SCHOOL PROBS
Dear Fatima,
I’m 15 years old female in highschools. This year, in AP World were learning about Islam, so the teacher I have is very good actually, and she likes Islam, but that’s not my problem though, my problem is the questions I’m going to have to answer to 30 kids by myself, like
What is Jihad?
How are the caliphates chosen?
What does Islam say about women?
Just these are some questions I need help answering.. also I’m nervous. Like super nervous. Not nervous about answering questions, but what if i anser them wrong or soemtihng, and me by myself ,Im not a scholar, I can’t answer these questions uhggg i need HELP!!
Sincerly,
Confused Girl
Dear “Confused Girl”,
It’s great that you’re thinking about this and that you’re conscious of how you represent Islam and how others will be affected by it. Masha’allah. Many people don’t have this type of concern and care with which they approach others learning about Islam for the first time. It is an important matter especially now in the world and it is good that you are thinking about it critically.
First and foremost you have to recognize what you know and what you do not know and be honest with yourself and with others about this. Like you said, you are not a scholar, therefore there is no need to feel you have to give an answer to something that you do not feel comfortable answering. It is better to tell them that you don’t know than to tell them something that is perhaps not accurate or could give them the wrong impression. But there’s no need to worry about that. It is ultimately the teacher’s job to teach the students about the lesson topic. If students do ask you questions just stick to answering only the questions that you feel you know the answers to. And its ok to say “I don’t know” or “I’m not sure, let’s ask the teacher”. You can also encourage your peers to learn more about Islam on their own by looking into it themselves.
If you are interested in providing information to your peers on Islam and don’t feel you have enough information I would suggest that you begin doing some of your own research and learning about it yourself so that you have more to offer. You can read books, ask scholars, listen to lectures etc. If you anticipate that more people will be asking you such questions its a good idea to be prepared and to feel comfortable with answering some of these things when you can. There is so much misunderstanding and ignorance with regards to Islam that the world really does need more people to be accurately informed about the real Islam. You can use this circumstance as an opportunity to find the answers to some of the questions that your classmates may ask you, so that you have an answer if someone asks you again in the future.
To briefly answer some of the specific questions you asked;
jihad means struggle or striving. The greater jihad is the jihad of the nafs- the struggle within oneself to grow and overcome the parts of ourselves that are out of balance- to strive for Allah, to strive for peace. This word has been used in the media to refer only to war and/or violence, but that is only a small aspect of what the term represents. And even in the case of war or fighting with regards to “jihad” the only thing sanctioned by Islam is in defending innocents and resisting oppression. Jihad is not about a mentality of war. If anything it is a pathway to peace. It is about struggling against injustice and oppression in order to bring about peace, love, justice, mercy and freedom. This is a deep topic which requires a broader understanding of not only the Arabic language but of the context of these concepts within the deen of Islam. The short answer is; it is just a concept that means to struggle.
The question of how the caliphates are/were chosen is one that I wouldn’t expect most practicing Muslims to have an answer to. This is a question regarding the history and historical politics of Islam and not the practice of the religion. Therefore it is totally reasonable and recommended that you defer these types of questions to either the teacher or a historian who is familiar with these aspects. This specific question of the socio-political aspects of Islam is wrought with fitna (discord/dispute) and differences in opinion that run along deeply rooted partisan lines which I would recommend that you stay away from attempting to answer.
Islam has a lot to say about woman, so it is hard to give a concise answer to that question. However, I will assume that you are referring to the status of woman or the issue of equality. Most of the laws around marriage in Islam are there to protect women and favor the woman in terms of rights. To paraphrase a hadith from the Prophet (SAWS) paradise is at the foot of the mother. The arabic word for mercy; rahma, is the same root as the word for a woman’s womb. The word hijab means protection, women wear the hijab to be protected and only things that are precious do we attempt to protect. Much of the wisdom of our beloved Prophet (SAWS) was transmitted to and taught by women. He (SAWS) treated all of his wives with the highest respect and cherished them. So the short answer is that women are greatly respected in Islam and they have an elevated status and an important place in the religion.
May Allah increase you in knowledge and may your mere presence be a light and a positive influence on your peers. Amin.
Sincerely,
Your brother in Islam,
“Fatima Y”
HA18
Salaam sister,
I was in a very similar situation to yours. I also took AP World in high school, and had a good teacher too alhamdullilah, but still, there were certain questions that just seemed to be pointed at me. I could answer some of them, but there were some that I could not answer (honestly, some of those questions have been debated by scholars for years and do not have a simple answer). Since that time, I sometimes wish I could’ve gone back in time, knowing what I know now, and answer those questions. That is just the sense of responsibility I feel about sharing something that is important to me. But I know that it is OK, just because it was something that was SO important to me doesn’t mean that my non-muslim classmate really cared that much to know about it. Honestly, I bet you they don’t even remember asking the questions. I am happy now that if I am asked some of those questions, I have a greater sense of confidence in myself to answer them.
I think your classmates won’t judge you and will understand that just because you practice a certain faith doesn’t mean you have to know EVERYTHING about it. You can try your best to answer the questions you know, but for the ones you do not know, do not be ashamed to say it. You can say that the answer is not simple, or you are not positive, so you don’t know how to give the best response.
This may also be a good opportunity for you to do some research into some of the basic questions you think you could expect. There are plenty of resources online where you could google some of your questions and spend maybe half an hour or so learning about it. Sometimes when we are put in these situations that are hard for us, Allah is highlighting to us what we do not know. It helps to do some research afterwards so you can at least show Allah, who is REALLY who we should be nervous about answering, that we tried.
It’s unfair to expect yourself to know everything, don’t be nervous. If you should be “careful” about anything, it is to handle your classroom situation with good akhlaq and grace. It is worse to go on and on misrepresenting a topic for the sake of sounding like you know something than it is to say that this topic is complicated and you are not sure.
Those were just my scattered thoughts. Wishing you a good school year and I hope you rock that AP exam.