by Fatima Siddiqui; age 11
People may think that Islam is just a part of our life that comes down with our parents and grandparents, and we are Muslims because our names are Khadija, Ayesha, Abdul-Rahman, or Muhammad. But that is not what Islam is. Islam is a gift bestowed upon us from Allah, which we take for granted. It is to be put in our everyday lives, everything we do, think and say. Allah says in the Qur'an: "This day I have perfected your religion for you, and completed my favor on you, and I have chosen for you Islam as a religion." (Surah Al-Maidah; 5:3)
Islam has a great effect on my life. It makes a person open-minded, and of course, kind, polite, and truthful are other qualities of a true Muslim.
If I wasn't a Muslim, I don't know and can't imagine what would become of me. I would just live life, not having a REAL objective. I may end up being a doctor, lawyer, etc. I won't get anything from it, except worldly gains. But being muslim, I have a goal; to earn the pleasure of Allah, so that I may be placed in heaven. If I become a Muslim doctor, I have the intention of helping my sick Muslim brothers and sisters.
You can clearly see the differences between a non-Muslim and Muslim doctor. The non-Muslim will get only money, live his life, die and get nothing, but tribulation in the hereafter, unlike the Muslim doctor who is getting the equivalent amount of money, and getting his reward from Allah because he has the intention to help other people. He lives his life, dies, has a much better life than the non-Muslim.
Islam makes me think about allah's astounding creation. For example: this year I am taking Earth science and we are studying the Solar System. Unlike everyone else who were there because they had to be there, I thought about all the magnificent things that that were in the Solar System. Who on Earth could even attempt to make something of such glory? No one but the One and Only, Allah (SWT). I studied the section very carefully and in a sense, made my imaan stronger. It made me closer to my Rabb (Lord) by realizing how He creates and demolished something. While reading about teh asteriods, comets, and meteors, I really thought on how Allah runs the Universe. If we were any closer to the Sun, we'd melt. If the polar ice caps were just a little closer to the sun the whole world would flood. It would destroy wildlife, along with humans. But of course, for Allah, nothing is hard. "Kun fay a kun; Be and it is" (Surah Maryam).
Alhamdulillah, I wear hijab in school, which signifies that I'm proud of being a Muslim, unlike the Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc. Noboday can tell what faith they follow. But with us Muslims, we are obliged to cover and it makes us know, know that we are Muslims, Alhamdulillah. Some think that by wearing hijab, people look at you in the sense of disgust and distatste, but the truth of the matter is that you gain respect from others, and you feel respect towards yourself.
Being a Muslim, we get reward for everything we do. There is a dua for everything we do: waking up, going to the bathroom, leaving the bathroom, going to sleep, exiting the house, entering the house, and many more. By reading the Qur'an, it makes my mind shaper and more active. It is a guide for everything in life. There is no book like it. No book can give you a step-to-step guide to life.
In conclusion, Islam is a very big part of our life, which if we choose, can take us to Paradise with our eyes closed, but it is all up to us.
"You alone do we worship, and You alone do we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path- The way of those on whom You have bestowed favors; and not the ways of those who have been condemned by You, nor those who go astray." (Surah Al-Fatihah; 1:5-7)
