Another Look at those Haters

Lately, there have been a number of people on Facebook who have been consistently attacking Islam at every chance they get.  These people are crafty; they hide behind the concerns that trouble us today, namely, mainly, Gaza, ISIS even MH17 and MH370.  What they do is take anything bad done by a Muslim or any Muslim group and taint the religion with it.  Their most common target is the notion that Islam is a religion of peace. They of course overlook the atrocities done by followers of their own religion today and over the ages. Let’s face it inhuman practices and deeds have been committed and are being committed by people of all religions all thought time. Religion is simply the most convenient excuse.

These haters go about it very cleverly, they claim that their interest is academic, they claim to want to build bridges, they euphemise their attack by calling it a number of politically correct things but the bottom line is the same, they seek to malign the religion. I find these people annoying and I often argue with them.  Then, I wondered if it was worth arguing against them because as the Quran says, with these people, it does not matter whether you warn them or not, they will not believe. Therefore, the best we can do is to inform them of the truth. 

I was thinking about these people today when I realised something.  Recently, I read about one of the Dutch Anti-Islam activists who studied Islam because he wanted to attack it better but became a Muslim instead.  I realised that he was not the first.  There have been a number of people who began by hating Islam and some even wanted to do harm to Muslims but somehow they were given guidance and they became Muslims.  Some even went on to become some of the fiercest defenders of Islam. 

The first case even went on to become one of the greatest caliphs of Islam: Omar Al Khattab (Radhi Allahu Anhu).  Omar RA was dead set against the Prophet SAW and his teaching.  When he heard that his sister had converted to Islam, he was enraged and he went to sort her out armed.  When he got to her house, he suddenly stopped in his tracks because he heard her recite the Quran.  Something in his heart and mind radically changed at that moment.  He then converted to Islam.  Not only did he convert, he became one of his closest companions and he was extremely protective of the Prophet SAW.  In one occasion, when some musyriks were insulting the Prophet SAW, he took out his sword to take off their heads but the Prophet SAW stopped him. 

That was in the early days of Islam but similar experiences still happen today.  Look among the internationally known dai’ees (Muslim speakers), some of them came to Islam after they tried to get Muslims to convert.  Somehow, in the process, they received hidayah and came to Islam.  Today, they travel the world spreading the teachings of Islam and converting hundreds and thousands.

So, what should we do with these people? DO what the Prophet SAW did, continue teaching Islam and ignore these haters. What we need is to realise how they do it. Here are some common traits of what they do but this is not an exhaustive list. Most often, they would delve into the details; the nitty gritty aspects of the religion, their favourite are areas where the interpretations of the schools of thought differ.  What they do is pit one school of thought against another and then try to knock them all down with some other ideology.  In these cases, what we need to remember is that while the details may differ, the core of Islam remains unchanged. Always return to the Quran. If you are referring to the Hadiths and seerah, always try to contextualise them.

Like I mentioned above, they often harp on the actions of Muslims and use that to attack Islam.  Remember that Islam is a religion. Muslims are human beings and human beings are faulty. Go back to the Surah Al Asr: all human kind is at a loss except those who speak in truth, speak with patience and do good deeds.

They will also try to first get you to agree with the minor faults and then use that to deviate your arguments or belief.  In this case, go back to Surah Al Kafiroon. The best you can do with these people is come to a point where you agree to disagree then go your separate ways as taught by Al Kafiroon’s last verse.

As I said above, they will delve on the obscure and the details because these are easiest to twist.  I recommend going back to the Quran particularly the last verses because these are where the fundamentals of Islam are found. Surah An Nas for example tells you of Allah’s sovereignty over man and djinn. Al Fatihah is the quintessential prayer that, if you think about it, covers the core of what we all want in our lives.

They will argue that there is no God so say that Allah is one and the only one: Surah Al Ikhlas.  Then talk about that sovereignty: Surah Qursi.  They will talk about our relationship with Allah, go to Yaseen.  They will say that Islam victimizes women; read An Nisaa, Al Maidah and Al Baqarah.

It’s all there for those who wish to see and learn. For those who do not, there is nothing you can do anyway. Ultimately, we are only asked to teach Islam to others not to change their hearts: only Allah can do that. If they refuse to the very end, Allah has already promised them naarun hawiyah (blazing fire). We leave them to their miseries and care for our own souls.

In the end, we are only responsible for our own souls not theirs. There are enough troubles among our own brethrens for us to concern ourselves.