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STEP UP! Changing the World,

One Muslim at a Time!
BY ALIMA ASHFAQ

The Prophet Muhammad (s) started as one man. In Makkah, even after ten years of calling people to
Allah, the number of people who turned to Islam was very little. When he called people to worship
Allah (s) and be good people, he was met with resistance and abuse. He was a minority trying to share
Islam with the world, and he stood up. He stepped up. He never gave up. He was kind, courageous and
forgiving. The Prophet (s) throughout his tests he remained upright, patient and continuously turned
to Allah (s) for acceptance, success and pardoning for his community.

This is the start of your story. This is a snippet of your Islamic history. It is meant to inspire you. It was
recorded to empower you. Stepping up is the sunnah.

Changing the world is not restricted to the ISoc, a humanitarian organisation or becoming a blogger or
celebrity, it is to make a difference using your talents, fulfilling communal needs, even in challenging
settings.

“That is only Satan who frightens [you] of his supporters. So fear

them not, but fear Me, if you are [indeed] believers.”
Surah Ali-Imran, 3:175

“Satan promises them and arouses desire in them. But Satan

does not promise them except delusion.”
Surah Ali-Imran, 4:120

This verse reminds of who is really in-charge, and who is worth prioritising. It gives us courage,
confidence, and hope, that despite the hardships that will arise as you STEP UP, Allah (s) will always
support, guide and strengthen you.

“But they who believe and do righteous deeds - those are the companions of
Paradise; they will abide therein eternally.”
Surah Ali-Imran, 2:82
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Paradise may seem like an abstract idea, but it is a reward, a reality and a destination. Students come
to university to get a degree. Imagine putting in all the hard work and in the end, you’re told you get
nothing. Is that fair? Is this justice? There must be a destination, and to step up is to seek that
destination.

“Paradise is not obtained by your wishful thinking.”

Surah Ali-Imran, 4:123

Paradise. Success. Peace. Contentment. Happiness. These are all attained by sacrifice and hard work.

What does stepping up mean to you?

• Do you know what it means to step up? Do you know what it means to sacrifice, for the sake
of Allah? Do you know what it means to be a true caretaker—a Khalifa?

The triliteral root khā lām fā (‫ )خ ل ف‬occurs 127 times in the Qur’an, in 18 derived forms. It has various
meanings; to succeed, to come after, a successor, an inheritor, to differ, to oppose, to fail, to break, to
remain behind, to grant succession, diversity, disagreement, trustees.

• You are crucial to the Ummah!

The Muslim youth—every single one of you—are a crucial part of the Muslim Ummah, because you are meant to
carry the burden of the message. You are meant to pass it on. You are meant to fight the temptations and
demonstrate the sweetness of Iman. The strength of Iman.

When we look at the Islamic movement around the Prophet Muhammad (s), it did not only revolve around the
Prophet (s), who was forty years old, and served as a mentor, guide and friend, but also the forces around him.
It was the youth who changed everything.

The Prophet (s) spent his early life reflecting, believing and being certain there was more to his purpose
and life than getting married, having a career and a social life.

When you look at the life of the Prophet (s) and what he endured from the Quraysh, we see that it was the
youth of Yathrib that changed everything. Young men and women who wanted more purpose and
meaning in their lives. They had witnessed their seniors fighting over tribal differences and in the Battle of
Bu’ath a majority of them passed away. When they met the Prophet (s) not only found a messenger of
Allah, but a revolutionary.
k

• Caretaking – what does it mean to step up?

1. Understand the importance of stepping up.

To care-take is to step up. To stand up straight. To believe in yourself, in your worth, your potential and know
that you are capable of anything you put your mind to, because you believe in Allah, Al-Qadir (The All-Capable).
This is not about being a perfect Muslim - there is no such thing - it is to be a seeker, a soldier and a survivor.

In the Arabic language all words originate from root letters. waqūmū (‫وموا‬
ُ ُ‫‘ ) َوق‬to stand up’ comes from the root
letters qāf wāw mīm (‫ )ق و م‬which occurs 660 times in the Qur’an. Other words from the same root carry the
meaning of;
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To stand up - to stand up for the truth and for justice.

To rise - to rise above disobedience, distractions, doubts and confusions.
To establish - to establish the Islamic aqa’id; the six pillars of Iman and the five pillars of Islam.
To be upright – to make an effort to be conscious of Allah in your life.
To be straight – ‘Ihdinas-siratal mustaqim’ to seek to be on the right path.
To stand firm – to be firm and uncompromising of your values and principles.
People – to serve the needs of your community generously.
The resurrection - to serve because you believe in the certainty of the Hereafter.
Eternity – to give willingly, for the sake of Allah, because your good deeds are being inscribed for an
eternity.

2. Caretaking begins with you.

You cannot help others to come closer to Allah or aid them in social activism if you are drowning spiritually. In
order to help others selflessly, you need to put yourself first selfishly. This does not mean you abandon and
neglect others, but make a genuine effort to prioritise your time, manage your intentions and exercise discipline
so you can balance your time effectively, between serving your soul and serving your community.

3. Stepping up with no agenda, except to help people for the sake of Allah.

The Prophet (s) helped people. He stepped up, not because he wanted recognition, appreciation or become
a celebrity. He stepped because he genuinely was concerned about his community.

