How does Islam continue to grow in the West?

Someone posted this question recently on an Islamic forum that I belong to:
There all kinds of people coming to Islam. There are some that even
convert in huge masses (20+ people). It's the fastest growing religion
in the UK and USA. Just visit Youtube. How is thata religion that is
put down in the media constantly is the most popular choice today?
Let me put it in marketing terms to start. I don't want to cheapen our
deen which is the most beautiful way of life, ordained for humanity by
Allah. But most people in this consumer culture of the West understand
marketing concepts.
In the marketing industrythey say that there is no such thing as bad
publicity. That may or may not be true, but I do believe it is true
when you have a quality product. Islam is a qualityproduct.
I have heard of many people who initially wanted to learn more about
this "terrible religion" that gets so much bad press. So they picked
up a book on Islam or a copy of the Quran, began reading, and
SubhanAllah, were guided to the truth.
That's the way of it.
Throwing a rubber ballat the ground
This deen is a clarion call,it is the sunlight through the clouds. It
is manifest truth. As much as the enemies of Allah try to badmouth
Islam, they only serve its cause. As Allah says (paraphrasing) in the
Quran, they desired to extinguish the light of Allah with their
mouths, but Allah will complete His light, though the disbelievers may
detest it.
Someone once said to methat those who try to damage Islam are like
someone throwing a rubber ball down on the ground. The harder they
throw it, trying to smash it, the higher it bounces back in the air.
When I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, that doesn't mean
that I am happy about things like terroristattacks, "honor killings",
female genital mutilationand other bad actions that bring bad
publicity to Islam. I despise those acts and I utterly condemn them,
not only because they damage theimage of Islam and make life harder
for Muslims, but because they are evil in themselves, and they bring
suffering to innocent people.
No, when I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, I am thinking
more of the lies that are told about Islam. Hateful preachers who
insult the Prophet (peace be upon him); or the often-made false claim
that Islam wasspread by the sword; or the bigoted epithets
(like"Islamofascists") that are used to try to discredit Islam in the
eyes of the public. In the end, all these lies will fail, because
truth is clear from falsehood.
Quran 61:8
(8) They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but
Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
(9) It is He who sent His Messenger with guidanceand the religion of
truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate
others with Allah dislike it.
(Umm Muhammad translation)
The enemies of Islam think that Allah's light is like a candle that
can be blown out with the breath from their mouths, by propagating
false rumors and lies about this deen. They might as well try to blow
out the light of the sun. Allah's light is far more powerful even than
that.
Quran is a light
"O humankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your Lord,
and We have sent down to you a clear light."(Quran 4:174)
Allah has manifested His light in the revelation of the Quran. It is
an eternalbook, protected by Allah, unchanged, shedding light like a
lamp that never runs dry. It illuminates the souls of those who read
it and practice it, and so light spreads in the world, purifying it.
That's why the Messengerof Allah (pbuh) said,"The best amongst you are
those who learn the Quran and teach it."[Al-Bukhaari] Because theQuran
is the source of guidance and a light, andby spreading it we ensure
the victory of Islam over oppression, we perpetuate Truth in the
world, and we offer guidance to the lost.
The Quran is also a sourceof internal peace. Recitation and
contemplation of the Quran soothes the heart and carries away the
stresses of life, and it brings one closer to Allah.That's why the
Prophet (pbuh) said,"No people assemble in one of the houses of Allah,
and recite and study the Bookof Allah, except that tranquility
prevails over them, mercy encompasses them, the angels surround them,
and Allah makes a mention of them in the presence of those near
Him."[Muslim]
Wow. SubhanAllah.
So it's not surprising when you hear stories from people who were
non-Muslims; became curious about Islam due to the constant
fear-mongering in the media; decided to pick up a Quran and check it
out for themselves; and found themselves moved,and their hearts
touched,so that they accepted Islam. It's a very common story.
Trust in Allah
I started out by answering the question, "How does Islam continue to
grow in the West in spite of all the negative press and lies?" Now I
want to add a finalmessage for my Muslim readers: Don't despair when
you see the forces of falsehood arrayed in all their power against
Islam. When you read about Muslims being oppressed in Palestine,
Chechnya, East Turkestan (a Muslim province of China) and so many
otherplaces, you should feel pain and sympathy for your brothers and
sisters,but don't let your heart be filled with rage or hatred.
Don't despair! Hatred anddespair are the oppositesof faith; they lead
to corruption and are the fuel that drives evils like terrorism, where
people cast aside the principles of their religion, and allow
themselves to be seduced into blind violence, justifying it to
themselves because they are so angry.
Trust that Allah will perfect His light.Do your part to serve the
cause ofIslam(that is key!), and then trust that Allah will manifest
the Truth over all, no matter who standsagainst it. Trust also that
Allah will guide you, and bring you into the light, and reward you in
this life and the next.
In these next two verses there is a double message, one for the People
of the Book (the Christians and the Jews), calling them to the light
that Allah has revealed; and one to the believers, calling on them to
"pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace…", in other words to seek
Allah's pleasure through compassionate and righteous action on the
paths of peace.
"O People of the Scripture, there has cometo you Our Messenger making
clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and
overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear
Book; By which Allah guides those who pursueHis pleasure to the ways
of peace and brings themout from darknesses into the light, by His
permission, and guides them to a straight path."(Quran 5:15-16)

