Part-Time Muslim

Part-Time Muslim - Imam Siraj Wahhaj

Opening Greetings

As-salamu alaikum, (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim). (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim). (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ - bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim). Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem.

The Legacy of Prophet Muhammad

Brothers and sisters, in my conclusion, the time is gone. Yet, let me leave you with this thought. 1400 years ago, Allah blessed us with the great message of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. And because he did what he did, we sit here today in Hartford, Connecticut. Thousands of Muslims. His wife, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said about him:

"He used to remember Allah at all times."

(Sahih Muslim 373)

And the messenger of Allah remembered Allah in every circumstance. And because he was a messenger and a full time Muslim, we can enjoy Islam today in America and around the world because of what he did.

The Two Doors of Every Masjid

Every masjid, Dar-ul-Hijrah, Adam Center, Masjid Taqwa, Masjid Virginia, wherever your masjid is, every Muslim organization, ISNA, ICNA, CAIR, MAS, MANA, Muslim youth, name it, doesn't matter. Every masjid has two doors. They have a front door by which people become Muslim. Sheikh Hamza Yusuf walked to that front door and became Muslim. Imam Zaid Shakir walked to that front door and became Muslim. Brother Siraj Wahhaj walked to that front door and became Muslim. Abdul Hakeem Jackson, Abu Aminah Bilal Phillips walked to that front door and became Muslim. All over the world, you see people in 2011, they're becoming Muslims. You said it right, Yasir. Hundreds and thousands and millions of people becoming Muslims, leaving the faith of their fathers. I can bear witness, I was a Christian. And I became a Muslim like so many other brothers and sisters coming in that front door and becoming Muslim.

The Complete Picture: The Back Door

But Yasir, I have to be honest. I have to give the full picture. I have to give the whole story. Because if I don't give the whole story, I don't want the youngsters going out here not realizing there's another part of the story. In order for you to be successful, you have to know both parts of the story. And I know about my whole history. And I know because of the prophetic words about Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He said that there's some people, paraphrasing, live their whole lives as a Muslim, min ahl al-jannah, from the

people of paradise. At the very corner, they don't return their home until they are just about to go to jannah. Then they begin to do the works of the people of the hellfire. And then they go into it.

I don't want you to think that Muslims continue to come to the front door only. But I want you to know also that there's a back door by which Muslims leave the fold of Islam when they leave Islam. And while we rejoice when we have people coming to Islam, our masjid not too long ago, a man born in Trinidad and Tobago, 69 years old, became a Muslim. Sister Rashida who's at this conference now, years ago I gave shahada to her mother, I think she was 85 years old. She became a Muslim. She went to the front door. Two weeks ago, a young man named Tim, in Rochester, Minnesota, 18 years old, became a Muslim. Young boy, 14 years old, become Muslim. Young people coming into Islam, old people coming into Islam, coming to that front door.

On the one hand, but on the other hand, that back door's open. Muslims are leaving the deen. Maybe some of us here today are just barely holding on to the string of faith. Some of us came to the conference because we wanted to be here. We came because we wanted to come to learn, to develop, to become better Muslims. And yet there are some here at this conference who are only here because their parents demanded that they come.

A Prayer for Strengthening Faith

I make the dua that for whatever reason you came to the conference, I pray that Allah will strengthen you so that when you leave this conference you go back to your city. Go back to your city as better Muslims than you've ever been before. As a result of what you've gotten from the speakers and from the scholars and from the shuyukh, so that we become Muslims.

Understanding the Part-Time Muslim

I know for a fact that there are a number of Muslims who have left the deen. And why did they leave the deen? How did they leave? Maybe they left because they were a part-time Muslim. What is a part-time Muslim? I've asked the question over the years. I'm a Muslim. And I've heard this answer. Yes, I'm a Muslim, but I'm not a practicing Muslim. I'm sure you've heard that. Yes, I am a Muslim, but I'm not a practicing Muslim. I am a part-time Muslim.

I have heard part-time workers. You don't want to work for a week? You work part-time, that's okay. I've heard part-time students, you go to school. You're older now. And you want to go back to school and you can't go full-time because you work, so you go to school part-time. But what is a part-time Muslim? Indeed, a part-time Muslim isn't really a Muslim.

Don't get me wrong. You should continue to claim Islam. Because maybe as long as you keep it on your tongue and keep it in your heart, Allah will guide you to the full practice of Islam.

The Definition of True Faith

One day the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked, "What is iman? What is faith?" And he used

to answer different ways, but this day, he answered like this. He said, "Faith is when your good deeds make you happy, and your bad deeds make you sad, then you are a believer." (Musnad Ahmad 18063) May Allah keep that consciousness within us, to keep our good deeds make us strong in faith. Make us full Muslims.

What is a Full Muslim?

Now what is a full Muslim? A full Muslim is one who does all that Allah commands us to do. If Allah says, pray five times a day, don't say, "I didn't get up this morning for Fajr, so when I get up, I make it up." Alright, you oversleep, you go to sleep. That's one thing. But you don't want to get into the habit of not making prayer. You don't want to get into the habit of making two prayers a day or three prayers a day. You don't want to get into the habit of not fasting when it comes to Ramadan. These are part-time Muslims.

