Question:
Salaam Alykum,
May Allah (SWT) reward and guide you. My question is this. I converted to Islam while on deployment to Iraq, and still am in the US Army. While serving, I have already had opportunities to show my soldiers that Islam is not the enemy and help them in their understanding. But there seems to be some difference in opinion as to whether one can be an American soldier and Muslim or not. Any guidance you can give to me for this would be most helpful. I still have a year left on my original contract.
Wa Salaam,
Answer:
`Alaykum salam,
May Allah reward you for your courage and truthfulness. As for your question, as you mentioned there are different views, so we say choose for yourself on the basis of the Prophetic directive to the Companion Wabisa, which is mentioned in Nawawi’s “Forty Hadiths Around which Revolves Islam.” Namely: “Ask fatwa from your heart and conscience even if x, y and z give you a hundred fatwas.” May He guide you and us to what He accepts and loves.
Hajj Gibril Haddad
