Legacy

Adapted & republished from previous Issue of NorthWest Muslim Magazine

I reached 40 years of age recently. Looking back at the plentiful and varied years, I couldn’t help but think: SubhanAllah, how far Allah has brought me, and into places so unknown. But as I look back, I also think, who was I over the past 40 years, and who does that make me?

In Islam, the first 40 years of a person’s life is considered their youth. Youth is a time for a person to grow, learn, change, and acquire maturity. Through these years, we develop our defining character, morals, etiquettes, and habits.

Now let’s play a game. If there was one adjective you could use to describe yourself, what would it be? What about one adjective to describe your best-friend, or your spouse, or your close associate?

Some of the words we may come up with are positive: kind, caring, generous. Others might be negative: impulsive, hateful, angry. Some of these attributes are acquired: gained through constant and habitual practice, while others just reflect the nature of our personality: happy-go lucky, shy.

Now the people of Arabia, 1400 years ago, could have asked this same question: what is one word you can use to describe Muhammad, a man, a trader, not yet a Prophet. And their answer would have been “As-Sadiq” or “Al-Amin” - translated as “The Truthful” and “The Trustworthy”. In fact, these were the titles accorded to him because of the consistent and exemplary nature of these characters of his. How did Muhammad (SAW) acquire those attributes, or were they just part of his genes?

We as Muslim often so focus on the 23 years of Muhammad (SAW)’s life after Prophethood that we forget the characteristics of our Prophet which he not only exhibited, but also inspired others with, long before prophethood. These characteristics were built and exhibited from his early stages of life, and are basic characteristics of humanity.

Now let’s play another game. Let’s analyze us Muslims. We are 1.8 billion on this earth right now. What is one attribute you would use to describe a Muslim? Do you think the answer would be “As Sadiq and Al-Amin”? Unfortunately, I don’t believe it would be.

We as Muslim often so focus on the 23 years of Muhammad (SAW)’s life after Prophethood that we forget the characteristics of our Prophet which he not only exhibited, but also inspired others with, long before prophethood.”

What about other characteristics of his: his generosity without expectation of return; His standing up for the vulnerable and the poor; or his participating in the alliance against curbing an ingrained culture of war.

Character is not something that can be studied in a library or written in journals or in history. It is when nations are ingrained with morality since birth. You can find character when, instead of lying and deception being an ingrained habit, the thought of it becomes a burden. When skimming someone out of his or her right becomes a painful thought. When everyone is watchful of his or her tongue. When you do to others what you would like for yourself. This is when Shirk becomes something which feels like being thrown into a burning fire.

It is when the “Muslims” are called the followers of Muhammad (SAW) The Truthful, The Trustworthy. It is when nations produce civilizations. It is then when people look upon Muslims, and see them as their guiding star.

Abu Umamah reported: A man asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, “What is faith?” The Prophet said, “If you are happy with your good deeds and saddened by your bad deeds, you are a believer.” The man said, “O Messenger of Allah, what is sin?” The Prophet said, “If something waivers in your soul, you should leave it.” (Musnad Aḥmad)

Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash