Building A Community vs. Building A Cult
By Saud Inam, FACE Board Member
In recent times, we’ve seen an increase in online webinars by our favorite Muslim scholars and speakers. This move to online education has been much-needed and we are receiving accessible programming and education for all demographics and ages in our community. While many of our masajid and centers for education are still closed due to the shelter-in-place orders for COVID-19, we need to be mindful about and perhaps reevaluate what we want our communities to look like when we fully re-enter those spaces.
Firstly, every single one of us – from the imams of our masajid, to the board members, to staff, to the community members – must ask ourselves: have we truly built a community or just a structure? Unfortunately, many of our masajid are empty shells devoid of community; they are beautiful bodies with no soul. If we look back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) we saw that he sought to build true community in Makkah even prior to laying the first brick for the masjid in Madinah; he laid the bricks of community before laying the physical bricks of the masjid. Secondly, “celebrity imams and scholars” need to begin rethinking their roles within the community. Are they truly serving the needs of their community? Or are they becoming on-the-road warrior imams and scholars coming into the limelight and seeking speaking engagements nationwide? Some “celebrity imams and scholars” may have good intentions and may truly benefit those who they preach to, but at the end of the day, if they are neglecting the community that pays their salary and hired them in the first place, are they really doing their job of serving those who need them the most? It is crucial for imams and community leadership in our masajid to focus on serving, growing, and cultivating their own communities. This means knowing who’s in the community, knowing their needs, and then meeting their needs. Celebrity imams and scholars should also help remind their communities that they are not to be placed on a pedestal, and each community leader must regularly conduct their own introspection and ego checks when they are doing their work for the sake of Allah.
We must also reflect upon our relationship with our religion and religious scholars or figures: Is our religiosity and spirituality tied to a person? While it’s good to follow those who exhibit Prophetic qualities and exhort us to good, we should never elevate nor put them on a pedestal higher than they should be. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) passed away, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “No doubt! Whoever worshipped Muhammad, then Muhammad is dead, but whoever worshipped Allah, then Allah is alive and shall never die.” Then he recited Allah's Statement: “(O Muhammad), Verily you will die, and they also will die” (Qur’an 39:30). He also recited: “Muhammad is no more than an Apostle; and indeed many Apostles have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful” (Qur’an 3:144).
As our spiritual guide, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the only person we should seek to emulate, learn from and connect with. Additionally, we can benefit from those who draw us closer to faith, our Creator, and our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. However we should never overpraise, elevate or unknowingly put those figures on pedestals to the point where our relationship with religious figures becomes like worship. This is dangerous because the individuals we admire, follow, and learn from may be tested by our praise and admiration. Furthermore, we may deify these individuals unknowingly by praising them to the point where, in our mind, we deem them infallible. We must remember that every one of us is human, even the Prophets of Allah (peace be upon them all), with the exception that they had a Divine connection. We are all humans with flaws, sins, evil desires, and the potential to do evil, despite the vast knowledge some of us may possess. Thus, when we see some religious figures engage in misconduct, misbehavior or abuse, our knee-jerk reaction as admirers of those individuals would be to defend them. This is totally natural and we should not jump to conclusions or accusations without studying all the evidence and facts. However, when the truth is supported by hard facts and evidence, it is an obligation on us to accept that truth.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) warned against overpraising even himself: “Do not adulate me as the Christians have adulated the Son of Mary. For I am but His slave. So say ‘slave of God, and His messenger.’” (Muslim)
Thus, we must ask ourselves: what is our relationship with Islam, Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) based on? Is it based on a relationship with one scholar or religious figure? This is not to say we need to distrust scholars or religious figures, but we must ensure that we don’t elevate them to the point where we deem them infallible or unable to commit harm.
Lastly, when we re-enter our spiritual spaces, we must ask ourselves: are we building community or are we building a cult? We must be wary of institutions built around the personality of one figure and ensure that those institutions have accountability and oversight mechanisms. We see the growth of institutions outside and inside of masjid environments built around the personality of one figure or a handful of figures which have admirers and followers who follow these institutions step-by-step and digest every video, article, speech and class produced by these institutions. While our pursuit of religious knowledge is important, we must ensure that our sources of religious knowledge are legitimate, and do so without putting our spirituality and our spiritual hearts solely in the hands of one person.
We are not a people who have a clergy hierarchy that solely has the keys to Allah, nor is our relationship with Allah reliant on those clergy. Our relationship with Allah is an intimate connection we all have and can tap into by ourselves. The religious figures and spiritual teachers are simply coaches and guides on that journey. They should never replace the role of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) where we walk in their every footstep like we would for the Prophet (peace be upon him). Gain knowledge from them, benefit from them, but never elevate them to the status of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) where they can do no wrong, sinless, faultless or infallible.
The responsibility lies on us too, as we pursue our own unique relationships with Allah to keep our minds, souls, and spiritual hearts in our hands and not in the hands of another. We should love and revere those with religious knowledge and wisdom, but never outsource our spirituality to them. So when it comes time to re-enter our spiritual spaces we must conduct introspection individually and as a community.
We must learn to build community, not cults.