I've heard of people who practice Islam, who appear to practice Islam, who make the salat, and yet not be real Muslims. Because hypocrites make salat. Hypocrites wear the dress of Muslims. There are women who wear niqab, and they wear jilbab, and they wear khimar, and there are brothers who wear the kufi, and have long beards, and have turbans. That doesn't necessarily mean that they are Muslims. Inshallah, they are. But I've never heard in Sharia that a person doesn't make salat, and yet call himself Muslim. In fact, our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that the thing that separates a believer from a disbeliever is the abandonment of salat. (Sahih Muslim 82)

The Youth Movement

So brothers and sisters, my young brothers and sisters, Brother Fadi, Brother Yasir, I want to let you know that there is a worldwide youth movement. You know what? I used to play basketball. I played for my school, New York University, as a shooting guard. And I felt pretty good about my game, until I played some young brothers from Syria. Now I'm going to be honest with you. I said, I'm not going to let no brother from Syria beat me in basketball. Now, I'm going to be honest with you. This young brother, I was guarding him, I was playing defense. And subhanallah, he put a fake on me. He made a move, and I was standing still, and he was at the basket.

And I know that these brothers, mashallah, second generation Muslims from immigrant families, can play basketball, and play in the courts of this society, and play in the courts and compete in this society. So there's a youth movement going on. And now there ain't no brother Michael Jordan. As great as Michael Jordan was, he had to retire. And now this old man, LeBron James, is past his prime. And Wade and Garnett are old. And, yes. But I want you to know this, Yasir, Yasir. That the best things are those things that have a youth movement. But they're only going to keep some of the elders around, to keep them straight.

The Blessing of Our Inheritance

And now I leave you with this. We are blessed now. And you know why we're blessed? Because of what was handed down to us. Our prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was the last messenger of Allah. How many

of you ever ran track, raise your hand. One of the most compelling races of track, this is the, they call it the trial for the living. Yasir, you run track? Long time ago. Maybe before the conference is over, you and I can, alright.

The Relay Race Analogy

But one of the most compelling of the races in track is the relay race. And what makes the relay race so compelling is that you run as a team. Not as an individual. I can run 100 meters. I can run 200 meters. I can run 400 meters. I can run 1,000 meters. And that is as an individual. The thing most compelling is not to run as an individual, but to run as a team.

So Allah mentions in the Qur'an:

"Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets."

(Quran 33:40)

When you have a relay race, how many people do you have? When you have a relay race, how many people do you have? Four. There are different strategies on how to run the race. But usually, if you are in the relay race, who or where do you put the fastest runner? In the last, they call him the anchor. Why? Because if he is behind the race, he can run fast and catch up. If he is ahead of the race, he stays ahead. They call him the anchor. And our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was the anchor. He is the last prophet. Isa, peace be upon him, handed it to the time. Musa handed it to Isa.

Passing the Baton Through Generations

But it did not stop there. Even though our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. Do you know why we are here today? Do you know why we are sitting here in this place right now? Do you know why? Do you know why you pray and you have hijab? Do you know why you make prayer five times a day? Do you know why you get up in the middle of the night and you pray? Do you know why? Do you know why you spend your money to go to Mecca to perform pilgrimage? Do you know why? Because 1400 years ago when the Prophet died, peace and blessings be upon him. He handed the baton to Abu Bakr. Now he was not a prophet but he was a believer. And he carried it. And then he passed the baton to Umar. And he carried it. He passed the baton to Uthman and he carried it. He passed the baton to Ali and he carried it. And now you and I are on the shoulders of those people who came before us.

And guess what? It didn't end there. Some of you, you grew up and you grew up under these brothers at that time. Young with no beard. No gray beards. But now there is a youth movement. And the time always goes on to the next one. One day I see you, 30 years from now inshallah. You are going to be sitting there with gray hair. And you are going to try to hide it with henna and you are going to know the truth. And you are going to have gray beard. And there is going to be a young guy, this young man here. At that time he would be 20 years old. He would get up and he would say brothers and sisters. I remember when I was a young man here. Name is

Yasir. Yasir. I remember when I first became a Muslim. He used to teach me. I used to go to those classes. Ha, ha, ha. You remember? Because you know why? That's the way it is.

The Reality of Death and Our Responsibility

"Every soul shall taste death."

(Quran 3:185)

I'd like to be here all the time. But that's not my decision. That's up to Allah. All I want to do is keep on running and run as hard as I can run. Run as fast as I can run. And then take the baton and say go and run. And keep the baton moving. Keep this ummah growing.

Final Advice and Du'a

May Allah bless all of you. You youngsters. Be full-time Muslims. Don't let anything turn you around. Work hard. Study. Be the best in this world and the best in the hereafter. Be a full-time Muslim. And then, shabab, you be a full-time Muslim. Not only you benefit. The fellow beside you, behind you will benefit. And you will open wide the front door and close tight the back door. And people will come into Islam. And then finally no one will leave. May Allah bless you. Bless your families. All of you. Ameen.

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.