Nadim Bashir – Khatira – Islamic Etiquettes of Interfaith Dialogue

			Today in sha Allah, I want to take a very different topic and discuss today based on a lot of
requests that have come. And I think is extremely important, especially in the day and age that we
live in, that it has to be discussed and must be addressed and that is the etiquette of interfaith
dialogue. See, first of all, is that where the interfaith dialogue started in the Muslim community,
there are people if you study Muslims in America, there was a time where it longtime in America,
there are people who are involved in debates, you go back to the days, and he was always, you know,
engaging in dialogues or in debates with other Christian pastors and so forth. But overall, the
		

			Muslim community was not engaged in interfaith dialogues, till 911 took place, after 911 took place,
there was a very big demand from everyone that we need to really show the true nature and the true
colors of what Islam is, and SubhanAllah. Hence, there are so many Dawa opportunities, so many Dawa
endeavors that started all over America. And so many Muslims, they felt that I, they felt the need
that I need to be part of this and I need to be willing to teach others about my religion. So this
is where it all started from. But I will say this, because today inshallah quickly I do want to
cover some of the things that you can do, or some of the things that you should do when it comes to
		

			interfaith dialogue, some of the things that we're not allowed to do in an interfaith dialogue, but
I will say this before we begin,
		

			not everyone has a stomach. Not everyone has the ability to interfaith to engage in interfaith
dialogue. There are some people we all are created differently by Allah subhanho, wa taala, there
are some who are able to put their foot down and say, this is halal, this is haram. This is what we
believe in, this is what we don't believe in, and the story, that's it, while there are some people
that Allah Subhanallah has created them in such a way that they have a very soft, you know, a very,
I would say, creamy heart, okay, that they cannot say anything that can perhaps cause any kind of
discomfort to someone. And I will say this, if you have that kind of personality, that you cannot
		

			say something that you cannot say something that you feel like that it may hurt someone, or you
might say something that you're disagreeing with someone, if you don't have the stomach for it, and
you don't have the ability for it, then you should not engage in interfaith dialogue to begin with.
And you should not international engage in interfaith, you know, kind of events and so forth.
Because once again, it's not everyone's cup of tea. So this is the very first thing I want to
mention. Why do people do interfaith dialogue, once again, is founded from our, from our, from the
CEDAW of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, in his seventh year of hijab, there were
		

			Christians who came the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he said, we're not even sure about to
go and send a message to the people of neutron neutron was filled with Christians to come to the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and enter and engage in a interfaith dialogue or discussion.
Once again, the Quran does highlight this discussion. And at the end, they do not agree to the
Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. But one of the key reasons why the person he did this also was
to ensure that even though you and I are going to disagree with each other, but at least we
understand that we need to have each other's backs, especially when it comes to the socio economic
		

			and the political situation in Makkah, or in Medina, because you have to understand once again, the
seed of the problem tells us that you had the courage, they had allies, you had Muslims, and they
had their allies too. So once again, you can build up allies. Now, if you try to take that same
example and apply it today to our current political situation. I respectfully say that you cannot do
that. Because when you today go to the world of politics, there's going to be some aspects that
you're gonna have to compromise your deen with. And there's no political party in America that 100%
aligned with Islamic values, some some parties, they align in some areas, some parties, they align
		

			in some areas, and I'll just simply leave it at that. But the point is, at that time, based on the
current political situation, the prophets of salaam he realized that he needs to have allies so even
though they disagreed, but once again, the person did not compromise but he said that we need to
have a good and in a court and a cordial relationship. Now.
		

