Editorial

Allah says in the Qur’an: “And surely We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and lives and fruits; and give glad tidings to the patient, who, when the affliction befalls them, say: surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall surely return,” (2:155).

This verse makes me think that it describes very well the situation the whole world faced in this year of 2020. It is no less than a trial. Human life seems to be very uncertain. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (first cases in Jan), there have been 19.2 million cases and 334,029 lives lost in the US (https:// covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days). COVID-19 also wreaked havoc in the global economy: worse than the Great Depression. Millions have lost jobs and many have become homeless.

This is the time for the Muslim Ummah in particular, and all humanity in general, to bring change in the society. More than ever we need to be a better, moral and more righteous society. There is corruption in all areas of life. The cause of corruption seems to be greed and lust for power and wealth, including the unjust, immoral, and cruel practices towards women and young girls to earn illegal money. From the lower rung of the social ladder to the top, almost everyone is involved in some kind of vice, immorality or sin.

“And let there be among you a group of people that shall call to all that is good, and enjoin the doing that is right, and forbid the doing of what is wrong; such are they who are successful,” (3:104).The propagation of good and evil prescribed here in the Islamic way of life can only survive if there is a substantial core of Islamic societies globally, who are not only well versed in religion but committed to reforming society and with the professional ability and wisdom to introduce reform without disruption, disorder and upheaval. Allah SWT warns the Muslims not to be divided and be disputed after clear proofs have come to them.

This disunity of the Muslim society becomes the basic cause of Ummah’s weakness. Unfortunately this is very relevant in the present age.

In all the adversities some groups of devoted people are still struggling to be a source of guidance in this turbulent life; they are the ones who are educating people about Allah, the way of life prescribed by Him in the holy book Qur’an, and the traditions of prophet Mohammad SAW. Humanity can be reformed and saved only by following his Seerah, his moral conduct, his behavior toward his companions, toward his family, toward his neighbors and toward Jews and Christians during more peaceful times in Medina and in adversity at Makkah. We can apply his teachings today with our current issues of anti-Blackness, misogyny and Islamophobia. These issues are not new and existed since the dawn of Islam.

Today, we still see and feel them via social media, but we need not despair. We have a holy book and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad SAW to help us fight these long-embedded societal crises. Out of those small groups of people who want to transform and reclaim nature and the true beliefs of our Deen, the Islamic Circle of North America is one of them. We, the sisters and brothers of ICNA, are trying to make a small effort through our out-reach programs, Fahmul Qur’an classes, neighbor-nets, WhyIslam, teaching Seerah and Islamic history, and offering periodic courses in Fiqh, Arabic Grammar, comparative study of world religions, Book Club, MCNA for children, and many more every year. May Allah SWT accept our efforts and make us successful in spreading the Deen of Allah at these disturbing times, Ameen.

Editor,

Shamim Ahmed