By Maryam Sakeenah

Some strains in contemporary feminism celebrate unfettered individual liberty, often expressed in a very physical sense – such as FEMEN’s bare-chested demonstrations for the feminist cause, among others. In a similar vein is the demand for women’s sexual freedom, expressed as the right to choose sexual behaviour without being judged for that choice. For many who sympathise with the feminist cause like myself, this message is disturbing. The problem with this is not that it is offensive to conventional patriarchal attitudes, but rather the problem is with regard to a deeper question of personal faith and values.

The question really is of individual choices and individual freedoms to make those choices. This idea of human liberty (or women’s liberty) is highly individualistic – a freedom to make choices that refuse to take into consideration any factor outside of the self and its interest; self-centred, selfish choices. This message is disconcerting for reasons beyond the gender debate.

In confining choice to the self and its narrow interests, we refuse to consider that choices are made in a broader milieu, and that our choices are inadvertently and inextricably interconnected to a host of other factors and elements outside of the self. This perspective on human liberty clashes head-on with the faith-inspired sensibility.

In the Islamic understanding, a requisite to accepting faith is a voluntary stepping back from the self’s desires, obsessions and impulses for a deeper personal liberation. Faith is an act of submission to a higher, more perfect, sublime Being beyond the self. It sets one free from the crippling bondage to the base, carnal and selfish; the material and the merely temporal. This liberation, for the believer, lifts the spirit onto a higher plane of consciousness where one becomes capable of acting impersonally, and altruistic choices become gratifying and heartening; one becomes capable of living larger than life. This is why throughout human existence some of the most extraordinary acts of selflessness and heroism have been inspired by some form of faith. At this level of consciousness, we become mindful of our relationship with our context, those with whom we share the planet and our lives, and the Giver of all life.

In Islam this individual consciousness, attainable through faith, has a communal dimension. It is the most basic element of a social order that aims at justice, equity and the sanctity of individual rights and freedoms intrinsic to all creation. To achieve this is the collective goal of the community. It requires regulation of personal conduct and the laying down of rights, duties and responsibilities towards oneself, the community and the Creator for a larger purpose, one that brings the greatest good for all and in turn impacts individual wellbeing. In this scheme of things, the exclusive pursuit of absolute and unrestrained individual liberty above all simply does not belong.

This is why the message that the choice of sexual orientation and sexual behaviour is a free individual choice is offensive to the sensibility rooted in the ethic of faith-based submission. It refuses to consider that human choices operate in a context that is not isolated from other lives, and that we are part of ordered communities based on and seeking to achieve universally accepted moral ideals – justice, public welfare, equity, rights and liberties, peace, prosperity and harmony. The message of complete and uncompromising personal autonomy with disregard for all other factors and considerations is actually a call to irresponsible action, moral chaos and anarchy.

On the other hand is the feminists’ tendency to pit women against men – a crass and peevish brand of feminism which again flies in the face of the Islamic concept of a beautiful balance and the genders being complementary rather than competing. According to the Qur’an, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has created everything in pairs. Muslim blogger on women’s issues, Sameen Sadaf, explains: ‘Pairs symbolize sharing, unity, togetherness, complementarity and completion. The nature of this universe thrives on the complementarity of pairs. It celebrates the interdependent nature of both genders that beautify each other and by working together can they complete the task assigned to them by their Creator. Men and women together weave the intricate web of society in which women are the binding force who strengthen the exquisite fabric of human relationships.’

So much of contemporary feminism ironically reeks of patriarchy. The lived experience of motherhood, for instance, shows that the feminist enthusiasm for women in the workforce does not really pertain to the actual lives of the generality of women. Ironically, this is imitative of men – as if the pursuits beyond homemaking and family are the standard benchmark against which to measure the quality of our lives and struggles. It is as if the overwhelming and vital task of mothering and homemaking was somehow inadequate or less worthwhile.

For all that women suffer, the panacea is not asserting a mutinous, defiant individualism, but rather living to the full our multifarious roles as women within our respective contexts. It is pursuing common goals for the greater good, being active agents to promote values that subvert oppressive patriarchal structures and attitudes that maintain the suffering of women. The commercial media industry is one such oppressive structure that objectifies the woman’s body for commercial ends.

The debate around how we define and stand for human liberation as it relates to women borders on deeper fundamental questions about our deepest convictions. The advocates of the feminism that believes removing clothing or sexual adventurism is liberation should stop pretending that this is a voice or choice of all or even most women, or that it ought to be. To take that message or reject it is also a matter of choice that comes out of deeply embedded personal convictions.

Feeling comfortable in your own skin – why does it take so long to achieve? I’ve spent years feeling self-conscious in a crowd, stammering over how to respond to new acquaintances, struggling with finding the ‘right’ dress style, stiffening when presenting myself in new situations… the list goes on.

All this, I sense, is because of being unsure of exactly who I am and where I stand with myself. When you aren’t sure where you stand with yourself, where is the hope of knowing where you stand with others?

I’m sure some of the problem stems from temperament. Choleric and sanguine people would feel it much less. They might even not identify at all with what I’m trying to say. Whereas I’m certain melancholics and phlegmatics will know exactly what I mean. I can therefore safely assume that half the world suffers from this problem.

Getting to the root of the issue is difficult. What exactly is it that causes this vague lack of feeling comfortable and ‘right’ with the world of people? That sense of: ‘I have nothing to be stressed about in this social context, yet I know I’m not relaxed. I know I’m not completely being myself.’

For me, this matter manifested most clearly through my struggle with clothes (though it was subtly everywhere in my life). Finding that perfect dress style that expresses ‘the real me’ has been elusive. “Am I Bohemian, Funky or Traditional? I know I’m not Sophisticated or Trendy” The result of over thinking this has been that I usually leave the house looking like the Bag Lady.

Why obsess about clothes? Really it’s a symptom of a deeper crisis. Our clothes project an image, and we are inside them looking at others looking at us. Clothes are our flags of recognition for the outside world. Whether we are aiming to impress others or express ourselves, clothes matter more than most of us would like to admit.

As children we wear what adults dress us in, until a time when we start to exert our clothing preferences. For me there were some cultural confusions that compounded the matter. I’m half Indian and half English. Which half would claim my outward expression? This dilemma epitomised the deeper problem of “Which half do I feel I belong to?” The answer always came closest to neither.

