🤲🏽 Make me muslim (to You)
In these blessed days, we commemorate Prophet Abraham - his way, his family, his legacy.
One of his hallmark descriptions in the Quran is: muslim.
When Ibrahim and his son, Ismail, were building the ka’bah, they made an interesting prayer (dua):
“Our Lord, make us muslims to you.”
[Chapter 2, The Cow, Verse 128]
Wait a second… isn’t he already muslim?
Of course he is. Allah refers to him as such all over the Quran.
Then why is Ibrahim asking Allah to “make him muslim”?
The answer lies in the meaning of the word muslim: one who submits, commits, and devotes themselves to God.
It inherently entails an action.
And you’re either doing it or not doing it at any given moment.
So the question isn’t: Are you muslim?
(A one-time thing - one and done.)
It’s: Are you being muslim / living islam?
(A constant, recurring thing - never done.)
Ibrahim understood that “muslim” is not a static label or identity that you are assigned once - whether at birth or later:
“She was born Muslim.”
“He became Muslim.”
Rather, your submission and devotion to God is tested - and proven - time and time again… on a daily basis.
Every intention and decision… is it out of devotion and commitment to God?
Every occurrence and decree… do you submit and surrender to God?
The answer to these questions is not:
Yes, always… or No, never.
A binary.
It’s: To what extent.
A spectrum.
To what extent... do you submit and devote yourself to God?
It’s also depends on what aspect of your life is being referred to...
To what extent do you devote and submit yourself to God... in your marriage? Your parenting? How you earn money? How you treat others? In fulfilling the essentials (fard) and refraining from the harmful (haram)? In private and in public?
Is there any action you or I have done greater than building the ka’bah?
I don’t think so.
Yet, after doing one of the greatest acts of submission and devotion to God ever…
…Ibrahim asks Allah to make him one who continues submitting and devoting himself to God.
It’s quite remarkable. And a lesson for each of us.
I am a muslim…
I am a submitter.
I am one who is devoted.
It’s incomplete.
Two blanks need to be filled:
- What do you submit / devote?
- And to whom do you submit / devote?
I submit _______ to _______.
- I submit / devote… myself, my life, my existence, my service and worship, my will.
- To… God, Allah, the Creator, my Rabb, the King.
Then what weight or relevance does the label “Muslim” carry?
It signifies what you believe.
When you say “I’m Muslim” it means: I believe in one God. I believe Muhammad ﷺ is the final messenger of God. And so on.
So I’d say the label is relevant when it comes to core beliefs - in one’s heart and stated on one’s tongue - especially publicly.
But the label alone is not enough…
The reality of being muslim is proven: through how you live and practice submission and devotion to God - privately and publicly.
3 practical takeaways
{{ first_name }}, have you ever asked Allah to make you muslim to Him?
Or have you always thought: I’m already Muslim.
The latter applies to most of us.
Yes, you are a Muslim (uppercase 'M' - belief)…
...but to what extent are you truly muslim (lowercase 'm' - practice)?
To what extent are you really submitting, devoting, and committing yourself to God?
That’s takeaway 1: Don’t just say “I’m Muslim.”
Live and do islam.
In what ways or areas of your life are you not submitting?
Do a submission self-evaluation.
Takeaway 2: Speak meaningfully, and deliver clarity.
When speaking to your child, a coworker, or someone in public - from now on, instead of saying:
“I’m Muslim.” or “We’re Muslim.”
Try this: “I’m muslim to God.” (just adding “to God” changes everything)
Even better: “I submit, devote, and commit myself to God alone. I try my best to make Him the center of my life.”
Takeaway 3: Regularly ask Allah: “Make me and my family muslim to You.” i.e. Make us those who truly and consistently submit and devote ourselves to You.
That is the way of Prophet Abraham and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
May Allah enable us to emulate both of their examples in this life, and be united with them in the next.
At your service,
Farzan
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