By R. David Coolidge
Graduate Student, Islamic Studies, Princeton University
Originally published atwww.zaidshakir.com

In the Name of Allah, The Entirely Merciful, The Especially Merciful

Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is the most knowing of who is guided. (16.125)

 Islam in America has developed in interesting ways over the past few decades. From Sufi efforts to curb the influence of Salafism, to the notable focus put on the difference between immigrant and American-born Muslims, the discourse within the community has increased in sophistication and diversity. More recently, the rise and fall of the Progressive Muslim movement highlighted for many the increasing complexity of American Islam, or put another way, the varying ways in which Muslims seek to live Islam in the American context. Without a doubt, all of these developments have pushed the American Muslim community forward into a new phase of its existence. Gone are the days when the early American Muslim activists, whether Blackamericans in the inner-city or Arab and South Asian immigrants in the suburbs, argued amongst themselves in small mosques and Muslim gatherings about what to do, what to believe, and how to live.

 Now, mosques proliferate and in most parts of the country it is difficult to find any major population center that lacks a space where Muslims congregate. Muslim conventions with thousands upon thousands of attendees happen all over the country, and every day new books, articles, and other media are published by diverse voices, both within the mainstream American media and by niche Islamic media companies. Post 9/11, Americans who are not Muslim have also increasingly turned their eyes on the Muslim community, not only seeking to understand it but also in order to discourage it from developing in certain ways.^[1]

 Undoubtedly, the increasing growth, sophistication, and diversity of American Islam has had many benefits. For example, one can now buy high quality books from a wide array of perspectives where once there were only Xeroxes and homemade pamphlets. The fact that there are now hundreds of Muslim scholars in this country, from both traditional and Western educational backgrounds, increases the availability of various ideas rooted in a firm understanding of the Islamic tradition and the Arabic language. Also, as alluded to previously, whereas at one time there was only one mosque in any locale, now there are dozens of mosques in major American cities which overflow with attendance at jum'ah, taraweeh, and Eid prayers.

 The establishment of these institutions is a laudable accomplishment and is a source of pride for the rapidly expanding Muslim minority. However, this new situation is not without its difficulties. American Muslims have become increasingly divided by their differences, whether ideologically or socially. In the old days when there was only one mosque in town, the Muslims of the area were forced to work together, whether immigrant or black, rich or poor, Sunni or Shi'i. Now, there is a mosque for the Blackamerican Salafis, one for the Blackamerican followers of Imam W.D. Muhammad, one for the Blackamerican followers of Imam Jamil al-Amin, and one for the Blackamerican unaffiliated. In addition to these, there are establishments serving the Sunni South Asians, those for the Shi'i South Asians, those serving the Arab Sunnis, the Arab Shi'i, the Hyderabadi Indians, the Gujarati Indians, and so forth. This divisiveness is one of the greatest factors working against effective cooperation between the various groups that comprise the American Muslim community. Instead of cooperation, one finds suspicion, as each group seeks to create its own enclave where "true Islam" can be mixed with "our culture."

 New converts once entered Islam confronted with the challenge of adapting to a single small community. Now, in the immediate aftermath of the powerful experience of conversion, an event encouraged in many instances by the perceived unity of the Muslim community, they are torn by competing claims: "Do not listen to the Sufis, they are blameworthy innovators," "Do not associate with the Imam W.D. Muhammad types, they water down Islam," "Beware of the Salafis, they are mean and harsh and funded by oil money," "Do not waste your time with the immigrant leaders and imams, they are out of touch with American realities," and so on. Unfortunately, this situation can even lead people to leave Islam altogether, because what was once so clear and simple to them is now so confusing and fractured that it has lost all meaning and power in their lives. If they cannot find an inviting community, they leave the fold altogether, either in a dramatic way or by simply drifting back into some version of the more familiar secularized American mainstream.

 The negative divisive effects of the increasing diversity and fragmentation of the American Muslim community can be mitigated by a reassertion of the fundamentals of Islam. Whether one is a man or a woman, black or white, immigrant or American-born, rich or poor, one should know, "We all come from God, and to Him we will return" (Qur'an: 2.156). Our struggle is both individual and collective, for God wants us to "know one another," while at the same time striving to be the ones with the "most taqwa" (Qur'an: 49.13). God sent us Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, to purify us and teach us "that which you did not know" (Qur'an: 2.151). Indeed, sometimes it seems absurd when we lose our way, for it is God Himself who has revealed this path, and "God is Knowing of all things" (Qur'an: 49.16).

