She Can’t Embrace Islam At 84 Years Old?
"My mother (Ann) has been called back to her Lord Allah the Almighty.
She had recently converted to Islam at the age of 84.
She was a great mother and grandmother. May Allah (swt) reunite us all in Jannatul Firdous in the company of the Prophet ﷺ."
A local sister sent out that message last Thursday.
Embraced Islam at 84? Allahu Akbar. SubhanAllah.
Like me, Ann’s daughter (a convert) must have been praying her mother would embrace Islam. As the years go by, a voice can start making you believe that it could never happen; they are too old, too set in their ways.
Dealing with our non-Muslim relatives
I also have many non-Muslim relatives. In my case, it is because some Christians and Muslims intermarried in Nigeria many years ago.
With my non-Muslim relatives, we are compassionate and help each other as families should. We get on very well and we all tend to take our 'religion' seriously.
So, many of my non-Muslim relatives are practising Christians who attend Church and oppose same-sex marriage, adultery and other things that have been normalised by the secular liberal West.
You tend to find African Christians are generally less secular than Western Christians.
What do I want most for them?
That they should embrace Islam is our greatest wish for our non-Muslim relatives. However, discussing Islam and inviting in a very direct way can sometimes damage relations. It’s a tricky issue.
There tends to be a lot of live and let live attitude.
Non-Muslims with ‘Islamic’ values
One of my female non-Muslim relatives is super kind and considerate. She remembers our anniversaries, gets us cards and presents for Ramadhan and other Islamic occasions, and is the most helpful person you could imagine.
She has many 'Islamic' values. I just wish and pray she embraces Islam.
Miracles do happen
The conversion of Ann at 84 is a reminder that ‘miracles’ can happen. A reminder that Allah (swt) is the One who turns hearts so a teenager can embrace Islam, but so can a grandmother. Islam is for all humans
Our role is to plant seeds
We need to be ambassadors of Islam through our words and actions. With non-Muslim relatives, I’ve found that the way we conduct ourselves is one of the greatest ways of conveying Islam to them.
We need to be ready to entertain any question they may have about Islam. We need to continue to make efforts to invite them. We need to make a lot of dua for their guidance
We need to also accept that some will be hostile and stubborn.
Did our Beloved Prophet (ﷺ) not have help from his uncle Abu Talib? Yes. However, he also had relatives who fought Him and His dawah.
Like the Prophet (ﷺ), our role is to convey Islam through words and deeds, and make dua, and never give up. Allah (swt) reminds us that is what we are responsible for.
قَالُوا۟ رَبُّنَا يَعْلَمُ إِنَّآ إِلَيْكُمْ لَمُرْسَلُونَ
وَمَا عَلَيْنَآ إِلَّا ٱلْبَلَـٰغُ ٱلْمُبِينُ
The messengers responded, “Our Lord knows that we have truly been sent to you. And our duty is only to deliver ˹the message˺ clearly.” [Sura Yaseen 36:17]
When will they embrace Islam? It is Allah (swt), the Almighty, who decides that.
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Love and salams,
Taji
🧔 What have I been up to?
Went to Luton (just outside London) for a dawah planning meeting with a brother who helps me with content production and angles for videos, articles, Tiktoks, etc.
Very productive session looking at what to focus on in 2023 Insha’Allah.
📖 Ayah and Hadith
إِنَّمَا تُنذِرُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَخَشِىَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ
فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍۢ وَأَجْرٍۢ كَرِيمٍ
" You can only warn those who follow the Reminder and are in awe of the Most Compassionate without seeing Him. So give them good news of forgiveness and an honourable reward.” [Sura Yaseen 36:11]
Quote of the Week
“There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance next time.”
― Malcolm X [Hajj Malik El Shabbaz]
❤ My Favourite Things
Article – Sturgeon’s plans to reform gender law will lead to a disaster for women – Sonia Sodha
Read about the confusion and disaster in the secular West. Yet they want to lecture Muslims about values?
Here is an extract from the article -> There are already many cases of male sex offenders identifying as women after their convictions and they can effectively wipe their criminal record by registering a change of legal sex. The case of Katie Dolatowski is instructive: a Scottish male sex offender who assaulted two pre-teen girls assumed another identity that allowed them to live in a women’s refuge.
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