For the first half of my life I couldn’t analyse this. Clothing and its deeper issue of comfortable rightness with the world was dealt with as a random succession of individual outfits, either sewn with great enthusiasm and anticipation (until I saw the reality of the less than dream-like result), or worn passively because it was given to me, and was therefore an expression of what others perceived I ought to look like.

I lived in the Middle East for a few years and wore the traditional black abaya most days. One might think that this would fix the problem, but it doesn’t. The dilemma just becomes more subtle. It also becomes disturbingly about class, and which fancy boutique you bought your perfectly cut and shaped abaya from. I still wound up looking like the Emirati Bag Lady, with my floppy abaya, and lack of high heels and sequined handbag.

In mid-life, I started the long process of questioning everything about how I was living my life, and digging down to the roots of matters. I took a long, hard look at clothing. I decided that because I was so ‘ungrounded’ in my own culture (well, I don’t really have one and that’s the problem), I’m a bit of a lost soul when it comes to dressing.

I decided that the root problem was one of identity. Being quarter Afghani (on the ‘Indian’ side) made me fantasize about being born in a little village, somewhere on an Afghan hillside. If I had, I would have grown up knowing exactly who I was and would have faced the world comfortably in that knowledge. I would have worn colourful dresses and flowing dupattas (traditional, long scarves), knowing that they were right for me. The way I fitted into the world would be forever grounded in a childhood spent running through fields with a bunch of goats.

I spent a long time lamenting this and being almost angry about my lack of cultural definition. It took a lot of time and soul searching, of fixing inner diseases of character one at a time, and of sitting and contemplating things with complete honesty with God – to finally stop feeling resentful and as if I was continuously treading water and trying to keep afloat in social contexts.

Know yourself to know God. This is what our teachers advise us and it is truly a great piece of wisdom.

If you can’t face God honestly and tear down the barriers between yourself and Him, then you can never be comfortable in your own skin. If you can’t face Him with every ugly vice that you force yourself to look at bare-faced without cringing away, then how will you face the world and have an honest interaction with it?

When you have gone through this painful process, you come to know that He, the most important Being, already knows how base you are in character and He hasn’t rejected you. In fact, He has guided you with Love; so much so, that you now know He is with you every step of the way.

This Love of His trips you up and makes you fall flat on your face so many times that after a while you stop counting. Every time it happens, you know that He is watching you and metaphorically chuckling, like a benevolent parent.

You make a thousand mistakes, you behave grossly, and still He picks you up, dusts you off, and teaches you how to do better.

If you’ve been through all this with Him, until finally you know a whole lot more about yourself and you know that He knows everything, then what problem is it, after that, to step out into the world and face people? Does it matter that they don’t see you at your best, when you know that He already knows you at your worst? Living and experiencing all this is what makes you begin to feel comfortable in your own skin.

I finally came to a point of orientating my framework properly. I set my face towards Allah and accepted the way He had designed things for me. I accepted that my being born and raised halfway in everything—a jack of all trades and master of none in the realm of cultural identity—was my qadr (fate) from Allah. He gave it to me in His infinite Wisdom.

That acceptance was when I began to feel a relaxation start to take hold. That’s when I started to feel a smile creep onto my face while walking down the street, knowing that if I wanted to, I could jump up onto a wall and walk along it without fear of reprobation. I finally felt like I could just be myself and not worry about the possibility of ‘myself’ not being good enough.

Knowing that my unique identity is good enough for Him suddenly makes it good enough for me and everybody else. I now know that if I want to go out and skateboard, I’ll go out and skateboard. If I want to sit in a park and write in my journal, I’ll sit in a park and write in my journal. If I want to be quiet at a gathering and people-watch rather than talk, I can do so without feeling the need to explain myself.

This freedom to relax and accept myself in Allah’s sight has, almost surprisingly, given me the sense of joy in dressing that I was searching for. I can now wear my skater dresses and motley collection of scarves with something approaching pizzazz, and ‘carry them off’. I’m comfortable with them. They are me. They are not a half-English girl trying to be Indian, nor are they a half-Indian girl trying to be English. They are just ‘me’.

I suspect that I still often look like the Bag Lady. But now I feel that I can just laugh and embrace her. She is me, and I’m okay with that.

Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV

A true believer stands for something greater than his or herself.

The modern secular approach to morality has greatly plagued our society over the last half century. Hearts are hardening and people are not concerned with moral values anymore. People stand by en masse and watch the blatant spread of debauchery, lewdness, and other forms of widespread societal corruption without apprehension. We promote and entertain ourselves with corruption in our movies, television, music and video games. It has gotten so bad that social iniquity is accepted as normal in mainstream American and European society. With the globalization of western values, this iniquity is an international reality. The question is – how do the true servants of the Merciful react?

This brings us to our next characteristic of the servants of The Merciful.

“Do not give witness or credence to falsehood or immorality and if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech they pass by with honor and dignity.” (Qur’an, 25:72)

Since the early generations our scholars have differed slightly over the meanings carried in this verse. The above translation attempts to lump them all into one general category. The first underlined part is the translation of the word ‘yash-hadoona Az-Zoor.’ Our scholars tell us that what is meant here is that the servants of the Merciful do not attend, give witness to, affirm or give credence to any falsehood. Al-Zoor is specifically referring to falsehood which has been made to look good or desirable. All sin and immorality basically falls under that category. Some of the great scholars from the early generations said Al-Zoor specifically refers to polytheism, which means that a Muslim would not go to, take part in or support a polytheistic ritual. Similarly we would never show acceptance to or validate polytheistic beliefs.

That being said, we are still obliged to not offend or insult people’s beliefs as the latter part of the above verse indicates, “if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech, they pass by with honor and dignity.” This is a general rule for preserving one’s faith and setting a strict standard in favor of monotheism. Note that taking part in interfaith dialogue is a specific exception which has its benefits and can be discussed in a separate article.

Another explanation for the word Al-Zoor is lying. A true servant of God would not be in the company of people who often lie and they definitely would not lie themselves, particularly when giving their testimony over a disputed matter. Others contend that Al-Zoor means “the party scene” – the bar or dance club. They say that the gatherings where music and alcohol are found fall under Al-Zoor. So according to this interpretation it is definitely not appropriate for a true servant of God to be at a place where alcohol, drugs or un-Islamic music is prevalent.

The second underlined part of the verse “if they happened to pass by vain or harmful speech” is the translation of ‘Itha marroo bil-laghwi.’ We have translated it as “if they happened to pass by” rather than “if they passed by” because as the commentators mentioned the linguistic connotation of this verse is that they did not or would not intend to witness ‘Al-Laghw,’ which we translated as vain or harmful speech. The exegetes mentioned that Al-Laghw refers to the rude and disrespectful attacks of the disbelievers upon the believers. Others said that it refers to all foul language and evil talk such as lying, backbiting, evil poetry, evil songs and slander. The later commentators kept with the basic linguistic meaning of al-Laghw which is vain or foul talk.

The last underlined part of the verse “with honor and dignity” is a translation of ‘kiraamaa’, which means noble, honorable and dignified. Our scholars said this verse means that if we happened to be verbally abused – as is quite common these days – we should exercise wisdom, kindness and pardon others. So we should either be silent (if that is best), respond with a clear non-antagonistic refutation or outright forgive and show kindness to the ignorant person who has bad character. Similarly if we hear lies, backbiting, slander or other foul speech we should advise the people against it in a kind, yet unyielding manner and be on our way.

This verse carries a lot of guidance and teaches us how to deal with social iniquity with honor and wisdom. When we look at the meaning of the last part of the verse “[pass by] with honor and dignity,” we see how many Muslims are clearly not in-line with this Islamic behavior. An example of this is the rioting, burning of flags or effigies of politicians as a response to anti-Islam campaigns in western media. This is not how we stand for something greater than ourselves.

This verse is about hearts with spiritual life that stand against all forms of evil, especially when it comes to evil that is made beautiful, appealing and acceptable. When the Prophet ﷺ told us that Islam came as a stranger and it will return strange, he was informing of us of the very reality we find ourselves in. In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, sin and corruption were norms which he and his companions stood against. They embraced these divine set of morals – self-respect, honesty and integrity – that put their human desires in check and regulated them for something better in the long run.

We pray God Almighty bless us to be like those strangers who revive spiritual and moral integrity as a societal standard. May we do this so that we may earn His pleasure and become true Servants of the Merciful! Ameen.

Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala (exalted is He), tells us in the oft quoted verses of Surah Hujarat:

“O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Qur’an, 49:13)

We are being told that one of the primary reasons for creating us all differently is to teach us the art of getting to know one another and to become comfortable with being different. However, human beings regularly use these differences to demarcate boundaries, or worse, to feel superior to others in their identity. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) in his farewell sermon told us of the equalizers that are the basis of human rights:

“All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.”

In today’s world, we have found even more ways of establishing superiority, hierarchy and worth. Race and color are just not comprehensive enough.

Since the first thing we deal with when meeting another human being is their exterior, it is natural that we may evaluate their physical characteristics such as how tall they are, how their face looks, their skin color or how they dress. This is natural, but there are certain manifestations of this evaluation that take away from our God-given dignity. For example, the perception that fair is better than dark or in other cultures that color is better than pale. In Pakistan and India, there is a gigantic market for skin lightening products. Both men and women are targeted through advertisements whose basic aim is to reduce people and to tap into the psychological remnants of colonial rule.

The second thing we look at is dress, and the cultural background of the dress. Is it ironed? Is it clean? Is it tight or loose? Is it revealing or is that a tattoo! Are they wearing a hijab, or in men’s case, does he have a beard? All this happens within moments and may not even be a conscious decision. Of course all of these things induce some flash of acknowledgment that we may have some idea of what this person thinks, some box that we can fit this person into. For Muslims, the hijab or the beard is a good example to look at. Both of these evoke a familiarity, and we may see these as an aggressive outward manifestation of faith and Islam. We also assume that these things may mean that a person holds certain views about another issue. However, we cannot always make assumptions, because every circumstance is different. For example, if a woman refuses to wear hijab in Iran, it is an aggressive act of defying authority. On the other hand, if a woman does the very opposite in a school in France, it is still an aggressive act of defying authority even though it is a completely opposite action. In other places where there is not a central authority dictating exteriors, the presence or absence of a hijab or beard may not be as significant.

We have stripped down the material part of how we reduce our fellow human beings and do not account for the endless circumstances that may lead to what we see. Now let us look at another aspect of initial interactions that is particularly problematic—especially in places with a colonial past. That is the mastery of the colonial master’s language. The fluency in English in an English-speaking country, for example, determines not only social status, but how confident people are of their own standing. Sometimes even fluency is not sufficient; people are obsessed with accents and what they project about themselves and others. A south Indian accent may be deemed hilarious in one region while someone who speaks the “Queen’s English” would be considered superior in education, in social class and in refinement. The question one must ask is who came up with the idea that if a certain word comes out sounding one way or another it may be crass or class? What an absurd metric to determine one’s social stature! If that is not debasing enough, sometimes we judge a particular person based on how they can be of use to us. Can they further my career? Could they get me into a particular social circle? Will they fit with my desire for a particular plan of action?

We evaluate people using titles and names of things and the institutions they associate with. Be it Harvard, Stanford, Google or Facebook, or any big corporation, these little titles and tags mean something to us, as we evaluate not just others but ourselves. This may be a manifestation of us being taught to be ambitious and to aim high as children. We are taught to work hard, to get into the right schools, land the right jobs, make an impact, and to be famous or rich.  These “delusions of grandeur” offer an exaggerated sense of self-worth; tangential to how Allah (swt) evaluates us. Now while a little troubling that we evaluate others’ worth based on these titles and honors and awards, it is outright sad when we do it to our own selves when we associate our own worth with what sits in the bank account or how many influential people we know or even where we were educated. We disregard all the privilege that Allah (swt) sent our way and we forget that the biggest differentiator between “the best” of humanity and the ordinary is not ability, but opportunity.

