IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, THE MERCIFUL

LET US BE CONSCIOUS MUSLIM & MUSLIMAH

[An Appeal to American Muslims]

Alhamdulillah, more than eight million Muslims are now living in North America and about one and a half to two millions are residing in different regions and states of South America and Caribbean Islands. It was in the planning of Allah (SWT) that the New World is inhabited by such a large number of Muslims and Muslimah. If all would have been true Muslims and Muslimah, worthy of the Kalimah that they recite every now and then as the creed of their life, the situation would have been quite different today. They would have been the leaders of mankind and models for humanity to follow in different aspects of life.

But, unfortunately, the position of Muslims is different than what it ought to be. Their life-style contradicts what they profess and claim by words. They are living a life of inconsistencies both in Aqeeda and deeds. Their condition is somewhat anomalous. By belief, they are the so-called Muslims, obedient to their Creator and Sustainer alone, but, in fact, they have become hypocrites of the first water. They have become the tools of the liberal and secular societies of their respective countries, somewhere consciously and very often unconsciously. As a result, their sufferings are colossal. So, what to do to get the situation corrected?
No doubt it is a big question but the solution, as prescribed by Allah is very simple and effective:

" Faint not nor grieve, for you will overcome them [the evil forces] if you are indeed [true] believers [the Mumineen]."
[Al-Imran. 2 : 139]
When the Muslims would become true believers and there is no inconsistency in their belief and Amal [action and deeds], they will have a say in the affairs of the world and a respectful credibility to their existence.

It will be possible when the Muslim men and women, their sons and daughters, began to live, behave and act like "conscious Muslims and Muslimah", feeling accountable to Allah (SWT) for what they are doing in this life, individually and collectively. Let us coin a slogan, a catchword, and each one of us must remind to each of us when we meet, talk and depart, irrespective of the fact whether it is in person or on phone or writing letters or having dialogue on internet.

"LET US BE A CONSCIOUS MUSLIM AND MUSLIMAH"

Sahabah ® used to remind each other when meeting together or seeing off with Surah Al-Asr

"By the Time! Man is surely in loss, except those who believe and did good deeds, and exhort one another to Truth, and exhort one another to patience."
[Surah. Al-Asr 1-3]
If the Muslims of America can produce an echoing sound of Surah Al-Asr with its concept and what it demands from us, the Ummah will soon transform itself into a nation of conscious Muslim and Muslimah. That will be a turning point of our existence on earth. Let us do it.

A conscious Muslim or Muslimah will always have the following thoughts constantly fresh in his mind and keep them before his sight:

* He is the vicegerent of Allah on earth;

* He is to live on this earth the way Allah has ordained in the Qur'an and Rasulullah (S) has demonstrated in his life pattern, So he must know what the Qur'an and Rasulullah (S) command and live by that as living models for others;

* All that he possesses is an Amanah [trust] from Allah and that he is accountable to Him on the Day of Judgment for the manner he/she has used this Amanah on this earth [We are the trustees not the masters of what we see and possess];

* He is to stand as witness to Allah that he communicated and professed what Allah ordains through his words, actions and deeds to his neighbors and fellow citizens the way Rasulullah (S) demonstrated to the people of his time;

* He carries out this job for the whole of his life, sustaining the eventual hardship and trial that are inevitable landmarks of this path with patience and trust in Allah;

* He consoles and encourages his fellow Muslim brothers and sisters to sustain the onslaughts of Batil with Sabr [patience] expecting reward only from Allah in the Hereafter;

* He develops the conviction that his Falah [success] in both the worlds lies only in following the path of righteousness.

* It is a very effective process of Tazkiyah [purification] of self and family by reminding each other with the mission of their life. This consciousness of the position will keep us away from wrongdoings.

