Nafsiya Resflection Our Islamic Identity Who are we as Muslims? What does it mean to say that we should have an Islamic identity? This is an important topic that is important to understand, especially as we see how the West has pledged a war on Islam. Sadly, we ourselves are distancing ourselves from Islam with temptations, chasing Dunya pleasures, culture, and media influence. The West is playing a crucial role to distort the image of Islam and what it means to be Muslims.
00:00If I asked the people about me, who I am, I am a believer, I will live a day of a believer.
00:08Strengthening one's inner and outer self, developing a sophisticated Islamic personality and becoming a better Muslim.
00:17This is Nafsiyah Reflections.
00:19As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh and welcome to Nafsiyah Reflections, our Islamic identity.
00:33Who are we as Muslims?
00:36What does it mean to say that we should have an Islamic identity?
00:40This is an important topic that is important to understand, especially as we see how the West has pledged a war on Islam.
00:49Sadly, we ourselves are distancing ourselves from Islam with temptations chasing dunya pleasures, culture, and media influence.
00:58The West is playing a crucial role to distort the image of Islam and what it means to be Muslim.
01:05Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, presented the loss of Islamic identity.
01:13When he mentioned in his famous hadith narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri,
01:17You will follow the ways of the people before you step by step,
01:36Khabits for khabits, for arms length, for forearms length.
01:41Even if they fall into a lizard hole, you will follow them.
01:45And then the companions asked,
01:47Is it the Jews and Christians?
01:48He responded,
01:49Who else?
01:51Bukhari.
01:51We need to have a clear understanding of our ultimate purpose in life as Muslims.
01:56Success can directly follow because we are thoughtfully carrying out the very defined God-conscious purpose, taqwa.
02:05Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala has clearly stated the purpose of our existence when He subhanahu wa ta'ala said,
02:11I created the jinn and humans for nothing else, but they may worship me.
02:22The word worship in this verse has not been used in the sense of only prayer, fasting, and other kinds of such worship,
02:32so that one may understand that the jinn and men have been created only for performing the prayer,
02:39observing the fast in Ramadan, and for praising and glorifying Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
02:44Although this sense is also included in it, this is not its complete sense.
02:49Today, we see faith has been weakened, which caused a crisis in the belief system.
02:56The Muslim Ummah have been worked on to make them ignorant.
02:59The Arabic language is the language in which the Quran was revealed.
03:04The extinction of the Arabic language among Muslims is on the rise, even amongst the native Arabs.
03:10The great scholar of Imam Ibn Taymiyyah said,
03:14The Arabic language is part of our religion, so knowing it should be an obligation as we read the Quran and pray in Arabic.
03:23How many households speak the language fluently?
03:26How many households hold discussions or talks about religious knowledge?
03:31How do we revive or rebuild our Islamic identity?
03:35We as Muslims need to strengthen our belief in our aqidah.
03:39We have to foremost know that man and jinn were created for worship, obedience, and carrying out the orders of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
03:48In addition, it is very familiar for Muslims to understand the linguistic meaning of the word Islam,
03:56to be that of surrendering, being obedient, and submitting to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala without any resistance.
04:03In fact, this is the very heart of what it means to be a Muslim, submitting one's very desires to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala in his highest form of worship.
04:14Submission in what Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala asks of us and is the naturally sensible thing to do,
04:20and the way in which this can naturally be achieved is by developing our unique Islamic personality.
04:26Islamic identity includes many elements such as faith, morals, religious practices, traditions, social customs, language, history, and Islamic literature,
04:37representing the totality of Islamic culture that distinguishes the individual and characterizes society.
04:44Islamic identity is the sense of belonging to the Islamic ummah,
04:48identifying its place in history and civilization, adhering to the values and teachings of Islam.
04:54Islam. Once we truly understand this, we have to know why Islam is always distorted.
05:01Why are there traditions or beliefs that oppress women and girls?
05:05This is why we should know our history.
05:07Islamic identity is not only the spiritual aspect, it is knowing your roots.
05:13It is empowering us, building the confidence and self-esteem we had before they were ripped from us.