In Surah At-Teen Allah (swt) says:

“We have certainly created man in the best of stature; Then We return him to the lowest of the low, Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for they will have a reward uninterrupted.” (Qur’an, 95:4-6)

Allah (swt) the creator of everything in this universe including all our objects of desires is telling us that you and I were created in the best of forms and with the highest stature. We were created better than the things we desire and given amazing abilities. Allah (swt) himself acknowledges those abilities. He has given us the ability to conquer the whole world and in fact the whole physical universe!

In Surah Al-Jathiya, Verse 13:

“And He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth – all from Him. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought.”

And again in Surah Ibrahim, Verse 33:

“And He subjected for you the sun and the moon, continuous [in orbit], and subjected for you the night and the day.”

Despite this mastery, He says that He will return us to the lowest of the low, through great tests in this life and despite our ability to subjugate the physical world through our intellect and our will—both of which are used extensively as collective ego boosts. In other words, He (swt) is attacking the ego based on accomplishments and repeating again that everyone is at a loss except those that believe in Allah (swt) and those who take the initiative to do good wherever they go and to whomever they meet.

In Surah Ali `Imran Allah (swt) says:

“You are the best of nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” (Qur’an 3:110)

That is the ONLY metric for evaluating human beings. It is a stark contrast to how a lot of us quantify other human beings. Our true dignity and stature is defined very differently from how we routinely define it. We only debase ourselves below our true and God-given nobility by evaluating our self-worth and others’ worth through the arbitrary and ephemeral.

The following lecture compares three contemporary social issues with the time of the Prophet ﷺ: Gender relations, racism and drinking. The below article delves into more detail with regards to gender relations in particular.

Many of us lament that we’re no longer like the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ; that their times were different, that their circumstances were different, and that we can never be like them. This concept is often invoked when we discuss gender relations with regards to Muslim youth and how ‘astray’ our youth have gone in comparison to that noble generation.

Yet, contrary to perhaps popular knowledge, the homeboys and the homegirls of the Prophet ﷺ also struggled with their desires. They too slipped and made mistakes.  And through their situations, the Prophet ﷺ took the time to coach, train and teach them, helping them transform into the great giants whom we recognize today.

Thus, let us take a look at some of the ways the Prophet ﷺ dealt with the issue of gender interaction in his community so that we can learn lessons applicable today.

Ibn Abbas radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) shares with us, “A beautiful woman, from among the most beautiful of women, used to pray behind the Prophet ﷺ. Some of the people used to go to pray in the first row to ensure they would not be able to see her. Others would pray in the last row of the men, and they would look from underneath their armpits to see her. Because of this act, in regard to her, Allah revealed, “Verily We know the eager among you to be first, and verily We know the eager among you to be behind,” (Qur’an 15:24). ((ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, Tayalisi, Baihaqi, Ahmad, Tirmidhi, and Nasai. Authenticated by Albaani (#3472 in his Silsilat al-ahadith al-sahih).))

From this narration, we learn that the young men who lived in the very city and attended the very masjid of the Prophet of God ﷺ slipped and checked a girl out. And yet what did the Prophet ﷺ do about it?

Did he create a wall between the men and women’s sections? Nope. Did he prohibit women from going to the mosque, lest they tempt the men who attend? Never. In fact, he ﷺ did the exact opposite and commanded that women not be stopped from going to the House of God. ((Narrations can be found in Sahih Muslim, amongst other places.))

What he did do was allow men and women to continue to be a part of the same society, working together as a community, existing cohesively. At the same time, he ﷺ helped train his community to keep their desires in check.

The below are a few incidents in which we learn how he did so:

1- Narrated Abdullah ibn Abbas (ra): “Al-Fadl bin Abbas rode behind God’s Messenger ﷺ as his companion rider on the back portion of his she-camel on the day of Nahr (slaughtering of sacrifice, 10th Dhul-Hijja) and Al-Fadl was a handsome man. The Prophet ﷺ stopped to give the people verdicts (regarding their matters). In the meantime, a beautiful woman from the tribe of Khatham came, asking the verdict of God’s Messenger. Al-Fadl started looking at her as her beauty attracted him. The Prophet ﷺ looked behind while Al-Fadl was looking at her; so the Prophet ﷺ held out his hand backwards and caught the chin of Al-Fadl and turned his face (to the other side) in order that he should not gaze at her….” ((Bukhari))

Look at how the Prophet ﷺ trains Al-Fadl to be a responsible young man. He does not slam him for not keeping his desires in check. And even more importantly, he does not utter words that would make Al-Fadl believe that the source of the problem was the existence of the woman and that Al-Fadl had no responsibility in checking her out. On the contrary, he gently turns Al-Fadl’s face away, teaching him that he is the one who needs to be responsible for his actions.

And let’s look at the Prophet ﷺ teaches the rest of this ummah (community) how to interact with women.

The Prophet ﷺ does not curse the woman for being “a fitna (trial).” He does not accuse the woman of enticing Al-Fadl. He does not shun her. Instead, he facilitated for her to be able to ask a question without being checked out.

We also don’t notice her being reprimanded by the Prophet to cover her face while nearing the Prophet ﷺ or other men who are not related to her. We do not hear this narration stating that she was advised to speak behind a curtain in the future lest her beauty become a temptation for men who could not control themselves.

In fact, it was quite the opposite. The Prophet ﷺ caught Al-Fadl staring and so he gently pushed Al-Fadl’s gaze away from the woman. The Prophet ﷺ taught Al-Fadl to control his own self. He put the onus of responsibility on Al-Fadl in this incident instead of scolding the woman who caught his gaze.

Al-Fadl did not protest the Prophet’s action of turning his face; Al-Fadl did not respond with, “But dear Prophet, she is the one who is a fitna (temptation)!” or, “Prophet of God! Command her to cover herself and hide so that she never makes another man’s eyes look at her again!”

In our own communities, women are often blamed for the downfall of men. Women blame other women for dressing inappropriately, wearing too much makeup, or acting flirtatiously with men. Men blame women for the same things! The blame always ends up being on women. We end up holding the brunt of the baggage of the gender relationship.

But what about what the Prophet ﷺ taught us? Yes, we have certain dress codes and guidelines of interactions to which men and women should both adhere, but it does not stop there. This woman was beautiful (may Allah be pleased with her) and yet the Prophet ﷺ didn’t condemn her beauty or stop her from speaking with him ﷺ and asking her question. So what about our communities today?! Let us move beyond placing the blame on women. Let us actually follow the Prophetic way in which each individual takes responsibility for his or her own actions without unnecessarily blaming others for simply existing.

