Spiritual Orphans

The mother of our Prophet (saw), following the Arab tradition of sending baby children away to Bedouin wet-nurses, was unable to find a woman to take him because as soon as they heard he was an orphan they refused.  They had fixed their eyes on the reward from his father, so what good was an orphan? Abridged from The Sealed Nectar, Biography of the Noble Prophet.

An orphan is a child whose parents are dead and as we understand this situation can leave them bereft of support, shelter, love, and the necessities of life.  This situation is not too dissimilar to the plight some new Muslims in the West can find themselves in.  Whilst, they may well be adults, with parents alive, they often find themselves in a different world to the one they were in before taking Shahada.  At once they find that people who were once friends are increasingly distant from them, that work and work colleagues becoming increasingly difficult, and whatever pastimes or social life the new Muslims used to engage in are no longer halal for them.  A lot of new Muslims find that they lose the support of relatives who are at a loss to understand how a member of their family could change from their religion.  Western women, who take to wearing the veil immediately set themselves apart from others and instantly find increased difficulties. All these factors create isolation and change in social standing, and the isolation leads to frustration, depression and anger and ultimately for some, rejection of Islam. 

There are of course, many and diverse Muslim communities in the west.  Certainly, in England, there are large Muslim populations centred in the major cities.  There are also very many native Muslims, English people who have reverted to Islam, and children born of Muslim immigrants who now consider themselves to be British.  So why the isolation; you may ask.  I believe it is mainly because Muslim communities exist in diaspora reflecting their own cultural groups.  A Pakistani mosque will provide the community for some Pakistani Muslims who have settled in a certain area in, say Bradford, but if you are not from their community as a white person, you will not necessarily feel welcomed into their midst.  Similarly, Bangladeshi, Arab, and all the diverse cultural or sectarian flavours are often represented in their own separate mosques.  Whilst some do welcome all, the use of their home language immediately sets apart and effectively isolates the English speaking worshipper.   For woman, this is also exacerbated by the practice of many mosques to restrict the congregation to men only.  The native Muslims have no immediate community as they tend to be spread out across the country: they usually enter Islam on their own, encouraged by other Muslims who then, often, return to their own communities satisfied that they have done their duty in bringing another soul to Islam.  Born Muslims’ encounters with New Muslims usually take the form of edicts on what is haram and being told to wear Islamic dress, as being either the Pakistani Shalwar Kameese, or the Arab Jilbab.  Arabic classes may be available, though these tend to be haphazard or run in Urdu.  The Muslim communities’ social activities are focussed on family life, and this is central to the problem for new Muslims as their families are generally not Muslims.  This is why I consider new native Muslims to be Spiritual Orphans.

There are some very good aspects to being a Spiritual Orphan, and these are to do with the freedom from cultural contamination, and the need to seek the truth in everything.  I believe this can lead to a purity of understanding, almost akin to contemplation in the wilderness.  Whatever beliefs come out of the process of maturation of a new Muslim, from Shahada to understanding Islam, I feel they are strong and fully realised. This is a long term process for most, and the journey is made easier in knowing there are others to help, and be helped.

Abdal Hakim Murad, writes in his article entitled ‘British and Muslim?’ about those who convert for Allah and His messenger being guided, but those whose reasons are more mundane ‘are in serious spiritual trouble’. And perhaps those new Muslims who find the isolation unbearable fall into the category of those with less noble intentions.  He also writes about those who convert to Islam in the buzz of excitement, and who go from group to group trying to rekindle the feeling of that initial high. 

  His point is very valid, because as he says, if the foundation upon which faith is built is weak, because of a wrong intention at the start, then clearly the new Muslim will have difficulty finding the right mosque, or the community to help them advance on their spiritual journey.  He reminds us of the words of Imam al-Qushayri that spiritual aspirants are unable to progress if their foundations are neglected, and they need to look inside to renew their iman.

Whatever the native Muslim’s experience, it is important to understand that the hardships they endure on their journey may serve to teach and test, and not to overburden them or punish.  A lack of understanding of Islam, because of their weakness of intention or commitment, could mean that they see themselves as victims being punished, rather than aspirants being taught and challenged.  

Whilst Native Muslims have especially difficult times on their spiritual journeys, it is important to recognise that the same is true for all Muslims, though the tests and trials may be different.  For example, the temptations of western society and the pressures of cultural expectations can lead to born Muslims experiencing a form of cultural schizophrenia in the west, not entirely unlike the experience of native Muslims. 

A basic translation of ‘Muslim’ means one who submits. All Muslims in making their spiritual journey are submitting to God, putting their trust in God. There are blessed opportunities for Muslims, to recognise the divine purpose in all their lessons and tests, and so to be gentle and forgiving towards those who help them to advance on their spiritual path, whether they experience such ‘help’ as hurtful or gentle.   

May Allah swt guide us so that we can be grateful to Him in all situations on our spiritual journey.