The Wisdom of the Prophet: the Incident of the Epileptic Woman

There is a hadith narrated by 'Ata bin Abi Rabah:
Ibn 'Abbas once said to me, "Shall I show you a woman of the people of
Paradise?"
I said, "Yes."
He said, "This black lady came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and
said, 'I get attacks of epilepsy and my body becomes uncovered; please
invoke Allah for me.' The Prophet said (to her),'If you wish, be
patient and you will haveParadise; and if you wish,I will invoke Allah
to cure you.'She said, 'I will remain patient,' and added, 'but I
become uncovered, so please invoke Allah for me that I may not become
uncovered.' So he invoked Allah for her." - Bukhari :: Book 7 ::
Volume 70 :: Hadith 555
This hadith was published recently on MuslimasOasis.com, and I was
fascinated by the many comments from readers who have epilepsy and
have been inspired or comforted by this hadith.
One sister wrote:
"(This hadith) was a comfort to me as an epileptic when I had a
seizure outside of a masjid on the pavement in Philadephia during a
busy Jumaah afternoon. When I came to, my niqab was removed, my hijab
loosened, and my husband and a brother were helping the paramedics
that had arrived. Because of this hadith I felt comfort in spite of
being such a spectacle, alhamdulillah."
Another said:
"I too am an epileptic. When I first reverted to Islam over 3 years
ago, one of the sisters who witnessed my Shahada wrote this hadith out
andgave it to me. It is a HUGE comfort to know this. May Allah ease
the trials of all epileptics and thosewho suffer from any disease and
grant us all sabr. Ameen!"
And there were other similar comments, from men and women, ma-sha-Allah.
I don't have epilepsy or any other serious sickeness, Alhamdulillah
(praise God) for all His blessings. But as I read the comments of
people who do have some illnessand have been tremendously comforted by
this hadith, all of a sudden I realized the huge wisdom of the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) in what he said tothe epileptic woman. He could have
simply invoked for her and she would have been cured, and then all of
us 1,400 years later would read the story and say, "Ma-sha-Allah,
another miracle to prove his Prophethood." But it would have no
lasting personal significance.
Instead, by asking the woman to be patient andpromising her Jannah
(Paradise), the Prophet (pbuh) has sent a message of hope down through
the ages to all the other sufferers in the world: Allah sees your
suffering. Your pain will be compensated, and your patience rewarded
with the greatest possible prize.
Even today epilepsy cannot be cured, though it can be controlled
somewhat through medication. So even now, all these years later,in
this age of medical wonders, this hadith still has immediate
significance for people who suffer from this illness, and in fact from
people who suffer from any illness, from cancer to leprosy to bipolar
disorder.
Another point of note is that every Prophet was sent with certain
types ofmiracles appropriate to the understanding of their people.
Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) was sent with the staff of power and
the white hand, because his mission was to a people steeped in
sorcery. "Medical miracles" – curing the sick, even bringing the dead
back to life – were the hallmark of the Prophet Isa ibn Maryam (Jesus
sonof Mary, pbuh), because he was sent to a people who specialized in
healing arts.
If the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had made it his habit to cure the sick,
the Christians might say about us Muslims, "Oh, you are only taking
Biblical stories and applying them to your Prophet."
Instead, though the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) performed his share of
wonders, he wasgiven the greatest miracle of all, the Quran, a living
proof through the millenia, and a sourceof eternal guidance. This is
appropriate because his immediate mission was to a people of poetry,
of language and eloquence; while his greater mission was to allof
humanity.
"Say: 'If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to
produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like of
it, even if they backed up each other with help andsupport.'"(Quran
17:88)
Did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), a mere shepherd and trader living
almost one and a half thousand years ago in the lonely deserts of
Arabia, realize the lasting significance ofhis actions? Did he
perceive the way his words and deeds would echo down the annals of
history?
Sure he did. He was a man of great wisdom, courage and natural
intelligence. He did not do things randomly, especially in matters of
worship. And he was guided by Allah in these matters, so that his
actions could serve as an example for humanity until the Day of
Resurrection.

