"Hi, I'm a Muslim and I'm ashamed of my religion
I try to hide my faith and I'm embarrassed by my tradition
I try to blend in so I don't cause any suspicion"
If this sounds familiar, you might want to give this a listen.
Dear Muslims, of the internet
If I could kindly request that we stop trying to be cool and relevant
and start trying to be people of actual benefit
If we could stop trying to fit in, and start trying to stand out.
I mean we were never meant to blend in
And I assure you, we were never meant to just go along with the crowd.
You see being different, is exactly what being Muslim is about.
As the Prophet ﷺ said
فَطُوبَى لِلْغُرَبَاءِ "
Glad tidings to those who are strange".
But unfortunately, today when it comes to our faith, most of us are ashamed
We try to hide our identity and even change our names
Which is funny, because those on falsehood aren't hiding at all, they're in full public display
Walking proudly down the street, even waving flags in parades
And I'm not taking any shots, nor am I here to complain
All I'm saying is it's about time things start to change
We should be proud to be different, and embrace the fact we're not the same.
You see, for instance, we should never be embarrassed to say:
"Hey, I'm a Muslim and I follow the religion of Islam,
I don't smoke, don't drink, and I don't go to clubs and dance
And I actually believe that marriage should only ever be between a woman and a man
And I'm sorry sister but I can't really shake your hand
I hope it doesn't offend you, I sure hope you understand
Coz I'm just being me, in all honesty, this is just who I really am"
And I don't plan on ever giving this up
See, I'm a Muslim, and Allah has told us:
كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَت
ْ لِلنَّاس
We're the best of nations, brought forth for the people
We enjoin the good and we forbid the evil
and we believe in Allah, without any partners nor any equals.
So why should I be ashamed?
We're the kind of people who are kind to people, and we treat others like we like to be treated
I mean, we have Allah, as the supporter, the friend and the protector of the believers
And we have Muhammadﷺ, the best of all leaders.
So I honestly don't understand why we should ever feel defeated
I mean, why do we always feel the need to leave our faith neglected
Like we need to give up our ways in order to be accepted.
Or that we need to go rearrange and reform our faith, so we can somehow have it corrected
Failing to realise, we can never improve something that Allah has already perfected.
And look I get it, some of us do feel disconnected, and it does get hard.
We might slip and fall and at times we might feel far
And this is normal for sure, I mean it's why we were taught to make the Du'aa
يَا مُقَلِّب الْقُلُوب ثَبِّتْ قَلْبـِي عَلَى دِينك "
Oh turner of the hearts, keep our hearts steadfast".
So don't worry, just be calm, and keep yourself connected to the pious, the righteous and above all the Houses of Allah.
And if you still feel disengaged,
Or if you just feel out of place
Or if you came and you were turned away,
For your looks or your past mistakes
It's fine, it's okay, just keep trying, keep praying
And at the end of the day,
no matter what happens, never lose your faith.
Never be ashamed.