			What are we not allowed to do or let's start with this what can we do or what should we do when it
comes to interfaith dialogue? Very first thing is to I have the Quran Allah subhanho wa Taala says
Oduro Elizabeth Rebecca Bill Hekmati? Well Marie Lawton Hassan, when it comes to giving Dawa,
whether you're giving Dawa to a person who does not believe in Allah, whether you're giving Dawa to
a person who doesn't believe in Allah and either way, whenever you give Dawa whenever you're calling
someone to Allah subhanho wa Taala Bill hikmah. See Allah subhanaw taala did not say biller alien.
Use your knowledge. There are some people who feel you
		

			Let me come, let me throw all my intellect on the table. Let me impress them and they will become
Muslims just like this. It doesn't work like this Hikmah This is why Allah says in the Quran will
mean you tell the heck matter for the OTO Hi Ron cathedra Allah did not say that whoever is given
knowledge they have been given Allah Allah said Whoever has been given Hikmah and wisdom they have
been given hola and what that basically means is to know what to say, to say or what to say when to
say how to say and what gathering to say. All this applies to a person or they will know who has
hikma and next one is one more than Hasina with a good and a sincere advice to that person. This is
		

			how we give Dawa. Another thing that's very important is that I've seen when it comes to interfaith
Dawa and dialogue, we tried to cover the entire world. If I were to ask you or someone were to ask
you, can you please explain to me who your God is? Explain to me who Allah subhana wa Taala is? Well
Allah, you don't have to go far. You go straight to sort of a class, Paul who Allahu Ahad Allahu
Samad, let me lead. Well, um, you let what I'm gonna call local for now. Because one of the biggest
things, see when a person believes in another religion, they know the flaws of their religion, or
they might know the areas that were they know that they're not very clear on. We had an interfaith
		

			dialogue here at Epic. There was a person who came and when I asked them, can you explain your
concept? Okay, when you explain your religious concept to me, You know what the first thing they
said before they started, they said that I'm going to explain to you, but it's a little confusing,
but I will go ahead and explain to you
		

			our deen is not confusing. Our deen is very clear is so clean. Allah subhanho wa Taala says puluh
Allah has sort of a class, you share pseudo class with someone, you clearly explain to someone who
Allah subhanho wa Taala is and I guarantee you they're gonna you're you have planted a seed in their
heart. Because one thing about Islam versus all the other religions is when people come here all the
time and they say, we have converted to Islam why? One of the key reasons is it is so simple. It is
so clear how many times people come here and they say we have been believing in the trading for such
a long time. Yet we never understood what it meant. This is what Islam is, instead of covering the
		

			entire world and explaining in going here and there explaining who Allah is. Stick stick to the
basics. Simple what Allah subhanaw taala has mentioned in the Quran. Another thing that's very
important, is guidance is not in your eloquence and guidance is not in your intellect. Guidance is
only in only in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala if Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam being
such a mate, of course, the last prophet, the most beloved person to Allah subhanho wa Taala if he
cannot go and convince his own uncle, his own family, that is why we learn from that, that will
Allah He does not is not based on our eloquence. Yes, eloquence is important. But it's not
		

			contingent upon that person converting to Islam or them believing in Allah subhanho wa Taala is not
based on our intellect, but rather is based on the guidance or the hidayah that comes from Allah
subhanho wa Taala we give Dawa our job has always been give your Dawa. The rest is in their hands.
The rest is in the hands of Allah subhanho wa Taala it's not our job. It's not our job to convince
them. Yes, it's our job to give Dawa that's exactly what also allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam did,
and ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada is a very core fundamental principle and that is our job is to make the
effort, the results are in the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala. Another thing that's very, that's
		

			very important when it comes to identify identify interfaith dialogues is finding commonalities.
Okay, there's a there's some differences, but there's a lot of commonalities I've signed with so
many people of other faiths, I don't focus on the differences. I focus on the commonalities and
Subhanallah Wallahi. They don't know what Islam is, when you when they sit with a Muslim and you
focus on the commonalities, they will see that they're not so different after all. Another thing
that has to also be done when it comes to interfaith dialogues and so forth is focus on social
welfare, focus on social services, the Prophet sallallahu ala he was send them even before Islam
		

			came, he did work with people who later on were not Muslims, but he worked with them on what
condition for social justice helpful for though this has happened this happened before even as was
some became a profit. And not only that, but later on Roswell, Salem, he recalls that situation and
he says, if that same situation were to reoccur, I would take pride in being part of that, which
tells us that there is nothing wrong in working with people of other faiths, as long as you're
working on something that is going to be beneficial to others. And that is why Alhamdulillah epic in
the past. We
		

