Sheikh Faisal Abdur-Razak started off by commending all the attendees on their presence as they had responded to a special and honourable invitation. He mentioned that this was an occasion to express love for the Prophet SAW and that’s what has made the gathering so special. Sheikh Faisal addressed the theme of the conference “Responsibilities, Obligations, and Accountability of Muslims in the West” in a very eloquent and convincing fashion.

He stressed that for Muslims to know their obligations as citizens living in the west, they need to return to the source and root of the Muslim ummah, they need to return to the way of the Prophet SAW. All scholars agree on this concept. Imam Malik, one of the great early scholars of Islam mentioned that this ummah would never be reformed except with what reformed its first part, its beginning part. So Muslims need to look at the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad SAW to understand their obligations and duties as citizens living in the West.  

Sheikh Faisal went on to mention a phrase that is uttered by Muslims all the time when they say that Prophet Muhammad SAW is the best of creation.

After mentioning the attributes of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Sheikh Faisal mentioned some interesting points that must have surprised the audience. He observed that when the Muslim community started out in Makkah they were a minority, much like the Muslims are a minority in the west today. What was interesting was that he mentioned that the number of Muslims present in the audience was more than the number of Muslims that took part in the battle of Badr, it was more than the number of Muslims that pledged their oath of allegiance to the

Prophet Muhammad SAW at Aqabah (a place close to Madinah), it was more than the number of Muslims that the Prophet Muhammad SAW had a consultation with before the battle of Uhud. Sheikh Faisal wanted to make it quite clear that being a minority doesn’t mean that you have to be weak and incapable of accomplishing great feats. When the Muslims started out, they were a minority, but in a few decades time when Umar RA (one of the great companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW), following the teachings of Prophet Muhammad SAW, they were able to bring about a revolution that spanned almost the entire globe. The companions of the Prophet SAW responded to the challenges that they were face with. Sheikh Faisal went on to speak about how the Prophet Muhammad SAW guided the early community of Muslims. There were three important pillars that the Prophet Muhammad SAW directed the early community of Muslims with: 

1. The community’s relationship with their Creator, Allah SWT.

As Muslims we have to ponder upon our relationship with Allah SWT. We have to realize that just because we are few in numbers doesn’t mean that we are weak. The belief that an individual has in Allah SWT changes this weak individual into a powerful human being. That’s why Sayiddina Bilal RA (another great companion of the Prophet Muhammad SAW) endured the punishment and torture of the Quraysh. He was dragged on hot burning sand with a heavy rock on his chest and the manifestation of his iman (faith in Allah) was his uttering the words “Ahad, Ahad.” (God is One, God is One). His belief in Allah SWT was so strong that he would not give into the demands of the Quraysh no matter how harshly they tortured him.

2. Individual interaction within the community

Prophet Muhammad SAW appointed a specific family with a specific family, a specific individual with a specific individual. The ansar divided whatever they had and shared their belongings with the companions who had migrated. 

As Muslims we should not think of what others are doing, we should look at what we are doing individually, we need to show respect and love even to those Muslims who treat us badly. At this point, Sheikh Faisal mentioned a remarkable miracle of the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The Prophet Muhammad SAW would have never hated anyone who had said La illaha illAllah Muhammadur Rasulullah. The Prophet never distinguished amongst the sahabah in the way he treated them. 

There were thousands of sahabah. The Prophet SAW would treat each one of the sahabah in such a manner that made each particular sahabi think that he was the most favourite companion of the Prophet SAW. Muslims today can and should adopt the same attitude and we can start in our own homes. Parents should treat each child such that they say I’m the most favourite son or daughter of my father/mother. Each sibling should say I’m the favourite brother of my sister, sister of my brother. 

3. The Muslims communities’ view of the rest of the humanity.

When this elderly lady first saw the Prophet SAW, she was scared, because she knew what she had been doing. She asked why he had come. The Prophet SAW responded by saying that he knew that everyday she would throw garbage in his path, and today he didn’t find any garbage in his path, so he thought she might’ve been sick and that’s why he came to visit her. This response of the Prophet SAW softened the heart of this non-muslim lady and she was convinced that the Prophet SAW is truly a messenger of Allah, and she uttered the shahadah.

What is the Muslim communities’ view of the rest of humanity. How do we think of our non-muslim neighbours, coworkers, and friends? The way we think about them would determine the way we treat them. If we see them as a non-muslim, that’s how we will deal with them but if we look to them as potential Muslims we would treat them in a special way. The Prophet SAW would treat every non-muslim as a potential Muslim.

Sheikh Faisal then conveyed to the audience some important concepts that would form the cornerstone for a plan of action for Muslims living in the west:

1. We need to be men and women of spirituality. We must reflect spirituality in our outlook, character, personality. Let’s spread iman and taqwa. Muslim cannot be someone who spreads hatred for everyone.  Spirituality is what this society needs and this is what we can offer them.

