There is an honor that comes with being Muslim. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni explains that honor and what it means for you.
Recorded at the 2015 MSA National Convention in Chicago, IL on September 5, 2015.
Waleed Basyouni – The Honor of Being Muslim
AI: Summary ©
The speakers discuss the importance of choosing Islam as a choice and being a Muslim to protect themselves and their religion. They stress the need for individuals to fight for their rights and protect their privacy, and emphasize the importance of justice in bringing things to life. They also discuss the use of animals for research and development, and the potential for multiple gods to affect the body. The speakers provide examples of how Islam has been used to treat patients and calls for people to be positive towards their religion.
AI: Summary ©
hamdu Lillah wa salatu salam ala rasulillah Allah Allah He was
all praised you to align His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, his family, his companions and his followers until the day of judgment. I bear witness that the law is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad Sallallahu Sallam is last and final messenger.
First of all, I would like to start by thanking Allah Subhana tiada, for giving me the opportunity to be here with you today. And also, I would like to thank all the brothers and sisters who are working hard to make this happen every year May Allah bless you and bless your effort. And except from all of you, the organizers, the attendees and the speakers.
Choosing Islam It is something very essential because actually you cannot be as Muslim unless you choose to be a Muslim. There is nobody is a Muslim just because his parents are Muslims. Islam is a choice that you have to make. That's why Allah Morocco mulata Ana, agreed that the essential of the idea of your creed, if you believe cannot be just based on imitation DNA, if you ask a Muslim while you're a Muslim, nothing is not going to tell you Oh, because my parents are Muslim. I choose to be a Muslim, I want to be a Muslim. So that's a choice that everybody must do. I choose Islam because I believe in it. I believe in Allah and I believe in Muhammad Sallallahu wasallam without making that
choice A person can ever cannot ever be a Muslim. You cannot force someone to be a Muslim.
Not only that, but also to choose to be a Muslim to choose to submit yourself to Allah and His messenger will allow us to send them one back on any movement in while I'm Mina Allahu rasuluh, Amman, acuna,
Emery, it cannot be for a believer, male or female, when Allah and His Messenger make a decision about something, make a ruling about something that you have a choice about. And in a sense that you know what I can just leave it and consider Muslim I have to choose what Allah have chosen for me.
And not only that, when you send me motus Lima that the believers are the one who submit themselves to a lot of agenda and to the order of Muhammad messenger sallallahu alayhi wa sallam complete submission. That's why we call Muslims, unbelievers movements. Yes, we are naturally, as all human beings, naturally born with that natural instinct to recognize God, to love God, that we recognize his presence. And by the way, even in the scientific community today, you can search that and look at so many studies in child psychology, talking about how children without been exposed to any concept of religion, disturb recognize, naturally, that there is God that this exists,
which is an abuse of some of them told us collude in Unit Two and Phaedra. Every single born child born in a state of coal and fitrah, which is naturally you believe exists and recognize God. That's why when you became Muslim, you feel that you touch that spot inside your heart, which is always you had it but you didn't know how to express it.
I remember one brother, after he became Muslim, he was telling me that one of the things that always touched my heart is that the verses of the Quran will never hear the verses of the Quran that always touched my heart, even though I have no idea what that means. As a matter of fact, I have one sister of my community. She told me she used to be, she used to work in the missionary works. And she was one day in Vietnam. And she said in one of the mountains of Vietnam, she heard this woman recite the Quran in the night in the middle of the night. And she's the first time in my life to hear
the Quran.
And I loved it. I loved it. It just touched my heart. There is something inside me told me that this is something different is not the same songs or things that the people saw. It's completely sound different to me. So when I asked her She told me this is alcohol and she's a Muslim. And that's the first time ever exposed 30 or 40 years later, she said in America and Houston, Texas, she came to one of the massages and she learned about Islam and chinda Muslim and hamdulillah but my point was that that's something inside our heart when she heard the words of Allah subhana wa Tada. She recognized that she felt it.