			have worked with other organizations and you know delivering blankets and food to other
organizations and so forth. Because once again, this is what our Dean has has, has taught us.
Finally, the last thing that we should do is always remember, I may be sitting in someone who's not
a believer today and Allah subhanho wa Taala but never feel that you're superior than them. Yes, you
can say Alhamdulillah Allah has given me guidance. Allah has given me Tofik to say, a shadow Allah
and Allah, why should you know Muhammad Rasool Allah, but we should never under look are never
undermine anyone or overlooked them or feel that your we are superior than them. Because one thing
		

			that we have seriously learned from the Quran and from the Sunnah of the Prophet Salam is Allah can
guide anyone at any time. Who knows that that person that we might be criticizing? Or we might be
looking down on them, Allah will give them guidance, and Allah may make them even a better Muslim
than us. We don't know. So that one the key thing is that we never, we never overlook anyone, or
never disrespect or feel like we are superior and they are inferior. Now quickly was thinking some
of the things that we should not do at all, when it comes to interfaith dialogue. Number one is,
I've said this before, right in front of that person behind the scenes, you can disagree you can say
		

			whatever you feel like, but in front of someone else, you don't demean their religion. Because Allah
subhanho wa Taala not me, Allah says in the Quran, let us Ebola Dini their own, I mean, Donella for
your Subala on the radio, and when you demean someone else, and their religion, and something that
they hold on dearly to, they will turn around and they will say something absolutely negative about
Allah and His Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, why do that? Why do that? Why put yourself in
that position? Why would you want to put your Deen in that position? Do not say anything that is
that is considered as absolute disrespectful to anyone about their religion. Another thing that's
		

			very important is that often I've seen people do this. And whenever I've been and I've seen people,
I've stopped them do this, but I know because I've heard stories of people do this. People go there,
feel my go to another place, there might be a worship going on and they feel the need that we need
to engage in that same worship? No. If you go to some other place, some other center and they're
doing their worship, that's their worship. You don't have to engage in that worship. Just because
you feel that you are the guest and they are the hosts and they may feel uncomfortable that you're
not engaged in that worship. No, this is part of our deen. We will never we will never worship
		

			anything else besides Allah subhanho wa Taala whether they like it or not, that's not the point
here. The point is, I got to stick to my Deen, why am I there? I'm there to find some commonality to
work together for something that is a bigger cause. But I will never compromise my Deen something
that I've seen before to. Another thing that's very important is that we should not ever present
Islam in dilute Islam meaning that do not say something that Allah has made haram into Halal that
yes, absolutely fine, or something that Allah has made halal into haram. Because a lot of times
people this, these discussions come up, and people are always they feel the need, I need to convince
		

			them to come into the fold of Islam. Once again, you don't have to convince anyone. Our job is to
give Dawa, their guidance is in the hands of Allah subhanho wa taala. So we don't ever we try to mix
Islam up. If there is a practice that will be very clear and blunt about this to give you one
example. Okay, because I've been that kind of situation, the subject of LBGT Q came up in interfaith
dialogue. Okay, I was very clear about it, Islam was against it. And we will stand by that. I don't
care if anyone likes or not, I don't have to please them, I have to please, Allah subhanho wa taala.
So that's why I stick to that. And I stick to the fact that there are only two genders, there is men
		

			and women and there is no binary they though are all the other letters in the alphabet, or, you know
the words in the dictionary, I don't care what does exist, society is going to keep on creating new
words. I believe in what the Quran says. And there are only two genders and Islam set is very clear
on the LGBTQ stance, I'm not going to mix that up. I'm not going to engage to please other people,
I'm not going to engage in their rituals, I'm not going to engage in doing certain things just to
gain public media and you know, publicity and so forth. These are things that we have to be very
straightforward about. Another thing, though, like what I'm about to say now, is something that I've
		

			heard so many times they make this very clear. You know how many people say, Oh, we worship the same
God.
		

			We don't worship the same God. Let me be very clear. We don't worship the same God.
		

