Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 582 [Read full issue]
Action and Participation
To be Muslim is to act according to the teachings of Islam, no matter what the surrounding environment, and there is nothing is Islam that commands a Muslim to withdraw from society in order to be close to God. It is actually quite the opposite, and, in the Quran, believing is often, and almost essentially, linked with behaving well and doing good. The Prophet, peace be upon him, never stopped drawing attention to this dimension of Muslim identity, and its authentic flowering entails the possibilities one has of acting according to what one is and according to what one believes.
This "acting," in whatever country or environment, is based on four important aspects of human life: developing and protecting spiritual life in society, disseminating religious as well as secular education, acting for justice in every sphere of social, economic, and political life, and finally, promoting solidarity with all groups of needy people who are forgotten or culpably neglected or marginalized. In the North as well as in the South, in the West as well as in the East, a Muslim is a Muslim when he or she understands this fundamental dimension of his or her presence on earth: to be with God is to be with human beings, not only with Muslims but, as the Prophet said, "with people," that is, the whole of humankind: "The best among you is the one who behaves best toward people." [Al-Bayhaqi]
Compiled From:
"Western Muslims and The Future of Islam" - Tariq Ramadan, p. 82