"Glad Tidings to the Strangers!"

...bismillah...

Rasulullah (shalallahu 'alaihiwasalam) said: "Islam was strange when it began and will one day be strange again; Blessed are the ghuraba' (strangers). These are the people who enliven my Sunnah when society has buried it". [From Muslim, Tirmidzi, Ibnu Majah & Ahmad; with slight variation]

Islam brought monotheism among polytheism. Islam brought justice among tyranny. Islam brought brotherhood among enemies. Islam brought love among hatred. Islam brought light among darkness. Islam started strange.

So is it now.

"You pray FIVE times a day?!", "You fast a whole month?!", "You wear hijab?!" "You don't party and drink?!", "You stay a virgin till you marry?!", "You cannot ogle women?!"...

We are the strangers. We are PRACTICING Muslims. Because there are Muslims who do/don't perform the above. We are strangers even to (non-practicing) Muslims. We do not do what you do. We do what you do not do.

"Lakum deenukum, waliyadeen!" (To you, your way; to me, mine!)

Because for you, you think that there is only this life worth living.
But for us, we know that there is an eternal life that can we look forward to.

In the hadith above, the Prophet (shalallahu'alaihiwasalam) mentioned the people who enliven his Sunnah. We, the strangers, do not stop at doing the wajib, we strive our utmost to follow the example of our beloved Rasulullah (shalallahu'alaihiwasalam).

Sunnah Rawatib? Check. Praying Dhuha? Check. Fasting three days or more a month? Check. Tahajjud? Check. Siwak? Check. Reading the Quran? Check. And the list goes on. Let us not falter at enlivening his Sunnah. Let us be the strangers he mentioned. This is our way, this is our jihad.

May Allah help us.