A Conscious Approach on Being a Muslim - Dr. Khalid Zaheer 4th September, 2017

At times we come across placards on social media stating, “I am proud to be a Muslim". I find this a bit arrogant. It seems as if it implies, that we as Muslims, are chosen for God's eternal paradise, which He has promised for his chosen servants. 

At best, we can state why I feel good to be a Muslim. There are certain reasons for it which I would like to share (Credit for the following reasons goes to Dr. Khalid Zaheer, a Muslim Scholar):

1). I don't see any reason why Muslims should be proud of their faith simply because they were born in it. That's what people belonging to every religion do. If Muslims haven't explored it properly they have no justifiable right to be proud of their faith simply because of an accident of birth. 

2). My reasons for continuing to be a Muslim are many, but chiefly they are four: Its message is authentic, it's convincing, it's fair, and it gives immense hope to all good humans.

3). The message of Islam is authentic in that its teachings have come down to us in the most authentic manner. Unlike in the case of some other prominent faiths, the message of Islam appears to be originating from the man who brought it. 

4). The message of Islam is convincing too. Each of the three elements of faith has been presented in the Qur'an with convincing intellectual arguments. The moral teachings promoted too are natural to humans. The Shari'ah law, which can be debatable for some people is a very limited list of do's and don'ts in the areas where human capacity of deciding is limited. 

5). The message of Islam is fair. It treats all humans equally on the merit of their performance. Unlike the understanding of many Muslims, the Qur'an tells us that the ultimate fate of humans shall be decided purely based on each individual's capacity and circumstances. 

6). The message of Islam gives real hope to all good humans that they have a brilliant life of eternity awaiting them beyond death. All they need to do is to continue to live in this life as intellectually honest and morally good humans.

 Aamir Yazdani