Islam and Me by Nouman Ali Khan

My journey to Islam is similar to many. I was raised a Muslim and my family moved to the
United States when I was 15. In a matter of a few years I managed not only to lose my religion as
a result of company and environment but also developed a skeptical attitude towards religion
especially after a couple of philosophy courses.
I believe my journey back to deen was divine intervention. It was in New York that I began
exploring what Islam meant to me at the age of 19. New York is an incredible place. Its
probably one of the most diverse cities on the planet. I was exposed to a diversity of groups all
claiming to represent Sunni Islam.
As I would start sitting in study circles of one group, over time I would get to hear about the
deviations of the other group that is literally down the street. I would learn about how lost,
confused, misguided or even dangerous to my own salvation they are. For better or for worse, I
developed a pattern of learning. Every time I heard about a deviant sect or group (in the eyes of
the people I would be taking from), I would make it a point to go and speak with the deviants
and learn what they had to say in order to hear it directly from the horses mouth. Looking back I
realize that was a dangerous thing to do at that age I was but that was the approach I took to
come back to Islam in the first place.
I wouldnt have considered turning back to deen unless I had some degree of open mindedness in
me. I couldnt just turn that part of myself off. I had to consider what was being said for myself.
After studying some Arabic and being exposed to several schools of thought ranging from the
ultra-traditional, movement oriented, literalist, western academic to name a few, I came to
certain conclusions about my religion that I still hold dear. In this brief article I want to share
those with you.

That main stream Islam as is manifest today is not a monolithic thing. Pretending that it is
amounts to a denial of reality. Muslim thought varies on some core issues within that
spectrum but there is also a tremendous amount of agreement.
That I will remain true to myself, loyal to my Messenger salallahu alaihi wasallam and
sincere to my Master to the best of my ability. As a result I will disagree with ideas,
theories and verdicts respectfully even if they are coming from sources whose judgment
in other matters I find sound if in my conscience I cannot reconcile them with the Islam I
continue to learn and love.
That I will not voice my personal disagreements in the public sphere because no benefit
comes from it. Ive been around debates, daleel battles and name calling long enough to
distinguish all of that from pointless bickering.
That I will voice my disagreements in private settings with the scholars and intellectuals
who hold those views not to debate but to better understand the basis for their positions.
That I will remain completely open to the possibility that I may have been wrong in my
own assumptions about that particular issue.

That I will take my Quran studies very seriously throughout life and will respect both
classical and contemporary scholarship on the Quran even if I find things stated that are
unsubstantiated (based on my limited knowledge). I will not dismiss an author because
he/she says something on a particular issue I completely disagree with. I will continue to
benefit from such an author while maintaining my respectful disagreement on whatever
that issue may be.
That I will seek counsel of multiple scholars on difficult tafseer issues before holding an
opinion.
That I will not be moved by the ideological labels and boxes that so many Muslims have
become obsessed with today. That I will refuse to reduce people to labels. I will fully
endorse truths that are being said regardless of who is saying them.
That I will not be intimidated by the allegation that agreeing with one statement someone
makes is tantamount to me agreeing with everything that individual has to say on any
issue; that somehow agreeing with someone on one issue is a blanket endorsement of
them.
That my own life is very short and I will spend whatever little energies I have spreading
and sharing what I believe to be good and not exhaust my energies refuting ideas of other
Muslims even if I completely disagree with them. I wont do so because I believe a sound
education in the Quran and Sunnah will automatically diminish the significance of those
fringe ideologies. The extremes in any religion feed on conflict and attention. I wont be
duped into thinking that somehow Im forbidding the evil while all Im really doing is
perpetuating an endless debate that produces no tangible good in my life or anybody
elses.
That I will acknowledge good qualities and contributions of Islamic efforts even if at a
grand scale I dont agree with the strategy or vision they may have adopted.
That outside of the authentic noble hadith traditions that speak of good manners, the
merits of deeds and encouragements, I will not be citing ahadith in any of my talks. I will
do so purely out of love and respect for the hadith tradition. I dont have the scholarly and
academic wherewithal to know the complete context, in-depth analysis and historical
discourse among the great scholars on the hadith so I think it dangerous to simply cite it.
It is dangerous because conclusions from that hadith drawn by me or the common
Muslim may actually contradict the Sunnah.
That the one contribution I think I can make for my own benefit, the benefit of my
children and InshaAllah other Muslims is furthering a love, appreciation and
understanding of the Quran. I will continue to have the utmost regard for all other
Islamic sciences. Because I recognize them as specializations, I will continue to rely on
scholars I have had the honour of knowing personally in issues pertaining to them.
That my efforts will be driven by what I believe is the single biggest problem of the
ummah today; raising children that love Allah, His Book, His Messenger SAW and the
struggle to expose the beauty of this religion to humanity with their positive
contributions. We are losing our youth spiritually, morally and even in terms of their
identification as Muslims and it all goes back to sound parenting. My children arent any
safer from the fitnah of our times than yours. We are all in this together and we have to
help each other raise tomorrows ummah.

That I will not deal with issues of fiqh publically for same reasons I wont discuss ahadith
beyond my intellectual and academic capacity. It is a specialized science and you should
speak with a specialist just like I do when I have a question.

I shared some of these thoughts with you because I get constantly asked what I am. People will
continue to wonder what I am based on the lens they view me through. My own description of
myself is that Im an average Muslim who loves Allahs Book and is trying to learn and teach
whatever little he knows from it.
Ustad Nouman Ali Khan
Founder & CEO, Bayyinah Institute
HOTD Columnist