Da'wah

My recent spate of experiences with non Muslims has made me to conclude that:

Islam is indeed a misunderstood religion.

The other day, my colleague saw me playing with her soft toy. So she told me to go home and pro-create so that I do not have to resort to playing with soft toy but a real baby instead. But I told her, it’s up to God when He decides to give me a child. So she continued telling me to go home and pray to Him at night. I told him I can’t pray because I was having ‘mother nature’ but I could still pray to God (in terms of supplications).

She asked me why did our religion forbid us (the women) to pray. So I explained to her in details: God gave relief to women by not laying any difficulties upon us during our menses; imagine the discomfort some may feel during that time. And I also told her that God didn’t stop the women from supplicating to God at all times whenever they remember God.

But she continued to say that the religion is being unfair to women; ‘Why women can’t do this, can’t do that, why only men can marry 4 women etc etc? (so it was veering further and further away) I quickly add on, explaining to her about the equality of men and women in the eyes of God.

4:124] If any do deeds of righteousness - be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Paradise, and not the least injustice will be done to them.

She reiterated her statement by adding this; ‘this thing has been in the religion since a long long time. And your Muhammad, he can’t read and write, why did he set this kind of rules?’ I told her that revelation came from God, and it’s through Angel Jibrail that revelation was given to our Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. And because the Quran contained words of God, we do not disobey God’s commandments by praying during our menses.
“Aiya, aiya, anyway, it’s just my own perspectives lah.’

I also didn’t want to continue if not it might seemed that I am arguing with her because she kept insisting that ‘it’s just my own perspectives’.

Probably, I’m just guessing here. She’s born in Malaysia and she has probably seen a lot of things happening back in her country, resulting in a very negative perspective about Islam and Muslims. I could sense it in her tone. By the way, she’s a Catholic.

Insya allah, I’m hoping that I will have more opportunities to explain to her everything she wrongly perceives of Islam.

May Allah swt guide and assist me in my mission. Amin.

Whenever I’m in the taxis, I try to speak Mandarin to the drivers. I realized, most of them, misunderstood Islam as a religion for the Malays. One of the drivers, which I met recently, started exclaiming that how can I, as a Malay, do not know how to speak the language and claim myself to be a Muslim. That’s a common misconception. And I really hope to broadcast this aloud.

I explained myself as being a Chinese Muslim and I am a Chinese even though I embrace Islam. The driver couldn’t believe me and I almost resort to taking my IC out for him to verify my identity. My husband was shocked and he dissuaded me from doing so.

Anyway, I continued my conversation with him because he asked the golden question: “Why did you convert?” My husband was smiling and shaking his head vigorously. He told me frankly that he has never met such a person and was truly surprised that such people exist.

Omigosh! Am I supposed to laugh or cry or remain expressionless?

Be free...

On that Day from distress and remorse... (This khabar was transmitted through the sage Wahb ibn Munabbih)

Allah Most High proclaims:

'O Children of Adam, if you could see the minute span of precious time that remains until your death, you would renounce all selfish projects and vain expectations. You would restrain your desire to possess, in all its subtle forms. And you would wholeheartedly seek to intensify your good actions. Otherwise, regret will seize you as you are falling into death, when your family and servants leave you, when friends distance themselves from you and even intimates abandon you. From the moment of death, you will no longer be able to return to your people or increase your good actions. Therefore, live now with a clear vision of the Day of Resurrection and be free on that Day from distress and remorse.'