Well, we have all been through that stage. One day we wake up and tell ourselves that from today we will study Islam. We start reading the Qur'an more frequently than before, pick up books to increase our knowledge, attend religious circles and lessons of scholars secretly hoping to be a scholar one day. Then we return to our norm. We say, “Oh I will start from tomorrow Insha Allah. Shopping has not yet been done, the car needs service, and kids need an outing. And not all of us are studious.” All of a sudden, our religious goals take a back seat as worldly commitments manifest themselves. Does this then mean that we cannot do anything for the cause of Islam? Of course not! Do we only need to be a religious scholar to aid Islam? No! Scholars have a great status in Islam, but not everyone can become a scholar. Allah has praised scholars at several places in the Qur'an. Is one who is obedient to Allah, prostrating himself or standing (in prayer) during the hours of the night, fearing the Hereafter and hoping for the Mercy of his Lord (like one who disbelieves)? Say: “Are those who know equal to those who know not?” It is only men of understanding who will remember (i.e. get a lesson from Allah's Signs and Verses). (Qur'an, 39:9) However, the reality is that very few people actually reach the level of scholars. What can the rest of us do? We can – as doctors, firefighters, teachers, and in fact as any Halaal professional – aid Islam. Islam is a way of life that covers all aspects of life – from marital relations to rights of neighbors. As Muslims, we are ambassadors of this beautiful religion. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) was an example for everyone. We too should try to follow him and become good examples. So where do we start? The starting point must be with learning the correct Islamic belief, as this is the basis of our religion. There is no point in trying to help the cause of Islam, while we ourselves are lacking in the foundations of Islam. If we haven't bothered to learn the basics of Islam, which is compulsory for every Muslim to learn, then there's no point trying to do anything else. First things come first. Islam is based on the Qur'an and Sunnah according to the understanding of the first three generations of Muslims. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The best people are those living in my generation, and then those who will follow them, and then those who will follow the latter.” Next all our deeds must be done for the sake of Allah alone. Doing good deeds to please others besides Allah renders them void and could open the doors to polytheism. Our character must be noble and upright. We should hate to lie or be deceptive. When people meet Muslims they should walk away with nothing but good thoughts about them. In today's media, there is a barrage of assaults against Muslims and Islam. Everywhere we turn to, Islam is under attack – whether that be about the construction of mosques or the issue of polygamy. Now, more than ever, Muslims should be practicing and propagating the true teachings of Islam. Think about it. We work to earn an honest day's living. But are we really doing that? How many times do we turn up to work late for no reason? How many times have we used our work facilities for our own personal use? Our actions speak louder than our words. All eyes are on us as Muslims. Whenever a Muslim does something wrong, people will point the finger at Islam. By adhering to the Islamic teachings, we can be great role models and call people to Islam without speaking a word. Lying, cheating and deception cannot be part of a Muslim's character. Honesty must be our second nature. How easy it is to gossip and say some lies here and there? “It doesn't matter, no one will ever find out,” we think. “It's only a white lie.” How common have these traits become in our societies? In a Hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Truthfulness leads to piety and piety leads to Paradise. A man should be truthful until he is written down as truthful with Allah. Lying leads to deviance and deviance leads to the Fire. A man will lie until he is written down as a liar with Allah.” When it comes to informing others about Islam, we can do so by distributing authentic material or conveying them the message. However, this should be done based on knowledge. How can we speak about the religion without any knowledge of what we are talking about? Allah says, “And do not say that of which you have no knowledge.” (Qur'an, 17:36) That is why it is imperative that we learn this religion from those who are well-versed in the Qur'an and Sunnah upon the understanding of the first three generations of Muslims. There are many ways to aid the cause of Islam (I have mentioned only a few), but we must remember that whatever we do must be for the sake of pleasing Allah alone.
