#imme

Im afraid of people Just discounting me by coming out. I feel like Dan Howell I dont want to be reduced to a label

When Islam was first introduced to the Arabs, it was not introduced as an exclusive religion; on the contrary, it was introduced as a message for all people throughout the ages. Hence, alongside justice, the sense of equality is extremely strong in the Islamic teachings. All people are equal in the sight of the Creator except on the criterion of piety. There is no superiority for any race or nationality above another. As mentioned earlier, our appearances and this outer shape that we call the body is not actually what Allah looks at, but it’s our hearts which He observes. Those who are most pious are His most beloved. Allah says in the Qur’an: “O mankind! Be pious to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul and from its kind He created its match, and from them He created many men and women, so fear Allah through whom you demand (Your mutual rights), and do not sever the relations of the wombs. Verily, Allah is ever an All-Watcher over you.” [The Qur’an (4:1)]. “O mankind, We have created you from male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight, are those who are most pious. Verily Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.” [The Qur’an (49:13)]. The above verses stipulate that all mankind are one family in Allah’s sight. It was His plan to disperse us into different nations and tribes to fill the planet entrusted to us so that we may learn different things, and exchange our knowledge through fair cultural interaction, not cultural subjection. Allah also stipulates that the noblest among all people are not Muslims, Jews, Christians, Arabs, Persians, Romans, etc., nothing of that sort; the noblest are the most pious. Some people are Muslims, they testify that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger, but their hearts are empty from the justice and piety of true faith. Islam is one thing and true faith is another. This is why we see a Muslim bribee, a Muslim thief, a Muslim criminal, etc. In the verse next to the one above, Allah says: “The Bedouins say, ‘We have believed.’ Tell them [O Muhammad], ‘You have not believed yet, you should rather say, ‘We have submitted to Islam,’ for faith has not yet entered your hearts. But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, [Allah] will not detract any of your good deeds. Allah is most forgiving, ever merciful.’ ” [The Qur’an (49:14)]. Hence, unlike what most Muslims think, Islam is not the apex of faith, it’s just the doorway. Consequently, piety is not to utter the testimonies of faith, it’s a force linked only to true faith when it fills the heart. It’s a power concealed inside the hearts of believers and it always guides them to what’s fair and true. ‘Omar Ibn Al-Khattab is recorded to have said, “I swear by Allah that if non-Arabs come on the judgment day with good deeds, and we (Arabs) come empty handed, then they shall be worthier of Prophet Muhammad than us.” From the above we may conclude that the Islamic teachings stipulate that all mankind are “One Family.” Of course, being one family doesn’t mean that we should hate or fight each other. It means that we should be “kind & Just” towards one another. It’s true that under the stress of the world injustices we are suffering from today, some semiknowledgeable Muslims who don’t have enough understanding of Allah’s laws and Prophet Muhammad’s teachings reciprocate hatred towards non-Muslims instead of knowledge, but this is not from Islam. Actually, this contradicts the Islamic teachings in a manifest way endangering its doer to be misguided. Prophet Muhammad said in his farewell pilgrimage, “O People, your God is one, your father is one. There is no superiority for an Arab on a non-Arab, or for a non-Arab on an Arab, nor for a white man on a black man, or for a black man on a white man. Verily the noblest among you in Allah’s sight are the most pious.” [Recorded by Ahmad].