I teach a course called Comparative Religion and Culture at Maryville University, and this past semester I was fortunate to be with Ajla Masinovic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. An engaged and insightful learner in each class session, she also gave a superlative presentation about her Bosnian Muslim community and its history. Ajla gave me permission to share the following, one of her papers on her spiritual path.
Since I was born, I have been raised in the religion of Islam. Many children from a young age follow the religion their parents put upon them since they don’t have a choice. Those children grow up and may question their faith or even become more assured of it. Even though I was born a Muslim and grew up with the religion, I still found Islam on my own. I was able to go through a process of discovering and loving the religion upon myself. I think that every Muslim goes through this. You find the beauty of Islam on your own and embrace it. You truly start to understand that it is your calling and the place you identify with.
As I got older, Islam started to make more and more sense to me. Many people question the use of a hijab or why women cover themselves in Islam. When you are younger and living in a Western environment, it can hinder your ability to understand the true meaning of modesty and the hijab. In the West, women are plastered on every magazine cover and have their bodies exposed to the world. Some may find this empowering and inspiring. However, in Islam, women are sacred beings that should be protected, like pearls in a clamshell or a diamond in a glass case.
The first two words that may come to a person’s mind when they hear about women in Islam may be oppressed and unequal. However, contrary to belief, this is far from the truth. Islam truly values women more than any other religion I have seen. Islam was the first religion to give rights of inheritance to women. In Islam, education is a sacred duty for both men and women. What people may see in the media of how girls in Afghanistan are banned from going to school is merely cultural beliefs and NOT Islamic beliefs. Women are encouraged to be active members of society and voice their opinions. Islam has also given women the right to own money and property entirely their own, which no man has the right to take from her.
The status of women in Islam is very high. Daughters are considered a huge blessing to a father in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH addresses men and says, “Whoever is destined daughters and treats them generously, then they will act as a shield for him from the hellfire” (Sahih-al Bukhari 5995). The hadith encourages parents, particularly fathers, to value and care for their daughters just as they would for their sons. It underscores the idea that raising daughters lovingly and generously is a virtuous act that can lead to spiritual benefits and rewards in the afterlife. It also emphasizes the concept of gender equity and kindness within the family unit, as Islam encourages the fair treatment of all family members, regardless of their gender. There are times in cultures where you see that having a son is more of an achievement than having a daughter; however, in Islam, this is not the case. Daughters and sons are loved equally, and there is no bigger reward for who has a son and a daughter. Back before the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, had received the revelations of the Quran in Pagan Arabia, it was seen as a shame to give birth to a daughter. What they would do is they would bury baby daughters alive because having a son was more of a priority. And then, when Islam came along during the prophet Muhammad’s time, this ended. In Islam, a gate to paradise is opened for a father when a daughter is born.
Another hadith about mothers mentions, “Stay with your mother, and be dutiful to her for paradise lies beneath her feet” (Sunan al-Nasā’ī 310). Serving your mother will get you to paradise. The phrase “paradise lies beneath her feet” symbolizes the high status and honor given to mothers in Islam. It suggests that by being dutiful and respectful to one’s mother, one can attain spiritual rewards and blessings in the Hereafter, including the ultimate reward of Paradise. In Islam, the care and respect for parents, and particularly mothers, are highly emphasized, and this hadith serves as a reminder of this vital aspect of a Muslim’s life and faith. It encourages children to honor and serve their mothers as an act of worship and obedience to Allah.
Another hadith that the Prophet PBUH once said about wives is, “All things in this world are precious, but the most precious thing in this world is a virtuous woman.” And to conclude, he said, “Fear Allah with regard to your treatment of women.” Men and women are given the same rights in a marriage. In Islam, a man cannot ultimately have control over his wife, nor can the wife have complete control of her husband. When this stereotype of oppression comes by, this is literally when culture gets in the way of religion. There are cultures out there where a woman needs to completely submit to her husband and listen to every single thing he says, but in Islam, that is not true. A woman deserves to have her voice heard, and she cannot just be a slave to her husband. They both need to respect each other; it goes both ways.
I always wondered why the topic of modesty bothered some people. For example, in France, they banned the wearing of hijab at work. They also banned the public wearing of the niqab or the burqa. However, if a person chooses to walk almost naked in public freely, it is not looked down upon, and some people would not bat an eye.
As I write this, I recall a recent incident that happened to me in a local grocery store that caught me off guard. Sometimes, suppose I am coming from the mosque and have to run errands. In that case, I will usually keep on my mosque attire since it’s too much of a hassle to change clothes, or sometimes I like being in a hijab because I genuinely do think the hijab is beautiful and it looks so elegant. I have gone to this local grocery store a few times with the hijab on if I have come from the mosque, and usually, I have not received negative comments or dirty looks or questions. I may get a few curious glances, but it’s nothing that you wouldn’t expect.