Believe can be established through so many different reasons. Belief is not a philosopher, local issue or need. It came you became Muslim through logic
Debate or reasoning conclusion that you come to people became Muslim for many different very for many different reasons from the time of the process on them until today. You see the last time somebody became Muslim because you want to get married to a Muslim woman and he became Muslim for that purpose. But he entered the stem for that reason from that door another person for a financial reasons for a security reasons. So people can enter stem from a very different doors. But the point is not this the point what's after that we you can't you be Muslim, is that Islam is something that you choose to keep to let it grow subtle in your heart. And that's what this really faith is. That's
why you I'm not going to get you into that theological debate between Muslim theology and about is your faith has to be established through, you know, logic or through just a blind faith or what is it highly believed that it can be established through many different ways. But the main point is how that feel in your how the how the feeling of the faith is really inside your heart. Do you really believe in it, there's something growing became a strong, you know, a friend of mine, Maryland, was giving a lecture about inheritance how Islam told us how to divide the inheritance, a family law, lawyer attending the lecture wasn't Muslim. After the lecture, he stood up and he said I should. He
said, I want to be Muslim and be given the shot. He said, I'm a family law lawyer, and I can tell you it made perfect sense to me what you just did, and explained.
Another person to my mustard and Ramadan few years back, walk into the mustard, Wildwood praying taraweeh It was weird because he brought a chair like this. And he's put it in front of all the lines
is now we thought he's drunk, but he wasn't. And he was watching me. And I said to the committee just leave him. And after I finished the whole entire chair away, he told me, what are you doing?
I said, I'm praying. He said, What's that? And he said, the score. And then he saw crying. And he was not on drugs isn't drunk or anything like that. He just he said I was passing by. And that time we had a rental place before we move to our mustard. And he heard that citation from outside passing by the rental rental place that we use to prayer. And he said it just took over my heart, my soul, my soul.
People can enter Islam, as I said, for so many different reasons. But the main point is and you became committed to religion, you became religious for so many reasons, as an MSA students or as a Muslim, already been a Muslim all your life, you can choose to be committed to your religion for many different reasons. Some of us have a crisis or something happened to them, or just you know what I thought about it and I decided to stop practicing the religion. But the main question is, after you enter through that door, what will be the next step what's really can make you steadfast that you know what, I love this Deen I love this religion.
You know, that's why I'm really being Muslim. And
to answer this, I have several things that for me, I want to take it from one perspective, which is what's really the impact of Islam in my life. And that's why I am a Muslim. Islam recognize knows human beings very well for a simple reason because the religion came from the one who made us who created us, Allah, Allah moment, chanukkah wa, who will have the full hubiera Allah says in the Quran, don't he the one who created you, so you He knows you the best? Absolutely, he knows you the best if I buy, you know, God forbid, Samsung, an apple fan, okay, so I'm not going to go to the Apple Store to ask for that. You know, the menu for the Samsung phone, I have to go to the sensing
menu to know how that function, I'm not going to go to that, basically Apple Store to teach me about it. And vice versa. Allah created us he knows us better than anyone else. Better than any psychologists better than any anthropologists are better than anyone, any any human being. And he knows us and he told us a lot about ourselves. And Islam recognize human beings. Don't look at human beings as just a machine or just a human being that made a floss or made of just logic and reasoning. No, we are being that it is a combination, very unique. Combination of emotions and body parts and and psychology and all this mixed together. Hot up in an insanity accent that when we made
you in the best fashio
Masha, Allah, Allah, he has put you together, put together inside you several components of emotions have systems that basically
allow you to enjoy your life and to live your life and it's not recognized human being as a as an individual.
But also as a person, part of a community, as a family, man, so all this political consideration that's why Islam speaks to human being. Sometimes you speak to our reasoning sometimes speak to our heart to basically address our emotions. All these areas are addressed in the book of Allah subhana wa Tada. And initially,
it was said, as a matter of fact, if you look at the ultimate goal of Islam, the ultimate goal Islam is to protect you as a human being, to protect your intellect to protect your wealth, to protect your religion, to protect your lineage, all it's about you so the whole entire religion that Allah Hopkinson down it is for me and about me, not only that, that everything he created, it's about you. And one of them the amazing verses in the Quran that strike me even though it is very simple. When Allah Subhana Allah talks about how he has sent down the rain from the earth, okay to basically and that rain caused vegetations and fruit. Then he said, Mata and legume Wali and mecum that he said,
this is for you to enjoy, and for your cattles to enjoy it, that not only he cares about you to enjoy you and your cattles, you and your animals, so he care about you and anything that belongs to you, too.
That's so interesting.
That also kind of Allah take care of you. And I'm saying this because we live in an era and a time,
I'm going to assume what is the fastest growing religion in United States today?
What is it?
atheism,
if I call it religion, atheism is the fastest growing thing that we have in United States. And that's something a threat to it is it is a challenge for all of us, the people for different, even faith.
And one of the thing that always distinguish America from the rest of the world, the western atmosphere, at least, is that we've been always a community based on faith and believing in God. But this even today is not as it was 10 years ago, our moral standard of believing in God is going down by the day.
And I believe Muslim community and Muslim students have a great role to play to preserve religion and public life. And that something honored and respect that Allah subhanho wa Taala is something is someone that has been worshipped and honored, when they see a sign saying, keep God out of LA. That's, that's not a, that's not something good for all of us. And I think the more we, as a Muslim community, introduce faith in the importance of believing in God, it does something to protect the future of our society and our country. Anyway, going back to the my point about what the impact of religion that it has on us, as an individuals, as a community, as a family, I put it in few points
that I will share whatever is possible during the few minutes. One of the first thing, the intimate doc about Islam, and they discuss an interesting point. They said, if we would think about the religion of Islam, and we will say Islam is about blank, what it will be, is the religion of put a blank what it will be, you'll feel a lot of scars came to an interesting word, which is justice.
And one of the people who talked a lot about this a modern scholars, who was the head of Al Azhar, not long time ago, Rahim Allah.
And he wrote a lot about this issue that Islam, Allah Deen will add. And he said, if there is something about Christianity distinguish it, it's the mercy you know about Judaism. It is the strict rules. But when it comes about Islam, it is nothing can I think of like justice Allah, and before him hundreds of years before him, it will pay him discuss this as well. And he said that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was certain to basically seal for the prophets.
He came to his personality represented every prophet and every message before him. And he said something similar to a Cheshire Toad said, he said in Christianity, you see the mercy the minions, and this is a lot in Islam. You see in Judaism rules, strict rules. And you see this a lot in Islam. So in Islam is a combination of all the beautiful things that came before. But he said one of the things that distinguish this religion is how much it cares for the concept of justice. What is justice, justice, is to put things where it belongs. And justice is to give put things where it doesn't belong, and add global shame over it. That's how the Muslim scholars have defined it. And
from the day one you see that this religion of justice first and the reason one, because a lot one of his name is that just
it's his it's his name, and it's a description of his actions.
His actions based on justice, all his color is based on justice
is all based on
a law lady.
It is a law who has sent down the book in truth, and also the balance and balance here represent Justice lapada ottosson musona
kita Bellamy's
Lee, Lia Bowman,
we have already sent our messengers with clear evidence and sit down with them, the Scripture and the balance. So it's not only knowledge, but also balanced scripture and the balance, that the people may maintain justice, maintain
their affairs and justice. So that's the whole goal of the messengers, the whole goal of the message of Islam. And this can be clearly seen in several areas in Islam, number one, and religion came to establish a very important fact, which is Latin 002, with our onset, while at 10 00, to withdraw, ohana And verily Sol urns not blame, except goodness itself. So you only be held accountable for the sins that you commit, not someone else debt, and no barrier a burden will bear the burden of another. I cannot bear the burden of someone else problems or mistakes. And that was a clear distinguish between that why for example, Christians look at that every soul born sinners and you
need to save her to save us from the sin that committed by Adam and Muslim work. We never believed in that. And it was from the beginning, because that's against the concept of justice. You see, and Islam is speaks about being just with those who don't agree with you, as a matter of fact, just with the enemy, just with your enemies as Allah Subhana Allah said,
Yeah, you Hello, Nina una journeymen.