05:21History is an essential part of building the Islamic identity as it contains the events that have shaped the Islamic ummah since its beginnings and represents a rich heritage for Muslims.
05:34By studying Islamic history, an Islamic individual can strengthen his identity and understand its origins and development.
05:41Starting in the 2nd century of the Islamic calendar, Hijri, foreign ideas from cultures like Indian, Persian, and Greek were introduced to some Muslims.
05:51These ideas were often at odds with Islam, but some tried to combine them with Islamic teachings, which caused confusion and wrong interpretations.
06:01Some people who didn't truly believe in Islam also introduced foreign concepts that contradicted Islam, further distorting its understanding.
06:09By the 7th century Hijri, the Arabic language, which is central to understanding Islam, was being neglected.
06:18From the 17th century onwards, Western colonialism and cultural influence made things worse, causing even more confusion.
06:26As a result, many Muslims lost the true understanding of Islam.
06:30Let us briefly look at some examples of how women were treated in Europe.
06:34Women were expected to be silent, chaste, and confined to domestic life, often having no legal identity separate from their husbands or fathers.
06:44Women had limited control over their property and earnings, could not vote or hold public office, and could be physically abused.
06:54Married women, in particular, had no legal identity of their own and were under their husband's authority.
07:00In many places, husbands were legally allowed to beat their wives.
07:04Women in Europe looked at women as deceitful, incompetent, so stupid to do anything right.
07:10Does this not anger you?
07:12We as Muslims left our Islamic values to copy and imitate the West when they regarded a woman at an animal level beneath the man.
07:22Islam came and rescued women from this humiliated life.
07:26Islam taught us that both genders were created equally in their obligations to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.
07:34They also have rights and responsibilities towards Allah and how to gain His Jannah.
07:40Unlike Europe on how they treated women, Islam came to protect the rights of women across all aspects of life.
07:46From prohibiting pre-Islamic injustices, Islam protects women and girls from all harm
07:53to the point that there was a time where the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam called the community to the mosque for a meeting.
08:02This time when he called the Muslims, it was to order an end to domestic violence.
08:07Islam empowered girls to have their rights for education.
08:11Europe did not give girls that privilege.
08:13Europe became obsessed with how to tarnish the image of Islam, making it look backwards and oppressive.
08:19Europe gave Muslims their backward traditions and took the Muslims' way of life to make Europe look modernized.
08:28The Islamic identity is diverse, encompassing a set of values, principles, and traditions that distinguish Muslims
08:35and make them feel a sense of belonging to each other.
08:39To better understand Islamic identity, it is necessary to look at the history and development of Islam,
08:45as well as the social and cultural factors that contributed to the construction of this identity.
08:51We also need to talk about the challenges facing Islamic identity today, and how to deal with them effectively.
08:57Our Islamic values are now openly criticized.
09:02This is the underlying theme that underpins our beliefs and what we were obligated to do.
09:08Whether it is responding to oppression in the Muslim world, education, family life, or simply giving charity,
09:15Muslims are expected to conform to Western secular liberal values.
09:19The aim of these attacks is to pressure Muslims into adopting ideas and stances that are often incompatible with Islam,
09:42to create a climate of fear that silences the Islamic call and any dissent against devastating Western policies in the Muslim world.
09:52Ordinary citizens, too, are constantly being bombarded by anti-Islamic sentiments, creating animosity between them and Muslims.
10:00The common person is being forced to take a stance against Islam and Muslims.
10:05Let us rise from this and become a true Muslim who is alert, knowledgeable, true to yourself, and to be a leader towards the khayr.
10:16Islam has raised all of us to the highest level of honorable and respected femininity,
10:22free from the exhausting burden of having to fend for herself and earn a living.
10:27Even if she is rich, she does not have to provide for herself.
10:30Islam has made her independent, entitled to dispose of her own wealth, if she is wealthy, as she wishes,
10:38and equal with man and human worth, and with regard to general religious duties.
10:43She has rights and duties just as the man has rights and duties.
10:48Women and men are equal in the sight of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, and may be rewarded or punished equally.
10:55We, as Muslims, should strive for the Islamic identity that Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala bestowed upon us,
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