“Convince Me Why I Should Stay a Muslim”

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

I was asked by a young man once, “Convince me why I should stay a Muslim.”  And I replied that it is not my place to convince anyone of anything.  If he chose to stay, it is his benefit and if he chose to leave, it is his loss.  Allah (s.w.t.) is not enhanced if every human became Muslims and He is not deprived, if all humanity left.  God will always be God regardless of our actions. 

He was full of pride in his knowledge.  As Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani (q.s.) said, “Doubt comes from pride.  You doubt when you are not humble enough to believe.”  He learnt his Islam from the internet and suddenly, he is an authority to judge the Prophet (s.a.w.).  What a world we live in when the people of ignorance claim to seek truth, and the people of “intellect” are merely slaves to their ego. 

The Path is clear.  Ours is an open door.  There will always be people who come and there will always be people who leave.  As the awliya’ have said, Islam is a caravan of hope in the desert of dunya.  As that caravan moves, the dogs bark and the sands whirl but the guide always knows the next oasis in that journey to the Ocean of Unity. 

And then he said, “I will not continue this conversation until you show me proof.”  There is nothing to show.  Knowledge is not to be demanded.  It is earned by humility and submission.  There is no benefit in giving precious stones to children when they are looking for candy.  We are here to teach and to guide.  Not to debate.  The people of heedlessness debate and feed their egos, reveling in what they know, not knowing that they merely celebrate their veils.  As Shaykh Zakariya  ibn ‘Umar Bagharib (q.s.) would say to them, “You are below idiot.” 

If anyone comes looking for Allah (s.w.t.), they will travel seven valleys and find Him within.  The mirror of the heart will be polished and the Divine Light will shine with no images.  Far too many claim to be looking for God when they are only looking for the god of the self.  And we seek Refuge in Allah (s.w.t.) from that.


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