THE MARDIYAH SHOW : MEETING MUSLIMS WHERE THEY ARE --------------------------------------------------------------- All praise is for Allah, the Mighty (i.e. Al Aziz), the Wise (i.e. Al Hakeem) and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His final Messenger, Muhammad and upon his family and companions. From the mid 1990’s until recent, there was an ‘information boom’ in the Islamic community that was undeniable. Many Islamic Universities opened their doors to welcome multitudes of International Students from abroad. During this time Muslims had a genuine concern for Islamic knowledge and Masjids were frequented with young people who had a spiritual fervor that is still unmatched today. Many Imams, students of knowledge and renowned Islamic organizations were able to take advantage of this ‘Golden Era’ of Islamic enthusiasm. Unfortunately, with the development of social media such as, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube etc. many Muslims have begun to rely heavily on these outlets for Islamic knowledge. As a result of this, the more traditional methods of learning Islam have been abandoned such as attending lectures, masjid events, and even the Jumu’ah khutbah (sermon). Many Imams and students of knowledge are not as technologically savvy as they could be and have thus fallen short with respect to adequate efforts in keeping up with the cultural and technological changes of our times. This type of spiritual/social detachment has had a domino effect on other areas of community development leaving circles of knowledge vacant, all the while creating a less Islamically inclined generation of Muslims. Research shows that the vast majority of the viewers on You Tube are between the ages of 18 and 34 which is the same age demographic that is absent in many of the Masjids. In addition to this, so much emphasis has been placed on where one prays or what masjid one attends today, further complicating the task of Islamic scholars, teachers and preachers. This focus perpetuates a more constituency- based association among Muslims (i.e. hizbiyah), instead of the broader umbrella of faith (Iman) that should encompass all, irrespective of the Masjid one attends or the Imam one listens to or takes knowledge from. Strict allegiance to a particular Masjid and /or Imam has been, by far, one of the most devise trials of our time. Shaytan has used this current dilemma to his advantage and has caused Islamic education— once a staple in our communities— to come to a complete halt. In turn, this academic halt has created a spiritual deficit that has impacted many households, marriages and children, the effects of which are ever present to anyone with an inkling of insight. Thus the concept of the Mardiyah Show was born out of both, deep frustration and a sincere desire to see the diaspora of Muslims living here in the U.S., fragmented by political and personal agendas, unite with one another on a more socially common and academically impartial plain. The philosophy of Mardiyah, much like the concept of neutrality found in the clothing of Ihram— for Hajj and Umrah— is designed to provide a more non-threatening environment for Muslims to seek sound Islamic knowledge void of the traditional affiliation(s) that tend to obstruct and/or impede the true manifestation of Islamic brotherhood/sisterhood in our communities. The Mardiyah Show was modeled from a very famous incident that occurred during the time of the Prophet known to Muslims as the “Hadeeth of Jibreel”. In this incident Angel Jibreel came descended in the image of one of Prophet Muhammad’s companions. His hair was exceedingly black and his garment exceedingly white and no signs of travelling could be seen on him. He walked up to the Prophet and sat in front of him placing his knees against the knees of the Prophet and asked him, “O Muhammad! Tell me about Islam…” When Jibreel left, the Prophet said to one of his more prominent companions by the name of Umar Ibn Al Khattab, “Do you know who the questioner was?” To which Umar replied, “Allah and His Messenger knows best.” And Prophet Muhammad said, “That was Jibreel who came to teach you your religion.” Now when you consider the details of this incident, Angel Jibreel never spoke to any of the companions, rather his conversation was directed only towards Prophet Muhammad. However, as the conversation transpired between them, the companions listened attentively and were actually the target audience of the discussion. For many Muslims, attending their local Masjid for lectures, sermons and seminars can be very intimidating. It is very common for Imams and preachers, who convey the message of Islam as well as Islamic rulings, to do so in a very dogmatic and aggressive way. This tends to impact the receptivity of those who were raised with a more delicate orientation and are not accustomed to receiving information in such a manner. In many instances, Muslims have come up to me after the Jumu’ah sermon (khutbah) and said, “It felt like you were talking directly to me!” And this is not necessarily a bad thing, however, I believe people would be more receptive and would digest the information much easier when they can listen attentively and not feel threatened at the same time. And this is what The Mardiyah Show represents. The word Mardiyah is used in the Qur’an on two occasions, once to describe the behavior of a very prominent prophet who managed to balance his energy between being a concerned husband and devout worshipper and earned the pleasure of his Lord. Allah said, “And remember in the book the story of Isma’eel indeed he was always truthful to his promise and was a prophet and messenger. He used to enjoin on his family prayer and zakat and was pleasing in the sight of his Lord.” (19:54-55) In another verse the word Mardiyah is used to define a particular soul who returns to Allah on the Day of Judgment having earned His pleasure in this life through many struggles. Allah says, “O you tranquil and peaceful soul. Return back to your lord well- pleased (yourself) and well-pleasing to Allah. Enter you amongst my honored slaves and enter into my paradise.” (89:27-30). It should be the ambition of every believer to earn the pleasure of Allah. We spend so much time trying to earn the approval and validation of everyone else— knowing full well we can’t— and very little time trying please the only one whose approval should matter— Allah. Abdullah Ibn Al Mubarak said, “Pleasing people is a goal that can never be attained, while pleasing Allah is a goal that can always be attained.” I believe that attaining the pleasure of Allah starts with the acquisition of sound Islamic knowledge and then through the practical implementation of it in our daily lives. And through these two fundamental steps, we will learn not only to be pleasing to Allah, but add value to our lives and the lives of those around us, both socially and spiritually. Abdullah Ibn Umar said the Prophet said, “The most excellent of people are those who are most beneficial to people.” (Collected in the Mu’jam of At Tabarani) You can tune in to The Mardiyah Show on our very own channel on You Tube. You can also follow us on Face Book and Twitter. For free tickets to the Mardiyah Show please call (201) 252-7713. So stay tuned to The Mardiyah Show where we are meeting Muslims where they are.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 01:22:25 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015