All aspects of education, for all Muslims, should be considered to give us strength in deen and dunya. 

3. Muslim families need to be strong. Our families must be a reflection of what Islam teaches. There are many Muslim families that are in disarray. There are many examples of children leaving homes, problems between husband and wife in the Muslim community. How can this be when Islam puts a great emphasis on a good family life. Sheikh Faisal urged each member of the audience to have some program with their family every day. A Muslim family should try to pray together. Pray with your spouse and your children. A Muslim family should always eat together. 

A family that prays together and eats together stays together. Many of Muslims don’t do that. We are too caught up with other things, and we are always telling our spouses/children that we are busy. And the consequence of the neglect of family rights is the straining of the relationship between husband and wife, between parents and children. Many children tell their parents that they love them, but they tell them this when it is too late. They only care to do this at their parent’s funeral, when they truly realize how important a role their parents had played in their lives. 

Why don’t children tell that to their parents when they are alive and the parents can hear them. Wouldn’t it make the parents happy to hear something like that? 

4. Public awareness; the Muslim community should be publicly aware of what is happening around us. Muslims should not live in a vacuum in society. We need to overcome our cultural/linguistic barriers. If we have chosen Canada/US/Europe to be our home, then we should treat it as if it is our home. Too many Muslims think of back home as Pakistan/Syria/Bangladesh.  If we think that Canada is our home, we will behave in a way to make it our home, to make it Islamic. But if we think somewhere else is back home, then we will live like strangers in this land and we will die as strangers in this land.

As beautiful and eloquent as was Sheikh Faisal’s speech, so was the ending. He ended off his speech by a statement made by a famous Islamic poet who said, “If you cannot add anything to society, you are a liability on society.” We as Muslims cannot be a liability, we must be an asset to society. We must be an asset to ourselves, our spouse, our children, our Muslim community and the wider non-muslim community, must be an asset to everyone. The nature of the iman of a Muslim should be like the scent of a perfume. A person who puts on a perfume or cologne, cannot say that this is my cologne/perfume and only I will smell it. Any other person who comes into contact with this individual will also smell the scent. Such should be the nature of iman. If we live the true nature of iman, anyone that we come in contact with should be touched by our iman.

That is our obligation and responsibility as Muslims living in the west.

A Muslim’s attitude towards other faith and non-muslim governments  

The second speech we would like to focus on is one delivered by the famous British Muslim scholar -  Alama Shahid Raza Naimi who is a professor of Islamic Studies at the Muslim College in England. The second half of conference resumed with a spiritually uplifting tilawatul (recitation) of Qur’an from the famous qari of Pakistan - Qari Sadaqat Ali and an Urdu speech by Mufti Yunus Kashmiri of England. The audience then heard from Alama Shahid Raza Naimi. This prolific scholar and thinker of our age built his address on the comprehensive speech of the former speaker by adding some invaluable advice and insights for all the Muslims present at the conference. He started by stating that the theme of the conference, i.e. “Responsibilities, Obligations, and Accountability of Muslims in the West” is relevant to all of us in these times.

He stated that in this part of the world, in the west, as Muslims, we have a role within the community. Muslims have a role with the governments and authorities in this part of the world. In addition, Muslims have a role to play with other faith groups in this part of the world. 

Alama Shahid Raza went on to highlight what our role should be in regards to the authorities and other faith groups. But before he discussed those points, he addressed the current situation of the ummah; specifically how the White House and the UN want to change the Islamic world into a more ‘democratic’ society to suit its interests. Alama Shaid Raza was quite clear and adamant on this issue when he said, “As Muslims, we will not accept any terms and dictates, any demands from outside. I know that in order to meet those demands, the world can bring F-16s F-18s, bring as many F’s as you’ve got in your defense industry but that will not make us submit to non-muslim forces. I know that there are people that with the help of their cruise missiles, are demanding changes and reforms in Islam. In the 1400 years of Islam, the slaves of Allah have not surrendered to the evil forces on the face of the earth, and we will not do so at any cost.” 

However, Alama Shahid Raza did indeed clarify himself further when he mentioned that change could take place in the Islamic world, only if sanctioned by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Our sources of guidance are Qur’an and Sunnah. Only on the basis of the teaching of the Qur’an and Sunnah, if any change and reform is required, then that is welcomed and should be considered. If a change in attitude is required then that should be considered sincerely by each and every Muslim. As Muslims living in the west we should respond to the changing circumstances according to the teachings of the Qur’an and sunnah.

 At this point, Alama Shahid Raza highlighted what the role of Muslims should be towards the authorities and governments in the places where they live. It is the religious duty of Muslims to recognize the qualities of the authorities and governments of the places where they are living in light of the sunnah of RasulAllah

SAW, even if those places are governed by non-Islamic laws. 

We cannot say, this is a non-muslim country and therefore we refuse to recognize their system of laws and government. This is not the Islamic teaching. This is not sanctioned by the Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammad SAW. When the companions of the Prophet Muhammad SAW were migrating towards Ethiopia, they did recognize some of the beauties and qualities of that Christian state and that’s why they were allowed to migrate there. The Prophet SAW told them to go to Ethiopia because King Negus was a ruler who upheld the values of justice, honesty and fairness. That is how the companions of Prophet Muhammad SAW endorsed the qualities of that Christian state.

We must appreciate the services being provided by the governments in this part of the world that we use to our benefit. These are not duties imposed upon us by the UN or financial greed. Rather, these principles are laid out in the Qur’an. In Surah al-Rahman, it is stated “What is the response of good other than good.” And Prophet Muhammad SAW is reported to have said, “He who doesn’t thank people cannot thank Allah.” If we look carefully at the words of the Prophet SAW, he mentioned that that he who doesn’t thank people. He didn’t say he who doesn’t thank Muslims cannot thank Allah. Here ‘people’ refers to all of mankind whether they be Christians, Jews, Hindus, atheists, or polytheists. If we take advantage of the resources at our disposal offered by these governments we must not adopt an attitude of denial and refusal. Being thankful to people is one of the ways of being thankful to Allah.

Keeping contracts and promises with non-muslims

should honour the contract completely. We should not discriminate in the manner that if a contract is drawn up with another muslim, it will be honoured, otherwise Muslims are not obliged to honour contracts with non-Muslims. To discriminate in this manner is completely against the teachings of Islam. In particular, Alama Shahid Raza related to the audience the story of Sayiddina Hudayfah RA which is mentioned in the Sahih of Muslim. The story is about the migration of Sayiddina Hudayfah RA from Makkah to Madinah. When he was migrating to Madinah, the Quraysh captured him and told him that they would not allow him to migrate to Madinah. Sayiddina Hudayfah RA questioned them that why would they stop him when he was leaving everything behind in Makkah. He was leaving behind his family, his wealth, his belongings, etc. The Quraysh said that if he went to Madinah, and there was a war between the Muslims and Quraysh, he would become one additional soldier for the Muslims army and they didn’t want the Muslims to have one additional soldier. Sayiddina Hudayfah RA then made a pact that he wouldn’t fight against them in case of war. The Quraysh agreed and Sayiddina Hudayfah RA was allowed to migrate.

In a few months time, the battle of Badr was about to take place and the Prophet Muhammad SAW, asked the companions to enlist. When the Prophet SAW saw Hudayfah RA enlisting, he didn’t allow him to do so because he had made a promise with the Quraysh. The Prophet SAW did this even though Sayiddina Hudayfah RA made the promise under duress and the sahabah were greatly outnumbered in the battle.

The Importance of Dialogue

Alama Shahid Raza then went on to address a critical objection that a Muslim could raise. As Muslims, what should we do in regards to our conflicts with non-Muslims in regards to our social and moral values? Should we turn a blind eye and ignore all conflicts? No, as Muslims, it is our duty to enter into an exercise of dialogue whenever a conflict arises. What does dialogue mean? Dialogue means a discussion that takes place between people of different ideas and different values. More importantly, dialogue is something sanctioned by Qur’an. 

Alama Shahid Raza  then raised an interesting point when he said that in normal circumstances dialogues are not required amongst friends since there is no animosity or differences present. However, in order to make peace, we need to have dialogue with our enemies and with our opponents so that we can achieve peace. What was really interesting was the point that Muslims can even have dialogue with Satan. As a basis for this claim, Alama Shahid Raza mentioned that the Qur’an gives a clear description of a dialogue between Allah SWT and Satan, and that is why Muslims can have a dialogue with Satan. Who could be a worse enemy than Satan? 

Alama Shahid Raza was very clear when he said that try to solve conflicts by taking the law into own your hands, by turning into into a terrorist is not sanctioned by Islam at all. As Muslims, we need to have dialogue with wisdom, with calmness, with love, with sincerity. In this way we can have fruitful dialogues. 

Finally, Alama Shahid Raza ended his speech with a beautiful proverb that focuses on the notion of working towards achieving any goal or objective. He said that listening to speeches always makes you feel good. It is always delight to celebrate Milaad-un-Nabi, but the Muslim community needs to act. The proverb says, “There are no roads, we make roads by walking.” And with this, Alama Shahid Raza ended his speech. 

It was truly a blessed day for Muslims in Toronto to have been in the company of such knowledgeable scholars commemorating the birth of the best of all of creation, Prophet Muhammad SAW. May the Muslim community take heed of the invaluable advice and suggestions given by the scholars and put those principles into practice so that the Muslim community becomes a very special part of the wider non-Muslim society. 

It would be fitting to end this article with a verse from the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 33, Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 56: “Indeed, Allah and His Angels send Blessings on the Prophet: O you who believe, you send blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.” 

Alas! All present at the conference, as a mark of respect and honour for our leader and prophet, stood up and saluted Huzoor Nabi Qareem Salalaahu alaihi wa sallam with a worthy salutation.