			I don't know how I suppose that I can become, but we don't worship the same God. We always you know
how many Muslims have gone into interfaith dialogues, just to once again
		

			convince them we feel you know, as Muslims we feel that I gotta please everyone. Does a Christian
come to a gathering and say, I need them to become a Christian? Does a Jewish person come to a
gathering say I will need them to become Jewish or any other religion, but yet as much as we feel
that I need to become like them, I gotta show them my religion is so amazing that I gotta mix
certain things up it makes them some things halal, that we're haram and haram and to halal and so
forth. Just to bring other people know our deen is clear. Hola, yo, ma Kamala calm, Dina calm, the
Quran is clear, the Sunnah is clear. And we stick to that. And once again, we don't worship the same
		

			God, we need to stop saying this. You worship, you worship a God, you worship for God, this is the
God that we worship. And that end of the story. Last thing is that which is something very, very
important also is
		

			let's just say you know, someone who has been clearly an Islamophobe and now they're wanting to come
to you, and they want to learn Islam from you. They are coming to you, what do you do in that kind
of situation? You might say, You know what, this person has spoken ill about Islam so many times, I
don't want nothing to I want nothing to do with this person. You push them away. If they're coming
to you, okay? Then you welcome them and you show them respect and dignity. Let me give you an
example. We had a certain person I'm not gonna say he's a political figure, okay? He says some very
negative, very negative, derogatory things about Islam and Muslims once again, you know, when it
		

			comes to politics, you got to say and do whatever you can to gain what get to gain the votes, right?
We'll do whatever you can, once again, their idea is the ends justify the means Do whatever you can
to get to the end. That's what matters all the all the time, right? So this person, he felt like
that the best way to get the vote is let me bash Islam. So he he said some very derogatory things.
Time came later on, he decided to come here to to the masjid. Okay. And I and we, I brought him in,
and I talked to him. And he apologized. By the way, he apologized. Once again, behind closed doors,
you apologize. And for everyone else, he will you know, he's still the same person, because he has
		

			to keep his seat and his votes and so forth. Right. But you know, what happened was so sad is that
when I invited this person, I got this huge wave of attacks on social media. Okay, why is Imam
Nadeem allowing an Islamophobe inside the Masjid? If an Islamophobe is coming to the house of Allah,
I'm not going to stop them.
		

			I'm not going to stop someone. Just because one person disagrees with it. I'm not going to stop
someone from coming to the house of Allah subhanho wa taala. And once again, I not care about it
because those few people, okay, those few people who were creating a scene, they have no knowledge
to begin with. Okay? They don't practice Islam themselves, so I'm not worried about it. My problem
is that when a summer fall does something like this, when people said so many derogatory things
about Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and they came in from Salem, the person did not kick
them out the leader of Abu Hanifa when he came, the person kept him inside the masjid for three
		

			days, accommodated him, showed him what a Muslim community is. How do you explain that? This is a
person who said that if I got the chance, I will kill those who are so awesome. I will take the life
of the province Saddam and here this man comes to the door of the masjid. And he is there three days
inside the masjid. And the person he completely allowed it when someone is like that coming to the
masjid. Okay, and they have said derogatory things about certain Muslims. I'm not supporting what
they said. But if someone's going to come to the masjid and the house of Allah is not my house, I
can push them away. So something very important we have to understand. And finally, a question that
		

			usually is asked is that if we go to a place This is once again, it happens often in interfaith
events. I go to a place I go to some other religious center or place of worship. Can I pray a lot
over there? Are we allowed to pray start over there? The answer is absolutely yes, you can, as long
as you're not standing in front of a statue or any other thing that is considered as a deity or that
is worship. As long as that area is clear, you can most certainly engage in the worship of Allah
subhanho wa taala. So I just want to clear these few things. Once again, something that has to be
explained something that has to be taught. And once again, we all are in one way in one shape or
		

			form. We are certainly engaged in this area. Ask Allah subhana wa that to give us their feet and to
stick to what is the Huck immunoblotted mean does that Kamala hate Islam or are they going to label
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