jhone josef
2004-07-28 16:36:34 UTC
A Martial Art Led Me to Islam*
By Steven Krauss (Abdul-Lateef Abdullah)
19/07/2004
The Malaysian martial art form called silat.
My experience in Islam began as a graduate student in New York City in
1998. Up to that point in my life, for 25 years, I had been a
Protestant Christian, but had not been practicing my religion for
quite some time. I was more interested in "spirituality" and looking
for anything that didn't have to do with organized religion. To me,
Christianity was out of touch and not relevant to the times. It was
hard for me to find anything in it that I could apply to my everyday
life. This disillusion with Christianity led me to shun everything
that claimed to be organized religion, due to my assumption that they
were all pretty much the same, or at least in terms of their lack of
relevance and usefulness.
Much of my frustration with Christianity stemmed from its lack of
knowledge and guidance around the nature of God, and the individual's
relationship to Him. To me, the Christian philosophy depends on this
rather bizarre intermediary relationship that we are supposed to have
with Jesus, who on one hand was a man, but was also divine. For me,
this difficult and very vague relationship with our Creator left me
searching for something that could provide me with a better
understanding of God, and our relationship to Him. Why couldn't I just
pray directly to God? Why did I have to begin and end every prayer
with "in the name of Jesus Christ?" How can an eternal, omnipotent
Creator and Sustainer also take the form of a man? Why would He need
to? These were just a few of the questions that I could not resolve
and come to terms with. Thus, I was hungry for a more straightforward
and lucid approach to religion that could provide my life with true
guidance, not just dogma that was void of knowledge based in reason.
While in graduate school, I had a Jewish roommate who was a student of
the martial arts. While I was living with him, he was studying an art
called silat, a traditional Malaysian martial art that is based on the
teachings of Islam. When my roommate would come home from his silat
classes, he would tell me all about the uniqueness of silat and its
rich spiritual dimension. As I was quite interested in learning
martial arts at the time, I was intrigued by what I had heard, and
decided to accompany my roommate to class one Saturday morning.
Although I did not realize it at the time, my experience in Islam was
beginning that morning at my first silat class in New York City back
on February 28th, 1998. There, I met my teacher, Cikgu (which means
teacher in Malay) Sulaiman, the man who would first orient me to the
religion of Islam. Although I thought I was beginning a career as a
martial artist, that day back in 1998 actually represented my first
step toward becoming Muslim.
From the very beginning, I was intrigued by silat and Islam and began
spending as much time as possible with my teacher. As my roommate and
I were equally passionate about silat, we would go to my teacher's
house and soak up as much knowledge as we could from him. In fact,
upon our completing graduate school in the spring of 1998, upon his
invitation, we spent the entire summer living with him and his wife.
As my learning in silat increased, so did my learning about Islam, a
religion that I had hardly any knowledge of prior to my experience in
silat.
What made my orientation to Islam so powerful was that as I was
learning about it, I was also living it. Because I studied at the home
of my teacher, being in the presence of devout Muslims allowed me to
be constantly surrounded by the sounds, sights and practices of Islam.
For as Islam is an entire lifestyle, when you are in an Islamic
environment, you cannot separate it out from everyday life. Unlike
Christianity, which lends toward a separation between daily life and
religion, Islam requires its followers to integrate worship of Allah
into everything we do. Thus, in living with my teacher, I was immersed
in the Islamic deen (lifestyle) and experiencing first-hand how it can
shape one's entire way of life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since Islam is focused on the most healthy, positive way of conducting
our lives in every setting, then it is, and always will be, the only
real answer to any society's social dilemmas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the beginning, Islam was very different and powerful to me. It was
also very foreign in many ways and the amount of discipline it
requires was difficult to understand. At the time, I was liberal in
many ways, and was used to shunning anything dogmatic or imposed,
regardless of where it came from! As time went on, however, and my
understanding of Islam grew, I began to slowly see that what seemed to
be religious dogma was really a lifestyle put forth to us by our
Creator. This lifestyle, I would later learn, is the straight path to
true contentment, not just the sensual and superficial way of life
that my society and culture promote. I realized that the question is
quite simple actually. Who could possibly know better what the best
way of life is for human beings than the all-wise Creator?
