Summary: The national perception of Muslim-Americans is seemingly unfavorable. Our broader American context is imbued with issues such as: liberal ethics, moral relativity, abandonment of virtuous principles, hypersexualization and pervasive promiscuity. Moreover, terms such as: Traditionalists, Shariah, the Prophet, Mosques, the Quran, etc are substantially mischaracterized. This perhaps is an embellishment and simply fomented by fringe, agenda-driven media outlets or can be due to a relatively inaudible Muslim population. All of this is occurring while the material world is becoming more accessible thus subliminally cutting off everyone's dependency on Allah (swt). This perilous context demands that we tenaciously attach ourselves to Allah, reinstate our Islamic purpose, and take control of the language of this national and transcending discourse.<br> <br> Taking Back Our Narrative by NAK<br> AsSalam o Alaikum Wa RahmatUllah he Wabarkatu!<br> Aa’odu Billah he-minash Shaytannir rajeem<br> Transliteration: SharaAAa lakum mina alddeeni ma wassa bihi noohan<br> waallathee awhayna ilayka wama wassayna bihi ibraheema<br> wamoosa waAAeesa an aqeemoo alddeena wala tatafarraqoo feehi kabura<br> AAala almushrikeena ma tadAAoohum ilayhi Allahu yajtabee ilayhi man<br> yashao wayahdee ilayhi man yuneeb [Surah Ash-Shuaraa, Ayah 13]<br> Translation: He has ordained for you of religion what He enjoined upon Noah<br> and that which We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], and what We<br> enjoined upon Abraham and Moses and Jesus - to establish the religion and<br> not be divided therein. Difficult for those who associate others with Allah is<br> that to which you invite them. Allah chooses for Himself whom He wills and<br> guides to Himself whoever turns back [to Him]. [Sahih International]<br> Alhumdulilah he rabbil Aa’lamin, WasSalat o WasSalam u Aa’la Sayidil Anbiya<br> e WalMursaleen wa Aa’laa Ahle he Wa Sahbi he Wa minstanna be Sunnate he<br> ila Yaummid-Deen. Allahuma Ja’alna min hum wa Minalla-dhina aamanu wa<br> Aa’milus Salihat e Wa tawasau bil Haq e Wa tawasau bis Sabr. [Ameen Ya Rubb al<br> Aa’lameen!]<br> When we talk about taking our narrative back, I think we have to divide the<br> conversation into two parts. The conversation has to be taken back from the forces<br> outside of ourselves and the forces within ourselves. And so when we talk about<br> the forces outside of ourselves that are trying to hijack this narrative, the only thing<br> I like to add is a reminder, it is not something new. All Messengers of Allah,<br> Aa’laehi musSalat o WasSalam (ASWS), were faced with a hijacking of their<br> narratives. They were portrayed with something they were not; whether that<br> portrayal started with character assassination; of them being accused of having<br> agendas other than their actual agenda or it being a point of ridicule; that is how<br> could they (the messengers) follow something so not even close to the truth.<br> Whether it was words like magic or sorcery or whether they were accused of being<br> liars. All of this was essentially an attempt to hijack narratives. One of the greatest<br> examples of that, which are repeated in the quran is the discourse between Firoun<br> (Laa’ana hullah) and Musa (AS). It is repeated over and over again in the quran<br> and I want to share with you a couple of really remarkable places in regard to that,<br> before I talk about the challenge within the Ummah itself. [Surah Taha – AYAh<br> 63]<br> “Qaloo in Haadhani Lasahirani”… the narrative given by the leaders of Firoun, the<br> chiefs of Firoun and his ministery, the unanimous press release was that these two<br> are nothing but magicians. Now, who am I talking about; Prophet Musa & Haroon,<br> Firoun said they are nothing but magicians. But he did not just stop there, he said<br>