2- In another example, another male companion went further than simply checking out a woman. He actually kissed her! The following narration gives us insight as to how God addressed his sorrowful admittance, seeking forgiveness and guidance from the Prophet ﷺ, “A man kissed a woman. So he came to the Messenger of God and informed him about it. Then God revealed this verse, ‘And perform the prayers, between the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds efface the evil deeds,’ (11:114). The man asked the Messenger of God ﷺ if the revelation of this verse applied only to his situation. The Messenger of God responded, ‘It applies to all my ummah.’” ((Bukhari))

What can we take from this incident? This incident teaches us that the way that God, our Creator, our Loving Sustainer, taught us to deal with slipping into sin is through connecting back with Him immediately. He sent a verse to teach us all that if any one of us messes up, we should go back to Him and maintain our daily prayers. The daily prayers “prohibit immorality and wrongdoing,”  ((Qur’an 29:45)) and having that connection will also be a means of our continual forgiveness. ((“The five daily prayers and Jumu’ah to Jumu’ah is an expiation of the sins committed between those times so long as one is not guilty of major sins.” [Bukhari]))

Now, this is not to suggest that those who are involved in inappropriate relationships should simply pray immediately after getting physical and then return to that action. This companion clearly came to the Prophet with regret and with resolve, seeking a solution when admitting his fault to the Prophet ﷺ . However, what we can take is that even the greatest of the great slip and succumb to natural human desire. But when we make the same mistake that one of them did, we should do what they did to seek change: We should regret it, immediately take to seeking God’s forgiveness, and make the resolve not to slip into it again. And if we do slip? Start the cycle of asking for forgiveness over.

3- But what about someone who wants to go all the way? How did the Prophet ﷺ help prevent a man who seriously wanted to do it? Once a young man came to the Prophet ﷺ requesting from the Prophet to grant this man permission to have sex outside of marriage. The people were shocked and were trying to silence his question. The Prophet ﷺ asked him a series of questions. “Would you like it for your mom?” He ﷺ continued to ask if this man would like it for his daughter, sister or other female relatives. The man continually responded in the negative, intellectually convinced by the logical argument of the Prophet ﷺ. Finally, the Prophet placed his blessed hand on the man and prayed to God, “Dear God! May you forgive his sins, purify his heart and make him chaste.” And it is narrated that this man never got involved in what he was requesting after this experience with the Prophet. ((Al Hakim))

This man was intellectually and spiritually blessed by the logic of, connection to, and prayer from the Prophet ﷺ. We need to learn to be like the Prophet ﷺ when it comes to dealing with issues of sex. I know of young Muslim women who are afraid of getting married simply because their parents have made sex such a taboo topic that they have an intense fear of having to deal with sexual intimacy in marriage. I have also known of young men and women who really wanted to get married, whose parents refused to let them marry really awesome people who came to ask for their hand simply because of their race, and who eventually could no longer handle it and had sex outside of marriage.

As parents, we need to consider the approach of the Prophet ﷺ when it comes to discussing sex and sexual desires. The Prophet ﷺ openly addressed this man’s concerns about sex in a public setting. He didn’t make this topic an untouchable taboo. How much more of a right do your own children have for you to have open conversations with them in the privacy of your own home? However, don’t make it all awkward for your kids. Develop an open relationship with them before they’re old enough to have these conversations so that you don’t come off really weird and make them uncomfortable. If open communication is a natural dynamic in your family, such conversations will also occur organically, God willing.

Furthermore, as community leaders, we need to have open dialog with our members about these issues. If the family structure of our congregants doesn’t provide the security and openness needed to understand sex and related issues, we should have strong relationships with our communities so that we can help be a resource and means of guidance.

3. Additionally, during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, just like today, even his married companions had sex outside of marriage. Committing adultery is a serious issue, especially as it involves emotionally hurting one’s family. But in the incidents described, the Prophet was not quick to punish. He turned a woman away who came to him—asking for him to punish her so that she would be purified—continuously and consistently. He gave her so many opportunities to never come back to him and never receive any type of physical consequence, to simply live in repentance. But she, like others, came back over and over again until he finally established the consequence. ((Narrations of this can be found in Sahih Muslim.))

The point in mentioning this is simply that this existed during the time of the Prophet ﷺ with the world’s greatest generation. They slipped just as we do, yet they were man or woman enough to beg God for forgiveness and recognize they had made a mistake. And even with some members in his community making a mistake and going all the way outside of marriage, the Prophet ﷺ did not ban men and women from working together and interacting with one another. Instead, he taught the men and women in his community to work together, professionally and respectfully, but with the warmth of true brotherhood and sisterhood.

Most of the examples I have chosen with regards to gender-relation scenarios explicitly mentioned men as those who acted upon or wanted to act upon their desires, but the same applies to women! Ladies are often put under the bus when it comes to talking about women’s sexual needs and desires, minimizing the reality that many women do in fact have strong sexual urges and fight themselves not to act upon them. Men and women alike can take from the lessons we’ve discussed from the lives of those living in the society of the Prophet ﷺ and actualize the concepts of self-responsibility, continual connection with God and intellectual and spiritual strength to overcome desires or repent and turn to Him continuously when falling.

Many in our communities today suffer from a lack of understanding gender relations. Women are sometimes not even allowed into the masjid because of the fear that their presence could somehow cause craziness. Women are often blamed as the ultimate cause of men being led astray in regards to gender issues. In my personal experience, men are rarely reminded that they must uphold their end of the gender relations’ bargain as well, other than by ignoring women’s existence or ensuring that women are behind the mosque’ wall and far from being a fitna for men’s lives. And in my perspective, this lack of understanding of the Prophetic method in training his community—which is quite different from completely segregating his community—is also one of the reasons many in the West are dealing with a real marriage crisis. (These are all huge issues stuffed into one paragraph; I feel their mention is essential when discussing gender relations, but they will individually be addressed in future articles, God willing).

A few general suggestions on how to deal with gender issues in our communities: ((As inspired by my beloved friend, Sana Iqbal.))

