“Indeed God is beautiful and He loves that which is beautiful”
“Is the reward for good anything but good”. These are the words of the Almighty Lord of the Worlds as ordained in the chapter known as the “Bride of the Qur’an” – Surah Ar-Rahman, 55:60.
Throughout the world, every minute of every day, in every city and every community, there are those who strive to be the recipient of this very statement. This past year, I have been blessed to visit more than 80 communities throughout America, meeting over 80,000 people from varied backgrounds in the process. A key take-a-way from my historic experience is that there are good people performing great deeds everywhere, all the time. Unfortunately, you just don’t hear about it. Muslims smile, carry groceries, feed the poor, shelter the homeless, reply to hate with kindness and stand in solidarity with the oppressed in all walks of life. Simple acts of kindness that would weigh heavy on their scales on the day of judgment. These are the unsung heroes of our community that represent the true values of Islam and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They observe these practices every day by just being who they are.
Now more than ever it’s critically important to start sharing these stories of hope and humanity as a response to the negative rhetoric created against the global Muslim community across the board. Individuals vying for leadership have used mainstream media to incite fear and hate amongst the masses in hopes of gaining popularity and position. They’ve done this by creating a narrative that paints Islam as the villain and the root cause of all things unpleasant. Social justice systems conveniently have forged a paradigm of double standards to benefit the “Privileged” and torment the “Other”. There have been many reported cases of violence incited against innocent, law abiding people as a result of these movements. It’s time to take back our narrative and showcase the beauty of Islam.
In 2016, I will continue with my installments of the historic “50 Mosque Man” tour across the United States, opening windows into several communities along the way for everyone to see. I have partnered with ilmfeed.com to create this monthly column in efforts of chronicling and showcasing some of the most exceptional and inspirational stories of individuals and institutions that I come across along along the way. Our hope is to motivate our audience. Through this effort, we want to inspire people into the role of “Good will Ambassadors”. People who will go out into the world and create positive experiences for themselves and others, by enjoining all that is good and standing up against all that is not. We want to encourage both Muslims and non-muslims to engage one another organically. Share their values by means of good manners and proper etiquette, so that they may truly understand one another. This is how we will bridge the gap, come together as a community and silence the false propaganda that is portrayed in the media and beyond. This is how we become empowered! This is how we will win His favor!
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