Two strangers bridging barriers with the Quran

A colleague of mine named Farah* who is a medical doctor in Boston
recently sent me the following email:
Assalaamualaikam
I had a beautiful experience today at work. A lady who spoke very
little English was admitted, and she was very upset – she came over to
me and I said Salaam… Her eyes lit up, she took my hand and started
reciting Al Fatiha. We said it in unison and she smiled – "sister".
We then shared a couple of other surahs – she knows more in Arabic
than I do in English! Even though we couldn't have conversed in our
nationallanguages, we could communicate in a far more significant way,
by sharing our love for Allah.
In Boston at the moment it's a bit scary, but this lit up my day and
gave me hope that we will be alright in the end, inshaAllah.
My sister from the other side of the world held myhand and said Alhamdulillah.
Wa salaam

Ramadan Articles - Make Hard Work Your Motto in Ramadan

Hard work should be the slogan of the righteous people who do not
likeRamadanto pass away before they take their reward. They would
rather persist in this good state in order to receive their prize from
their Lord, and obtain Hisforgiveness than enjoy the pleasures of this
world. Thus, when they celebrate'Eed, they would have earned the right
to do so, and when they break their fast, they would rejoice, as
mentioned by the Messenger of Allaahwhen he said:"There are two
delights for the fasting person: when he breaks his fast at the time
of Iftaar, he rejoices; and when he meets Allaah The Almighty, he will
rejoice in his fasting."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ That is, he will find
that fasting, whose outcome is forgiveness and emancipation from Hell,
interceding for him on the Day of Judgment, as confirmed by the
Messenger of Allaahin his saying:"The fasting people will
enter)Paradise( from a gate called Ar-Rayyaan, from which no one else
will ever enter."
The days have come upon us again, with the same slogan we have already
raised: the determination to attain all the possible means of the
forgiveness of Allaah The Almighty, and strive his utmost to show
AllaahThe Almighty our good performance, truthfulness, good deeds and
sincerity. We approach the Lord with devotion and direct all our
concerns, words and deeds to obtain the goodpleasure, love and
attachment of his Lord, and prepare for his Hereafter. If a believer
does all this for the sake of Allaah The Almighty, he will receive
more in the world and the Hereafter, as confirmed by Allaah The
Almighty when He Says )what means(:}And]remember[ when your Lord
proclaimed, 'If you are grateful, I will surely Increase you ]in
favor[; but if you deny, indeed, My punishment is severe'"{]Quran
14:7[ One must be satisfied with a little portion of this world, seek
the Hereafter, have aversion to the abode of arrogance in order to
have the signs of the loveand good pleasure of Allaah The Almighty
visible on him.
Hence, in the days ofRamadan, one should begin with repentance, seek
forgiveness, and seek to amend his inner self persistently so that he
would prepare his own soul and heart for the reward of Allaah The
Almighty. In this way, he can make up for the dayson which he was lazy
and slow, and distracted from Allaah The Almighty,and seized by
heedlessness in all of his states and deeds. He repents for the days
he did not obtain anything from the Quran and remembrance )of Allaah
The Almighty( that could fill his breast with the light of faith, and
make his heart firm, so that he would find himself approaching the
Hereafter, unaffected by desires, well-established and strong on his
journey to Allaah The Almighty. He should not find himself compliant
with the devil and his own evil inclinations, hesitant and distracted.
On the contrary, he should see himself in a state loved by his Lord.
It was narrated on the authority of the Messenger of Allaahthat
whenever the last ten days came, he would stay awake all night )in
prayer(, keep aloof from women, devote himself to worship more
diligently and awaken his family )to perform thenight
prayers(.]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[ This was his practice during the
last ten days ofRamadan. He did all this by
practicingI'tikaaf)seclusion in the mosque(. That is, he devoted his
heart and body to his Lord, refrained from mixing with people to be in
seclusion with Allaah The Almighty, and became anexample to be
followed by the believers. This seclusion with Allaah The Almighty is
a means for the people to reform their worldly affairs and Hereafter,
prepare their hearts and body to realize the means of forgiveness. He
did all this persistently in the last ten days ofRamadanseeking to be
forgiven, even though Allaah The Almighty had forgiven his previous
and future sins. He did all of this by way of showing
gratitude:"Should I not be a grateful slave?"]Al-Bukhaari[