otomi Nana, Don de Lu, Aaron Dino.
Allah subhanaw taala said And verily. And he said, and do not let the hatred of people prevent you from being just
be just that is nearer to taqwa righteousness. Also to be just unfair with your relatives with people, you're friends with people close to you. You don't give them it doesn't belong to them, not because they're relative, not because they're friends. You know, not because they are my country following that I give them justice while I treat people outside my country, unfairly, that's not acceptable. That's not how Islam looked at it. You're just unfair with those so close. And those are far those an enemy and those are friends. As he said, What either
Canada,
Allah subhanaw taala said, and when you speak be just even if it concern, and you relative to you,
justice, it just became something known for the profits or Sonam, as a ruler, represent the justice in in manifested in so many ways. And one of my favorite stories. When the processor reports the belly, Mohammed Rahim, Allah and Nebuchadnezzar, so the lines of the Muslims, it's about the, in one of his words, or one of the battles he was lining up the companion and he said it was a it was nothing the lion, so the process of them pushed him back with a stick in his hand. He pushed him back to me in the line. So it was as if you have a Salalah without any jasola You hurt me.
The process on them with no hesitation. And I want you to think about this because it's a just society. It's just unfair society. This man didn't hesitant to speak up to say to the leader of the Muslim, because it's just unfair society. He can speak, he can speak up and say, You hurt me.
Then the process immediately gave him the steak, and he uncovered his stomach because that man's stomach was uncovered, to be absolutely fair. And he said, Go ahead, take your revenge.
He took the stick, knee approach the process on all the companions looking. Then all of a sudden they start kissing the prophets of Salaam stomach, and putting his cheek again is the process and Sierra sola will never ever hurt you. I only asked for this because that opportunity
To come too close to you, and to make sure that the last thing I touch in the studio in case I die in this part of it will be your skin jasola.
Near look at the justice of the companions of the justice of the Muslim, it is unbelievable. And because just the lack of time it can go and drive them to many stories, but one of the Jewish community members in the Muslim society at that time, had a problem with the adaminaby body. And and it never thought it was the head of the state at that time. And in Kufa, and
they
finally found his shield, which is something that she took from the profits of Southern the Sheila tea, Gary and the work and it's very dear to him because it goes to the province of Salah time.
So he found this Jewish persons having it in the market. She said, That's mine. He said, No, that's mine. And they debated over it. So he went to the judge, and the publisher, I sit down if you have a proof that this is your shield.
He said because it's in the possession of that Jewish person. He's a citizen, he's a person of the society, he has the right you can just claim it and take it. Then he said, I have a proof. He said what he said I have two witnesses, and they are my son's and has an unforeseen then padishah. He said, No, they are your sons, he cannot be witnesses. Either you bring me abena
or this man, if you swear by God, that this is his shield, he can keep it.
And voila, here Amira, meaning, I know you're saying the truth, and is not
in my heart. But that's how I have to be fair and just so the man said, what law in the whole means, and this is the exact balance that Moosa used to rule between us, I found the shield on the one of the valleys, and I picked it up.
