“Getting Back to Basics”

An essay by Ahmad Abdul-Rahman

Living Islam in a foreign, secular country is a topic not new to Muslims living in the West. The teachings we received from our scholars as youths in our home countries, stood us in good stead in those countries, but living life outside of the Islamic circles so familiar to us, brings a new challenge to all Muslims.

Suddenly one is thrust into an environment where the almighty dollar, rather than our Allah (S.W.T), is worshipped. An environment where Islamic values and practices are no longer respected, but instead made a mockery of. An environment where following the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) is no longer considered the sign of a true believer, but instead the sign of a so-called “fundamentalist”.

Islam literally means to submit. To submit to the will and wishes of Allah (S.W.T) and to the teachings and practices of his last messenger, our beloved Muhammad (S.A.W). For this meaning to hold true, it would require Muslims living in this country to continue following Islamic laws and practices – in doing so, submitting to Allah (S.W.T).

However in many ways it appears that we Muslims are submitting not to Allah (S.W.T), but instead to Western culture and practices – a culture which has no boundaries, and which encourages almost everything deemed haram by Allah (S.W.T) himself.

So how may we turn the tide and ensure that our families may enjoy the paradise that has been promised to us? Surely it must begin with the fundamentals of Islam. Because despite the many negative connotations associated with that now famous word, every true Muslim is, at heart, a fundamentalist.

The only one who can truly call himself a Muslim is the one who takes the fundamental principles of Islam from the teachings of Qur’an and the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), and implements those into his daily life. These fundamentals include belief in Allah (S.W.T) and his messenger (S.A.W), solat and fasting, and knowledge of what is right and wrong in Islam.

A comparison may be made here with sporting teams. One often hears the comment from coaches and commentators, that a team needs to “get back to the basics” of the game. What they mean is that in order for a sporting team to enjoy success, they need to concentrate firstly on the fundamentals of the game – be it passing, kicking, tackling, or some other aspect of the game.

When applied to Islam, we can say that in order for a Muslim to enjoy success and the rewards of the paradise, he needs to get back to the basics of the religion, and concentrate on the fundamental principles of Islam. In this way, he will always remember Islam in his daily life.

Having said all of this, resistance to change is one of the hardest things to overcome in life – just ask any long-term smoker. And one of the difficulties that could well be foreseen is that friends of any Muslim trying to change his ways may cast him out by labelling him as a “fundamentalist”. It is up to each Muslim to remind himself that there is no shame in being a Muslim who follows the fundamental core practices and beliefs of Islam. And just remember – in the afterlife it will be the fundamentalist who enjoys the fundamental rewards that have been promised by Allah (S.W.T). And, (fundamentally speaking), Allah (S.W.T) never breaks his promise.