From that first silat class in New York City to the day I took my
shahadda, July 30, 1999, I had undergone a thorough self-examination
that was comprised of two major processes. One was to question the
culture of the society I was brought up in, and the second was to
question the role I wanted religion to play in my everyday life. As
for my culture, this one was not as difficult as most people would
think.
American culture is highly influential on how we see life because it
constantly bombards us with sensual gratification aimed at appealing
to our worldly desires. In America, happiness is defined by what we
have and consume, thus, the entire culture is geared toward the
marketplace. Unless we are removed from this type environment, it is
difficult to see its drawbacks, which are based on worshipping and
putting faith in everything but God, the only One that can provide us
with real, lasting contentment in our lives.
Being a social scientist by trade, much of my professional time is
spent trying to address the social ills of our society. As I learned
more about Islam, I came to the conclusion that many societal ills are
based on unhealthy social behavior. Since Islam is a lifestyle focused
totally on the most healthy, positive way of conducting our lives in
every setting, then it is, and will always be, the only real answer to
any society's social dilemmas. With this realization, not only did I
decide that Islam was relevant to my everyday life, but I began to
understand why it is so different from other religions. Only Islam
provides knowledge and guidance for every aspect of life. Only Islam
provides a way to achieve health and happiness in every dimension of
lifephysical, spiritual, mental, financial, etc. Only Islam provides
us with a clear life goal and purpose. And only Islam shows us the
proper way to live in and contribute to a community. Islam is what
everyone needs, and what so many who have not found it yet, are
searching for. It is the path to purpose, meaning, health and
happiness. This is because it is the straight path to the source of
truth and real powerAllah.
It was only until I actually became Muslim that I realized just how
encompassing the Islamic lifestyle is. Literally everything we do has
one underlying purpose to remember Allah. The lifestyle provides us
with the waynot just the understandingbut an actual method of
constantly remembering our Creator in as simple an act as greeting
someone, or getting dressed in the morning, or waking up from sleep.
Islam shows us that by remembering Allah, everything we do becomes
focused on Him, and thus becomes an act of worship. From this, our
energy, our thoughts, and our actions all become redirected away from
unhealthy and useless causes and focused on the source of all
goodness. Thus, we are continuously tapping into His divine strength,
mercy and grace. So, by remembering Allah constantly, we become
stronger and healthier in every aspect of our lives and not distracted
by self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I finally broke the news to my family that I had become Muslim,
almost all their concerns were related to cultural differences
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There still remain some minor aspects of Islam that have proven to be
somewhat difficult adjustments for me. Nevertheless, I thank Allah
everyday for the ease to which he has allowed me to make the necessary
changes in my life so that I can continue to live in America and still
be, Insha-Allah, a good Muslim. As a white, middle-class American,
many cultural aspects of Islam are quite different from the way in
which I grew up. In fact, when I finally broke the news to my family
that I had become Muslim, almost all of their questions and concerns
were related to cultural differencesmarriage, social life, family,
etc. They were much less concerned about my general beliefs about God
and religious practice. For my family, friends, and co-workers,
becoming Muslim was not seen necessarily as a negative change, but it
has required a great deal of education about Islam.
Because acquiring knowledge is a critical component to a Muslim's
development, having a teacher who has taught me how to apply Islam in
everyday life has made all the difference in managing whatever
difficulties I have experienced from my reversion. Having someone
knowledgeable you can turn to whenever you have questions is a
wonderful support that every new shahadda should go out of their way
to find. Islam is not a religion that can be rationalized, in the way
that Christianity and Judaism are. It is a clear path that must be
followed just as Allah has laid out for us through the Qur'an and the
lives of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his companions, and the
saints of Islam.
