How to look like an Imam (Leader)?

In the Name of Allah,

All praise is due to Allah, Al-Mu'izz, The Bestower of honor.


In 637 CE Jerusalem offered a truce, provided that the Khalifa come himself from Madina to sign the treaty. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) set out for Jerusalem with a slave and a camel. The slave and he would take turns riding the camel and they also gave the camel time off from carrying either passenger. When they approached Jerusalem, Umar (radi Allahu anhu) was walking and had to cross through muddy ground, as a result of which his feet and clothes got mud on them. When Umar (radi Allahu anhu) entered Jerusalem, he was holding the rope of his camel leading it and his clothes were patched and muddy.

Abu Ubaidah (radi Allahu anhu), the commander in chief of the Muslim army and himself a very pious man, suggested that he change his clothes so that the people of Jerusalem, accustomed to the pomp and grandeur of kings and emperors, were not dissuaded from handing the keys of Jerusalem over to him. Umar (radi Allahu anhu) hit him hard on the chest and reminded him that they had been a disgraced nation. What had brought them honour and elevated them was Islam; should they seek honour from anything else, they would surely be humiliated again. “The only way for success is the way of the Holy Prophet” he said.

One of the factors of our decline is our believe that we have to appeal to people through our looks, and we should wear clothes according to occasion. Some wear clothes especially for going to Masjid, and wear different clothes for other activities. Some Imam feel that they have to be in a certain dress to claim the authority from the community, so if a lay person walks in the masjid, she can recognize who is the Imam among the people. Some tone down their clothes when they meet non-muslims, so it is not offensive to them. Some public speakers maintain a certain attire to show their authority. Many a times people ask me, when did you start wearing taub (long arab garment), I said I don't remember. They ask again, when did you became a practicing Muslim. Then, it hit me that if a person trying to practice Islam, he should start wearing certain clothes, or if one start wearing certain clothes, he has joined a certain group. I wear taub, because it is easy to put on and comfortable to wear, and for no other reason. Of course, use wisdom to decide if something is too extreme, but that too for sake of Allah.

In my humble opinion, this dependence on looks to attract people originates with weakness in faith, because our pride in Islam is not strong enough to provide confidence we need to not worry about our appearance. We should have faith in Allah, and wear clothes that cover our body according to Sharia, and are comfortable. If a person befriends you despite your simple clothing, that is the friend you need in life, and no the one who respect you for your appearance. Personally, I try to dress simple to see who ignores me and who responds to me, which turns out to be the best tool to filter insincere folks.

Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah was a great companion, but he saw the different behavior from non-muslims towards a person appearance, and he wanted to avoid that perception , but Umar knew that it is not the appearance that will shake the world, but it is the message of Islam. Now, Abu Ubaidah was a leading companion, but Umar's belief strength was stronger than his, and so he corrected him. In the absence of unshaken believe in Allah, many insecurities comes into our lives. If one is an Imam from Indo-Pak region, he will have to look like a typical Imam otherwise it will be a heresy. If one is an Imam from USA, he will have to look like a moderate Muslim. No! that is not the way. Yes, if that person is more comfortable in that appearance then that is fine. There is nothing wrong with any cultural clothing, except when the intention is to impress someone. Our intention should only to impress Allah, and impress other humans with our message of Islam.

Many a times people walked in the Masjid-An-Nabwi, and ask who among you is the messenger of Allah, because they couldn't tell him a part. Now, how many Imams can be recognized in the crowd of 300, because of their attire. Our pride should not be in how many ahadith we can recite in a conversation, or how bright our clothes are, or how long our beard is, or how many people we know, rather we should take pride in our strength of belief in Allah. Do we believe from depth of our heart that Allah exist? Would we jump in the fire, if that was our test of belief? Would we sacrifice our most beloved thing if asked by Allah? Would we stand up for the truth, even if it means risking our social network?

I testify that I believe in Allah. I know that Allah exists. I know that Allah listen to us, every single time. I know that we get respect because of Allah and not because we don't offend the rich and powerful person of our community. I know that we all sin, but Allah forgives if he wills. I know that Allah is in control of every single movement of every single particle of this creation, so fear from his creation only weakens our faith. I know that our every thought and every action should be weighed against pleasure of Allah.

I swear to Allah that if we belief in Allah's help, there is no impossible task, and uniting the Ummah, building a masjid, convincing ignorant people to change, convincing sleeping scholars to wake up, agitating vanilla Muslims to think about Islam, ....

Just answer this, if you are invited by President Obama to honor you, because you represent Islam? What would you dress for that occasion?  Would you think like Abu Ubaidah bin Jarrah, or Umar?

So, fear not my brothers and sisters, and live your life according to Islam, and don't change yourself to fit into a group, or to suppress criticism to save your position in the community, because when you lie in front of us in a box, only the deeds done for sake of Allah will be accepted. No one can harm you unless it is the will of Allah. Ask Allah, when you need him with no doubts in your heart, and a tear in your eye, and I promise that he will respond.

JazakAllah Khairin

Waiting for a simple Imam
Abu Arman Jumani