The Prophet (saw) once said, "Islam began as something strange, and it will revert to being strange as it was in the beginning, so good tidings for the strangers." Some asked, 'Who are the strangers?' He said, "The ones who break away from their people for the sake of Islam."(Hadith) There is an incredible lesson in the above Hadith, which we need to repeat to ourselves over and over again. As a 22-year-old Muslim, I find my practice of Islam feeling stranger by the day. There is a norm that we have to live up to in this society, and if we don't meet it, we will be called strangers.
By the norm of society, I wasn't allowed to be alone with myself. I had to be surrounded with friends, or be reading some novel or other, and the music was always blaring in the background. Silence was deafening, and noise was the only peace.
I wonder about this a lot since it affects my faith as well as others. Even though Allah has created mankind and has preferred us, the Prophet still acknowledged that there will come a time when there would be people struggling alone for righteousness.
The realization hit me then, that the tangible wasn't the ultimate reality. I could no longer find any reason, purpose or consolation in good grades, praise, good looks or even friendship. Everything seem to lost its meaning until I seek to understand the words of the Quran. I finally realized that I want to study hard for Allah sake, I want to reunite friendship for Allah sake. I want to smile for Allah sake. I want to do good for Allah sake.
Now as I struggle to maintain my Islam, I find practicing my faith in this world feels strange only so long as I surround myself with worldly things and people. Only when I turn to Allah, I feel the strangeness fade away.
In our time, when immorality is the norm, I guess it's only good then, if we feel connected to the strange.
'Good tidings for the strangers.'
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