Question:
assalamalaikum, shaykh i need your help, my husband is a mureed of shaykh nazim for a few years , everything was going good until recently my husband found out his ancestry which linked us to jewism. since then my husband is keen on keeping a minorah in the house, and has started wearing these jewish prayer clothes. all this is making me very upset because somehow it feels all wrong to me, i am a very proud muslim and i do not want anything from any other religion. he even send a message to you but i think you are busy, we never got any reply. please shaykh i humbly request you to answer as soon as possible because this is causing me a lot of anxiety. i am afraid my kids will get confused .. please help me as soon as possible and remember us in prayers. jazakallahukhairan
Answer:
wa `alaykum salam,
Don’t worry, your husband is exploring his identity and learning about his reality. Don’t you see that Allah mentioned Sayyidina Musa (as) hundreds of times in the Holy Quran? Being Muslim and identifying with one’s heritage do not conflict, rather, as he explores deeper and deeper, he will find that Judaism contains all the same basic beliefs as Islam and that Islam amplifies all the best in Judaism and clarifies what is unclear.
If he is a convert, your husband has a soft heart, known in Islam as mu’allafat al-qulub, and the Prophet (s) always went out of his way to make sure new Muslims were comfortable in their newfound faith. Some of the Madinan converts were from a Jewish background, and one of the Prophet’s wives was originally Jewish, Umm al-mumineen, Sayyida Safiya, may Allah be well-pleased with her.
If, on the other hand, you reject his right to know himself, then you will stifle his freedom of expression and discovery and turn him off completely from Islam. Instead share his explorations with him, express joy and happiness at each new turn and walk with him in the Way of the Lord, you will not be disappointed, insha-Allah.
W ‘Allahu `alam,
Taher Siddiqui
