Whoever Imitates A People is of Them

The Prophet Muhammad (may Allah mention him among his angels) said, "Man tashabbaha bi-qawmin fa-huwa minhum." The English translation of which is, "Whoever imitates a people is of them." So those people who believe in Al-Islam should set themselves apart them those who do not believe in Al-Islam. This entails there custom, traditions, culture, and many aspects of life. So who do you imitate? Do you try and look like 50-Cent or Madonna or some other individual who does not believe in "La ilaha illa Allah; Muhammadun Rasullah" (There is no diety worthy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is his Messenger)? The attitude of "let's just try to fit in" does not jive with the ethos of Islam. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that we should try to be on the fringe of society and be some sort of counter-culture if we live in a country that is predominantly not Muslim. But we should follow our leader and his way and try our level best to follow that example. We can mold out our own trends and be the trend-setters.

Khalil