The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said about Umar Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he has very few friends. But the blessed Messenger e also gave a reason for this and that reason was ‘Because he speaks the truth.’ Medicine is always bitter and if you want the truth, please read on.

At present there is a big problem that many UK Darul Ulooms (Islamic Universities) are facing. The problem is that those who graduate after many years of intense study do not get involved in Islamic activity after qualifying such as becoming Imams, teaching or engaging in charity work. These are British born, young, fluent in Arabic and English, educated both in Islamic and secular sciences and yet why are they turning away in throngs? The reason is simple but hard for us to admit. The answer is that people like you and me treat Imams worst then animals. The ‘Molvie,’ which itself is a derogatory term is made the butt of all our jokes, gossip and rumour. Why on earth would somebody want to become an Imam? You have to be on call 24/7, you have to take abuse from all segments of society, your condemned to hell if you make the slightest mistake, you have to take attitude from any Tom, Dick or Harry who learns two words of Arabic and thinks he is some sort of Shaykh of Islam and you and your family are meant to survive on a wage that by Allah we should all be ashamed of.

For once let’s look at ourselves. To make you understand what we mean we will give the example of Pakistan. The leaders that come forth, we are forever complaining about them. It seems that each one is worse than the one who preceded him. Are all the leaders of the Muslim lands demons that have fallen from the skies? No, they are from amongst us and whether we like to admit it or no, they are just a reflection of ourselves. This is proven from the words of the Noble Messenger, (may peace be upon him) when he said, ‘As you are, you should have rulers placed over you.’ It is only because we as individuals are corrupt, that we have corrupt rulers placed over us in our Masajid and in our governments.

If you yourself are not willing to go through the living hell of being an Imam then why on earth do you expect others to do so. You will never get the quality that is needed because you have to change your attitude first. We know of Imams who have selflessly served the Muslims throughout their lives and you know what their state is now? Not a soul bothers with them. They are old and need assistance but there is none to assist them. Why? Because we just see them as tools, to be discarded when they are no longer any use to us. We call it the bus mentality. You see when we need to get from A to B by bus we don’t give a tiff whether a monkeys driving the bus or a human, we just want to get from A to B. That’s why kids, when they get off the bus they stick fingers up at the driver, why? Because they just needed the driver for their needs, as soon as that need is fulfilled, he can go to hell. In the same light, when we go to the Masjid, we don’t care who’s on the prayer mat. We just want to read our jumuah salah and feel that we have fulfilled our duty to Allah. We just use the Imams than discard them when our needs have been fulfilled. My own Imam has told us how he has been rung at all hours of the night. Somitimes at one, two, three o’clock in the morning by people asking the most stupid of questions that could have waited. But why did these people not think that the Imam is a human being like us and he needs his rest also? We tell you why because when we put one pound to the Masjid collection we think that we own the Imam just like the corrupt comities think they own the Imams.

We need to change our thinking first, then Insha-Allah we will see change. My own Imam speaks English better than most people and is very knowledgably. If you can bear to hear what people have done to him without crying then you have no heart.

When my Imam graduated a famous elderly Imam came to visit him. This elderly Imam had served the Muslim community all his life and this particular community acknowledged his selfless service. Do you want to know what advice this elderly Imam gave this young graduate? He cried profusely and said over and over again one phrase which was ‘Don’t do Imamat’ (meaning don’t take up the job of being an Imam.) Why? Because he did not want anybody to go through what he had gone through.

Look before you even glance at the Imams have a glance at your own attitude. Ask yourself have you ever done anything to assist the Imam, to make his life easier? He is your representative in prayer before Allah and you don’t have the slightest bit of respect for him?

Some of us can only speak English but we should never disrespect any Imam because we have an idea of what they have to go through. This we know because we care to look, rather most of us just see the Imam as our slave, to be used and abused.

Look the Imams we need are already here. We don’t have to import but as so long as we don’t first change our mentality, our behaviour and our feelings towards the Imams than things will never change.

Finally we will leave you with one last thought. If you are so concerned with the state of our Imams then why don’t you become one and make a change. But you will never do this why because you look down upon this position and would rather have a title like Doctor Saab or Lawyer Saab. Until you are not willing to become one yourself don’t abuse them. As Allah says in the Qur’an, ‘Allah does not change the condition of a people till they first change themselves.’ Change your own self first all you will see change.

MPACUK
Reviving The Muslim Community for a Peaceful World for Your Children

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