisters in Islam who will label anything that is generally acceptable as being “HARAM!” (Forbidden). A good example is you’ll have those odd one or two people who generally everyone else at the mosque will usually avoid, and in most cases, it’s for a good reason why they are being avoided. Such individuals will see you in jeans and a t shirt and automatically jump at you calling you a “KAFFIR!” (Disbeliever) for wearing clothing that is foreign to that of their country (i.e./ Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Sudan…etc). Such people who will try and tell you that such actions are forbidden or make you a disbeliever; what you need to do is ask them to present you with proof. Where you can be presented with such proof is from the Qur’an and authentic Hadith sources. On a level of reliability, the Hadith should be nothing less than authentic, and Hadith should never contradict the Qur’an. It would also be best to understand that of what the Qur’an says before taking Hadith into consideration. On the whole, our logic should tell us what’s right and wrong; and going to those who are knowledgeable on matters that are of doubt is always best for clarification, as long as there’s proof presented.

In simple words with the above being said, everyone should be able to agree that every single action not associated with worship is permissible onto us, unless it’s prescribed and/or proven as forbidden. However, all actions associated with worship are forbidden until proven to be prescribed as obligatory or recommended.

One example would be where some brothers/sisters will tell the new convert to start praying Sunnah (recommended prayers) and many of these new converts will start to pray Sunnah without understanding the significance behind these prayers. A new Muslim should always seek to understand every religious action they take before they uphold it in their lives and they should also be certain of its obligatory and/or recommended position in faith and practice of worship. Also, many believers will come across some individuals who are either knowingly or carelessly following heretic practices in faith. An example of that is how certain Shia’ will pray to their 12 Imams, or how Suffis will spin themselves in circles until they pass out and fall in a trance and supposedly end up in a state of stronger faith. Also, a devil-in-disguise cult calling themselves the Al-Ahbash (Habashis) who invoke Ali and Hussein by saying, Ya Ali, Ya Hussein (O’ Ali, O’ Hussein) during supplications, and they also try and change the direction of the Qiblah (which is supposed to be facing Mecca). Those who study their Qur’an know there is nothing in the Qur’an, which prescribes such practices nor are there any authentic Hadith that recommend such actions either. These people are misguided and/or ignorant.

Some converts into Islam end up converting through what may seem at first, either a good friend or even someone they dated (shamefully enough). Many of these converts will do as their friends do, but sometimes a good friend isn’t always the best example. There’s such Muslims who don’t drink, who don’t smoke cigarettes, and who don’t do drugs, but yet they will associate with people who are under the influence of any of those substances and they would also go to clubs and/or bars with those people. Just because it’s your good friend who is knowledgeable in Islam and helped you convert doesn’t always mean they are the best example, and if you have to seek other friends to better yourself, then you may just have to do that. Also, don’t feel shy that you’d offend this friend if you challenge them at what they do wrong and try to correct them and present them with proof that what they are doing is improper.

Some of you may have been (unlawfully) romantically involved with a Muslim and through their influence you may have converted. Dating is a forbidden act and it’s mentioned in Surah Al-Ma'idah (Book/Chapter of the The Feast) of the Qur’an 5:5 “...(Lawful to you in marriage) are chaste women from the believers and chaste women from those who were given the Scripture (Jews and Christians) before your time, when you have given their due Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage), desiring chastity (i.e. taking them in legal wedlock) not committing illegal sexual intercourse, nor taking them as girlfriends. ...”

Others may have converted and then met what appeared to be a suitable member of the opposite sex for marriage. Once you pursue this individual, you may be fooled to believe that they may be more knowledgeable, just because they may have been born and raised with the religion. Don’t make that mistake. You might find people spoon-feeding you their own watered down version of Islam and trying to convince you that this is Islam. One example might be a convert male might be involved with a sister who doesn’t dress modestly, who likes to dress in revealing clothing, and not wear hijaab (head scarf). We find in Surah Al-Azhab (Book/Chapter of The Parties) of the Qur’an 33:59 “O Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks close round them (when they go abroad). That will be better, so that they may be recognized and not annoyed. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.” Also in Surah Al-A'araf (The Book/Chapter of The Purgatory) Qur’an 7:26 it says, “O you Children of Adam! We have bestowed on you raiment to cover your shame as well as to be an adornment to you. But the raiment of righteousness, that is the best. Such are among the Signs of Allah, that they may receive admonition.” You may also want to refer to Surah Al-Noor (The Book/Chapter of Light) of the Qur’an 24:31. It’s written clearly that a man and woman in Islam should be covered modestly while in public. However, some of these sisters will try and excuse themselves from such an obligation to wear hijaab by claiming that these verses you present them with are “mistranslated” or “misinterpreted” in the English language and are not parallel to their meaning in the original Arabic.

In Surah Al-Nesa' (Book/Chapter of the Women) of Qur'an 4:34 God has said, "Men are the supporters of women, because Allah has stowed on the one more than the other, and for what they have to provide (for them) from their sources. So the righteous women are obedient and protect in the absence of their husbands that which God ordains to be protected." Many born-and-raised misguided male Muslims will try and use the underlined part of this verse to go on a power trip with their wives by taking advantage of this verse and manipulating it onto their wives. The women who will particularly fall victim to this are usually the converts or the less educated born-and-raised sisters in Islam. However, there’s many more quotes and verses from the Qur’an and Hadith, with instructions to men to treat their women well.

To mention a few:

“And among His signs is that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may live in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between you; Verily, in that are signs for people who reflect.” [Surah Al-Rum (Chapter/Book of the Romans) of Qur’an 30:21]

“Permitted to you, on the night of the fasts, is the approach to your wives. They are your garments and ye are their garments…” [Surah Al-Baqarah (Chapter/Book of the Cow/Heifer) of Qur’an 2:187]

"Ye who believe! It is not allowed you to be heirs of women against their will, not to hinder them from marrying, that you may take from them a part of that which you have given them, unless they have been guilty of evident lewdness. But deal kindly with them, for if ye hate them it may happen that ye have a thing wherein Allah hath placed much good." [Surah Al-Nesa’ (Chapter/Book of the Women) of Qur'an 4:19]

Finally, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “The best of you is he who is best to his wife.”

The above have been examples as to how a convert can be taken advantage of and may be erroneously informed by these so-called born and raised Muslims. On the other hand, there are riches worth of information out there that one can find if they seek for answers from the right sources and right people. Overall, it is our responsibility to find answers, and it is our responsibility to correct anyone who misinforms us.

May God (Allah, subhana’hu wa ta’ala) guide us and bring us all to salvation.

Ameen.

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