I am Zainab. I am a pharmacist, wife, mother of two, a second generation Indian/Pakistani American Muslim.
In general the above statement tells other people about me. Within that statement one thing stands out-Muslim. Unlike the other descriptions I give, Muslim in that statement tells others about my beliefs and my worldview.
However the case of the Muslim identity is more than what meets the eye, for it question of anthropology and teleology, and almost synonymous with the human identity.
If I were to change my name to Fatima, would I still be me? If I was a teacher instead of a pharmacist, would I still be me? If I didn’t have children, would I still be me? If I was lighter skinned maybe Russian instead of Pakistani , would I still be me? If I didn’t have a hand, or leg would I still be me?
So what makes me, me?
We see people around us try to answer these questions, and live their life according to their answer.
Some when asked: who are you?
They say: I am a doctor. I am a teacher.
And their life will revolve around achieving academic and professional success.
Some may say I want to be rich or I want to be a person of status- a president, a community leader etc.
And these people will always be looking for the best side hustle to make money, or best way to accumulate wealth. A person wanting status may make most of his decisions based on its ability to grant him that power and fame.
Some may say I want to be a mother, father. Wife, husband. They will try to find a perfect spouse or focus on their children so much that they lose sight of other things.
Some may say I want to be someone who is beautiful or handsome.
They will go to extreme lengths, to achieve that perceived beauty.
And not all these things are wrong to want, a successful career, a family, financial stability.
But let me ask you this? If I say this is who I am or want to be and link my worth to it as a human, what happens when I get fired from my job as a doctor tomorrow? What happens if I loose all my wealth? What happens if God forbid I get divorced or loose a child? What happens when I loose my beauty or strength when I get older?
Will I loose who I am? Will I loose all purpose and value?
People who link their identity and purpose to something that will end, loose themselves when it ends. And whether or not we loose those things in our lifetime, death is certain.
If who I am is linked to something that will come to end, is that the place really where we should derive our identity, purpose or our worth from?
The question we must ask: is what is something that isn’t finite or something that will not come to an end? Only an identity linked to the infinite can prevail. And we find the answer is, God.
A identity that stems from the everlasting true reality-God- is the only one that is real.
So I am Zainab. If my name was Fatima or I had no name at all it wouldn’t matter.
Erase
A pharmacist, if I were a teacher or had no occupation at all it wouldn’t matter..
Erase
a wife and mother of 2, if I were not married or had no children at all it wouldn’t matter
Erase
I am a second generation Indian/Pakistani American, if I were Russian or born in the middle of the ocean and had a unknown ethic or geographic identity it wouldn’t matter.
Erase
Muslim.
A Muslim is one who submits to God.
I can potentially change this to Kaafir- one who rejects God.
But can I erase this category?
I cannot because I cannot erase the reality that God exists whether or not anything else exists. And if God exists, then I can either be one who submits to him, or rejects Him.
This identity- is the only identity that cannot be erased. And the only identity from which we can both derive a purpose from and value or worth from.
The purpose: I was created to worship and submit to God.
The value system: The better I am at doing that (becoming God-wary or attaining taqwa) the more human I become and the more value I have.
When we tie our identity to something infinite, as opposed to something finite that will come to an end, and derive our purpose and value from there (i.e God) only then can we come to terms with duties, challenges and opportunities that may change over our lifetime. Hence our understanding of our true identity as a human is of upmost importance.
(49:13) Human beings, We created you all from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God-fearing of you. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
