One Ummah- United Under Allah

Until entering the doors of Allah, I was as unfamiliar to the world as a newborn child is to the life that is yet to be introduced to him. An Arab to me was nothing more than a man who hovers on a magical carpet in Aladdin. I remember at a young age, stalking a woman wearing Niqaab through the mall with my cousin, just to see if she was like us or not. I remember walking out of a movie theatre in 2001 after two people walked in, both sat in separate rows (suspicious, huh?), with one speaking on his cell phone in a foreign language, which could have only led me to believe one thing: must have been a terror plot…turns out he was Mexican anyways.

But as I began meeting Muslims online, I realized that Islam is a diverse religion, with various political beliefs, racial differences, ethnical differences, and cultural differences. And as I began to learn about Islam, I fell in love with the religion of Allah (swt). At age 15, I read most of the Qur’an in just a few nights. That’s quite impressive, considering it takes me several months just to read a simple 200-page book! But the Qur’an grabbed me, as it has so many other non-Muslims whose destiny is to accept the religion of Allah (swt).

While in the womb, we meet with an angel of Allah (swt). That angel dictates four things, “deeds, time of death, means of livelihood, and whether we will be wretched or blessed (in religion). Then the soul is breathed into the body (Bukhari).” Therefore, when I opened the book of Allah (swt), it was not simply logic or emotion that led me to Allah (swt). Rather, it was memory. We all have witnessed the truth, whether we know it or not. We all have seen Allah’s angels. And I, like millions of other Muslims, was predestined to accept Islam.

But that first time stepping into a Masjid, I’ll admit, I was somewhat nervous. I had been to a Masjid before, so I knew what to expect. I knew overall, the people are friendly and hospitable. But I felt like a foreigner. How many other Caucasian Jewish-looking American-born 17-year-old boys are there in the Masjid? But immediately, the strong sense of brotherhood cooled my nerves, and I no longer had fear of the unknown. I stood in prayer with African-Americans, Pakistanis, Arabs, and various other ethnicities. In the sight of Allah (swt), our physical differences mean nothing. And in the prayer line, the only thing that shines is our similarities. We all are bowing to Allah (swt), and therefore, whether we are black or white, Arab or American, we are all Muslim- we are all brothers in the sight of Allah (swt).

-Musa Talib