Do you believe?

Well said. There is a great deal of "McIslam" among American converts. Their first (and often only) question is how to be Muslim AND change nothing substantial in their lifestyle. One website (apparently run by the "Quran Only" Tuscon Masjeed) even sneers at Islamic countries for being "economically backward." As if a sign of Allah's approval were two cars in the driveway! If this is a call for hijrah, so be it.

Glory to Allah Most High, full of Grace and Mercy; He created All, including Man. To Man he gave a special place in His creation. He honored man to be His agent, and to that end, endowed him with understanding. He purified his affections and gave him spiritual insight so that man should understand nature, understand himself and know Allah through his wondrous signs and glorify him in Truth, Reverence and Unity. Amen.

This essay has been written with the intention of bringing to mind a very important question that we as American Muslims need to ask. That question is: �Do we still believe?� My aim is not to offend or attack any believers, but to simply point out areas in our deen as American Muslims, where we are allowing Western values to seep into a perfect and clearly outlined way of life. May Allah open your hearts to this call for personal examination��..
Islam is probably the religion most ignored and misunderstood by people in different parts of the world. One of the reasons may be the inactivity of the Muslims in introducing Islam to other non-Muslim nations appropriately. Another reason is perhaps the psychological barrier between the West and the Muslim world created by a series of wars between two sides. A third reason may be the intentional attempts of some anti-Islamic thinkers, the media and clergy to distort Islam or to prevent Westerners from reaching the truth of the beauty of Islam.
However, the truth remains that Islam was, is and will be. Islam is now the religion of over 1 billion humans and it gains new followers every day. Islam gives the believer the peace of mind which disbelievers lack; because of the comprehensiveness and integrity that Islam has. In Islam, the right is clear and the wrong is clear and there are no compromises. Islam doesn�t include contradictions in its internal structure. Each order in Islam serves other orders in perfect harmony.
In contrast, in Western civilization, for example, everything goes against the other in a soil that may grow anything. Western civilization gave birth to nationalism and then began to fight it. Western civilization gave birth to atheism and then began to fight it. Western civilization gave birth to racial discrimination and began to fight it, or pretended to do so. How can a person have mental peace in a civilization that produces such contradictions, such a strange mixture of philosophies, policies, trends and �isms�s? And more importantly, how can we as American Muslims, hold fast to the rope of Allah in the midst of all these challenging contradictions?
Western civilization has no clear identity, as it is a melting pot of many ideologies, religions, normal things and not so normal things. Being as it is, Western civilization will never bring peace of mind to man, and furthermore, we as Muslims, need to be diligent in our lifelong striving of establishing the deen and allowing the �deen� of Western culture to pull us away from the true Reality. We in the Islamic world can evaluate Western civilization better than the people of the West themselves, because we are, insha�Allah, on the shore of this culture. Because we are not directly involved in this culture and because we have another way of life, we are in a prime position to evaluate and help positively influence the Western way of life. This brings me back to my original question, �Do we still believe?� When posed with this question, most of us will naturally answer yes. However as American Muslims, we are marginally more susceptible to compromising our way of life, as it does not entirely mess with the varying inconsistencies in the Western world.
All around the Muslim world, believers ask if Islam can thrive and function in American society. Day by day, it seems like the gap is widening, mostly due to a constant misinterpretation of Islam. We are, however, responsible for this misinformation in part. Islam, through the Holy Qur�an and Prophet Muhammad�s (s.a.w.) sayings and deeds, gave the Muslims guidance in all aspects of life and thus made Muslims more similar in their customs and acts of behavior. Islam doesn�t leave people at the mercy of inherited traditions which differ from one place to another and which may be right or wrong. Islam gives people a unified set of values that should replace their old customs and values.
Islam is more a way of life than a religion. The Western connotation of �religion� is something that is between the believer and God. Islam is a religion that organizes all the aspects of life on the scale of the individual and the nation, as well as with Allah and with your self. Thus Islam keeps the Muslim away from confusion, because it is logical and rational. Allah is One. Allah has no sons. Allah is not a trinity. Allah does not kill to save. There is no mediation between Allah and man. Islam organizes human nature, but doesn�t go against it. Islam is a complete code of human life.
So is Islam compatible with Western culture? Is the moral corruption and widespread acceptance of sin in the U.S. to far out of control? And most importantly, are our beliefs individually being slowly corroded by this cultures haphazard and directionless system of living? These are very key questions that we must all ask ourselves as Muslims upon the sirat-al-mustaqeem.
Brothers and Sisters, let us not be misled by the many allurements of this world but instead hold fast to the rope of Allah, firmly and patiently.