 A common way of rejecting the fundamentals, which some attempt to do, is to problematize them out of existence. Someone might read the preceding paragraph and say, "you really think that you can level the differences between the Muslims by highlighting a few Qur'anic verses?! We are beyond such unsophisticated ways of looking at Islam." They might say, "What about competing articulations of the imamate, what about the Nation of Islam, what about the metaphysics of Ibn al-Arabi?!" The response to such queries must be, "There is a difference between fundamentals and specialized ways of looking at things. The fundamentals are what the overwhelming majority of Muslims, both scholarly and lay, have believed and done over the centuries from the time of the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him, until now. As for other things, those are for others to deal with, particularly those who are very learned and pious." When one looks at the larger picture, things become clearer.

 For example, many intellectually-minded Muslims like to point out that in the early period of the Muslim community many aspects of Islam were heavily debated. They highlight that things we now take for granted were highly contested then, with different groups calling to radically different perspectives, much like present-day American Islam. One of the classic arguments put forward in this respect is that Imam al-Shafi'i (d. 820/204) wrote his famous work, al-Risalah, in response to this incredible diversity. Thus, according to this argument, his ideas are not necessarily orthodoxy, but rather an attempt to create an orthodoxy where there was not one. Thus, many scholars have focused all their attention on how Imam al-Shafi'i argues for the centrality of hadith, which according to their argument, means that the centrality of hadith did not yet exist in Islamic legal discourse. However, what this reading of the Risala misses is al-Shafi'i's conception of the fundamental teachings of Islam that all Muslims agree upon. This argument is found in a passage of the work which is perhaps the most important one for American Muslims, and which is the following:
 
 Someone asked: "What is legal knowledge and how much should men know of it?" Shafi'i replied: "Legal knowledge is of two kinds: one is for the general public, and no sober and mature person should be ignorant of it." He asked: "For example?" Shafi'i replied: "For example, that the daily prayers are five, that men owe it to God to fast the month of Ramadan, to make the pilgrimage to the [Sacred] House whenever they are able, and to [pay] the binding alms due on their estate; that He [God] has prohibited riba, having sex outside of marriage, homicide, theft, [the drinking of] wine, and [everything] of that sort which He has obligated men to comprehend, to perform, to pay in their property, and to abstain from [because] He has forbidden it to them. This kind of knowledge may be found textually in the Book of God, or may be found generally among the people of Islam. The public relates it from the preceding public and ascribes it to the Apostle of God, nobody ever questioning its ascription or its binding force upon them. It is the kind of knowledge which admits of error neither in its narrative nor in its interpretation; it is not permissible to question it."2

 Al-Shafi'i, without doubt one of the greatest scholars of Islam, argues here that there are certain fundamentals that are so widely known, that both scholars and lay people agree that they constitute God's fundamental teachings to humanity. He was writing rather close to the time of the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him, and had traveled widely throughout the heartland of Islam in search of knowledge. He was well aware of all the schisms and rebellions that had happened after the death of the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him, but for him they did not create an existentialist crisis. The essentials of what the Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him, taught were clear to all, and were the basis of the way to success in this world and the Hereafter. Nobody may question them, he argued, except to their own loss.

 When we turn back to our own context, we see that even people from oftentimes opposing orientations agree on most of these essentials. Khaled Abou El Fadl, considered one of the leading "reformist" thinkers in American Islam;3 Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, one of the country's leading "salafis;"4 Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, the leading "traditionalist" in the American ummah; Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a leading "perennialist" and "Shi'a philosopher;"5 and Imam W.D. Muhammad have all argued for the validity of similar beliefs, practices, and ethics as embodying the core teachings of Islam. Even a diverse international body of Muslim scholars, representing not only the Sunni legal schools but also the principal Shi'i groups, agreed that such fundamentals represent the core of Islam.6 If so many scholars from such diverse backgrounds agree on the essential issues mentioned by Imam al-Shafi'i, it should be quite clear that Islam has an identifiable set of core beliefs and practices that form a powerful basis for a fundamental unity that should define our condition.

