Strangers in Our Own Land: Reclaiming Our Relevance

Reflection delivered on January 20, 2017 In this important reflection, Shaykh Amin impresses upon us the tradition of the Prophet ﷺ that ‘Islam is a foreigner and will once again return a foreigner’. Just as the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions struggled through persecution and rejection in establishing God’s ﷻ community by staying true to their values and identity, so too must we remain firm in promoting the values of the Qurʾān and Sunnah. It is only by adherence to this paradigm that Muslims will attract the Grace of God ﷻ to once again thrive and flourish. It is only through resilience, commitment and fortitude, not through assimilation, integration and compromise that this “foreigner” will be accepted by the masses.