Always a Muslim

   

As I recall my past and how I came to be who I am today, one thing is crystal clear to me: I’ve always been a Muslim. When I first realized it I felt a sense of awe, wonder, and more than a little surprise. When I think of the words “I am a Muslim,” I am still awestruck. Yes, in June of 2014 I came to know about and embrace the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, but I have always been a Muslim.  I’m going to explain this in two ways, both of which illustrate why this is so. First there is my early understanding of Islam and the six pillars of belief. Second is my coming to understand the terms “Islam” and “Muslim.” Early on in my self discovery I would have just said I “feel” like I have always been Muslim, that the Qur’an reflected those words already written upon my heart. After additional study and coming to understand in more depth what it means to be a Muslim I would confirm resoundingly, “I have definitely always been a Muslim.”

So let’s start at the beginning. You can pick up any “Idiot’s Guide to Islam” or do a quick web search on Islam and you will quickly stumble across the six articles of faith. The articles of faith are a compilation, based on the Qur’an and Hadith, of those things a person must believe to be considered a Muslim.  Now, I’ll admit, I understand that there is more to a religion than it’s stated articles of faith. As it was a factor in my early impressions of Islam, I believe it bears a lot of weight in shaping my beliefs and is therefore worth mentioning. To be a Muslim you have to believe in One God, His angels, Revelation from God, the prophets of God, the Day of Judgement, and predestination (God’s will).

Those six requirements are not at all shocking to most followers of monotheistic faiths and I am no exception. If you were to leave out any more details and asked me if I believed in those six articles, I would have told you unequivocally yes, I do. But why then, back in my early 20’s, did I not begin calling myself a Muslim? Upon learning the articles, but prior to learning more about Islam, I already knew it was a religion that originally came from God. I knew I believed in all the articles, yet I did not put much thought into the idea of calling myself a Muslim. I would have compared the six articles to the 8-Fold Path of Buddhism. I see wisdom and truth in each of the steps of the 8-Fold Path and certainly I can see how following it with sincerity would shape someone into a better person, yet I do not consider myself a Buddhist. And so it was with the articles of faith and Islam.

While it is critical in my walk that I had acknowledged the truth to the six articles of faith, there is another reason why I would say I have always been a Muslim. Prior to my knowledge of Islam, the term Muslim had the same definition to me as Christian, Jew, Buddhist, or any other label used to identify one with a specific religion or faith group. What’s fascinating to me about the Arabic word “Muslim”, is that it’s actually very unlike any of those labels as the word itself does not just describe one group of people who follow one faith tenant. As soon as I understood that, I knew that I laughed out loud. I knew at that moment I had always been a Muslim.

When I first explained to a family member the meaning of the word Muslim, I made a mistake that I will seek to not repeat in this blog: forget how uncomfortable people have become with the term. Here I will attempt to be more careful  and certainly more respectful of other’s preconceived notions of what it means to be a Muslim.

The Arabic word Muslim is defined on Google as “a follower of the religion of Islam.” The problem with that definition is that you are defining a word in another language using another word in that language, neither of which is properly explained within the definition. The word “Muslim” actually means, one who does Islam, not one who follows the religion of Islam. Ok… so what does it mean to “do Islam”?!? Seriously! What is the difference? The word Islam is not the name of a religion, although it has adopted that additional usage as a means of delineating between those who follow the Qur’an and sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and those of other monotheistic and Abrahamic faiths. Islam is an Arabic word that means “submission or surrender” specifically in relationship to God. The actual etymology of the word is so fascinating and beautiful that perhaps it will be something I discuss in a future blog. Suffice it to say, if Islam means “submission or surrender to God” and “Muslim” means “one who submits or surrenders to God” (which by the way, it does) then I have, indeed always been a Muslim.

Perhaps you are still wondering, how on earth can that explanation be seen as offensive? When I first explained it, I made the mistake of including (truthfully) that anyone who meets the above mentioned criteria would be considered, by Muslims, to be a Muslim. If the individual has not been properly exposed to the Qur’an or taught about Muhammad, then Allah subHana wa ta’ala knows best whether his/her heart is sincere for Him and He alone is the judge. Note to self: in today’s tense sociopolitical atmosphere, do not call someone a Muslim (or even allude to it) if they do not identify themselves as Muslim. I can, however, say with certainty that the term has applied to me my entire life, whether I knew it or not.

I write about this because it was very exciting for me to discover. It is something I wish more non-Muslims knew. As a result, I got a little technical and I hope, insha Allah (God willing) to include more and more posts pertaining directly to Islam in the future. For now, being a newbie, I do not wish to spread corruption or confusion about Islam, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), or Muslims and I certainly don’t want to present myself as a scholar or even an informational source when I, myself, am just beginning to scratch the surface. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guide myself and any who read my words and may He make of me a light unto others and not a source of confusion. Ameen.

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu! (may peace be upon you and the mercy of God and His blessings!)