In this day and age, in this society, discerning the path can often be
difficult, especially when we are constantly faced with questions and
doubts from people who on the surface may not be hostile to Islam, but
whose general lack of faith can have a harmful effect on someone who
bases everything they do on their love for Allah. It is also not easy
being in an environment where we are constantly bombarded with sensual
temptations that are seen as ordinary, common aspects of everyday
life. But when we have the support of a knowledgeable, experienced
teacher, who is able to apply the universal teachings of Islam to his
life, then the truth becomes clear from error, exactly how Allah (SWT)
describes in the Qur'an. From this, we are able to understand how to
apply Islam correctly to our own lives, and Insha-Allah, receive
Allah's many blessings. The ultimate test, however, of anyone who
claims to have true and right knowledge, is to look at how they apply
it in their own lives. If their actions support their teachings, then
and only then should we look to them for guidance.
My journey to Islam has been a life-altering experience. It is one
that with every passing day makes me more and more appreciative and
thankful to Almighty Allah. The extent of His mercy can only fully be
understood from the perspective of a Muslimone who prostrates
regularly and submits their will to that of the Creator.
I look back at my life prior to Islam and reflect on the different
ways I sought guidance. I think back to all the different ideas I once
had of who God really is, and how we can become close to Him. I look
back now with a smile and perhaps even a tear because now I know the
truth. Through Islam, I know why so many people who do not believe
have so much fear inside them. Life can be very scary without God. I
know, because I once harbored that same level of fear. Now, however, I
have the ultimate "self-help" program. It's the self-help program
without the self. It's the path that puts everything is in its proper
place. Now, life makes sense. Now, life is order. Now, I know why I am
here, where I want to go, what I want my life to be, how I want to
live, and what is most important not just to me, but to everyone. I
only hope and pray that others who have not found the path yet, can
feel the same that I do. Ya arhama rahimeen wal hamdulillahi rabbil
aylameen
By Steven Krauss (Abdul-Lateef Abdullah)
19/07/2004
The Malaysian martial art form called silat.
My experience in Islam began as a graduate student in New York City in
1998. Up to that point in my life, for 25 years, I had been a
Protestant Christian, but had not been practicing my religion for
quite some time. I was more interested in "spirituality" and looking
for anything that didn't have to do with organized religion. To me,
Christianity was out of touch and not relevant to the times. It was
hard for me to find anything in it that I could apply to my everyday
life. This disillusion with Christianity led me to shun everything
that claimed to be organized religion, due to my assumption that they
were all pretty much the same, or at least in terms of their lack of
relevance and usefulness.
Much of my frustration with Christianity stemmed from its lack of
knowledge and guidance around the nature of God, and the individual's
relationship to Him. To me, the Christian philosophy depends on this
rather bizarre intermediary relationship that we are supposed to have
with Jesus, who on one hand was a man, but was also divine. For me,
this difficult and very vague relationship with our Creator left me
searching for something that could provide me with a better
understanding of God, and our relationship to Him. Why couldn't I just
pray directly to God? Why did I have to begin and end every prayer
with "in the name of Jesus Christ?" How can an eternal, omnipotent
Creator and Sustainer also take the form of a man? Why would He need
to? These were just a few of the questions that I could not resolve
and come to terms with. Thus, I was hungry for a more straightforward
and lucid approach to religion that could provide my life with true
guidance, not just dogma that was void of knowledge based in reason.
While in graduate school, I had a Jewish roommate who was a student of
the martial arts. While I was living with him, he was studying an art
called silat, a traditional Malaysian martial art that is based on the
teachings of Islam. When my roommate would come home from his silat
classes, he would tell me all about the uniqueness of silat and its
rich spiritual dimension. As I was quite interested in learning
martial arts at the time, I was intrigued by what I had heard, and
decided to accompany my roommate to class one Saturday morning.