This justice is something known in the history also, even just with animals, not just to adjust them fair with everything with animals with environments, and some speaks about this from 1400 years ago, not because we have a global warming at that time, knowledge is a reaction. One of the beautiful point the system I said earlier, that in Islam, your rights are inherently your rights, you do need to fight for it. And Islam give it to you, like woman's, for example, right into Islam, we don't have the history that women have to struggle and to live in through misery or slaves or, or to recognize the end racism, it's something in Islam give it to you. That's your right, you don't even
need to fight for it. You deserve to receive it, and it must be protected by the society.
And Islam also one of the things that impact of Islam in your life, and that's why I choose to be Muslim, I love Islam, because it's not make my life free of contradictions.
It's a perfect sense religion. It's a religion do not do not make contradiction between science and religion. We never had this problem in history. That's a foreign concept for us as Muslims.
Actually, if you look, it's ironic to note that so many of the scientists during the golden Islamic era were Jewish and Christians, even among Muslim society, but it's not about being a Muslim, it's about Islam provide the environment for the scientists to grow for science to flourish.
Also, you find that we don't have a contradiction between for example, the dunya and the after this live and the next we don't have either you have to be completely dedicated to the dunya forget about the afro or now. Actually, we see that this dunya is more about is a bridge is a tool for us to reach the appeal. You can just be devoted all your time to the author and forget about the dunya that's why Romani Alonso someone sitting in the masjid, he said, Why are you sitting here in the summer Allah filled the rain does not carry with it gold and silver go work when the process of them so people in domestic setting, you know what? The employment Yes, he helped them but he told them go
and go to the desert, collect some wood and sell it. Just don't beg people for money work. And that's why you see men and women work during the profits have some time
to earn to earn their income and to basically not just to live off people help or government help. You don't have in our belief, the principle of brief there is no complicity. It is simple Allah is one your worship Allah alone. We don't have mediator in the beginning the middle, as simple as this. No prophet node written saint. No, no human being or
Anything or Angel anything? You have one Lord that you pray to you for you, you ask and you worship Him alone. As simple as that has no partners no son, no three entity in the end up, which one? It's true monetarism religion. Look at the complicity of the concept of the hereafter. When you ask a Jewish rabbi or a scientist very hard for them even to explain how it is you so much debate about them what is there is a there is a hereafter or not when you look at this simple belief in Islam it's very clear very straightforward simple
look at the loss of Hannah to Allah has names and attributes clearly stated, no contradiction we don't believe in some and deny some.
I used to teach him my mustard about our last names and attributes and I have a Methodist Church next to or Mr. handler we always maintain a good relationship with neighbors. So the youth director used to attend my class about last names and attributes and he told me you know what, I never had been exposed to something like this in my life. I love the way you guys have described the Lord. It's so beautiful, so deep. So detail, so simple, I wish that we have something like this. And I said I use some of your teaching actually, to my youth.
You know the concept of other straightforward simple, you want the result you have to take the necessarily means you have to remove the hundreds. And everything happened. Basically you have a well, it happened according to the will of Allah subhana wa Tada. There is no contradiction between the cow and the concept of prophethood. All prophets and messengers is what enlarge they are hot like how brothers, they all call for law in the law, but everybody has their own Sheree and their own real rulings. One of the things about this religion it's honor human being and that's why I choose to be a Muslim and I love Islam because it's a religion that really look at human being as
something very unique from the day we were created. I descended on Mike Mike, I go back in history all the way to either money system.
Being that created by hand
being created, and I was going to meet the angel prostrate themselves before Adam, it's not about Adam, it's about you.
That's why you choose to be a Muslim that bride inside you that Allah Subhana Allah created the earth and the heavens, all of it for you.
You know when I arrived to this conference, the MSA brothers sisters, they basically were very nice and generous preparing you know, at my room a gift basket gift baskets on all this stuff. You know when you see that you feel like wow, this is nice. People really like me and respect me and give me a man you come to a guest to someone at the house and he made the house so special for you. How you feel Don't you feel special? Look at the earth around you. Look at the world around you. Allah made this beautiful earth and everything in it for you.
Allah Kumar fill out the Jamia amen he created for you everything in this earth to serve you.
