58th Annual ISNA Convention - Questions & Answers Session with Javed Ahmed Ghamidi

[Hassan Ilyas] In the Name of Allah, the
Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

Assalamu alaikum I am Mohammad
Hassan Ilyas and right now

we are in Dallas at the Ghamdi Centre of
Islamic Learning.

ISNA which is the oldest organization
of Muslims in America.

ISNA is having its annual convocation but
physical participation

was hampered due to Covid-19.

The organizers requested that we should
record

some conversations with Ghamidi Sahab.

for the participants of this convocation
and

that these conversations are related
to the socio-religious challenges

facing Muslims within the United States.

Today we are here for this purpose
we are having with us

Mr. Javed Ahmad Ghamdi Sahab
Asalamu alaikum.

[Javed Ahmad Ghamidi] Walikum Asalam

[Ilyas] Ghamidi Sahab, thank you
very much for your time.

At this time, you are being heard by people
associated with ISNA all over the world

and especially the Muslim community in
America.

I would like to ask you first,
that 57 years ago today,

the foundation of this organization was
laid

as "The Islamic Society of North
America”,

which is a group of Muslims who settled
in Western countries

and then became part of the community
and through the systematic efforts

of their organization, they tried to
advance their mission and vision

by way of helping the people to develop
social capital and education.

How do you see this whole idea and
please help us with your

personal opinion about ISNA?

[Ghamidi] This is an extraordinary
achievement, and

it should be greatly appreciated.

Wherever we go, the needs of human society
come to the fore.

When we move to a foreign place or a
foreign society

or a place where our culture, tradition,
civilization is not being followed,

we will face difficulties there.

These problems can be social, cultural
and sometimes psychological.

The best way out of all these problems
for a Muslim or any other nation,

is to organize its own community.

People who are associated with it, who
belong to the same tradition,

who come from the same background, not
only understand their issues,

but also have a special background which
aids them in resolving them.

With all these things in mind, creating
such organizations and

creating a bond between them, even if it
is more than one, it does not matter.

However, the ideal situation is that
wherever Muslims go,

only one organization should come into
existence because such organizations

have no ideological aspect.

The reason for establishing these
organizations is to check,

if Muslims are in some sort of
problems as a community?

Such organizations are formed keeping in
view the aforementioned objectives.

So in my opinion it is difficult to create
unity in the organizations that are

formed on the basis of Ideology or in
which there are ideological discussions

and perhaps there is no need for it
as well.

[Ilyas] okay

[Ghamidi] Their goal is that they address
your mind and in this respect,

for example, there are different
groups, sects among Muslims,

there is a difference in thinking, which
leads to formation of an organisation,

as well as institutions.

but as a community, Muslim too face
some challenges.

For instance to help Muslims in managing
their mosques, guiding them in matters

of fasting and prayers, and meeting their
needs in regard to Hajj and ‘Umrah.

As in the case of funeral arrangements,

if all these needs are put in front of
them and their general education

is made the goal, that is, something on
which there is no disagreement.

As we usually say, elementary education is
broad-based.

If an organization is formed, I think it
if of paramount importance.

You may be aware, we in India
once had reputed scholars

who put forward the view that now that
Muslims' political system has collapsed

so, there should be a collective system
for Muslims of the subcontinent.

This dream could not be
achieved,

but when the Muslims have come out of
one place and they have started residing

in different countries, I think that
such organizations

must exist and in my opinion they
should try to transcend themselves

from differences of opinion as regards
ideologies,

whether there are intellectual
differences, juristic differences or

differences of any kind.

The things that need to be discussed here
are what the whole community needs,

what the whole Muslim community
needs for a strong economy.

what their cultural traditions need, what
they need regarding agree-upon festivals.

Keeping all these things in view that
are agreed upon,

establishing such a system is a necessity
to me as air and water are needed.

[Ilyas] So we will continue this topic.

I will state that most of your listeners
are Muslims

in the United States at this time.

I will also ask you a few questions
which we have received from them

so that you can put forward your point of
view about those who immigrated

to the United States in large
number during 1960 -1970’s.

They brought their religious and cultural
traditions here, but for the new generation

we see that their is a crisis about
religious tendencies, cultural aspects,

cultural backgrounds, clothing,
everything.

Please, tell me that how parents should
persuade their children in these issues,

so that they should stick to the
same ideas and principles.

I'll offer an example: we know in western
countries the dress code is different

and our Muslim cultural backgrounds have
different dress codes.

So how will the Muslim parents who
have settled here, convince their children

wear simple and decent clothes as
was the traditions back home?

[Ghamidi] The first thing is that wherever
the parents come from,

they have brought their tradition
with them, their way of life,

their way of conversing and
how they live.

