Islam Is Not A Personal Religion

Religions, generally, you know specially in modern, postmodern society, religion is considered something personal.

Like religion is, in our constitution, for instance, we have the freedom of religion and just like the freedom of speech and the freedom of choice, etc. etc.

These freedoms that we enjoy in this country are because religion is a personal matter.

So, nobody can stop me from praying and I can't stop somebody else from worshiping the devil if they want to.

That's entirely up to them.

If they wanna believe in a God that's their business.

If they don't believe in no God that's their business.

Right!

It's a free marketplace of ideas.

And it's a personal thing.

But you know, this understanding from the Quran and from the Prophet Sallellahu Alahyhe wa sallam, it lends us to something.

Islam isn't only concerned with yourself.

If you are a Muslim, Islam is just not your personal business.

Islam by definition needs to be shared.

Islam by definition seeks to benefit others too.

And if I am a believer in Islam then I cannot say my Islam is limited to myself.
It doesn't affect anybody else.

I don't have to anything else but worry about myself.

So long as I am praying, so long as I am going to hajj, so long as I give some Zakat, so long as I pray I am set!

I don't have to worry about anybody else.

That is not something our religion lets us do.

By definition!

It is at the core of it concerned with others!

One of the most fundamental suras of the Quran, that probably all of you know by heart, is suratul A'sr.

Right?

Suratul A'sr very short sura!

Very easy to memorise!

Most of you probably know it by heart.

If Islam was just about yourself, it would just be illâ al-ladhîna amanû wa 'amilû as-sâlihâti!

if it was just for yourself it would have been illâ al-ladhîna amanû wa 'amilû as-sâlihâti!

And we have wa tawâsaw bi al-haqqi and we have wa tawâsaw bi as-sabr.

That is necessarily engagement with others.

That is necessarily sharing this religion and its goodness with others.

So it is something that is inherent into our religion.

And it is not something I have to prove to you.

I mean look around, the fact that we are sitting in a Mashjid, the fact that there are volunteers recording this video, this is actually collective work1! Cut

There are people, you know, could just be sitting home.

And eating halal food and waiting for Dohar and pray and say, "Look! My Islam is done. I am not doing anything wrong!"

But you know, we built community!

We engaged ourselves in this kind of work, right?

So there is something that inherently we appreciate about the struggle for this religion beyond ourselves.

By Ustadh Nouman Ali Khan