1. For Oneself: Understand that we are individually responsible for ourselves, our dress and our actions. Both men and women have specific interaction and dress guidelines and each should try their best to adhere to those instructions. However, a person’s struggle with not maintaining those guidelines (either actions or dress) is NEVER a reason for someone else to put the blame on them. If you are attracted to someone, regardless of how they are dressed or undressed, it is your individual responsibility, as a male or female, to respectfully avert your gaze from checking that person out without blaming them for being distracting. Your actions are always on you; if you slip, keep the blame to yourself.
2. For Men: Use your male privilege to create spaces which accommodate women to flourish into dynamic, knowledge-seeking, dawah-giving, masjid-attending Muslim women. Women’s existence is not the problem. If you can’t deal with women respectfully and professionally, don’t blame them for existing. Challenge yourself to follow the Prophetic method of training: Hold yourself fully accountable for your own actions, just as the companion who stared, or who kissed, or who wanted to go all the way or who actually did, and understand that women are your “partners” ((From the Prophet’s last sermon: “Do treat your women well and be kind to them, for they are your partners and committed helpers.” [Bukhari])) as you are theirs.
3. For Women: Societies in general put the blame on us. Because of this, we have to bear the burden of responsibility, as women, to demand spaces be created for us to seek and spread knowledge and become involved in community growth. Never allow for someone’s mental or verbal harassing of you for existing to be the reason you stop attending the masjid or seeking knowledge. We NEED women who are willing to be strong enough to deal with the drama we constantly have to face to help create space for women so that, God willing, and with the support of our male partners, we will begin to see a shift of return to the Prophetic society of respectful empowerment.
4. For Young People: We know most of your hormones are raging and that you often do not have a place to deal with the realities of your mistakes and your desires. Finding a balance, especially without the ability to speak openly with your parents about it is difficult. Find mentors in your community who you can speak to and seek support from. And if you’ve slipped a bunch of times, know that Allah is always ready for you to come back and be near Him!
5. For Parents and Community Leaders: We need you to nurture our young people. Open conversations and tangible examples of successful gender interactions and respecting, honoring and empowering women- and guiding men to know how to empower themselves by both taking personal responsibility and supporting the empowerment of women- are needed for the successful transition of your generation’s leadership to theirs.
6. For Everyone: We all make mistakes—even the Companions did! Take the time to turn every mistake into an opportunity to return back to our Creator! He is always ready for us.

The companions, were not born as gender-relation ballers. They converted to Islam with baggage and carried it into their Muslim lives.

Through their efforts, they struggled to actualize a crown Qur’anic axiom describing gender interactions, and it is the very one we must continue to work towards despite our confusion, our cultural (mis)understandings and our struggles:

“The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey God and His Messenger. Those  – God will have mercy upon them. Indeed, God is Exalted in Might and Wise.” ((Qur’an 9:71))

Perhaps the most blatantly apparent quality of the 21^st century world is that the success of nations is based upon their material advancement with complete disregard for the moral status of its civilization.  However, Allah subahanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has given us many examples in the Qur’an that illustrate His dealings with those nations that met their respective prophets with an attitude of stubborn rebelliousness. The Qur’an clearly indicates that the  material strength of these nations did not avail them in front of Allah’s punishment.

Allah (swt) says: “Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with `Aad—[with] Iram— who had lofty pillars, the likes of whom had never been created in the land? And [with] Thamud, who carved out the rocks in the valley? And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes?—[All of[ whom oppressed within the lands and increased therein the corruption. So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment. Indeed, your Lord is in observation,” (Qur’an 89:6-14).

Each of the nations were given some sort of material power. The people of `Aad were able to construct huge, lofty buildings much like those today in the Middle East.  The people of Thamud dexterously carved their dwellings out of mountains. It may be that the “lord of stakes,” Pharaoh, was named this way in reference to the pyramids that still remain intact today as witnesses to the architectural genius of the people of his time. Yet, all of these achievements could not save them from the punishment that was inflicted upon them due to their rejection of God’s revelation.

Based upon a detailed examination of these people and related verses that describe the destruction of previous nations, the scholars have mentioned the following as causes for their deterioration:

1. Denial of the revelations of the Lord and disobedience towards the prophets
2. Following the bidding of the insolent tyrants and transgressors who made mischief in the land and did not reform themselves (such as the people of `Aad and Thamud)
3. Rejoicing over scientific knowledge and turning away from the revelations of God
4. Insufferable intellectual and material arrogance intermingled with heedlessness of Allah’s severe punishment (the error of Pharaoh and Qaaroon)
5. Oppression, defrauding people of their possessions, and injustice particularly against the poor and weak (this was the error of the people of the Prophet Shu`ayb `alayhi assalaam, peace be upon him)
6. Committing abominable offenses, and indulgence in lust (for example the sins which ruined the people of Lut)
7. Widespread corruption, committing evil in public without the least attempt to forbid each other from these wrong-doings (characteristic of the Children of Israel)
8. Use of Allah’s blessings in disobedience, denial of many of those blessings altogether, and refusal to do good deeds
9. Indulging in luxurious living and ingratitude to Allah (swt) for His blessings

Each of these transgressions accelerates Allah’s wrath. Hence, the horrors that await a nation or society plagued by a number of these violations are beyond human imagination. ((The nine points listed are taken almost verbatim from the original text.))

Upon examination of the civilizations of our own time, it is apparent that each of them is dominated by one or more of these transgressions. Consequently, Allah’s wrath and retribution is inevitable so long as the people of these civilizations persist in following in the footsteps of the doomed. In this regard, Allah (swt) says:

“And you lived among the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, and it had become clear to you how We dealt with them. And We presented for you [many] examples. And they had planned their plan, but with Allah is [recorded] their plan, even if their plan had been [sufficient] to do away with the mountains,” (Qur’an 14:45-46).

