The Loyola MSA was kind enough to record and upload a lecture I did for them a few months back, related to how we can build an Islamic Trust on Campus, so here it is:
Strangers Oasis
The Traveler’s Chill Spot
Your Responses
Oasis Feeding Frenzy
Asalaamu Alaiakum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu
Masha’Allah, great lecture, listened to 3 parts so far.
In this second part you mentioned this story about the person who *almost* converted. SubhanAllah a sheikh who came here for a conference told us a similiar story. He’s one of the imams in an masjid in irvine (CA). This person came in very interested about Islam and they had a particular love for the Salah (esp. Jumuah). They just liked how all the Muslims united and prayed together. So the Sheikh inivted him for Dhur prayer once, and he told him just follow everything I do, every movement I make in the pray er(he wasn’t Muslim yet but was planning on reverting that day). The whole time during the prayer this person is just looking up at the sheikh, copying everything he does, looking at his side, looking everywhere. So the prayer finished, and everyone started to pray Sunnah. So the sheikh got a call from overseas and he said i’ll be right back to the person.
Another Muslim walked past the person and observed him, and mind you he is now imitating others praying sunnah, looking here, there. And this person goes crazy and screams “Brother, QIBLA, HARAAM, QIBLA, Haraam!” you are praying wrong, what’s wrong with you!! you shouldn’t be moving around, and so on and so on….
imagine how this person felt having this complete stranger yelling in his face about QIBLA. His thoughts about Islam probably changed. SubhanAllah, he left the Masjid right then and never came back.
As Muslims we really need to reform our manners, and use hikmah in our speech, and also LIVE islam, subhanAllah or it will turn away both Muslims and non Muslims,
May Allah guide us, ameen
May Allah reward you for sharing,
Wa’salaamu Alaiakum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu
Walaykum as salaam wa rahmatullaah sister Anisa,
Jazakallaahu khayran for the du’aas, greatly appreciated! Yes, our example speaks more volumes about us than the book knowledge we disperse. I read someone say, that the statement, how you say something is more important than what you say is inaccurate – he said, how you say something IS what you’re saying. The same for doing, I would imagine.
Siraaj