Opinions of Thursday, 14 April 2022
Columnist: Abdul Rahman Odoi
2022-04-14Make a new friend before Ramadan ends: Day twelve
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The phenomenon of people reverting to Islam in Ramadan keeps soaring every year. Sadly, we all go to sleep when they stop praying immediately after Ramadan.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) admonished us to treat our fellow brothers like the reflection we see when we stand in front of a mirror. If it's a business you are running, would you allow the
Read full articlenew customers you have had to stop transacting business with you due to a mere tiff? It's never done anywhere, unless you aren't conscious about the growth of your enterprise.
The problem, however is, do we accord the same respect to Islam like the way we kowtow to the norm of the customer always being right? The only thing we say; “Allah would protect His religion.” So whether they (new revert) stay or go; it’s he who guides!
History has it that, at the early days of Islam, those who contributed tremendously to its growth where the reverts. So why wouldn’t we make friends with them so that they would not feel neglected.
There must even be an office in every mosque which oversees the needs of the revert. Especially, organizing workshops, educating and fending for the needy among them. We can't be loosing potential Umar Bun Khattab(s) (ra) every year.
Although Allah is the one who guides a heart to Islam, we must do our part because there’s a corpulent reward for those who are used as instruments by God. So, wouldn’t you yearn for this?
Per this announcement, befriend like ten reverts, and familiarize with them throughout and after Ramadan. Nonetheless, keep your boundary from unnecessary intermingling with the opposite sex! Take these new friends of yours as new customers who you would want to establish a perennial trade contact with.
Meaning, you won't allow them to just fast and go. They must not become Muslims only in Ramadan and then retract from Islam after Ramadan.
Let us relent to them because, Allah is more pleased with the repentance of his servant than what one of you would do on finding his lost camel in the desert.
