Dear person,
You may be a non-Muslim, you may be a Muslim. You may be a Hindu, Catholic, Jew, Atheist etc. You may be American, Australian, British citizen, Indian, Lebanese, Arab, Chinese, Japanese, Pakistani etc. You may be 10 or 50, 18 or 80, 13 or 30, 12 or 20. You may be male, female or other. You may be an introvert or an extrovert or an ambivert. You may prefer sports to books, or art to studying, or travelling to settling down, or single or taken. You are who you think you are. But you know that you are not who others think you are.
Many people, including Muslims ourselves, have misconceptions about Islam. You might not know what we do, what we say, what we think. But what you think we do is not the same as who we really are.
We are Muslims. We are not terrorists. We are not boring preachers. We are not oppressors. We are not violent. We are not the evil image created by the media. We are not even the helpless image also created by the media. Who we are is different to who you think we are.
We are more than just people who fast a month every year. We are more than people who pray 5 times a day. We are more than people who can read/write/speak Arabic. We are more than people who tell women in our community to wear Hijab and the men in our community to earn money. We are more than people who believe in one God.
We are people who fast to keep us humble and ever-aware of God watching us. We are people who pray to God so we can thank Him and remember Him. We are people who learn how to read Arabic just so we can recite the beautiful words in the book given to us by God. We are people who admire believing women who protect their chastity and be modest because they were told by God to do it. We are people who admire the strength of a man who can provide for his family, but don't judge when the woman earns money as well.
We are people who believe that God is our Guardian. Our Protector. Our Creator. Our Nurturer. Our Judge. Our Light. The All-Hearer who listens for people who are asking His help. The All-Seer who sees people who are sobbing into their arms for Him. The One who we worship and love more than we love our own mothers. Because essentially, God--- Allah--- is the One who created our mothers.
Many people, non-Muslims and Muslims, think we're "just another religion". We're not. And I'm not saying other religions are either. They have their own special rituals, beliefs, and teachings. We, Muslims, are not the evil, oppressive people portrayed in media and other forms. Islam does not teach that. Islam teaches peace. Islam teaches us to:
1. Not mix the truth with falsehood (2:42)
2. Order righteousness to people only after practicing it yourself (2:44)
3. Do not commit abuse on the earth (2:60)
4. Do not prevent people from mosques (2:114)
5. Do not follow anyone blindly (2:170)
6. Do not break the promise (2:177)
7. Do not engage in bribery (2:188)
8. Fight only with those who fight you (2:190)
9. Protect orphans (2:220)
10. Choose rulers by their merit (2:247)
11. No compulsion in religion (2:256)
12. Do not invalidate charity with reminders (2:264)
13. Help those in need by finding them (2:273)
14. Don’t consume interest (2:275)
15. Grant more time to repay if the debtor is in hard time (2:280)
16. Write down the debt (2:282)
17. Keep the trust (2:283)
18. Do not spy and backbite (2:283)
19. Do not burden a person beyond his scope (2:286)
20. Do not become divided (3:103)
21. Restrain Anger (3:134)
22. Do not be rude in speech (3:159)
23. Think deeply about the wonders and creation of this universe (3:191)
24. Men and Women have equal rewards for their deeds (3:195)
25. Wealth of the dead should be distributed among family members (4:7)
26. Women also have the right for inheritance (4:7)
27. Do not devour the property of orphans (4:10)
28. Do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly (4:29)
29. Be good to others (4:36)
30. Do not be miserly (4:37)
31. Do not keep envy (4:54)
32. Judge with justice between people (4:58)
33. Do not kill each other (4:92)
34. Do not be an advocate for deceitful (4:105)
35. Standout firmly for justice (4:135)
36. Cooperate in righteousness (5:2)
37. Do not cooperate in sin and aggression (5:2)
38. Be just (5:8)
39. Punish for crimes in an exemplary way (5:38)
40. Strive against sinful and unlawful (5:63)
41. Avoid intoxicants and alcohol (5:90)
42. Do not gamble (5:90)
43. Do not insult others’ deities (6:108)
44. ’Having majority’ is not a criterion of truth (6:116)
45. Don’t reduce weight or measure to cheat people (6:152)
46. Do not be arrogant (7:13)
47. Eat and Drink, But Be Not Excessive (7:31)
48. Wear good clothes during prayer times (7:31)
49. Forgive others for their mistakes (7:199)
50. Do not turn back in battle (8:15)
51. Protect and help those who seek protection (9:6)
52. Keep Purity (9:108)
53. Never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy (12:87)
54. Allah will forgive to those who have done wrong out of ignorance (16:119)
55. Invitation to God should be with wisdom and good instruction (16:125)
56. No one will bear others’ sins (17:15)
57. Be dutiful to parents (17:23)
58. Do not say a word of disrespect to parents (17:23)
59. Do not spent money extravagantly (17:29)
60. Do not kill your children for fear of poverty (17:31)
61. Do not approach unlawful sexual intercourse (17:32)
62. Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge (17:36)
63. Speak to people mildly (20:44)
64. Keep aloof from what is vain (23:3)
65. Do not enter others’ house without seeking permission (24:27)
66. Allah will provide security for those who believe only in Allah (24:55)
67. Do not enter parents’ private room without asking permission (24:58)
68. Walk on earth in humility (25:63)
69. Do not neglect your portion of this world (28:77)
70. Invoke not any other god along with Allah (28:88)
71. Enjoin right, forbid wrong (31:17)
72. Do not walk in insolence through the earth (31:18)
73. Lower your voice (31:19)
74. Women should not display their finery (33:33)
75. Allah forgives all sins (39:53)
76. Do not be despair of the mercy of Allah (39:53)
77. Repel evil by good (41:34)
78. Decide on affairs by consultation (42:38)
79. Try for settlement between people (49:9)
80. Do not ridicule others (49:11)
81. Avoid suspicion (49:12)
82. Do not spy or backbite (49:12)
83. Most noble of you is the most righteous (49:13)
84. Honor guests (51:26)
85. Spent wealth in charity (57:7)
86. Those who have knowledge will be given a higher degree by Allah (58:11)
87. Treat non-Muslims in a kind and fair manner (60:8)
88. Save yourself from covetousness (64:16)
89. Seek forgiveness of Allah. He is Forgiving and Merciful (73:20)
90. Do not repel one who asks (93:10)
91. Encourage feeding poor (107:3)
Islam only teaches peace. Look around at the signs and compare them to the Qur'an. When you read the Qur'an with an open mind, surely you will find that Islam is the truth and it only teaches peace.
Love,
A teenage Muslim Hijabi
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