Dear Muslims,
You now have the greatest chance to prove to the world, the vastness of your religion’s complexity and its deep ability to handle conflict.
It is now that you have a chance to show the world a mark of your religion’s tolerance and peace.
It is now that you can show the greatness of the verse:
“And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend.”
Quran 41:34
You believe your prophet to be of the greatest moral character and role model (Quran 33:21).
Then why not choose the embodiment and seeking of his ways and stature? Why not seek the best explanation, understanding and response?
“And spend in the cause of Allah and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction [by refraining]. And do good; indeed, Allah loves the doers of good.”
Quran 2:195
“Those who spend in ease and in adversity, and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good (to others).”
Quran 3:134
As your beloved prophet has said,
“A good word is a charity.”
Bukhari & Muslim
Seek the good word, especially in a time like this, which the Quran describes as the good tree. Do not seek the response of the bad word, which has no roots and bears no fruit:
“Do you not see how Allah compares a good word to a good tree? Its root is firm and its branches reach the sky,
always yielding its fruit in every season by the Will of its Lord. This is how Allah sets forth parables for the people, so perhaps they will be mindful.
And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree, uprooted from the earth, having no stability.”
Quran 14:24-26
For what reason of true worth are you distressed? For what reason of true worth are you offended? Have you not heard the hadith qudsi,
“O My people, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My people, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My people, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything.”
“And do good as Allah has done good to you. And desire not corruption in the land. Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters.”
Quran 28:77
Please, understand this. Each country is a holistic entity. The same country which offends beliefs, is the same country that provides a lot of good. Those two characteristics of a country goes hand in hand, and it is hard for one to exist without the other.
And too, kindly understand this. A country’s foundation, though good and noble, can lead to unfortunate circumstances and outcomes. But this does not wave the robustness and nobility of the foundation. So even though those unfortunate circumstances and outcomes aren’t desirable, and even though the foundation may support them, this does not mean that it is the core value and intended nature of a country.
“And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you.”
Quran 2:143
As witnesses for God and justice, we must be moderate and not go to extreme in our judgements of and demands from our opponents.
“Do not let your hatred of people cause you to be unjust.”
Quran 5:8
It is in a time like this that one truly can prove the honesty of and sincerity to one’s beliefs.
Again, I stress that you now have the opportunity to truly show the excellence of your religion and the forbearance of your position.
May God bring us all from darkness into light.
The Searcher Who Wants to Give 