The child observes this same
manner.

In the first stage, I always say that
the way parents want children to become

they should become an example of the same
in their home and their society,

because children will see their parents
and when they will see them,

after that the first thing they do when
they see them,

and what they may not feel the need
to do in their home countries,

is to create awareness of their own
cultural traditions.

One thing is for sure, whether you
were born in Morocco, or

in the subcontinent or somewhere in
the Arab world, and

you have lived in the traditions that
were there and we automatically tend

to adopt these traditions and there is
not much hesitation about accepting

the things that are going on
in a society or its surrounding.

But every time you go to another
society,

whatever you choose or insist on, requires
a reasoning and an argument behind it,

so everyone should know when he is
going to another country.

If it has a religious tradition, what is
the reason behind it?

If he’s following certain ethics, what
is the reason behind it?

The way one dresses, engages with people,
and blends in, it should be known

what are the foundations of that?

The first thing is that the parents
themselves should create

awareness about it.

In other words, they should educate
themselves.

They should arrange for their education
in these matters.

In our case, I have submitted to you that
these things are usually adopted

by observing the society, hearing from the
parents, which is not

a conscious decision, so it should
be turned into a conscious activity.

Once upon a time, some of our scholars
interpreted that Muslims need not to be

just Muslim but a conscious Muslim, that
is, if he renews his faith,

then the renewal of faith should not be
said here in

any jurisprudential sense.

Rather, it is being said in the heavens
that you have to know yourself,

you have to create your own knowledge and
identity.

If you are a Muslim,
Why you are a Muslim?

If you have a cultural background, then
what is the status of it?

What arguments do you have for these
situations?

It should be in your own knowledge.

Obviously, not all people have a special
level of knowledge,

so they should try to understand as
much as they can.

Tell your children to put this thing in
front of them with the argument.

The thing that they will convince them
with authority.

Maybe its time has passed.

These things are no longer possible
in our countries or globally.

We have entered a world in which one
civilization, another civilization,

a third civilization is becoming a part
of a global civilization

in spite of its identities, and when this
situation arises, you have to tell it about

everything why you are adopting it can no
longer be ruled out.

Then you should try to find out what
background you are from.

You may be from a non-Arab background
or you may be from an Arab background,

you may be from the subcontinent.

There is an Islamic language however you
can also say that the language

that is also Islamic and non-Islamic.

Of course it happens.

How is it so?

Similarly as we see it in our countries
that people

are kept aware of English language.

If we have to ask why?

then obviously the reason is that it
has become the language of modern science.

There are other languages of modern
knowledge but we mention one such language

Many new sciences are now
reaching us through this language

and we If we want access to them, we
must also master this language.

In the same way, our religion, our
religion, it came to Arabia, that is,

I mean the form of Islam when it
was found through

Muhammad, the Messenger of God (pbuh)

It is the religion of all the Prophets,
and it has always been Islam.

But when it was renewed by the
Prophet (pbuh) and then it was

given to the world and The Quran
was revealed in Arabic,

the Prophet (pbuh) himself addressed it
from this language came the second period

of Persian language and then after that
Urdu language got this status.

It is also a matter of some other
languages that they have their

own religious background but if you
look carefully whatever knowledge

has come into existence regarding religion
those great people have been born to

write in these languages and it has come
into existence through them,

so one of the languages must be
taught to children.

It is also important that you want to
explain your religion because

you also want to transfer your culture.

You want to keep them connected to
your traditions,

so it’s important as that the person’s
memory is shaped by his past,

and you don’t want to see them alienated
from the past.

These things have their respective
background and

revolves around the language factors.

The language is not just a means of
communication.

It is a big mistake of people to think
that there are so-and-so facts.

If you translate them into such and
such language, it will end.

It isn’t as such. It means when a high
level of knowledge is created,

it is paid by the pens and tongues of
high-ranking people,

and until people are in a position to use
them directly,

after reaching a certain level of
knowledge, man if not affected,

parents will play a role in teaching,
people will learn from their surroundings,

you will learn from every teacher, then
when the big questions will arise,

then it is important that they are aware
of the intellectual heritage of Muslims.

Get to know its great people so that they
can benefit from what is created in it

from religious traditions and if there is
any ideology,

they are related to it. I always give my
own example that when

I was trained by my parents, I understood
some things and saw some things right

from the beginning. From Abul Kalam Azad,
Iqbal, Syed Abul A’al Sahab Maududi

to Shibli Nomani, these were the elders
with whom I got acquainted,

whose writings came to light and who
would have access to them for reading.

As a result there was no room left for
problems to address infront of parents.

We must also realize this need and provide
educational opportunities

to our children accordingly.