* If each Muslim and Muslimah starts making constant effort in the aforesaid direction, he/she will soon begin to feel and think like a conscious Muslim and Muslimah. The consciousness of the responsibilities will make each of them to act and behave like a responsible Muslims and Muslimah. That will be the turning point of this Ummah

* It is, therefore, very essential that he/she must always keep it in mind that if he/she does something wrong or bad, it will be recorded against Islam and the Muslim community [as we see today] and if he/she does something good, nice or decent to his/her neighbor and the people of the land, it will go to the credit of Islam and the Muslim community. Gradually, the bad image about Muslims will evaporate and be replaced by a good image in due course of time. This will be the best Dawah Ilallah in the American perspective and in the context of the modern Jahilyah [ignorance]. In such situation, each Muslim and Muslimah and his/her house will be directly and actively involved in the process of Dawah. This will galvanized the Muslim Ummah of America into a cohesive body to call the people of the land to the fold of their Creator and Sustainer, Allah (SWT) through their respective actions, behavior and deeds.

THE ROLE OF IMAMS AND MUSLIM LEADERSHIP:

Introducing the captioned catchword to the Muslim masses and developing a deep sense of constant reminder to each other is an important exercise. It is to be undertaken by our Imams and the Muslim leadership. A good majority of the Muslim masses are attached with Masajid. They go there on regular basis to attend daily prayers, Friday congregational sermons or weekly Tafseer/Hadith classes. They bring their sons and daughters to Sunday schools, participate in different religious functions and sometime join Dawah programs at local level. These are the opportunities available to our Imams and Muslim leadership to create consciousness in each and every Muslim and Muslimah that they are Muslim and as such they are to live like a conscious Muslim and Muslimah. Through constant reminder, educational programs and get-together functions, they can transform the Muslim community of America into a conscious cohesive identity of "living by Islam".

If this campaign is pursued intelligently with a clear vision, well-defined objective and a well calculated marksmanship, the Muslims of America may emerge into a well-consolidated body of conscious Muslim mass within a few years time. This will be the greatest feat of performance towards the revival of this Ummah. This will be the most important strategic step towards Dawah Ilallah in this country. Under such situation every Muslim and Muslimah, every son and daughter, will become an effective Da'ee for all those who come into his or her contact and with whom he or she meets. Their actions, their behavior, their service -oriented approach, their etiquette, their sense of care and concern for others [the people of the land], all will leave a lasting influence on their contactees. This will constitute the best Dawah Ilallah in the present context of America where the die-hard anti-Islam and anti-Muslim media is busy day in day out in character assassination of Muslims. The loveable behavioral attitude of Muslims will be the best reply to prejudices and misleading propaganda of Western media. This will present a solid background to the people of the land to compare the characters of Muslim and Muslimah with what they are watching on TV and reading in press every now and then. The Batil propaganda will gradually evaporate in this background. The fare name of Islam and Muslim will emerge in the forefront. It will, subsequently, generate innumerable opportunities for Muslims to present Islam as an alternate way of life. This process is the prelude towards introducing and spreading Islam in the Continents of America.

It is the "self-conscious" strategy of Dawah Ilallah in this country and for the entire Western Hemisphere. Our Dawah efforts must be preceded by an all-out campaign to make every Muslim and Muslimah a conscious Islamic identity at his or her place. This is a challenge of utmost importance to our Imams and the Muslim leadership. If they accept it and make every effort to attain, their reward with Allah will be immense. They will not only be able to restore the prestige of the Muslim community but will go a long way in taking out the Muslim Ummah from its present state of degradation and "no-where" position.

Those brothers and sisters who agree with this approach of Dawah Ilallah and the strategy of making the Muslims a "conscious identity of Islam" are requested to visit our web site [www.DawahinAmericas.com] or contact Br. Shamim A Siddiqi on phone (718) 961-7708 or by e-mail [tsidd96472@aol.com] and extend their cooperation to transform this humble effort into a mass campaign. With the blessings of Allah, we, jointly and collectively, will make this campaign a vibrant movement for the Muslims of America to live and stand by it.

The natural ending of this appeal should and must be the catchword with which it started. It should now be the life-artery of the Muslims of America

LET US BE CONSCIOUS MUSLIM AND MUSLIMAH

We invite you to visit our web site: WWW.DAWAHINAMERICAS.COM

* To know about Islam as the only way of life for mankind
* To provide literature on Islam
* To be involved in inviting the people to the fold of Allah

A Da'ee Ilallah

Shamim A Siddiqi

Phone: (718) 961 - 7708

e-mail: tsidd96472@aol.com