So the very important question arises: What is the solution to the predicament faced by present-day societies? Al-Mawdoodi writes, in comment to a speech given by Lord Luthen at Olaykara University in which he states that the only way to salvation is to swear allegiance to a religion:

“One gets the impression that he resembles a thirsty man who is not even aware of the existence of water, still he can feel all the symptoms of his thirst. He lists the properties of the thing which can put an end to his thirst but he is not able to name it. If we put a glass of water in front of him, he will say on instinct that this is the thing he felt thirsty for and will jump and drink it. Others who suffered the devastating consequences of the Western civilization and urbanism in Europe, America and the rest of the world, share Lord Luthen’s condition. […] Undoubtedly they heard the word ‘water’ before but they are terrified whenever it is mentioned because they were not given a chance to know the real meaning of it. Their ignorant and fanatic ancestors told them that water refers to a poisonous thing which no one should approach. Ironically, if that thing was put in front of them and was not named, they would have instantly cried out saying that this is the thing which they felt thirsty for…”

Islam is the only system which offers humanity a completely balanced and integrated system; this is the straight way (siraat-ul mustaqeem) that Muslims ask for guidance to in prayer.

By balance, what is meant is that Islam is a middle way that doesn’t veer off into extremes. What is meant by integration is that Islam integrates sciences and faith, truth and power, creed and activity, religion with the state, instruction and legislation, religious scruples and the duties of rulers, material creativity and moral loftiness, and military power and morale. This integration is based upon the principle that belief in God is essential to the life of humanity.

The mission of religion and belief is represented in the following:

• First, Belief builds and develops the relationship between the believer and Allah (swt) into an ethereal intimacy which fills that person with love, trust, and certainty.
• Second, It elevates man from the level of a “developing animal”, as some people describe human beings, to an honorable, rational creature who has to fulfill certain duties and who was fashioned according to the best organizational plan. Man is Allah’s vicegerent on earth. Hence man shouldn’t give in to the petty vanities of life which drag him on the downward path. He should always aspire to higher values.
• Third, Religion broadens the scope of man’s relationship with the vast universe. Man is not an intruder in this enormous cosmos. This universe is created for man’s service and it is one of the Signs of Allah’s existence. All people are brothers and sisters.
• Fourth, It makes man realize the meaning and wisdom of morality.

All these values aim to make us realize the secrets and truth of our existence and our mission in life. They stem out of belief in Allah (swt) and the hereafter which are the pillars on which religions are built. Hence, it is essential to restore the constructive influence of belief upon humanity and life.

When belief infiltrates the society and enlightens the hearts of its individuals, people will exhibit the characteristics of a true Islamic society and will build its foundation upon the following pillars:

1. Brotherhood and Love: It is a natural result of faith to unite those upon the firm creed.
2. Sympathy and Mercifulness: These characteristics are especially obligatory regarding the weak, the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarers.
3. Support and Cooperation: It is a must for the believers to cooperate upon righteousness and piety and not to work together for vice and hostility.
4. Solidarity and Mutuality: It must be a society in which the rich support the poor, and the strong come to the aid of the oppressed.
5. Mutual Consultation and Advice: No one in this society is above the law or above being corrected if they do not adhere to God’s commands
6. Purification and Advancement: The Muslim society is a hygienic one that educates its individuals in purification, decency, chastity, and prohibits every kind of abomination whether hidden or open.
7. Justice: It includes economic and social justice as well as just treatment by the law.
8. Progressiveness: This is perhaps the most important characteristic of Muslim society—it is progressive and not underdeveloped! However the definition of this progress is based upon the collective goal of humanity which is to perfect the worship of God, to fulfill the vicegerency on earth, and to accomplish preservation of the earth.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said, “Faith has approximately seventy branches (or sixty some in another narration). The highest branch is [living] the statement ‘There is no god except for Allah’; the lowest branch is removing anything harmful from the street. Modesty is also a branch of faith” (Sahih Muslim).

In this statement, the Prophet ﷺ makes it clear that there are several branches of faith that comprehensively define true belief.

It is important to derive from this that some branches are fundamental pillars of belief, where faith cannot be achieved unless one believes in them completely. Additionally, some branches contain obligations that carry rewards and punishments, where one may actually leave the fold of Islam if he defiantly rejects these branches.

Some of these branches are related to character and conduct, with some being obligatory while others are recommended. Additionally, some of these branches are related to dealings like buying and selling, giving and taking, and each of them vary in degree and rank.

All of these branches vary in importance and collectively define the Islamic creed, its character, worship, contracts, and transactions.

The scholars have researched these branches, attempting to count and define them. Below is the analysis of the great scholar Ibn Hibban, which Imam ibn Hajar al-Asqalani agreed with and supported in Fath al-Bari. The following list enumerates the branches of faith, broken down by section, in order to facilitate an easy understanding of the topic.

Branches of Faith

Actions of the Heart (24)

1. Belief in Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He)
2. Belief in the Angels
3. Belief in the Divinely Revealed Scriptures
4. Belief in the Prophets and Messengers
5. Belief in Divine Knowledge and God’s Absolute Ability
6. Belief in the Day of Judgment

a. Questions to be Asked in the Grave
b. Resurrection
c. Accountability
d. Weighing of Deeds
e. Crossing the Path
f. Paradise and Hellfire

7. Loving Allah
8. Loving and Hating for the sake of Allah (swt)
9. Loving and Honoring Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
10. Sincerity
11. Repentance
12. Fear
13. Hope
14.  Fulfillment of One’s Oath with Allah (swt)
15.  Gratitude
16.  Patience
17.  Satisfaction
18.  Reliance upon Allah (swt)
19.  Mercy
20.  Humility
21.  Not possessing arrogance or pride
22.  Not being jealous
23.  Not being hostile
24.  Not being angry

Actions of the Tongue (7)

1. Proclaiming that Allah (swt) is One
2. Reciting the Qur’an
3. Learning about Islam
4. Teaching Islam
5. Supplication
6. Remembering Allah (swt) and Seeking Forgiveness
7. Not Engaging in Vain Speech

Actions of the Limbs (38)

Pertaining to Individuals

1. Physical and Ritual Purification
2. Covering One’s Body Appropriately
3. Performing the Obligatory and Recommended Prayers
4. Paying Zakah and Giving Charity
5. Freeing Slaves
6. Generosity – Feeding People and Honoring Guests
7. Fasting
8. Performing Hajj and Umrah – Major and Minor Pilgrimage
9. Tawaaf – Circling the Ka’bah.
10. I’tikaaf – dedicating time in the masjid solely to worship God
11. Seeking Laylat al Qadr (the Night of Power) in Ramadan
12. Fleeing an unlawful gathering for the sake of protecting one’s faith.
13. Fulfilling Vows
14. Attempting to Better Understand the Islamic Creed
15. Penance – Expiating sins by performing a particular act

