Courage to Speak the Truth

Ramadan, as we know, is the month in which the Quran was revealed, and a message of guidance for mankind to regulate all their affairs was revealed with it. It also tells the believers the benefits of fasting in the following verse:

)يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ(“Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many gain Taqwa.” [TMQ Al Baqarah: 183]

Taqwa is being mindful of Allah regarding our actions and Taqwa should help us perform actions which are pleasing to Allah and to refrain from actions which could anger Allah. So when reading the following verse:

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ فَنَبَذُوهُ وَرَاءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ وَاشْتَرَوْا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا ۖ فَبِئْسَ مَا يَشْتَرُونَ)(“...make it (the truth and the Message) known and clear to mankind, and not to hide it.” [3:187]

This verse should actually have an effect on the behaviour of Muslims reading it as it is clearly something Allah (swt) is commanding us to do. So, how exactly should it influence the behaviour of Muslims living in the West so that they truly accomplish this Taqwa. It first means that Muslims living in the West need to understand the reality of their countries and this means that they need to understand that there is a campaign going on to defame Islam and the teachings of the noble Book of Allah (swt)

The aim of this campaign is to change the way Muslims view Islam i.e., to secularise Islam, so it becomes something that Muslims only adhere to in their private lives and not something that has the potential to offer the answers to all aspect of their lives. One by one, they take each noble value of Islam and relate it in some way to backwardness and darkness. We have seen this when discussing for example the clothing of the Muslim woman, segregation between the sexes, or Halal slaughtering.

So, the role of Muslims living in the West is crucial and should be aimed at combatting this hateful propaganda by speaking up for Islam. They must continue to portray the true message of Islam, and never hide the truth. If the Muslims in the West can achieve this strong Nafsiyyah aspect, they will not only be protecting their Deen but they will be achieving the true goal of Ramadan and that is attaining Taqwa as to please their Lord.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by

Yasmin Malik

Member of the Women Section in the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir