So it comes as no surprise to me and many others that with growing anti-Muslim sentiment, that influencers are working to normalize the concept of “Muslim” in the greater social sphere. We have Halal Guys restaurants and “halal” nail polish. We’re just now starting to see hijab wearing women on TV in shows like Grey’s Anatomy and even children’s cartoons. There are more Muslim journalists telling the stories that they’ve kept hidden for so long. Bloggers and artists sharing pieces to inspire the community. Scholars and community organizers who are committed to causes of justice building coalitions while never putting their Muslim identity on the backburner. These examples are dawah in the finest, a concept many Muslims have shied from, despite it being a fundamental necessity in Islam. Our dawah has unintentionally become defensive and reactive rather than proactive. And that’s a huge problem.
In a recent video by Refinery29 about the experiences of Muslim women in America, the main subject of the video expresses how she wishes people understood that she was just a normal girl. It’s exactly this point that I’d like to push back on.
What is normalcy? While we as either Muslim Americans or Muslims living in America (remember the distinction) may enjoy “normal” activities like having barbecues in the summer and watching movies with our friends, are practicing Muslims “normal”? Normal is defined as “conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.” Well, call me crazy but I wouldn’t exactly define the practicing Muslim in America as usual, typical or expected as it relates to the public. ANd I believe it’s time we stop combatting and start embracing just that.
Look, it is not normal to wake up at 3, 4 or 5 AM every single day to pray. But we do that. It’s not normal to ask at every restaurant you go to whether they use alcohol in their sauces. But we do that. It’s not normal to spend your college nights with the MSA and not the frat party. But we do that. It’s not normal to pick up, at any given time, a book compiled over a thousand years ago in your non-native language and sit and read it while feeling so much peace. But we do that. It’s not normal to community organize through a lens of “what would Muhammad do.” But… we do that.
Yes, there are exceptions. Yes, there are Muslims who struggle to pray (if at all), who have drinking problems, who spend time around people that pull that from their faith. Yes, I understand there are deviances from what the Islamic standard is. The point I’m trying to make is that a Muslim strives for something and embodies something that, to the majority of the world, is not normal. Multiple times in the Quran, Allah mentions the statistical insignificance of the Muslims and their choice to draw close to Allah. Exhibit A:
“...And if not for the favor of Allah upon you and His mercy, you would have followed Satan, except for a few.” [Surat Nisa: verse 84]
“... But those who disbelieve invent falsehood about Allah , and most of them do not reason.” [Surat Al-Ma’ida: verse 103”
“We had certainly brought you the truth, but most of you, to the truth, were averse.” [Surat Al-Zukhruf: verse 78]
And there are many other verses just like this reminding us that in the grand scheme of choice, most people, as it is known to Al-3laeem (The All-Knowing) will choose the choice of defiance and disobedience. So how is it that Muslims who choose the path of submission and closeness to God can be “normal” when Allah has already told us that the norm is the exact opposite of what we are supposed to be.
One of my favorite hadith of the prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the one that follows and confirms what was just previously said:
It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“Islam began as something strange and will go back to being strange, so glad tidings to the strangers.’” Sunan Ibn Majah 3986
All the work that the Prophet Muhammad (saw) did ultimately led his companions to a point where they were not just comfortable with their abnormality, they were proud of it. While “strange” was not easy, they were not averse to it and they did not look to abandon it to be accepted by the greater public.
Muslims need to make a paradigm shift. We can’t accept that “normal” is inherently good. We can’t accept that normal is the standard we should strive for because normal is ever-shifting. Normal is not defined by anything other than a collection of individuals. To strive for normal is to strive for something that can never truly be achieved. It is fighting an uphill battle because normal is dynamic. Muslims strive for God because He is the Ever-Living and the Sustainer. Islam stands the test of time while normal does not. So call us different, weird, or strange. That’s okay because we are.
H. Al.
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