A Cast of Characters

As a new feature on this blog. I want to introduce you to the characters of the Echoes Series.

First, of course, is the star of the series.

Joshua Adams

Joshua Michael Adams is twenty-three when he learns about Islam.

Up until then, his life has been a mess.

Alcohol, drugs, women, recklessness.

And abandonment of those who mean the most to him.

After he becomes a Muslim, Joshua changes many of his old habits.

No more alcohol. No more girlfriends.

But some things will never change.

Joshua has a bad habit of leaving his socks laying on the floor.

He has a very high tolerance for chaos.

(Which is a good news for his kids!)

He loves animals, especially cats,

and he regrets never having a pet when he was young.

He loves to eat pizza, Pakistani food, barbecue--you name it

And he cooks--he spends a lot of his spare time in front of the stove.

He's good-hearted, basically.

But not always very patient.

He doesn't pay attention to details.

But he is good at seeing the big picture.

As a Muslim, Joshua is strongly committed to his faith, his family and his friends.

And no matter how old he gets, he likes to have fun!

Journeys

Last week was the week for travel. Over the river and through the woods. . .

Our family went back to my home state of Missouri. Not much has changed. The Mississippi River still flows on the eastern boundary. The Missouri River still cuts a path through the state. The Arch still stands, a monument to westward movement and forwardthinking.

People change more. I saw two nieces and a nephew, and several former students. All of them taller. A few students married now. My nephew with a beard. My niece with a beau.

We came back safely from our trip, alhamdulillah. My bags are still packed. I have almost recovered.

But the journey continues.

Peace on earth?

When I was in college, I joined a group called, simply, World Peace Organization. We were a small group with fundamental goals. Our main objective was to bring about peace on earth.

Kids these days aren't as naively optimistic as we were then. Kids these days have seen bombings, massacres and times of seemingly endless war. More significantly, they've seen that our generation--a generation with our own share of political assassinations and war--was unable to change anything.

World peace. What a wonderful idea. And completely impossible.

We won't have world peace. Not in this lifetime. There will always be someone who stirs the pot and creates turmoil.

But we can work for peace. Starting with inner peace. Being satisfied with our own selves, while continuing to strive for improvement. Then we can move to peace within our families and our communities.

We can't have world peace. But we can do our best to live in peace, in our own little areas of the world.

By the way, I did find peace. I found Islam.

Enjoin what is right. . .

One of the most powerful stories I have ever heard was about the man who was punished because he did good but did not encourage good in others.

We cannot stand by and allow evil to triumph. We must do our part, whether in our families, our communities, our cities or our governments.

Machiavelli said that the end justifies the means. But for Muslims, the end means nothing. The end is with Allah. What matters is what we do to get there.

Be good. And encourage good. With your hearts, your tongues and your hands.

Democracy

Do you believe that democracy is important? Should a government be governed of the people, by the people and for the people?

Then don't let our leaders get away with using illegal methods to spy on the people.

Happy Holidays?

I haven't celebrated Christmas since I became a Muslim more than twenty years ago. But I can never escape the Christmas season. Crowds in the stores. Christmas songs on the radio. Heart-warming commercials on TV. Decorations. Sales. Sometimes it's enough to make me want to scream out, "Bah, humbug!"

Getting through the holidays is a special challenge for those of us who used to celebrate and no longer do. I will be teaming up with another convert to discuss "Surviving the Holidays" in a live dialogue on Islamonline.net.

If you have your own challenges for getting through the holiday season, please talk to us at www.islamonline.net. The dialogue will be held live this Tuesday night from 8 to 10 (Eastern).
Please check the website for GMT.

A Noble Ideal

Thank you for sharing that, Abu Muhammad.

What prevents us from striving for the noble ideal? Are we too busy? Too distracted by the obligations of life? Is mass entertainment to blame? Or are we just too lazy?

Believing men and believing women. Working together to make life easier. Worshipping. Cooperating. Giving. Caring. Sounds like too much work, doesn't it?

I've often heard it said that Islam is too much work. All that praying and fasting. Putting on a scarf every time you leave the house. Watching what you eat. Being careful of what you say.

But consider the alternative. Alienation. Exploitation of women. Obesity and other health issues. Courtroom battles. Addiction. Violence. Emptiness. Sounds great, right?

Muslims are not immune from these problems. We fall prey to everything modern society has to offer. But only when we don't practice Islam.

Don't settle. Keep striving for the best, the noble ideal.