Recently, I read "Being Muslim Today: Reclaiming the Faith from Orthodoxy and Islamophobia" by Saqib Iqbal Qureshi, a book with insight that is important for everyone to read especially in our current times. There are many misconceptions of Islam due to the media, politics, Islamophobia, and certain orthodox viewpoints of the religion.
Many a times the media portrays one Muslim's actions as all encompassing. This in turn creates bias and discrimination, which is unfair to Muslims who seek a sense of community and belonging to safely observe Islam.
As with anything in life, one must always seek knowledge. The teachings of Islam follows the Quran - the religious book of Muslims, and the prophetic traditions - life of prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Sometimes, people expect every Muslim to justify rituals and rules even if they don't have full knowledge of it. This isn't automatically assumed for people that observe other religions.
In the book, "Being Muslim Today" the author gives a lot of food for thought. He cites historical facts for all three monotheistic religions for us to become more critical, gain knowledge, and understand Islam. I would have preferred reading starting from Part two chapter 10, as it would have made more sense to understand the author's viewpoint.
In the first part of the book, Qureshi writes about the revelation of Islam, how prophet Muhammad peace be upon him reacted initially, the humanity of prophets, the origin, the change, history, key questions people have about Islam, and more. While I read the first part of the book, it felt as though I was going back and forth agreeing and disagreeing with what the author presents. He tries to create doubts in his process of trying to make the reader curious. The second part of the book was easier to read, as the author gives examples of historical facts related to all three major religions and topics that are in many people's minds today.
The author opens up critical thinking presenting historical facts since the West tends to view Islam and Muslims as foreign and new, while the West has had the presence of Islam for centuries. Islam has contributed and immensely influenced architecture, philosophy, economics, sociology, medicine, gender equality, and laws impact all of us every day. However, these contributions are taken for granted and used daily without the knowledge of where it is stemming from. Qureshi seeks to show his audience the many Islamic contributions that actively influence both modern and Western society.
The author challenges orthodox views that "are often presented as crystal clear and indisputable" which usually takes things out of context and limits thinking for ourselves. He also challenges the views of Islamophobia, and those who accept propaganda without thinking for themselves.
Spiritualism is individual - it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to think for ourselves, gain knowledge, and make decisions for ourselves - after all it is a fact that we are born alone and die alone - we shouldn't let anyone influence or make decisions for us.
This book is for a curious mind, that is open to learning and thinking critically. It is a refreshing and a much needed declaration on practicing the religion to the best of our ability to how early Muslims sought to practice Islam.
Aga Khan Museum located in Toronto is a beautiful place to learn the origins of Islamic principles and how it connects to the rest of the world including Indigenous beliefs to everyday life. We visit this museum often as they have different exhibits, past exhibits such as the Silk Road: A living History to the current one about Light are educational and fun for any age.
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