[Ilyas] Totally, I would like to conclude
with last two questions.

The children nowadays studying in
High school Universities and College,

they have a common question to which
parents have no answer which apparently

is if they are choosing a partner, they
say that they are non-Muslims as

they are Muslims, they have good morals
in them, they are also doing good deeds,

they are also doing charity work, so what
is the reason that a Muslim child boy

or girl is getting married at the moment,
then has the religion made it obligatory

for her to choose only the Muslims.

Is their any explanation to it which
can be presentable by parents?

[Ghamidi] You also said that there are
good morals and good training.

Why do they need them?

Because these are some values on
which you are not ready to compromise.

Which means that it will be a good home
with good etiquettes.

It means that morality is a
problem for you.

You value it. You want to find it.

You call it a necessity of life.

This is the case with religion.

If you think that the decision is
based on religion and this decision

is to be made on the Day of Judgment and
my children have to adhere

to a religion and my society has to
be molded by a religion

then that means that religion is
your problem.

If religion is your problem, then it
should be your problem

in marriage as well. It is a very simple
intellectual thing to look at.

There are those things that I consider
to be the source of my concern,

i.e I will see, not what are the values
of another man I have to marry

I want to build a home.

It’s a lifelong decision.

I will have children.

They have to learn.

So the real thing is that religion is no
longer relevant to children.

At the same time, it is not related to
their worries and life.

They see the parents that they want
to force them to adhere to a religion

and this again raises the question in front
of them as to why they choose religion

in the way we like and what we love.

This question will continue to come up
until we present religion to our children

in such a way that it does not become
their intellectual and

cultural problem in a moral way.

When it happens, they will not question if
it will be acknowledged.

[Hassan] Please will you also shed light
on whether Muslims

should be involved in the local politics
of the United States,

which is the national politics here.

It is often suggested that there are a few
major parties that have their own

manifestos and there are things in these
manifesto that are also against Islam,

so if a person becomes a part of these
parties and

becomes active in local politics,

then is there any question from a
religious point of view?

[Ghamidi] Of course, I urge you to consider
the countries you visit

when you have acquired their citizenship
consider it as your own country.

You should be associated with this land.

You should be loyal to this land.

Think for the development of and when
you have all the things in mind,

then if you have political taste in you,
then you will definitely

participate in politics. In our country,
most people are associated

with the politics of their own countries
and mentally

they are the ones who win.

They should know everything in terms of
the land they have chosen.

They must understand the politics of the
land they belong to and

participate in parties.

If there’s democracy and It is known that
you can live with differences of opinion.

Explain your differences of opinion and if
you have a large number,

then it will start to affect this
manifesto as well.

It will also affect its cultural outcome.

If you will remain unrelated, then you
will only suffer the consequences.

You will have no share in it.

That’s why in my opinion if people are
having a taste for politics,

they must participate.

[Hassan] Yes, at the end of the day I
would like to ask you for a message

and we will end with the same message.

As we know Muslims have come a long way.

The Muslims that come from western
culture.

Do you think that Muslims should learn
something from them and if so, what is it?

[Ghamidi] They have come because there
is some attraction for them here,

that is, how these societies have made
their journey,

how they have gone through different
stages, how they got rid of whatever

was their past. What happened to them
when the Renaissance

took place and a situation of revival of
science arose in it?

What are the consequences of modern
science in the same way?

They have to learn how to reach our
societies. They have a lot to learn.

The fact is that it’s not just inventions,
it’s not only airplane,the Internet,radio,

and television. Extraordinary work has
also been done

in the social sciences or sociology.

similarly, how should the organization of
the society be?

How should the political system be
established from the bottom to the top?

The institutes that are constituted for
running a political system like

legislature, judiciary and what will be
the possible mutual aspects.

There is a lot to learn from these things.

A believer pious person should always be
willing to learn.

Knowledge cannot be divided into
West or East.

The correct rule is that the Al hikmatu
zalatul moomin,

The job of a believer is to understand
everything in the light of his religion,

to understand it in terms of his cultural
values,

and take whatever is right in it as his
legacy.

And if there is something wrong,
it is out moral duty

to point out the shortcomings.

Same is the case here in our society,

We call things wrong, even if we
understand the right and

stand with it and explain the mistake,
then this society and

its future generations will also be
grateful to us.

[Hassan] We are out of time.

We tried to include Ghamidi sahab via
distant online mode in the annual convocation

of Islamic Society of North America ISNA,
and presented his view to the participants.

We’re thankful on behalf of the
organization as well,

for enlightening us with your views.

Insha’Allah, if we ever get a chance, we
will listen directly to this convocation

of Ghamdi Sahib. Thank you very much
for your time.

[Ghamidi] Thank u so much.