Although I did not realize it at the time, my experience in Islam was
beginning that morning at my first silat class in New York City back
on February 28th, 1998. There, I met my teacher, Cikgu (which means
teacher in Malay) Sulaiman, the man who would first orient me to the
religion of Islam. Although I thought I was beginning a career as a
martial artist, that day back in 1998 actually represented my first
step toward becoming Muslim.
From the very beginning, I was intrigued by silat and Islam and began
spending as much time as possible with my teacher. As my roommate and
I were equally passionate about silat, we would go to my teacher's
house and soak up as much knowledge as we could from him. In fact,
upon our completing graduate school in the spring of 1998, upon his
invitation, we spent the entire summer living with him and his wife.
As my learning in silat increased, so did my learning about Islam, a
religion that I had hardly any knowledge of prior to my experience in
silat.
What made my orientation to Islam so powerful was that as I was
learning about it, I was also living it. Because I studied at the home
of my teacher, being in the presence of devout Muslims allowed me to
be constantly surrounded by the sounds, sights and practices of Islam.
For as Islam is an entire lifestyle, when you are in an Islamic
environment, you cannot separate it out from everyday life. Unlike
Christianity, which lends toward a separation between daily life and
religion, Islam requires its followers to integrate worship of Allah
into everything we do. Thus, in living with my teacher, I was immersed
in the Islamic deen (lifestyle) and experiencing first-hand how it can
shape one's entire way of life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since Islam is focused on the most healthy, positive way of conducting
our lives in every setting, then it is, and always will be, the only
real answer to any society's social dilemmas.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the beginning, Islam was very different and powerful to me. It was
also very foreign in many ways and the amount of discipline it
requires was difficult to understand. At the time, I was liberal in
many ways, and was used to shunning anything dogmatic or imposed,
regardless of where it came from! As time went on, however, and my
understanding of Islam grew, I began to slowly see that what seemed to
be religious dogma was really a lifestyle put forth to us by our
Creator. This lifestyle, I would later learn, is the straight path to
true contentment, not just the sensual and superficial way of life
that my society and culture promote. I realized that the question is
quite simple actually. Who could possibly know better what the best
way of life is for human beings than the all-wise Creator?
From that first silat class in New York City to the day I took my
shahadda, July 30, 1999, I had undergone a thorough self-examination
that was comprised of two major processes. One was to question the
culture of the society I was brought up in, and the second was to
question the role I wanted religion to play in my everyday life. As
for my culture, this one was not as difficult as most people would
think.
American culture is highly influential on how we see life because it
constantly bombards us with sensual gratification aimed at appealing
to our worldly desires. In America, happiness is defined by what we
have and consume, thus, the entire culture is geared toward the
marketplace. Unless we are removed from this type environment, it is
difficult to see its drawbacks, which are based on worshipping and
putting faith in everything but God, the only One that can provide us
with real, lasting contentment in our lives.
Being a social scientist by trade, much of my professional time is
spent trying to address the social ills of our society. As I learned
more about Islam, I came to the conclusion that many societal ills are
based on unhealthy social behavior. Since Islam is a lifestyle focused
totally on the most healthy, positive way of conducting our lives in
every setting, then it is, and will always be, the only real answer to
any society's social dilemmas. With this realization, not only did I
decide that Islam was relevant to my everyday life, but I began to
understand why it is so different from other religions. Only Islam
provides knowledge and guidance for every aspect of life. Only Islam
provides a way to achieve health and happiness in every dimension of
lifephysical, spiritual, mental, financial, etc. Only Islam provides
us with a clear life goal and purpose. And only Islam shows us the
proper way to live in and contribute to a community. Islam is what
everyone needs, and what so many who have not found it yet, are
searching for. It is the path to purpose, meaning, health and
happiness. This is because it is the straight path to the source of
truth and real powerAllah.