Pertaining to Family and Those Close to Us

1. Staying Chaste till Marriage
2. Fulfilling Family Rights
3. Being Righteous to Parents
4. Properly Raising Children
5. Maintaining the Ties of Kinship
6. Obeying one’s Master and being Gentle to Servants

Pertaining to the Society

1. Standing up for Justice
2. Sticking with the Community of Believers
3. Obedience to Those in Power
4. Reconciling Between People
5. Supporting Righteousness – Commanding Good and Forbidding Evil
6. Carrying Out Divinely Ordained Punishments
7. Jihad – Defending Islam, Muslims, and Society
8. Fulfilling Trusts
9. Granting Loans
10. Honoring Neighbors
11. Properly Treating People
12. Properly Spending Wealth
13. Responding to Greetings of Peace (Salaam)
14. Responding to Someone who Sneezes
15. Not Harming People
16. Staying Away from Vanity
17. Removing Harm from the Street

We present to you a summer full of nightly lectures to rejuvenate your faith and gain knowledge of your religion. These will be FREE of charge, and will be conducted through webinars (online or by calling in). Our teachers and volunteers have worked very hard to organize this for you, so I hope you will remember us in your du’as (supplications) and will join us!

List of Courses (click the title to register!)

• 40 Hadith About Ilm: Prophetic Guidance for our Studies *new*
  • Taught by Ustadha Muslema Purmul
    
• Imam Abu Hanifa and His School
  • Taught by Ustadh Jamaal Diwan
• Fiqh of Purification according to the Shafi’i School from Abi Shuja (Registration Closed)
  • Taught by Ustadh Arsalan Haq

• Fiqh of Prayer According to the Shafi’i School from Abi Shuja (Registration Closed)
  • Taught by Ustadh Arsalan Haq
• An Introduction to the Sciences of Hadith: Preservation, Compilation & Terminology
  • Taught by Ustadh Osman Umarji
• An Introduction to the Qur’anic Sciences
  • Taught by Shaykh Suhail Mulla
    
• Tasawwuf (coming soon)
  • Taught by Imam Suhaib Webb
• How to make Da`wah in America (coming soon)
  • Taught by Ustadh Abdullah Danny
• Developing a functional relationship with the Qur’an (coming soon)
  • Taught by Ustadh Yasir Fahmy

The number one (if not the only) leading factor to deviation from good, whether in the religious sense or not, is Shaytan (Satan). Shaytan comes at a person from every angle and sugar coats the evil so he or she may fall, sometimes unknowingly. One of my favorite examples of such wicked and subtle ways in which Shaytan will get to a person is from my own past experience. I used to tell myself (in my early years in college), “Well, there is nothing else to do on a Friday night, plus I am not drinking!” Sound familiar? Do we use this line to tell ourselves it is ok to hang out at the bar or the dance club? Or do our friends use the famous line, “Dude, since you don’t drink, do you mind being the designated driver?” How about telling yourself, “Well, we need a quite place to study” while sitting alone with someone from the opposite gender him in a room with the door closed. How long are you going to talk about calculus, chemistry, or psychology before you drift off talking about this, that, and the other? Have you not heard the story of Barsisa, the worshipper who Shaytan destroyed methodically and brought from the high of worshipping Allah to the low of prostrating to Shaytan himself?

Shaytan is relentless brothers and sisters, and we must open our eyes, minds, and hearts to the strategies and the whispers of the Shayateen (devils) of both ins (humans) and jinn that cause us to fall into sin. Shaytan has vowed to lead us astray as Allah says,

“For he had said, “I will surely take from among Your servants a specific portion. And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah.” (Qur’an, 4:118-119)

And do not think that Shaytan will leave a person alone after he or she sins. He will keep one in that cycle and make it seem unbreakable. The familiar line “I have done so much I will never be forgiven” is fed to us every time we think about breaking free form sin. This is one of the most vicious ways in which Shaytan keeps us in his grasp; he makes us doubt the mercy and forgiveness of Allah. Shaytan will also make our repentance seem exceptionally monumental by using the poisonous line,“There is just way too much to know and it is so hard to keep up with it all.” Another tactic that Shaytan uses to discourage us and lead us astray is the false assumption that the only ones who enter paradise are the scholars. Brothers and sisters, being a good Muslim is easy to achieve. Abbas related that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ, “Tell me what should I do to be admitted to Paradise?” The Prophet answered, “Worship Allah associating nothing with Him, observe Salat, pay Zakah (Alms) and strengthen the ties of kinship.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

Let us look at a prime example of a young person who stayed on the right path, fueled by his belief in Allah. Yusuf (peace be upon him) is known for his beauty and as a young and virile man he was a servant in the house of the Aziz (royalty) of Egypt. He lived in the same house as the wife of the Aziz, a woman who was taken by the beauty of Yusuf and became overpowered by her desires for him:

“And she, in whose house he was, sought to seduce him. She closed the doors and said, “Come, you.” (Qur’an, 12:23)

Imagine this brothers and sisters. This young man, full of vigor and hormones, was not only being approached but rather aggressively sought after by a woman who would let him have his way with her. Yusuf could have justified this in so many ways and the people would have probably excused him saying “He is young” or “He is a servant” and would not know any better. He could have, but he did not and he said:

“He said, ‘[I seek] the refuge of Allah. Indeed, he is my master, who has made good my residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will not succeed.'” (Qur’an, 12:23)

Instead of all the excuses to do wrong, he had all the excuses to do what is right. He sought refuge in Allah and asked for His support in this ordeal and then he used the logic, decency, and faithfulness to his master to prevail for, surely, wrong-doers will never succeed.

So let us treat this issue at the root and let us follow what Allah tells us:

“And if there comes to you from Satan an evil suggestion, then seek refuge in Allah . Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Knowing” (Qur’an, 41:36).

Also in the last few chapters of the Qur’an is a beautiful surah we can recite:

“Say, ‘I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The Sovereign of mankind, The God of mankind, From the evil of the retreating whisperer – Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind – From among the jinn and mankind”‘ (Qur’an, 114).