This whole situation that is happening in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine has genuinely heightened the Islamophobia in the air. I feel like this is heavily attributed to Western media and the way it is painting Muslims right now. As I was walking through the grocery store in the hijab, I received dirty, aggressive looks and a few comments under a person’s breath as I passed by, such as “those damn Hamas’s.” I ignored this because I didn’t want any problems and to get involved in conflict, but I am just a 19-year-old girl going to buy my Dr. Pepper. I’m not here to harm anyone, I’m not here to spread hate, I am here just being a human being like you are. However, it didn’t end there; when I went to check out, there was a man behind me staring me up and down, clenching his fist and mumbling some words. I was with my mother, and if my mother hadn’t grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to her side, I would have honestly been 1000 times more terrified knowing that, at that moment, I was alone. As a young woman, a man staring like that is already disturbing and uncomfortable, let alone when you know that there may be more to him looking at you that aggressively because of the thing that you’re wearing over your head. I was waiting in those moments for him to say something or pull something out of his pocket and try to hurt me and my mom.
I do hope that these people who have these false ideologies of Islam in their heads could genuinely just look at the religion with an open mind and heart and read into it other than from Western media. Western media has really brainwashed people into this belief that Muslims are aggressive and radical and are labeled as other horrific things. It really is a huge double standard when you look at how they talk about Islam versus other religions when Islam is very similar to the different Abrahamic beliefs.
For example, if a Jewish man grows his beard, he’s seen as a nobleman to his religion. However, if a Muslim man grows out his beard, he’s labeled as an extremist. If a nun devotes herself to God and wears a veil, dresses modestly, and chooses to cover herself, she is seen as a woman of pride and is honorable. However, when a Muslim woman covers herself and devotes herself to God, she is labeled as oppressed and belittled. You can look at this in the context of when the Ukrainian people were fighting against resistance from Russia; they were given the titles of brave, fearless, and honorable civilians (which I am not denying). However, when the Palestinian people fight against resistance, they are labeled as terrorists, extremists, and “animals.” They are not even considered humans in the eyes of many.
Another thing to conclude about my spiritual journey with Islam is the feeling I get when praying. When I would pray, I would feel very connected to my prayers. I would feel a sense of energy I didn’t feel anywhere else. Even with basic mediation or focus, it was a different kind of energy that cannot be explained. Muslims pray in the direction of the Kaaba, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. I always thought how fascinating it was that no other religion has this sense of connection of praying in the same direction and time around the world. Even if the prayer times are different, Muslims are still praying. For example, if it is the night prayer in Saint Louis, in Frankfurt, Germany, it will be the morning prayer for other Muslims there. So even though the time of the prayer is different, the prayer is still happening.
What I love about Islam is that there is a cure for almost everything that a person could be dealing with that’s written in the Quran or a hadith. I recite many verses in the Quran when I’m stressed about an exam, if I am feeling down, if I want something good to come my way, for example, a future job, if I wish for good health, etc. I mean, the list goes on. Listening to the Quran is so spiritual and so calming. I have a few non-Muslim friends that I grew up with who genuinely love listening to the Quran since they say it helps them with their anxiety because it’s so soothing and calming, and it’s so different from anything you’ve ever heard before. It is so distinct from any other religious text that’s ever been recited.
The Muslim prayer is very different from the other Abrahamic beliefs. A few different parts go into the prayer, but the gist is that you are standing in the direction of the Kaaba, and then you bend down to the ground and repeat. Many people think that it is weird that Muslims put their heads on the ground and bow down on the floor when they pray. Well, the meaning behind this is that we are submitting ourselves wholly to God, and we are bowing down to God. This is a sense of devotion, and we do this because we are bowing down to our creator.
Another thing that I love about Islam that many people might find interesting is the five daily prayers. For non-Muslims, praying five times a day might seem very agonizing or annoying, and they ask, “How do you have the time in the day?” or something along the lines of that. The thing with Islam is that you need to pray five times a day because you should remember your Lord and creator not just five times but basically throughout the entire day. In Islam, praying every day is important because we should not beg for something from our creator only when we need it. We should pray to God all the time and thank him for the things he has given us multiple times a day, and it is seen as kind of like recharging your battery throughout the day.
This life or this “dunya” is a test. This life in this world, to Muslims, is nothing but a test for the hereafter. This life is meaningless to us. We know that the money that we get, the cars that we drive, and the houses that we live in will absolutely mean nothing to us when we are buried. So, our moral duty in this life is to worship our creator and not forget about him. But also, Islam is what I would like to say is salt. You can’t have too much or too little. I think this goes for almost any religion because if you don’t have too much of it, you won’t have that fulfillment in your life or your heart. Still, if you have too much, you will overconsume your life and forget about things like your family, friends, and even yourself because you also have to care about yourself.
