What Kind of Witness Are We to Humanity?

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Our Deen (Islam) consists of practices and behind those practices, there is a spirit. The prayer to most of us is a bunch of rak'aah but for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) it is a journey to the seven heavens, the greatest gift. The fasting for most of us is a diet plan but for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) is the commemoration of the Qur'an being revealed, something so deep. Facing the qiblah is a routine thing we do everyday during prayer, and if we don't know the direction we check our smartphones. But for the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam), it is the inauguration of a new ummah and a revival of the legacy of Ibrahim (alayhissalaam), something so deep.

Unfortunately, over time this deep, powerful and meaningful heavy practices of our religion becomes shallow. A time will come when we will have people who follow the shallow end of the practices forgetting the spirit of the Deen entirely. They love the ka'bah but they don't know what it means by the legacy of Ibrahim (alayhissalaam).Then everything about the outside get really important. Religion is reduced to the outward. When the inward is reduced then what is left is the outward.

So, what kind of witness are we, as Muslims, to humanity?

The proof to this religion is how awesome Muslim society is. What is the state of our Muslim society? You don't have to look far to know. Just look in your own community, in the masajid, in your family. Wudu', prayer, fasting, giving charity, hajj, dress code, diet, etc is body worship, but no soul. It is possible that you have people dedicated to prayer, fasting, hajj, follow the dietary restriction of Islam, but they live a life of a materialist -- they still live for this world, their aspirations are limited to this life.

If we think the Muslim ummah is in crisis, there is no bigger crisis than us having to stand on the other side of the testimony of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam).

... وَكَذَ‌ٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أُمَّةً وَسَطًا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّ‌سُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًا

And thus we have made you a just community that you will be witnesses over the people and the Messenger will be a witness over you...

[Qur'an, Al-Baqarah 2:143]

May Allah show us the falsehood as falsehood and give us the ability to stay away from it. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazak Allahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam