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I begin in the Name of Allaah, the Most Merciful, the One Who bestows His Mercy

Be proud! O’ Muslims, for you belong to the Greatest of Nations!

[A message to the members of the Islamic Society from the President of the Islamic Society]

All praise is due to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, for He has honoured us by making us worship Him alone. All praise is due to Him, the Sublime, for He has guided us to the Path of His slave and the seal of the Prophets and Messengers. All praise is due to the Exalted, the Great, the Magnificent, the Majestic, for he has made us belong to the Best nation ever raised up in mankind.

To proceed,

The most important issue in the life of every individual and every society is its identity. It is only the identity that characterises the value and status of a person and a nation as a whole. Muslims living during current times face much confusion around the realities of the affairs. One may not be able to find the true identity and the truth of many things easily, because the truth is being concealed or covered with falsehood and the falsehood is being beautified. One may even feel confused about his very own identity.

The recent onslaught upon Islaam in the news, the media, by a handful of staff members in the university and student journalists provides us with an insight into the world around us. A world, where the Straight Path is called ‘Islaamic extremism,’ where all Muslims are called ‘terrorists,’ the Arabs are ‘women beaters,’ and Islaam is a ‘barbaric religion;’ so we are told by writers, ‘thinkers’ and ‘intellectuals’ around our university, this country and the Globe.

Upon hearing these slogans of falsehood over time, it creates a feeling of shame if constantly the word Muslim is used synonymously with everything bad in the world. When a Muslim no longer feels pride in Islaam, and the Muslim is isolated and looked down upon by the rest of the society. We may even find the poor confused young Muslim feeling as if though he has to blend into the society and take an apologetic approach for his faith, which constitutes the essence of his soul and body. Such a person could sometimes compromise his religion for his friends, for his professors, his lecturers, his degree or his occupation. Key obligatory principles, foundations and pillars that raise Islaam may no longer be considered vital, and thus the Muslim treads upon a very dangerous path of losing his identity, the very identity that has instilled peace, contentment, hope and love in his heart for all his life.

Moreover, many of today’s Muslims consider themselves as people who can pick and choose what they like from Islaam, neglecting the commands of Allaah, turning their backs on the sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and insisting on a secular life far from the blessings of divine law, perhaps even going so far as to deny certain aspects of religion of Allaah. Customs and traditions, materialism, man-made social systems, national leaders and even their own inclinations are now sharing the authority which rightfully belongs exclusively to our Creator, Owner of the Day of Judgment. Little do such people know that they are falling right into the traps of the Shaytaan and the non-Muslims who deceive them into thinking this is the true way of Islaam; one that is supposedly free from humiliation or embarrassment.

However, let it be known, O Ummah of Muhammad, that the religion of Islaam is indeed great in its merit and privilege of worshipping Allaah alone. The status and station of the nation of Muhammad is a lofty one, filled with blessings and reward. The Muslim should thus take pride in Islaam in such a time when we are receiving attacks from all angles possible. While every nation takes pride in their history, their victories, their leaders and glories, it should be known that the only nation truly worthy of such pride and glory is the nation of our Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). For it is this nation whom Allaah addressed saying:

You [true believers] are the best of nations ever raised up for mankind; you enjoin Al-Ma’rûf (i.e. Islaamic Monotheism and all that Islaam has ordained) and forbid Al-Munkar (polytheism, disbelief and all that Islaam has forbidden), and you believe in Allaah

[Surah aali-'Imraan 3:110]