It was only until I actually became Muslim that I realized just how
encompassing the Islamic lifestyle is. Literally everything we do has
one underlying purpose to remember Allah. The lifestyle provides us
with the waynot just the understandingbut an actual method of
constantly remembering our Creator in as simple an act as greeting
someone, or getting dressed in the morning, or waking up from sleep.
Islam shows us that by remembering Allah, everything we do becomes
focused on Him, and thus becomes an act of worship. From this, our
energy, our thoughts, and our actions all become redirected away from
unhealthy and useless causes and focused on the source of all
goodness. Thus, we are continuously tapping into His divine strength,
mercy and grace. So, by remembering Allah constantly, we become
stronger and healthier in every aspect of our lives and not distracted
by self-defeating thoughts and behaviors.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I finally broke the news to my family that I had become Muslim,
almost all their concerns were related to cultural differences
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There still remain some minor aspects of Islam that have proven to be
somewhat difficult adjustments for me. Nevertheless, I thank Allah
everyday for the ease to which he has allowed me to make the necessary
changes in my life so that I can continue to live in America and still
be, Insha-Allah, a good Muslim. As a white, middle-class American,
many cultural aspects of Islam are quite different from the way in
which I grew up. In fact, when I finally broke the news to my family
that I had become Muslim, almost all of their questions and concerns
were related to cultural differencesmarriage, social life, family,
etc. They were much less concerned about my general beliefs about God
and religious practice. For my family, friends, and co-workers,
becoming Muslim was not seen necessarily as a negative change, but it
has required a great deal of education about Islam.
Because acquiring knowledge is a critical component to a Muslim's
development, having a teacher who has taught me how to apply Islam in
everyday life has made all the difference in managing whatever
difficulties I have experienced from my reversion. Having someone
knowledgeable you can turn to whenever you have questions is a
wonderful support that every new shahadda should go out of their way
to find. Islam is not a religion that can be rationalized, in the way
that Christianity and Judaism are. It is a clear path that must be
followed just as Allah has laid out for us through the Qur'an and the
lives of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his companions, and the
saints of Islam.
In this day and age, in this society, discerning the path can often be
difficult, especially when we are constantly faced with questions and
doubts from people who on the surface may not be hostile to Islam, but
whose general lack of faith can have a harmful effect on someone who
bases everything they do on their love for Allah. It is also not easy
being in an environment where we are constantly bombarded with sensual
temptations that are seen as ordinary, common aspects of everyday
life. But when we have the support of a knowledgeable, experienced
teacher, who is able to apply the universal teachings of Islam to his
life, then the truth becomes clear from error, exactly how Allah (SWT)
describes in the Qur'an. From this, we are able to understand how to
apply Islam correctly to our own lives, and Insha-Allah, receive
Allah's many blessings. The ultimate test, however, of anyone who
claims to have true and right knowledge, is to look at how they apply
it in their own lives. If their actions support their teachings, then
and only then should we look to them for guidance.
My journey to Islam has been a life-altering experience. It is one
that with every passing day makes me more and more appreciative and
thankful to Almighty Allah. The extent of His mercy can only fully be
understood from the perspective of a Muslimone who prostrates
regularly and submits their will to that of the Creator.
I look back at my life prior to Islam and reflect on the different
ways I sought guidance. I think back to all the different ideas I once
had of who God really is, and how we can become close to Him. I look
back now with a smile and perhaps even a tear because now I know the
truth. Through Islam, I know why so many people who do not believe
have so much fear inside them. Life can be very scary without God. I
know, because I once harbored that same level of fear. Now, however, I
have the ultimate "self-help" program. It's the self-help program
without the self. It's the path that puts everything is in its proper
place. Now, life makes sense. Now, life is order. Now, I know why I am
here, where I want to go, what I want my life to be, how I want to
live, and what is most important not just to me, but to everyone. I
only hope and pray that others who have not found the path yet, can
feel the same that I do. Ya arhama rahimeen wal hamdulillahi rabbil
aylameen