Offering/initating the Taslīm/Salāms to any Fellow-Muslim & after they respond with Taslīm questioning whether or not they’re a Muslim:
That’s literally amongst the Most Theologically-Disrespectful Things one can do against any Fellow-Muslim. This has literally been done against me Several-Times via Online as well as In-Person. It’s 💯% Sucka-Shit.
Stop doing that Goofy-Shit…#Seriously
The aforementioned is just the Tip of the Iceberg. Every so often, People…Muslims particularly…have the Proclivity/Propensity to ask me Dumb-Shit, pontificate/claim Dumb-Shit, attempt to impose Dumb-Shit, etc. I really try my best to take Those-Things with a Grain-Of-Salt. But, then again, I get tired of having the Same-Convos, with the Same-Types/Kinds of Persons whom project Weirdo-Vibes. This by the way doesn’t just come from Persons via Online, Social-Media, etc. Even People I’ve known for Years, since I’ve been a Muslim: even they do all the Dumb-Shit. It’s utterly-annoying at best & completely-disrespectful at worst.
What I’ve aforementioned, regarding Arab-Clothing: it’s constantly/consistently something I’ve historically gotten harrassed about. I specifically remember being directly told, that the Reason I’ve been uninvited to Certain-Venues (to give Khutub/Friday-Sermons for example) is exclusively because I don’t/refuse to don “Sunnah/Islāmic-Clothing”, which is only a Religio-Euphemism for “Arab/Middle-Eastern Clothing”. I distinctly remember, back in 1433, A.H./2012, C.E.: I gave a Khutbah/Friday-Sermon at a Masjid/Mosque I was invited to. When I arrived: they tried to “make” me put-on a Thawb/Thobe (Arab/Middle-Eastern Garment)…I wasn’t going to don it anyway. But, when I’d seen just how dingy/dirty the Thawb/Thobe which they presented was I said to myself: “They Buggin da Fuck out!!!”. So, not only did I refuse to don it…I adamantly gave the Khutbah without it & put the Masjid-Administration on Front-St. for harrassing me about it. Much to my Surprise/Naivety…that wasn’t the End of it. These-Mothafuckas banned me from ever giving Another-Khutbah there, they fired the Masjid Board-Member whom initially invited me to That-Masjid (which by the way literally looked like a Trap-House via the Outside), and That-Scenario cost me a Friendship: the Person whom suggested that I go with them, to give the Khutbah there…them & I literally got into Serious-Beef over this which permanently damaged our Relationship. Things had gotten so bad & Out-Of-Hand, that I literally had to seek-out a Big-Homie Imām from Another-Part of That-State, in order to reinstate the Masjid Board-Member who’d gotten fired…by Allah’s-Help that actually worked though.
The above it something which I’m constantly confronted with, particularly/especially as someone who’s Muslim Afro-American. Sadly, Muslim Afro-Americans largely still buy into the Mythos/Pseudo-Narrative of being “Muslim-Only”…this is 💯%-Untruth/Dishonesty. Historically, this has been the Exclusive-Result of Muslim Afro-Americans only using al-Islām as an `Udhr/Excuse to switch Slave-Masters, as opposed to utilizing al-Islām as the Ultimate-Tool to correct the Human-Condition. I’m not “Muslim-Only”, we’re Muslim-1st. Being Muslim isn’t my “Only-Identity”, rather it’s my Most-Important Identity. Being Muslim isn’t the “Only-Dimension” of who I am, rather it’s the Most-Important Dimension of who I am. Allah proves this Word4Word, via at-Tanzīl, when Allah speaks about making Humans into Ethnicities, Tribes, Nations, Societies, Cultures, Peoples, etc. so that we’re capable/able to identify/respect Khilāf/Variations amongst al-Insān/Humanity. And then Allah makes the Point that the Most-Noble amongst al-Insān to/with Allah are the Muslims.
(Noble-Qur’ān: Chpt.49, V.13)
This-Video by default is one of Countless-Proofs that there’s no such Thing as a “Muslim-Name”.
#FunFact: the Pagan-Arabs had Names like “`Abdur-Rahmān”, “`Abdullah”, etc. And, there were even Pagan-Arabs whom lived prior to the Revelation of The Qur’ān whom were named “Muhammad”.
This, by far, is a Particular-Thing which annoys me alot. One of the Key-Reasons how/why is because, unfortunately, like Countless Muslim-Reverts: I chose an Arabic-Name for myself. Once I learned that Name-Changing holistically is Mahrūm/Islāmically-Prohibited via al-Bid`ah/Religio-Innovation: I reverted back to using my Real-Name. And, that’s when the Sucka-Shit commenced. Their were Muslims, Muslims whom I even knew personally, whom audaciously, arrogantly, slanderously, etc. falsely-accused me of committing ar-Riddah/Apostasy, all because I stopped referring to an Arabic-Name I once used to self-identify. Till This-Day, I’m still triggered/angered because of it. Even if/when there’s Muslims whom try to connect with me via Online, Social-Media, etc. & especially if they engage me with at-Taslīm (the Saying of “as-Salāmu `alaykum/Peace be upon you”): as soon as they ask me am I a Muslim, then I waste 0-Time to block them. It’s truly insulting, for any Muslim to question whether someone is a Muslim, when it’s crystal-clear that someone presents themselves as a Muslim. And, realistically, unless someone knowingly, publicly, etc. displays Theologically-Problematic Postures: we’re not even Islāmically-Entitled/Justified to question whether or not they’re a Muslim. So, in Commemoration to Those-Suckas whom slandered me, as well as any/all other Bozos whom think/feel that it’s OK to question whether or not someone is a Muslim, exclusively because of their Names:
Gareth Bryant
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