 The pillars of faith, practice, spirituality, and ethics are clear. Remember God as much as possible. Read the Qur'an in both Arabic and your own language, seeking the blessings of God and guidance. Pray to God to guide you to the Straight Path. Ask God to send peace and blessings upon the Prophet. Believe in God, and all of His messengers. Pray five times a day, obligatorily, whether by yourself or in congregation, and pray a little more, voluntarily, as well. Fast the month of Ramadan, and try to fast a little more as well. Make greater pilgrimage to Makkah, and also try to perform the lesser pilgrimage as well. Pay the poor due on your wealth, and also try to give charity beyond the mandated minimum amount. Do not drink alcohol out of the fear and love of God who has forbidden it. Do not have sex outside of marriage, and cherish your spouse. Be a good person, as the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of God be upon him, came to perfect noble character. Treat your neighbors properly. Fear God in public and private.

 This is Islam, and this is a lot. There are very few American Muslims who do all of these absolutely indisputable things, hoping for the Mercy of Allah. Travel around this country, and meet the thousands of Muslim youths who are having sex outside of marriage and drinking alcohol, and you will realize that the core of Islam needs to be lived in this land. Go to many major American cities, learn of Muslims committing murder and selling drugs, and you will know what really matters.7 To live just the basic fundamentals of Islam is our greatest challenge as American Muslims: to pray consistently, to stay away from the clearly forbidden, to have a connection with the Qur'an, to treat our fellow human beings according to their rights, to be aware of God's presence at all times, and so on.

 So let us stop worrying about Islam, and let us start worrying about ourselves in relation to our Lord. One of our American Muslim musicians once said that many people talk about rap music as if it were something outside themselves, but they don't realize that rap music is simply a reflection of the way people live their lives.8 So too with American Islam: it will only be what we make of it. Therefore, let us reaffirm that whatever else Islam may be, it is above all about the indisputable core teachings that God sent down to humanity to guide us to His pleasure. Let us unite around an uncompromising monotheism, the Qur'an, prayer, avoidance of alcohol, being good to other people, and other essentials. Certainly, we will discover that we have differences along the way, but those differences constitute particulars that should distinguish us. When viewed in the light of universals that should unite us, they are insignificant. Let us emphasize those universals for ourselves, for our families, to those who are new to Islam, and to those who have yet to be touched by the message of Muhammad, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him. Let us focus on doing those indisputable good things in the hope of receiving mercy from God, all of us: Black, White, Arab, South Asian, American-born, Immigrant, Rich, Poor, Men, Women, Everyone. Then, by the grace of God, we can find strength and wisdom and guidance in both our unity and our diversity, and live in a way that is worthy of the inheritance that we have received from our beloved Prophet, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him.

 And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favor of Allah upon you -- when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favor, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided. (Qur'an: 3.103)
 
1 On post 9/11 non-Muslim attempts to influence Islam, see Bernard, Cheryl; Civil Democratic Islam: Partners, Resources, and Strategies (Rand Corporation Monograph, 2004)
2 Khadduri, Majid; al-Shafi'i's al-Risala: Treatise of the Foundations of Islamic Jurisprudence (Cambridge, Islamic Texts Society: 1987), pp. 81-2 [A few small parts of Khadduri's translation were augmented for the sake of clarity and precision.]
3 Abou El Fadl, Khaled; The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists (San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco: 2005), pp. 113-125
4 Zarabozo, Jamaal al-Din; He Came to Teach You Your Religion: The Hadith of the Angel Gabriel Explaining the Foundations of Islam, Imaan, and Ihsaan (Denver, al-Basheer Publications: 2001)
5 Nasr, Seyyed Hossein; The Heart of Islam: Enduring Values for Humanity (San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco: 2004)
6 See the declaration of the "True Islam and its Role in Modern Society" conference at www.jordanembassyus.org/new/pr/pr07062005.shtml (it is also available on other websites)
7 On the realities of Islam in a major American city, see the moving article by Ustadh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, "A Prescription for Positive Progression," at www.lamppostproductions.org
8 The actual saying was expressed rather differently. He said that "people talk about hip-hop [rap music] like it's some giant livin' in the hillside," when in actuality, "we are hip-hop: you, me everybody," "so the next time you aks [sic] yourself where hip-hop is goin', aks yourself, 'Where am I goin'? How am I doin'?'" The musician is Mos Def, and the song is "Fear Not of Man" from the album Black on Both Sides (Rawkus Records, 1999).