People gather for a minute's silence in front of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris


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In the aftermath of another horrific terrorist attack, we need time and space to absorb what just happened. In a state of fear and anger we don’t tend to think clearly. Let the words of the blessed Prophet Muhammad be the voice of reason in a time of madness.

#1: “If anyone kills a person… it is as if he kills all of mankind, while if anyone saves a life, it is as if he saves the lives of all of mankind” [Quran 5:32]

If you look at the statements of condemnation from Muslim leaders and scholars around the world, you will have seen this verse quoted a lot. It wasn’t until my sister died that I realized the depth of this verse though.

Why is it like killing all of humanity? Because there is someone out there who loves that person so much, that for them, the murderer may as well have killed all of humanity. They lost their love.

All our love, thoughts, kindness and prayers go towards the deceased and their families and loved ones. May Allah wipe away their grief with each tear, and give them Peace in the midst of their sadness.

And our gratitude and appreciation go to Ahmed Merabet, the French Muslim police officer who was grotesquely murdered (may God accept him into Paradise as a true Muslim martyr), and Lassana Bathily the young man who bravely saved the lives of 15 French Jews during the siege of the Kosher Market.

These men didn’t just know this Quran verse. They lived it – when it counted most.

#2: “Whoever takes the path of knowledge, Allah will ease their path to Paradise” (Prophet Muhammad, pbuh)

The images of the French protesting by symbolically holding a pen while fake-Muslim terrorists were wielding weapons, also brings to mind a famous Islamic tradition: “On the Day of Judgment, the ink of a scholar will out-weigh the blood of a martyr”. This wisdom was known and taught by Muslims for centuries before Edward Bulwer-Lytton coined the phrase, ‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ in 1839.

It’s an embarrassment that people think of Muslims as ‘ignorant’, when the very first words of the Quran ever to be revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) were…

“Read! In the name of your Lord who created; created mankind from a clinging-form. Read! And your Lord is the Most Bountiful, who taught with the pen; taught humanity that which they did not know” [Quran 96:1-5]

In Europe & the USA, we need to take a history lesson from Nazi-Germany. If someone says something false on the news once, people will ignore it. However, if it’s repeated over and over it becomes the accepted norm.

How many times have you heard the phrase “Islamic Terrorism” on the news? Did it ever occur to you that if Islam means ‘Peace’ or ‘Peaceful Surrender’, then this phrase is a complete contradiction in terms? How could you possibly have a ‘peaceful terrorist’?!

But, now that it’s been used every day for the last 15 years, doesn’t that make even you question and doubt how peaceful Islam is…? See how this works?

Don’t fall into the trap of trying to understand Islam from a media that don’t care about truth. I have many non-Muslims friends who completely changed their views on Muslims and Islam, just by reading a simple book about the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and knowing they could freely ask me anything and get my honest perspective.

The Quran says, in this regard, “We divided you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another.” [Quran 49:13]

If you don’t have true friends who are Muslims (or if you’re a Muslim and you don’t have real non-Muslim friends), there is no surprise we are drowning in misunderstanding.

#3: “Those who love will be loved by the Most Loving. So love those on Earth & those in Heaven will love you” [Prophet Muhammad, pbuh]

If right now, you’re just angry and feel hate towards Muslims and Islam (or hate towards people who ignorantly insult the Prophet, pbuh), I can understand.

Just know that for you, lack of knowledge is not the problem. Your anger and hatred will infect your mind and you’ll be blinded by the light of the Quran. The Quran is guidance for those who are conscious” [Quran 2:2] and “In God’s eyes the most noble of you are those who are the most mindful of Him: God is all Knowing, all Aware.” [Quran 49:13]

The most beneficial knowledge is that which fills your heart with love for Allah. Your heart cannot be filled with love for Allah if you don’t love Allah’s creation.

The Prophet (pbuh) also said ‘You are not a true believer until you wish for others what you wish for yourself’ – this is a defining factor for a true believer, and it requires your heart to be filled with love for humanity. Love is the starting point of any spiritual journey.

(It is possible to transmute anger, hatred and fear into love, peace and happiness. This is the essence of every spiritual tradition, including the Islamic tradition. This will be explained to subscribers in future posts, insha’Allah.)

For now, don’t blame yourself or anyone else for your anger. Remember that you are also part of Allah’s creation. So, love and forgive yourself to the extent that you want Allah to forgive you.

Without this forgiveness, love & understanding, there is no Islam.

#4: “And the servants of the Most Loving are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, “Peace!” [Quran 25:63]

This is the appropriate response to insult and it defines a true Muslim. Insults and violence are happening against Muslims since the Paris attacks in France & other parts of Europe, which is always the case after a terrorist attack.

Trying to defend the Prophet’s honour, peace and blessings upon him, by harming people is like trying to put out a fire by pouring oil over it.

The Prophet (pbuh) was insulted and attacked for speaking the truth. Because he believed in freedom of speech, he continued teaching anyway, even though it put his life & the lives of his loved ones in danger. The question is how did he, peace & blessings upon him, deal with such ignorance & violence?

There are many stories from his life that show how he implemented this Quran verse.

Each morning, as the Prophet (pbuh) walked to the mosque a particularly hateful lady would throw trash and waste at him and verbally abuse him. This continued every single day. But, one day she did not show up to attack him. So, he knocked on her door and checked in on her to make sure she hadn’t fallen ill. She was so overwhelmed by his love & kindness that she became a Muslim.

This is the man we take as our example. This is who we consider to be ‘a mercy for all the worlds’, peace & blessings be upon him.

#5: Share what you learned from me, even if it is only a verse. [Prophet Muhammad, pbuh]

In the last week I have had several requests from friends to sit with them & clarify that Islam actually is peaceful & has nothing to do with terrorism.

When I tell people exactly what the Quran says & share some sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), the response on the whole is “You are blowing my mind! How come no-one knows this or has never told me this before…?!”

That’s because today’s widespread belief is that there is something inherent to Islam that causes terrorism. After September 11th, our worst fear was that this grotesque misunderstanding would spread. And it already has.

Even though everyone, on some level, knows this misunderstanding cannot be true, they lack the treasure-chest of knowledge that we are hoarding. Sharing it with them is our responsibility, as Western Muslims. And it’s a great honour to be able to pass on the beautiful teachings of our Prophet (pbuh).

There are a couple of points worth noting about this. First, there is no need to proselytise. Speak simply and clarify the truth when needed. And it is needed right now. Second, it is not our responsibility to debate endlessly about freedom of speech and the finer points of politics, unless that’s your field of expertise. There are many liberals who will make these arguments for us better than we can ourselves and without all the baggage of looking defensive.

What these liberals cannot do is share the simple truth of Islam. That’s for you & me. And it can start right here, right now. Just click the Social Media ‘Share This’ buttons below 😉