26th Ramadan - Double rewards & triggers for apostasy

You get double if you know how to spend 😆. In business and spirituality alike. 

First spring time flowers on Shenyang Normal University campus grounds

Iftaar platter of palak pakori and aloo chat

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There was a hadith from sunan Al-Tirmidhi:

ʿUrwah al-Barīqī (Raḍiallāhu ʿanhu) states, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave me one Dinar to purchase a sheep for him. So I purchased two sheep for him, and I sold one of them for a Dinar. So I returned with the sheep and the Dinar to the Prophet ﷺ, and I mentioned what had happened and he said: 'May Allah bless you in your business dealings.' After that we went to Kunāsah in Kufa, and he made tremendous profits. He was among the wealthiest of the people in Kufa” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī].

What a lesson in business and investment. This was a successful business bargain and the Prophet went on to be the most successful businessman in the area. 

Now that is about business skills, return of investments and fair dealings. 

In faith too this is cited in surah Al-  28:54 as it was similarly mentioned:

That the rewards of the people of the book who accepts Islam is 2 fold because of what they endured. The tafsir for 3 types of people who will be given twice the reward are:

I think this surah is understated especially on how the new reverts should be supported in the right way with the right values and practices. In my experience with other reverts, 3/4 wishes to go back to their original religion due to lifestyle and governance types of soft oppression. This makes life more difficult for them in the country. 

Of course some factors may also trigger apostasy i.e.

1. perhaps the loss of familial support and understanding,
2. the lost of practices of traditions and culture,
3. the lost of their original identity,
4. the lost of friendship from close friends,
5. the stigma from the change of names,
6. the social expectations on the way they dress, the way they talk, the places and food they eat and 
7. the solitude they prefer due to inability to adapt to the common practices of the largest race within the country. 

The above are some issues I gathered from family and friends who are and know of reverts in Malaysia. It is important to highlight such factors and offer ways to solve them or lessen the burden. I am still thinking and learning on how to make it easier.

However, the NGOs and government bodies may not be able to support as yet or they have no plans or intentions to solve them because it does not involve them directly. In essence as I had a feedback from an NGO friend, ultimately numbers matter. How many can you convert in the year to meet your KPI. I detest that word now. May we learn to be more kind.

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We must put in humanity, kindness, tolerance and understanding back into our practices for the sake of the one true believe. Remove labels and biases. Instead we should celebrate differences within the bounds of Islam. This is not difficult. Islam is a religion of peace and the most simple of faiths to follow. Humans make it complicated. 

Allahulam