When Khurana Benny Adam, we honor the human being or human Nahum felt very well carried in the sea and in the line. That's what it used to be a Muslim. It's a big difference between someone feeling that I go back, my lineage goes back to be an ape.
Now my I go back to be a prophet and messenger. It's a big difference in the way you see yourself. Human beings are created free, God created every single soul free,
not enslaved to any not enslaved to human being because you might be enslaved to something else. And Islam want to free you from being slave to anyone except Allah, as I am said horrible
enough to Shivani they run away from being a slave to Allah, and they end up slave to their own desires and slave to the shape on. You don't want to be that way too.
And it's not honored human being give you the right so many rights and this is a big subject. But I hope that there's something just to think about how how detail, Islam, how in detail and some speak about honoring you as a human being alive and dead. Can you imagine Islam you're not even allowed to step over? A person's grief. Is that a lot? What why for honoring the dead person who didn't step over his grave? You didn't dig his grave? Unless there is absolute necessity for that Muslim or non Muslim in the process of them stood up when a generous a funeral passed by. This is a this is a Jewish man. He said he's a human being.
That's honoring for woman. Oh my god. That's a completely different story. However, I'm keen to honor a woman
In a time, in the Middle East, where you look in the East woman are buried in in the Middle East, they used to bury them with a child and the Far East he killed them when their husbands died in Europe, in France, they were discussing when the President was 30 years old, if you women are human or not human, and they end up saying women are have the body of human in the soul of a devil.
And where Islam comes to speak about woman and give a whole entire chapter in the Quran about it.
Anyway, at Islam, it's a healing for the heart for the diseases for the crisis that we see. But if there is anything I want to leave you with, to be quick two points. Number one is Allah Swanson in the Quran, below kanopy Hema Ali Hassan in the La Jolla facility. If there is multiple gods and heavens and earth, there will be corruptions and heavens and earth. And I tell you, this isn't heavens and earth if there are multiple gods and it will be corrupt. And they say the same thing goes to your heart.
If your heart have multiple gods in it, it will be corrupt heart. If you keep it only solid for a law, your heart will be healthy. Your heart will be pure will heart will be sound Your heart will be that hard that the last part Allah promised on the Day of Judgment, it will be surviving the Hellfire an intern paradise in the last point that I have it just a takeaway point.
If you want to love this religion to feel like you know what I'm Islam really by just by loving it.
This is takeaway point number one learn you cannot love something you're ignorant have to learn about Allah subhanaw taala specifically names and attributes. Learn about the Prophet sallallahu Sallam learn about the beautiful city of Islam. It's so beautiful. You learn about the beauty of it. Number three, learn about the companions in the life of the great Muslim scholars. Abu hanifa said I love to study the life of the scholars Some even more than studying the film and their opinion it strengthen your Eman number three which asst share Tamara mentioned it is the actions this religion is based on action amilo Sati hat you cannot separate faith from actions as a matter of fact it's
very funny I was reading in the one of the books if it if they talk about the issue of someone who's not praying is a Muslim or not. Do you know what the other I think it was Oprah is not 100 it's actually Monica Rahim Allah, he said and this is Miss Ella Tunis Tierra de I live too. So
this is a hypothetical example cannot be imagined to be exist to have a Muslim who don't pray.
He wrote this about seven 800 years ago. He said that's hypothetical. It's impossible to imagine someone claimed Muslim and never pray
alone.
Be positive towards the Muslim community. A lot of people lose love to this lamb because they have a lot of struggle with the Muslim community or some of the practices that they've seen done by some Muslim this negativity if you allowed your your heart and your mind always be negative, negative negative negative people tend to stay away from Islam and Muslims have a good friends that they will help you
to enjoy your religion and to enjoy your deen May Allah spirit Allah to preserve your deen Melis planet Allah to grant us our His love and His mercy for dunya and akhira. Thank you very much.