4. Recognise the distractions that hinder you from stepping up and consciously avoid them and protect
yourself.

What distractions do youth face today?

• Can you imagine if Malcom X didn’t stand up for justice?

• Can you imagine if Abu Bakr didn’t speak up for Bilal ibn Rabi’ah?
• Can you imagine if Maryam (a) didn’t demand her safe space in the houses of worship?

Iblis threatened us that he will

Shahadah

attack from every direction.

Sawm
Zakat
Salah

Hajj

Through technology, through

relationships, through greed,
pride and arrogance.
Iman should lead to good actions
Now is the time to work hard,
to commit, to set goals, to
build your achievements.
Belief in the the Last Day
Belief in Qadr wal Qada
Belief in the Prophets
Belief in the Angels

Belief in the Books

Belief in Allah

Now is the time to build a

foundation, because when
iman (belief) is strong, your
amal (good actions) will be
strong. When is weak, your
actions will be weak.
Iman & Ikhlas & Ihsan & Taqwa
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• What are the role and responsibilities of the Ummah?

Say, [O Muhammad], "If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and
forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful."
Surah Ali-Imran, 3:31

People are always seeking the answer; what are our roles and responsibilities? Every single person has a
different role, and responsibilities based on their priorities. The question we must also ask is; do I have the
correct attitude, character and spiritual connection to ensure whatever role and responsibility I undertake I can
fulfil it to the best of my ability?

This Ummah requires leaders; political leaders, religious leaders and community leaders. It requires men and
women to go into professions and become experts. It also requires men and women to be homemakers; to be
committed, loving and gracious mothers and fathers. It requires us to take care of the elderly, people with health
conditions or impairments and less fortunate.

To fully appreciate your roles and responsibilities, one must To engage in deep spiritual
study the Sirah. purification

The sunnah is important to understand if you want to practice When we have a community is
Islam, as an objective and subjective faith, that is appreciative of deeply concerned in their spiritual
individual needs and talents, rather than taking a literal approach purification, we can nurture an
that moulds people to be followers rather than critical thinkers Ummah that will be strong enough to
and sincere believers. make a real difference. The Prophet
The Prophet (s) never shamed a person for doing a bad action, (s) trained a community to be
he provided solutions. Guidelines are present to give us peace conscious of Allah, to love Him,
and harmony, not to spread discord, ill judgements and control appreciate and fear Him.
people.

• Activism; Locally and Globally

1. The Prophet (s) pre-Islam was known to be the best character. Your salah, your du’a, your Qur’an must
transcend beyond the physical actions. It must impact your behaviour towards your family, your friends,
your community, Muslims and non-Muslims. The best way to get into activism is to follow the sunnah
of the Prophet (s) and that is to aim to become a walking, talking Qur’an.

2. To recognise your talents and use them to serve the Ummah. Once you have recognised your strengths
and weaknesses you can use them in specific projects and organisations.

3. To recognise the needs of your community and to put together projects to meet these needs.
Communities need youth work, they need basic fiqh classes, they need English classes and classes for
new mothers.
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• How can you serve your community?

1. To struggle and seek to be the best person with the best character like the Prophet Muhammad (s)
khuluqul adhim. He was honest, thoughtful, kind, merciful, genuine and generous towards everyone.
The Prophet (s) was connecting with Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim and demonstrating mercy.

2. To break stereotypes like Maryam (a); as she became the first woman to become a leader, a devoted
worshipper, and record breaker in her aim to please Allah, because she knew Allah was Al-Wadud (The
Most Loving) and would always be by her side.

3. To demonstrate courage like Musa (a); who despite having his own insecurities and according to his
people; a troubled past, demonstrated courage in the face of an oppressor and oppression, because
Allah is Al-Fattah (The Opener) and He was certain that Allah (s) will provide solutions for his people.

4. To have trust in the plan of Allah like Prophet Ibrahim (a) who complied to the commands of Allah,
despite his own reservations. He didn’t question and then lose faith. He questioned and then opened
his mind to new ideas and become closer to Allah (s) as a result of it, because he took the time to study
and reflect over his faith. He appreciated that Allah is Al-Hakim (The Wisest) and Al-Basir (All-Seeing).

5. To display caution, as Prophet Yusuf (a) did against the wife of Aziz. Caution is to be conscious of the
problems, and desires that exist, and make an active effort to run away from them, as demonstrated by
Yusuf (a). He understood Allah is Al-Quddus (The Pure) and He loves that who strive to remain pure;
from oppression, desires and injustice.

6. To appreciate the lesson of friendship. Musa (a), that he could not complete his mission alone, that
he needed a friend, a companion and supporter and he asked Allah (s) to grant him Harun (a). He
understood Allah (s) is Al-Waliy (The Friend) and he sought friendship from Allah and this world.

7. To understand how fickle this life is and to come to the realisation that wealth, power, status has little
value, unless it is coupled with genuine iman. We learn this from Asiya, that despite having all the wealth
in this life sought a house next to Allah (s), All-Mujib (The Closest).

“My Lord, build for me a house near you in Paradise.”

Surah At-Tahrim, 4:11