We had a friend; his mindset was Islamic, but his appearance was non-Islamic. We used to thank Allah just for his Islamic mindset. The gentleman went to England for a while, and when he returned, he had a Western lady ("Meme") by his side! Since the gentleman belonged to a traditional household, this news spread like wildfire that he had brought home a Western bride. Relatives traveled from far and wide just to catch a glimpse of the fair-skinned lady. Women, covering their heads with dupattas, would steal glances at the bride, hesitant even to touch her, fearing they might stain her fair skin. The groom's sisters would proudly tell their friends, "Brother has brought a bride from England!" Children wouldn't even leave the room where she was staying. The mother did not know English, but traditionally, she gifted a shawl and a suit to the bride, though she hesitated to perform the traditional ritual of warding off evil eyes, unsure of how the bride would feel. However, she showered her son with heartfelt blessings. Only the father inquired from the son, "Has she embraced Islam?" The son replied, "Yes, she has recited the Kalma." Upon hearing this, the father was satisfied! It was a joint family system. Sometime later, a new routine began. Before the husband left for the office, the bride would swing in her husband's arms at the front door and imprint a long seal of love (kiss) on his face! There were some whispers in the house. Upon being questioned, the son replied, "She will understand eventually, she has recited the Kalma." When summer started, the fair bride took off her pants and started wearing shorts. The father stopped leaving his room altogether, and the brothers started coming home late at night. The mother would constantly stare at the walls out of sheer embarrassment. When a complaint was made to the son, he again replied, "She has recited the Kalma." At a wedding, the bride performed such a spectacular display of modern Western dance that elders were left holding their hearts. Upon inquiry, it was again stated, "She has recited the Kalma." The bride would celebrate Eid, but she also celebrated Christmas every year with great pomp and splendor. Every time he was asked, the son would reply, "She has recited the Kalma." Time passed, and tolerance grew within the family. When a child was born, the bride refused to allow circumcision, calling it a form of cruelty. The son, with an embarrassed laugh, said, "She will understand eventually, she has recited the Kalma." Dance, music, movies, cocktail parties, Christmas, and public displays of affection became a regular part of the household culture. The brothers gradually grew overly frank with their sister-in-law, high-fiving her during conversations, and she would try to find foreign friends for them. The sisters would go to her room, try on tight jeans, and check themselves in front of the mirror—after all, they had recited the Kalma too! They would openly share all their secrets with her. Since she would occasionally offer Friday prayers, even the father started saying, "She has recited the Kalma." Whenever friends and relatives visited, the bride would sit glued to her husband's side, and once or twice, due to a lack of space, she did not even hesitate to sit on his lap. When asked, the only answer given was, "She has recited the Kalma." One thing about her was good: whenever she went out to the market, despite being dressed in jeans and a shirt, she would throw a dupatta over her head. Onlookers would see this and immediately assume, "She has recited the Kalma!" 🔷 "Islamic Democracy" is also just such a Western bride that some of our religiously inclined brothers wedded and brought home. To make her acceptable to local societies, they made her recite the Kalma. For the nation to be awed by her, the mere fact that she was a foreigner was enough—so fair, so white... "The Kalma-reciting Democracy!" They did not even dare to criticize or touch her. They were delighted just looking at her from afar, thinking, "Look, a converted white lady has come to our place too." She broke traditions, she broke constitutions, and in the name of freedom, she brought every vice inside, yet the nation remained content, thinking, "She has recited the Kalma!" In the name of society, she began dancing in every field just as is the custom of foreign nations. People still remained satisfied that she had recited the Kalma. She gave a justification for every form of polytheism (Shirk) and disbelief (Kufr), she paved the way for every oppressor to reach power, she taught every religious elder how to compromise, she popularized everything using the support of the Kalma, and we, like simple neighbors, remained happy with the sole fact that she has recited the Kalma! Even if someone felt immense shame, they merely bowed their head like the mother and said, "She has recited the Kalma." Our deviation in the guise of the Kalma will ruin a great deal. There is still time to save ourselves from greater destruction... Try to bring true Islam into your lives, otherwise, we too have merely recited the Kalma (and are Muslims only in name). _____📝📝📝_____ Adapted. Selection: Islamic Tube Pro App.