The Muslim nation shall remain the best nation introduced to humanity till the Day of Judgement. Therefore, each and every single one of us should feel pride in our religion, walking with dignity and honour, as if we are above the whole of humanity. For we are one of Allaah’s true servants, from amongst the followers of His most beloved Prophet. We worship One God, Who has no partner, and Who has the most beautiful names and the highest attributes. Our focus and aim is concentrated, focused on our Lord and Creator. We put our trust in Allaah and ask none for help but Him.  We believe that Allaah is able to do all things, and has no need of a wife or son. All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people who feel ashamed to commit a sin by doing wrong to oneself or to others, because we believe our Lord is watching over us and sees all that we do. We know that Allaah is All-Wise, the Seer of the Unseen, so we trust that what Allaah decrees for us as good; for we know that Allaah will never be unjust to us, and that everything that Allaah decrees for us is good, even if we do not understand the wisdom behind it. This is because we are Muslims, slaves of the Most Merciful, and Allaah protects, shields, and guards His slaves. All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people of prayer, for prayer keeps us in contact with our Lord. It is the prayer to Allaah that ignites a spirit of humiliation and concentration in our hearts. We feel tranquil and secure when worshipping Allaah, may He be Glorified and Exalted. We recite the words of our Lord, one Book, that which He spoke Himself to the angel Gabriel, that which has been preserved and will remain preserved, which cannot be compared to the effect of the words of a created being. If the words of some psychologists can offer a little comfort, what do you think of the words of the One Who created the psychologist? All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people of charity, purifying our soul from stinginess and miserliness, which accustoms us to being generous and helping the poor and needy. We do not consider it to be burdensome, like man-made taxes, for we know the reward that is prepared for us in Paradise. All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people that command all kinds of good and forbid all kinds of evil. We encourage good manners and proper treatment of others. We enjoin good characteristics such as truthfulness, patience, deliberation, kindness, humility, modesty, keeping promises, dignity, mercy, justice, courage, patience, friendliness, contentment, chastity, good treatment, tolerance, trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and self-control in times of anger. We love and honour our parents, fulfilling our duties towards them and striving to uphold family ties. Never do we disobey them or even utter a disrespectful word. We help the needy, treat our neighbours well, protect and safeguard the wealth of the orphan. We are gentle with the young and show respect to the old, kind to servants and animals, and we remove harmful things from the road. We speak kind words, wishing everyone well, warning our friends, colleagues, teachers and lecturers of the severity of the Hell-Fire. Thus we call them to Islaam because it is the only way for them to be successful, the only way to save themselves from the Fire, the only way to attain Paradise. If only they knew like we do. All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a just and honest people who only speak the truth and never cheat or oppress. We come from a nation of understanding and thus only act after weighing the benefit over the harm. Our religion controls our words, our actions, our feelings, our conditions and our behaviour. Never do we act on enthusiasm, moods, whims or emotion alone, rather we act upon knowledge and understanding after counselling the learned amongst us. We sincerely wish inner and outer peace for the whole of mankind, peace which is true and sincere, one that can only truly be achieved after submitting to Allaah and His Messenger. We strictly condemn the killing and attempting to kill innocent men, women, children and the elderly, whether it be under the name of Islaam, democracy, freedom or any other title or heading that we see amongst us today anywhere in the world. Thus we condemn the killing of innocent Muslim and non-Muslim civilians in America, in England, in Spain and all other non-Muslim lands. Moreover, due to the justice that envelopes our hearts, honesty that is uttered from our tongues, and being from a nation that is prohibited to oppress or be oppressed, we also condemn the inhumane, barbaric attacks on innocent Muslim men, women and children in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kashmir, Chechnya and all other forgotten lands across the world. We believe that “whoever kills a human being (unjustly) is as if he has killed the whole of mankind,” and thus we detest all forms of injustice, oppression and tyranny that is present in todays world. Indeed, we are a people who are just, honest and truthful, and all praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people who meet the needs of the Muslims and non-Muslims, giving the debtor time to repay his debt without charging interest, preferring others over ourselves, consoling others, greeting people with a smiling face, visiting the sick, supporting the one who is oppressed, giving gifts to friends, and honouring the guest. This is what our religion teaches us, all praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

We are a people who stick to our principles and our beliefs at all costs. Never do we compromise the laws of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Our women honour themselves by the veil, a garment, a cloth worn by the women of Paradise. We maintain segregation, cleansing our hearts and souls from the whispers of the Shaytaan. We lower our gaze and preserve our chastity, rejecting the hand of someone from the opposite gender, as this was the etiquette and the teachings of our Prophet. Our beliefs regarding the oneness of Allaah, prophethood, divine decree, laws, rules and regulations, punishments and rewards, love and hate, peace and war are all taken from the Qur’aan and the Sunnah upon the understandings of the Companions of the Prophet (may Allaah be pleased with them); unedited and unchanged, just like how it was revealed to us. Our religion shall remain firmly engraved in our hearts and minds, without the need to look for a new modern view or opinion. For indeed, only Allaah has the right to legislate. All praise and glory is due to Allaah for making us Muslims!

So let it be known, O Muslims, O worshippers of Allaah, O Glorious nation of Muhammad, that we are indeed an honourable and dignified people. Let us show pride in our religion, holding onto it with our molar teeth, showing and calling all of mankind to it. Let us not compromise our faith, or take a new ‘modernistic approach,’ like how the non-Muslims want us to. For indeed, Islaam achieved victory, Islaam penetrated hearts, Islaam revived dead lands, Islaam attained strength and power by the known classical methodology that was practiced by the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), his companions (may Allaah be pleased with them) and the righteous that came after them (may Allaah have mercy on them). May Allaah make us of those who remain firm and steadfast upon the truth, who neither compromise or water down our religion, who take pride in al-Islaam for as long as we live. Aameen. Allaah says:

Say, Count not your Islaam as a favour upon Me, Nay, but Allaah has conferred a favour upon you that He has guided you to Faith, if you indeed are true.

[Surah al-Hujaraat 49:17]

Raise your heads in pride O Muslims, and get up and spread the banner of Islaam over the whole world. Let the whole world listen to the pulses of our hearts in which none but the knowledge and certainty of the existence, love and fear of Allaah dwells, Exalted be He. Know and know again, that we are the noblest of people on Earth, by the virtue of establishing the oneness of Allaah, and by the virtue of believing in the Best slave that Allaah created, whom is none other than Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

What an honour!

What a dignity!

We invoke Allaah to make us qualified to get such an honour and to be true followers of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Aameen.

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