Islam is one of the three major Abrahamic religions centered on the Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, whom Muslims regard as the religion’s final prophet. Those who practice Islam are called Muslims, and they number an estimated 1.9 billion worldwide.
It is believed that Islam originated in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 610 CE when the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation of the Quran. He was 40 years old when this occurred, marking the beginning of his role as the “Seal of the Prophets.” By the time of his death at age 62, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam. Today, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing major religious group. According to the Pew Research Center, the global Muslim population is projected to nearly equal the Christian population—currently about 2.4 billion—by 2050.
There are five pillars of Islam, with 6 articles of faith that all Muslims must abide and believe in. The pillars, considered obligatory acts of worship, are saying the Islamic oath and creed (shahada); daily prayers (salah); almsgiving (zakat); fasting in the month of Ramadan (sawm); and a pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). The six articles of faith are known as belief in Allah (God), in the angels, in the holy books of the Quran, the messengers of Allah, the Day of Judgement, and divine decree.
Muslims pray five times daily—Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha—at designated times. These prayers are often performed in the congregation.
With Islam growing more every day, month, and year, those who convert to Islam are known as reverts, and they are helping pave the way for Islam’s growth. Along with a high fertility rate and younger age structure compared to other major religions, the expansion of the Muslim world came about because of Islamic missionary activities (dawah) as well as through conquests and trade.
I came to be aware of Islam when I turned 18, and it landed upon my heart and stayed with me until I was 24 when I decided to take my shahada and lead a life following the Sunnah–the body of traditions and practices of the Prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. In my family, my father was the cultural tie to my Cherokee culture and traditions, so when he passed at age 39, it was an exceedingly difficult reality I now had to live in, lost at sea without my father and guide in life. To honor him, though, I decided to follow in his footsteps of becoming a strong Southern Baptist Christian, and I followed it so much so that I had plans to become a missionary and attend a bible college after I graduated from high school. However, one month before school started, I received a knock upon my spirit that prevented me from going ahead with this decision, and I listened.
Through my time as a Muslim, I have come to know myself and others better to treat my fellow man with respect and kindness, regardless of whether you would call me a name or spit in my face. It has not been an easy road by far, for many reverts such as I must hide who they are, especially those who are facing persecution and potential disownment from their families and loved ones. Islam, as with any religion, is better lived and experienced within a community of fellow believers.
An ayah verse from a surah chapter I resonate with most in the Quran and that strengthens me in times of worry and fear is from Al-Baqarah, The Cow, and it reads as follows: “Remember Me; I will remember you.” For Ya Rabb, my Lord is closer to me than my jugular vein (50:16, Surah Qaf), and even if I am the loneliest of the lonely, He will be there for me. I have always been a quiet person, lost in my thoughts and mind, and I would try and reach out to anyone and anything to find connections, such as my friends or the Christian faith, and in the end, I would be left with failed relationships and even more questions.
Being Muslim is not an easy lot in life, especially for reverts, as from the moment we take our shahada, we are essentially brand new, free from sin and the evils of this world, but it can take a very wrong turn when we face judgment from both our fellow Muslims for not “practicing correctly,” to our families who would turn their faces and hearts from us. It can be quite a difficult road to walk, and I have heard often that many reverts do give up considering these persecutions and never return to Islam.
There are certain stigmas against this faith, and many will say Islam is too repressive and backward for these modern times. While there are certainly regulations to follow, they are all for your benefit and can create positive change within yourself and potentially others you are around. Islam is often misrepresented as repressive or linked to terrorism. In reality, it promotes peace and personal growth.
I recently started to wear the hijab, which many Muslim women conventionally wear as an outward expression of faith, but to some, it is seen as a misogynistic tool to control women who wear it. I do not deny that it can be used in such a way, but for many women who wear it, the hijab is a badge of honor and piety, and I have never felt more beautiful than when wearing it. It comes in a variety of head coverings, from the khimar and niqab to the burqa and chador, which are more full-body hijab coverings. Together, though, they all work together to preserve one’s modesty and strengthen ties to the Lord.
Being on a primarily Indigenous campus, wearing the hijab can feel like stepping away from our way of wearing your hair out, long, and with pride, and usually interwoven in braids. I have never really grown my hair out much, though, for in many Indigenous societies, it is usually taught to cut your hair in mourning, and so in the midst of my grief over losing my father and various other issues in my life, I have kept it short, and while it does hold meaning and significance to me, it does as well in the Muslim part of my life, and I choose to cover it to honor my God, and myself. In speaking of my Native identity, I would be remiss to say that it is easy also to honor my culture, the land, and the people I come from.
It has been said, and as Native people, we walk in two worlds: in the traditional sense of keeping our languages and cultural practices alive, and then there is the other side of working a 9-5, relentlessly grinding to get a career, a home, and family and move up on the colonialist ladder. Especially being at a university where I plan to be a tribal liaison between the Cherokee Nation and the government for my future, I am doing my absolute best to do a balancing act for all these aspects of my life, and it is overwhelming at times.
When I add on being Muslim, a third layer is created where I am going to be a mother one day, a wife, and I will be a stepping stone to creating the next generation of believers, guiding them to learn both Cherokee and Arabic, to create frybread and potentially memorize the Quran…That is a very heavy weight on my heart. What I do now will influence not just my own life but also the next several generations of my bloodline, and it invokes such emotion within me, for I am just one person.
What I am hoping to find, though, is a balance among the three, and while it may take the rest of my days, I know through it all that I am a proud Indigenous Muslimah scholar, and I still honor my father every day in living out who I truly am, who he saw me as. I am a fusion of religion, heritage, and purpose all wrapped up in one being, with a thousand ancestors behind her who prayed over and loved her before she was even here. With that in mind, it is but a small thing to continue this journey with hope, love, and kindness in my heart, and that is more than enough. Wado!
